I have a lot of thoughts

1. We learn that Elain was Papa Archeron’s princess and they once lived happily together in a manor by the sea. This information seems like the opening of a fairytale. Through Nesta’s POV, we learn more about their childhood experiences. While Nesta was her mother’s creature, Elain was her father’s princess. Her word choice and proximity to a specific parent sets the sisters apart, in turn making their perspectives and development different. Nesta’s mother honed her ruthlessness and taught her how to scheme her way into a formidable match. And we are shown Elain’s heir-like resemblance to her father in their warm brown eyes, association with love and beauty, and desire to travel.

“We weren’t always poor. Until I was fourteen, my father was as rich as a king. They called him the Prince of Merchants.”

He gave her a tentative smile. “And you were his princess?”

Ice cracked through her. “No. Elain was his princess. Even Feyre was more his princess than I ever was.”

Even their gods-damned father had a portrait on the wall along one side of the grand staircase: him and Elain, smiling and happy, as they’d been before the world went to shit. Sitting on a stone bench amid bushes bursting with pink and blue hydrangea. The formal gardens of their first home, that lovely manor near the sea. Nesta and their mother were nowhere in sight.

2. Mama Archeron once predicted Elain would wed for love and beauty (which, as others have pointed out before, sounds an awful lot like lovely beauty), and comments dismissively that she doesn’t dream beyond her garden and pretty clothes. Nesta absorbed her every word, and channeled her mother when she told Elain to return to her little garden in a heated argument. She later challenges Nesta on her hypocrisy when she tries to keep Elain from living beyond the safety of her garden. And thanks to the Cauldron, we know she now dreams far beyond anyone else in this realm. It seems we have more to learn about what the middle Archeron sister wishes to make of her life.

My Nesta. Elain shall wed for love and beauty, but you, my cunning little queen … You shall wed for conquest.

Elain is pleasant to look at, her mother had once mused while Nesta sat beside her dressing table, a servant silently brushing her mother’s gold-brown hair, but she has no ambition. She does not dream beyond her garden and pretty clothes.

That fast, the power in her receded, vanishing into smoke on the wind. Leaving only exhaustion weighing her bones, her breath. “It doesn’t matter what I think. Go back to Feyre and your little garden.”

“Why?” Elain demanded. “Shall I tend to my little garden forever?” When Nesta flinched, Elain said, “You can’t have it both ways. You cannot resent my decision to lead a small, quiet life while also refusing to let me do anything greater.”

3. Elain’s relationship with Nesta is strained and evolving from their past. Elain used to trail after Nesta to comfort her when she had awful arguments with Feyre. She catered to her needs, and in turn, Nesta defended her as a mother would. Elain’s absence in the intervention scene is therefore significant and indicates a shift in their relationship. She does not reinforce their past dynamic, and in later confrontations, seems to challenge it directly. Based on the evidence below, her presence might’ve simply been used by Nesta to delay the inevitable: getting help to address her addictive behaviors before they destroyed her immortal life. While we are ultimately left with hope for their future, they have yet to discuss their mutual hurts and find a new way forward.

Nesta didn’t bother to look pleasant as Feyre twisted to face her, taking a proper seat on the couch, the velvet cushions sighing beneath her. Her sister swallowed. “We need to make some changes, Nesta,” Feyre said hoarsely. “You do—and we do.” Where the hell was Elain?

&

Feyre swallowed, but didn’t balk. “That is enough. You’re moving up to the House, you’re going to train and work, and I don’t care what vitriol you spew my way. You’re doing it.”

“Elain needs to be able to see me—”

“Elain agreed to this hours ago. She’s currently packing your things. They’ll be waiting for you when you arrive.” Nesta recoiled.

4. In contrast to her sister, we see that Elain has started to heal. She is taking care of her body, has found friends in the Night Court, and is moving on from her heartbreak with Graysen. Does this mean her healing is finished? Of course not. Healing is an ongoing journey. But these clues might indicate that her story will focus less on her healing arc and more on her finding her own voice and using it to be the architect of her destiny. And we’ve already seen glimpses of this through her quiet steel, direct responses, and bold statements (see #6). This might also mean that her counterpart will receive more intentional healing support, while she tries new things with his encouragement.

Tending to the gardens of Feyre’s veritable palace on the river, helping other residents of Velaris restore their own destroyed gardens—she had purpose, and joy, and friends: those two half-wraiths who worked in Rhysand’s household. But those things had always come easily to her sister. Had always made Elain special.

