Chapter 40

Summary

• Main character Feyre is faced with her second trial before Amarantha, with her lover Tamlin and friend Lucien present but unable to help.
• The trial takes place in a room that opens up into a pit, and Feyre is faced with a riddle that requires reading—an ability she lacks.
• Lucien is chained and positioned as if he will also be crushed if Feyre fails to solve the riddle in time.
• Feyre's illiteracy becomes a critical obstacle as she is unable to read the riddle's inscription, which is required to choose the right lever to stop the descending spiked grate.
• She guesses the answer based on intuition and a hint of magical guidance from the tattoo on her hand, which is linked to another character, Rhysand.
• She chooses the third lever, which turns out to be the correct one, causing the grate to stop mere inches from crushing her and Lucien.
• Feyre is psychologically tormented by her near-death experience and the pressure of her situation, expecting to fail the third and final task.
• Rhysand appears in her cell afterward, using a mix of intimidation and insight to prevent her from breaking under the strain.
• He hints at knowing about her illiteracy but promises not to share the information, while still managing to mock her vulnerability.
• Feyre remains angry and unsettled but registers that Rhysand's actions, however manipulating, may have prevented her from a complete collapse.