Summary

Chapter 15

Feyre sees the naga for the first time: they are semi-human, semi-serpent scaly creatures with sharp claws. She thinks about screaming for Lucien, but she doubts he will be able to come to her rescue. She gathers a scream to distract the creatures, draws her bow, and shoots an arrow to break the snare and free the Suriel. She shoots one of the naga with an arrow and speeds toward the stream, though water doesn’t deter these creatures. Too far away to hope Lucien will hear her, Feyre runs as fast as she can. It’s not fast enough. The creatures surround her. Fueled by anger, fear, or instinct, she stabs one of the creatures with a knife hidden in her boot. Slammed to the ground by the naga, Feyre hears a roar. Tamlin arrives and tears the throat of one of the naga while the other one flees. Tamlin uses magic to help soothe Feyre’s injuries. Tamlin asks Feyre what she was doing in the woods, but she does not tell him of her plan to trap the Suriel. He warns her to stay close to the house. She thanks him for saving her life. Feyre remembers the Suriel’s advice not to search for more answers, deciding that what little information she can share with her family will have to be enough. Feyre notices Tamlin seems more defeated than victorious.  

Chapter 16 

With more faeries entering the land, Feyre asks Alis about the potential for war. Alis warns her not to ask such questions but to let Tamlin deal with it. Feyre tells Alis she wants to protect her family. Alis reveals she, too, has a family: her sister’s two boys, but they live far away. Alis tells Feyre to come to her for advice since she would’ve recommended luring the Suriel again. Feyre joins Lucien and Tamlin at dinner. When Lucien tells her she looks lovely, Feyre responds that she thought faeries couldn’t lie. Lucien tells her that’s a misconception, as is the notion that iron repels them, though ash wood will do them harm. Lucien excuses himself before dessert, leaving Feyre alone with Tamlin. Tamlin asks her again why she was in the woods and Feyre admits she was searching for answers from the Suriel. He then confronts her with the crumpled list of words she threw away. Feyre gets up to leave and Tamlin says that he was not insulting her. Feyre insists she doesn’t need his help or pity. Tamlin asks if they can be friends as faeries and humans were 500 years ago. He tells her he stands against slavery and tyranny. He also reveals he glamoured her family. They know she’s safe but believe she’s helping a sickly aunt. He even warned them to run at the sign of anything strange. With her promise to care for her family satisfied, Feyre asks Tamlin for painting supplies. He agrees to obtain them and offers to show her the gallery. Tamlin smiles at her, and she compares her feelings for him to her feelings for Isaac. 

Chapter 17

Feyre wakes from a nightmare of the Suriel, the naga, and a faceless woman shredding her throat. She hears shouting and runs to the stairs to see Tamlin carrying a blue faerie that is bleeding and severely injured. Lucien joins them, and Tamlin explains that the Summer Court faerie was found dumped just over the border. The faerie cries out that “she” took his wings, though he does not identify the mysterious woman. Feyre holds the faerie down as Tamlin tends to the wounds on his back. Lucien vomits and runs from the room. Tamlin can’t stop the bleeding as his magic is no longer strong enough. Feyre realizes that the faerie is going to die. She does all she can to comfort him, even promising he’ll get his wings back. As Tamlin says an ancient prayer, Feyre holds the faerie’s hand, refusing to let go until he takes his last breath. She explains to Tamlin that she would want someone to do the same for her. She apologizes to Tamlin for killing Andras. In spite of Feyre’s offer to help, Tamlin insists he needs to bury the faerie alone and leaves, carrying the creature. 

Analysis

Feyre displays significant talents as a huntress, though in Prythian, she shifts from predator to prey. The vivid hunting imagery and first-person narration inspire a sense of immediate danger. On the naga’s arrival, the tone shifts to macabre suspense as the creatures become excited over the prospect of devouring the elusive Suriel and a human girl. Feyre counts her heartbeats and arrows, illustrating her careful thought and planning in the face of terror. When she frees the Suriel with her first arrow, she shows that she will not be responsible for pointless bloodshed. Angered by her act of mercy and her attack on one of their pack, the three remaining naga pursue her through the forest like predators chasing their prey. Though she’s surrounded, Feyre’s refusal to give up shows that she’s no helpless rabbit or deer. The naga’s assurance that they’ll have their sport demonstrates that they don’t hunt solely for survival, but for cruel pleasure. Their threats to skin and bleed Feyre, words a hunter would use to refer to a fresh kill, only drive her instinct to survive. Feyre’s determination demonstrates she is no easy prey. 

As she faces off with the naga, Feyre transforms from prey to the damsel saved by the hero with Tamlin’s arrival. The scene demonstrates how powerful Tamlin truly is as even terrifying creatures the naga fear the High Lord in predator mode. In contrast to the naga, Tamlin doesn’t kill for sport but out of necessity. Feyre is surprised that Tamlin finds her worth saving showing she does not yet understand how seriously Tamlin takes his duty to protect his court. Though Tamlin and Feyre come from two different backgrounds, they share a connection of violence and blood. As he takes her hand to help her up, their bloody hands symbolize this connection. While Feyre wonders how much base animal instinct they share, Tamlin’s lack of triumph at killing the naga reveals that he may not be such a brutal beast after all. Tamlin’s attitude foreshadows that his role as a powerful protector may be at risk. 

Dispelling misconceptions about each other allows Feyre and the members of the Spring Court to connect and discover common bonds. Feyre incorrectly assumes Alis is not forthcoming because she does not have a family to protect. This misconception is dispelled when Alis reveals that she’s raising her sister’s boys and she would do anything for them. Alis’s commitment to her family mirrors Feyre’s duty to her family and highlights a shared dedication. By revealing there is an easier way to trap the Suriel, Alis shows that her fierce protective instinct extends to Feyre as well. Feyre’s embarrassment when Lucien tells her that faeries can lie and cannot be harmed by iron reinforces the problem misconceptions represent in Feyre’s life. The fact that Feyre snared the Suriel and killed two naga shows Tamlin that she does not fit his preconceived notion of a weak, cowardly human. Tamlin suggests that he and Feyre might become friends, showing their bond is growing as both sides resolve misconceptions about each other. Feyre compares her body’s physical reaction to Tamlin versus Isaac, which suggests that her feelings may be turning to love rather than friendship. 

Feyre and Tamlin both share emotional wounds from their past, but mercy gives them the power to start to heal. As Tamlin talks of his willingness to fight against tyranny and slavery, the mercy he displays shows his kindness extends not only to Feyre but to other humans as well. Tamlin’s reassurances about her family’s care, the glamour over their memories, and the warning about the blight eases Feyre’s worry for the first time in the novel. Tamlin’s mercy allows Feyre the mental space to focus on personal pursuits. When Feyre shows mercy to the blue faerie, making her first false vow when she says he’ll get his wings back, his slight smile shows that Feyre gives him some small measure of comfort. Feyre’s sincere expression of regret for Andras’s death implies that she’s grown past her hatred for the fae. Tamlin and Feyre are both impacted by each other’s mercy as their relationship grows closer.