Elain stood at the wall of windows, clad in a lilac gown whose close-fitting bodice showed how well her sister had filled out since those initial days in the Night Court. Gone were the sharp angles, replaced by softness and elegant curves.

She peered down at herself, bony and gangly. Her sister turned toward her, glowing with health. Elain’s smile was as bright as the setting sun beyond the windows.

Elain cocked her head. Didn’t dissolve into the crying mess she usually became when Graysen came up. Instead she said, “You’re angry with me.”

5. We finally learn Elain’s scent: a delicate mixture of jasmine and honey. Not only is jasmine heavily connected to the Night Court, but like honey it balances opposing forces. It is a flower that soaks up sunlight during the day and blooms at night. It has a soothing scent that can both help someone relax…and heighten their desires. Add some sweet honey to that, and you’ve got yourself a beautiful aphrodisiac (love that for her). In ancient cultures, honey is connected to both life and death; it is specifically included in religious references of land that overflows with plenty (land of milk and honey), and it was also buried with those who had died. Do those words sound familiar? They should. In ACOTAR, the fae Feyre was forced to murder start reciting this before they die: “Cauldron save me / Mother hold me / Guide me to you. / Let me pass through the gates; let me smell that immortal land of milk and honey.” More on that in a future post very soon. But big takeaway: even down to her scent, Elain is a blend of life and death, day and night.

Her sister’s delicate scent of jasmine and honey lingered in the red-stoned hall like a promise of spring, a sparkling river that she followed to the open doors of the chamber.

6. Elain seems to be done with being told what to think and do. She asserts herself and doesn’t balk from others. In fact, she even challenges and dismisses the most powerful characters, Nesta and Rhys. This change in behavior has been building since ACOFAS and it will likely manifest fully in the next book.

“I still wanted to come,” Elain went on with that focused calm, the quiet steel building in her voice. “I wanted to see you, to explain.”

Silver lined Elain’s eyes, but her voice remained steady, sure. “There was nothing that could have been done to save him, Nesta.”

Elain stiffened, but refused to balk from whatever she beheld in Nesta’s gaze. “You think I’m to blame for his death?” Challenge filled each word. Challenge—from Elain, of all people. “No one but the King of Hybern is to blame for that.” The quaver in her voice belied her firm words.

When Elain burst into the dining room of the House, Cassian and Rhys were shaking off the frigid air that had been howling through Windhaven. Her brown eyes were bright with tears, but she kept her chin high.

“What happened.” When Rhys spoke like that, it was more of a command than a question. Elain waved a hand in dismissal before flinging open the veranda doors and striding into the open air.

Elain remained in the doorway, her face pale but her expression harder than Nesta had ever seen it. “You do not decide what I can and cannot do, Nesta.”

Elain cut in sharply, “I am not a child to be fought over.”

“Look who decided to grow claws after all,” she crooned. “Maybe you’ll become interesting at last, Elain.”

7. And she is ready to hone her powers and help her court. Elain accepted the task of tracking down the Trove without hesitation. As we’ve seen in the original trilogy, her powers are extensive and they were critical in the war against Hybern (discovering a missing queen, Koschei’s box, Suriel’s whereabouts, and preventing her family’s deaths). The Night Court will need her powers to outmaneuver those who scheme against them and avoid another devastating war.

Cassian shifted in his seat. “So we track down the Dread Trove—how?” Elain spoke from the doorway, having appeared so silently that they all twisted toward her, “Using me.”

Elain said, “Then I will find it. I might require some time to … reacquaint myself with my powers, but I could start today.”

But Elain turned on her heel. “Find me when you wish to begin.” The doors shut behind her.

8. Amren (the ancient who flatters no one) reminds us that Elain is more than capable of defending herself and shouldn’t be underestimated. This is another callback to the times she defended her friends and family in the previous trilogy, to everyone’s surprise. Amren places emphasis on Elain’s capability and choice to determine whether or not she will train. We do not hear anything more about Elain tracking down the Trove, but it is after this point (specifically on solstice) when Nesta wonders if she is, in fact, taking lessons.

Amren said, “We do not have the time to wait for Nesta to decide. I say we approach Elain tomorrow. Better to have both of them working on it.”

Amren drained her wine and said to Cassian, “Nesta has a week. One more week to find the Trove with her own methods. Then we seek out other routes.” She threw a nod toward Azriel. “Including Elain, who is more than capable of defending herself against the darkness of the Trove, if she chooses to. Don’t underestimate her.”

