Chapter 32

Summary

• The protagonist surveys the damage in the entry hall, noting the signs of a vicious fight but no bodies, and remains hopeful that Tamlin and Lucien are alive.
• While moving through the wreckage, the protagonist tries to piece together the events from the battle, suggesting both Tamlin and Lucien were ambushed and taken alive.
• The protagonist hides behind a door with a hunting knife drawn when someone enters the room, but it turns out to be Alis, a familiar face.
• Alis confirms that Tamlin and Lucien are alive but taken to Amarantha’s court Under the Mountain.
• The protagonist demands to know what happened, as Alis hastily gathers supplies, hinting at a need to escape or hide.
• Alis reveals that Amarantha has conquered Prythian and forced the High Lords into slavery, including Tamlin, because he failed to break her curse in seven times seven years.
• It's disclosed that Amarantha is a feared High Queen who schemed her way into power by stealing the High Lords' powers and trapping them with a spell.
• Alis recounts how Amarantha rose to power by charming the High Lords, then betrayed them, and has been waiting to break the Treaty and conquer the human lands.
• The protagonist learns that Amarantha cursed Tamlin to find a human girl who killed a faerie out of hatred and who would love Tamlin to break the curse—one that the protagonist unknowingly had a chance to break.
• Alis explains the history behind Amarantha's hatred for humans and Tamlin's family's past connections to the King of Hybern.
• The protagonist understands the full extent of her actions, that she could have freed Tamlin and his court, and grapples with the newfound guilt of failing to save Prythian.
• Alis shares the origins of the masks worn by Tamlin's court and details about Amarantha's cruelty and control over the courts, including keeping most under the Mountain.
• The protagonist insists on going Under the Mountain to face Amarantha despite Alis's warnings that it's a suicidal mission.
• In the end, after much determination from the protagonist, Alis agrees to show her the way Under the Mountain.