Chapter 24

Summary

• The protagonist wakes up to the sound of buzzing, not the dawn, and is surprised by a faerie with tree bark skin arranging breakfast dishes.
• Confused, the protagonist mistakes the faerie for another named Alis before realizing it is Alis under a glamour.
• The protagonist learns that the faeries' true forms had been hidden by glamours because Tamlin thought she would be scared of their true appearances.
• While seeking Tamlin, the protagonist encounters a variety of faeries in their true, often inhuman forms.
• The protagonist discovers that their previous perception of privacy was false; many faeries had been present all along but concealed from sight and sound.
• Lucien and Tamlin discuss with the protagonist about the protective glamours and why certain creatures were able to bypass them.
• The protagonist learns their past actions had an audience, leading to feelings of embarrassment and mortification.
• Tamlin explains that glamours didn't work on beings not under his command and mentions increased freedom of certain malevolent creatures due to a phenomenon called the blight.
• The protagonist is warned to ignore any strange faeries they might see and to remember past lessons about dealing with dangerous creatures.
• Tamlin reassures the protagonist of their safety within his territory, in spite of the growing threat from the blight in neighboring lands.
• The following morning, a gruesome discovery of a severed faerie head is made in the garden, signaling a dark message from the Night Court.
• Tamlin and Lucien speculate that the Night Court is taunting them, testing their defenses, and revealing their proximity with this macabre prank.
• The protagonist grapples with the reality of faerie politics and recalls the previous enslavement of humans and their freedom five centuries ago.
• The protagonist confronts Tamlin about the past, to which he expresses his contentment at the departure of human slaves from his family's lands.
• Tamlin shows vulnerability in sharing thoughts about his family, and the protagonist offers understanding and respect for his privacy.
• Despite reassurances of safety, the grim discovery in the garden leaves the protagonist unable to paint as planned.