Cassian and Azriel looked to Rhys, who merely sipped from his own wine. Amren’s order held. As Rhys’s Second in this court, short of Rhys overruling her, her word was law.

9. We learn that she is incredibly observant and has a vivid memory, and when she shares what she knows, it sets important events in motion. Despite what Feyre claims about her in ACOTAR (Elain just doesn’t grasp certain things), Nesta contradicts this by thinking that Elain was the only one who fully grasped her fierce nature and emotional depth. Despite what Nesta said about her being a loyal and loving dog, Cassian contradicts this with realizing that she sees and understands everything Nesta did. Notice a trend of assumptions and contradictions? @onceupona-chaos made a fantastic post about this very topic. SJM is intentionally setting up her character arc with these contradictions, expanding what we know about her, and preparing us for more development. And without the intelligence she provided, we wouldn’t have Nesta’s iconic Court of Nightmares scene or the musical gift from Cassian on solstice.

She had been born wrong. Had been born with claws and fangs and had never been able to keep from using them, never been able to quell the part of her that roared at betrayal, that could hate and love more violently than anyone ever understood. Elain had been the only one who perhaps grasped it, but now her sister loathed her.

&

“I’d forgotten,” Feyre murmured. “About this, and about her dancing.”

“Nesta never spoke of it afterward,” Elain said. “I just observed.”

Nesta was wrong, Cassian realized, to think Elain as loyal and loving as a dog. Elain saw every single thing Nesta had done, and understood why.

10. And somehow, she has evaded praise for Hybern’s death…like a spy. Rhys recalled her role in killing Hybern in ACOFAS, but we don’t get a hint of it in Nesta’s point-of-view and she claims the responsibility in ACOSF. Not once does Nesta correct others’ misunderstanding; she embraces it like a warrior. This is curious, but if the next book is focused on spying, it also makes sense. Spies don’t crow about their accomplishments like warriors do as that would blow their cover.

“I know,” Emerie said, releasing Nesta’s hand. “You killed the King of Hybern.”

“Yes.” There was no denying that fact. And she couldn’t bring herself to lie that she wasn’t the least bit smug about it.

&

Merrill bared her teeth. “You think I do not know you? The human girl who was shoved into the Cauldron and came out High Fae. The female who slew the King of Hybern and held up his head like a trophy as his blood rained upon her.”

&

“You slew the King of Hybern,” Gwyn repeated. “With the shadowsinger’s knife.”

“Luck and rage,” Nesta admitted. “And I had made a promise to kill him for what he did to me and my sister.”

11. Elain may be better than Azriel at keeping secrets. She discovers things that others do not (again, observant) and knows how to keep that information private.

Feyre smiled. “Elain was the only one who guessed. She caught me vomiting two mornings in a row.” She nodded toward Azriel. “I think she’s got you beat for secret-keeping.”

12. She’s also sneaking around and surprising trained warriors on the regular. We know she’s up to something and Nesta’s thoughts about it might be a hint, but we’ll have to confirm in the next book.

Elain spoke from the doorway, having appeared so silently that they all twisted toward her, “Using me.”

Elain had already departed with Feyre, claiming she had to be up with the dawn to tend to an elderly faerie’s garden. Cassian didn’t exactly know why he suspected this wasn’t true. There had been some tightness in Elain’s face as she’d said it. Normally when she made such excuses, Lucien was around, but the male remained in the human lands with Jurian and Vassa.

“You came,” Elain said behind her, and Nesta started, not having heard her sister approach. She scanned Elain from head to toe, wondering if she’d been taking lessons in stealth either from Azriel or the two half-wraiths she called friends.

13. She is riveted by the stories of her sister, her friends, and the legends of the Valkyries. Rhysand uses this opportunity to make a very interesting connection: some Valkyries were as lovely as Elain before they transformed into bloodthirsty creatures like Amren on the battlefield. Is this a hint for the other side Elain is hiding, and the true reason she was asking Amren about changing forms in ACOFAS? Is she a lovely fawn on the outside, and a fanged beast on the inside? We’ve actually seen this transformation before: in ACOWAR, Elain accepted Truth-Teller as the lovely fawn and then became a fanged beast when she stepped out of a shadow, bared her teeth, and slammed Truth-Teller through Hybern’s neck. This change from a soft creature of spring to a fierce creature of darkness also aligns with the myth of Blodeuwedd. Elain can be both soft and fierce, and no, she doesn’t have to choose one over the other.

