Previously: The story of...of Prythian.
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Despite every warning she's gotten since the beginning of this book, Feyre is going to go hunt down some dangerous fae. 

This situation barely makes any sense when you consider that Lucien sent her out with instructions on how to find the fae that will answer all her questions, but he also refuses to answer all her questions. I said "barely" because it makes some sense if Lucien is trying to get Feyre killed. Which... maybe!

Feyre walks through the woods where things shimmer and sparkle but always disappear before she can focus on them. 

Wow, thanks for explaining what you meant by "old."

I'll spare you more of Feyre's description of the forest and skip on over to her, wondering if Tamlin has to answer to the High Lord of the Spring Court. Is it really supposed to be a secret that Tamlin is a High Lord? She knows that he's High Fae, owns this manor, oversees everyone, and has power over other High Fae. What's the mystery?

Feyre randomly wonders if the High Lord carved out Lucien's eye. She's OBSESSED with Lucien's eye, my God. 

Feyre focuses back on the task at hand and reminds us that she's a real good hunter (whenever the plot demands she is). Feyre finds the grove of birch trees and a stream of running water, plans her escape routes, and starts setting her trap. 

We skip ahead to Feyre waiting in a tree and eating a snack. It's hot out, so she wonders if Tamlin and Lucien ever got tired of eternal spring. We're spared more of Feyre's idle thoughts by something approaching. Feyre has enough time to question whether this was a good idea or whether or not Lucien is trying to lead her to her doom. I mean, that was my first thought, too. At least she made it there eventually. 

The Suriel falls for the trap, and Feyre climbs down to meet it.

When Feyre gets a load of the Suriel, she's almost sure Lucien is trying to kill her. She describes the bony, skinless monster.

"A face that looked like it had been crafted from dried, weatherworn bone, its skin either forgotten or discarded, a lipless mouth and too-long teeth held by blackened gums, slitted holes for nostrils, and eyes … eyes that were nothing more than swirling pits of milky white—the white of death, the white of sickness, the white of clean-picked corpses."

Even SJM's wordy, run-on style could be more effective here than in other places, but because she writes like this always, it makes it annoying. It's like the em-dash. If the point of the em-dash is to emphasize or set apart information, when you use it all the time, it stops working.

“Human,” it said, and its voice was at once one and many, old and young, beautiful and grotesque. My bowels turned watery. “Did you set this clever, wicked trap for me?”

Spoiler alert: unfortunately, this is not the last time we will hear about Feyre's watery bowels. 

The Suriel asks Feyre to come closer, so it can take a good look at her, but she's at least smart enough to do no such thing. Feyre eventually gets to asking her question: Is there truly no way for her to go home? The Suriel confirms what we've heard approximately 375 times now: she can't go home, or else she and her family will be killed. Shocking, stunning, never heard before news. 

Feyre decides that if she came all this way, she might as well learn something useful, and asks the Suriel what it knows about Tamlin. The Suriel needs a more specific question, but it does let drop that Tamlin is a High Lord and super powerful. Shocking, stunning, never heard before news. 

Next, Feyre asks what can be done about the Blight and where it came from. The Suriel tells her to just "stay with the High Lord" and that she will be safe if she does. If she tries to interfere or go looking for more answers, she will be "devoured by the shadow over Prythian."

Since it didn't fully answer the question, Feyre asks again where the Blight came from. The Suriel swerves the question again (so like it doesn't have to answer all her questions?? What's the point then????) and assumes that the High Lord doesn't know she came here. 

"He does not know that his human woman came to trap a Suriel, because he cannot give her the answers she seeks. But it is too late, human — for the High Lord, for you, perhaps for your realm as well..."

That's a lot of doom and gloom, but the part that trips Feyre up is being called Tamlin's human woman. Our girl is a master at focusing on the right information. 

Lucky for us, the Suriel ignores her and keeps going, telling us about another faerie kingdom called Hybern, ruled by a wicked and powerful king. This king is super salty that the High Lords entered into a treaty with the humans, made him sign it and give up all of his human slaves. And so, he's been mounting a long campaign against humans and infiltrating the courts of the other High Lords. He was prepared to launch an attack, but one of his commanders, The Deceiver, betrayed him. 

That seems like some useful information, but that's enough of that. The Suriel says they aren't alone. Feyre asks what's there, and the Suriel says it's the Naga. He begs to be freed and tells Feyre to run back to the manor. Feyre starts to free the Suriel, but it's too late. Four Naga walk out of the forest, and that isn't the start of a joke.

That was 7 Kindle pages and 27 em dashes. And some watery bowels and a birch tree. 

Next time: It's Naga time in Chapter 15.

♥️

Mari