“We never heard of them in the human lands,” Elain said. She’d been as riveted as Feyre to hear Cassian tell of it: first of Nesta and the others’ interest, then of the brief history of the female fighters. “They must have been fearsome creatures.”

“Some were as lovely as you, Elain,” Rhys said from beside Feyre, “from the outside. But once they set foot into the arena of battle, they became as bloodthirsty as Amren.”

14. Like her sisters before her, she will also have to address the mating bond, but Elain might have more than one bond to choose from. SJM uses specific language when Nesta thinks about Elain and Feyre growing closer—she thinks about the bond Elain had chosen. She could have written something else, like the sister Elain had chosen, but she didn’t. Instead, she decided to make us think about a choice Elain may have between bonds.

Elain and Feyre—that was the new status of things. The bond Elain had chosen.

15. When she is in the presence of her mate, Elain loses all her newfound boldness. If Sarah wanted to pursue an endgame between Elain and Lucien, this would have been the perfect opportunity to plant seeds for it. Instead, we see their mutual discomfort and disinterest. Lucien doesn’t even use her name, only referring to Elain as “his mate” when asked about her. Elain doesn’t buy a gift for Lucien, barely thanks him for her own gift, sits as far away from him as possible, and withdraws in his presence. He, in turn, is disappointed and pained yet again. Sarah persisted with this dynamic intentionally, and she consequently made it very hard for readers to root for them…because mate or no, who wants to read a story where the male accepts his fate despite his perpetual disappointment and the female slowly, but surely, loses her spark of life? It is painful to read even now, so unless we want more of this sad dynamic, the bond needs to be addressed in the next book.

“Why are you here?” Cassian asked, unable to help the sharpness. “Where’s Elain?” “I am not always in this city to see my mate.” The last two words dripped with discomfort.

Elain, the wretch, had taken the seat between Feyre and Varian, about as far from Lucien as she could get. Azriel remained in the doorway.

He and Lucien did not exchange gifts, though the male had brought a gift for Feyre and one for his mate, who barely thanked him after opening the pearl earrings. Cassian’s heart strained at the pain etching deep into Lucien’s face as he tried to hide his disappointment and longing. Elain only shrank further further into herself, no trace of that newfound boldness to be seen.

16. In contrast, Elain behaves demurely around Azriel. She avoids lingering eye contact and smiles shyly at him. Cassian’s thoughts prompt us to wonder why, and close readers may at this point put together the clues Sarah has sprinkled throughout the book, from Azriel’s reactions to Elain’s behavior. And on solstice we have an answer to our suspicions, thanks to Nesta’s keen observation: when their gazes linger, something charged is exchanged between them. This interaction parallels what we see between Nesta and Cassian—their gazes linger and something goes taut between them—to help us understand what is growing between Elain and Azriel: romantic tension.

“I always thought she was born on the wrong side of the wall,” Elain admitted. “She made ballrooms into battlefields and plotted like any general. Like you two,” she said, nodding to Cassian, and then, a bit more shyly, to Azriel. Azriel offered her a small smile that Elain quickly looked away from. Cassian tucked away his puzzlement. Lucien was certainly not here to snarl at any male who looked at her for too long.

“I was just checking on dessert,” Elain explained as they approached the doorway and Azriel. Nesta met the shadowsinger’s stare and he gave her a nod. Then his gaze shifted to Elain, and though it was utterly neutral, something charged went through it. Between them. Elain’s breath caught slightly, and she gave him a shallow nod of greeting before brushing past, leading Nesta into the room.

And our Nessian parallel:

Nesta grew still as Cassian’s gaze met hers. The space between them went taut, the sounds of the exercising priestesses fading into nothing, the sky an azure blur above, the wind a distant caress on her cheeks— “You too, Archeron,” he ordered, pointing to where Emerie and Gwyn now exercised, apparently doing their best not to laugh. “Do another fifteen.” Nesta threw a scowl at all of them and began her curls again. That was why she’d been avoiding eye contact with him.

17. We are also conveniently told that Elain is not a virgin. We learn that she not only slept with Graysen, but she also seemingly enjoyed it. Sarah felt this detail was important enough to include, and when we’re thinking about her writing preference for heroines, it makes sense. Sarah prefers to write about romance from the perspective of a female who has been intimate before.

Nesta snorted. “You’re living amongst beings who have none of our human primness, you know.” Elain squared her shoulders again, just as Nesta added, “It’s not like you and Graysen didn’t act on your feelings.” It was a low blow, but Nesta didn’t care. She knew Elain had given her maidenhead to Graysen a month before they’d been turned Fae. Elain had been glowing the next morning.

18. Elain indicates that she’s ready for more intimacy with Azriel. The interaction on solstice demonstrates that (1) Elain sees and understands Azriel without him needing to explain himself, (2) she gets him, but not her mate, thoughtful gifts that lift his spirits, (3) she is very attracted to him and wants more than glances and touches. And all of that is reciprocated: (1) Azriel reads her easily without the use of his powers, (2) he gets her a romantic gift that matches her character, one she wants to wear immediately, and (3) he is drawn to her and even exhibits mate-like thoughts (touch, smell, taste) that are typical for Sarah’s fae males. Most importantly, both of them lower their guard around each other and seek the other’s intimacy, despite past trauma, heartache, fear, etc. The charge between them is primal (like Nessian’s): Azriel is turned on by the thought of how she might taste, and Elain is turned on by his touch. This is more than casual relations. Both could seek that out in a heartbeat without issue. This attraction is nail-scratching, mountain-trembling, soul-cleaving romantic chemistry.

She hadn’t bought her mate a present. But she’d gotten Azriel one last year—a headache powder he kept on his nightstand at the House of Wind. Not to use, but just to look at. Which he’d done every night he’d slept there. Or attempted to sleep there. […]

Elain murmured, “You put them in your ears, and they block any sound. With Nesta and Cassian living there with you.” He chuckled, unable to suppress the impulse. “No wonder you didn’t want me to open it in front of everyone.” Elain’s mouth twitched into a smile. “Nesta wouldn’t have appreciated the joke.”

He offered her a smile back. “I wasn’t sure if I should give you your present.” He left the rest unspoken. Because her mate was here, asleep a level up. Because her mate had been in the family room and Azriel had needed to stay by the door the whole time because he couldn’t stand the sight of it, the scent of their mating bond, and needed to have the option of leaving if it became too much. Elain’s large brown eyes flickered, well aware of all that. Just as he knew she was well aware of why Azriel so rarely came to family dinners these days.

“It’s beautiful,” she whispered, lifting it from the box. The golden faelight shone through the little glass facets, setting the charm glowing with hues of red and pink and white. Azriel let his shadows whisk away the box as she said softly, “Put it on me?” His head went quiet. But he took the necklace, opening the clasp as she exposed her back, sweeping her hair up in one hand to bare her long, creamy neck.

He knew it was wrong, but there he was, sliding the necklace around her. Letting his scarred fingers touch her immaculate skin. Letting them brush the side of her throat, savoring the velvet-soft texture. Elain shivered, and he took a damn long time fastening the clasp. Azriel’s fingers lingered at her nape, atop the first knob of her spine. Slowly, Elain pivoted into his touch. Until his palm lay flat against her neck.

He needed to know what the skin of her neck tasted like. What those perfect lips tasted like. Her breasts. Her sex. He needed her coming on his tongue—Azriel’s cock strained behind his pants, aching so fiercely he could hardly think. He prayed she didn’t peer down. Prayed she didn’t understand the shift in his scent.

Her arousal drifted up to him, and his eyes nearly rolled back in his head at the sweet scent. He’d beg on his knees for a chance to taste it. But Azriel just stroked her neck again. Elain shuddered, drifting close. So close one deep breath would brush her breasts against his chest. She looked up at him, her face so trusting and hopeful and open that he knew she had no idea that he had done unspeakable things that sullied his hands far beyond their scars.

“Yes,” Elain breathed, like she read the decision. Just this taste in the dead of the longest night of the year, where only the Mother might witness them. Azriel’s hand slid up her neck, burying in her thick hair. Tilting her face the way he wanted it. Elain’s mouth parted slightly, her eyes scanning his before fluttering shut. Offer and permission. He nearly groaned with relief and need as he lowered his head towards hers.

19. Elain is hiding another side, even from her family. We can see this in her confrontations with Nesta and it is discussed specifically in Feyre and Rhysand’s bonus chapter. This is a very clear hint about Elain’s character arc, one Sarah intentionally highlighted for readers. Elain isn’t sweet and innocent (none of Sarah’s characters are). And their conversation reminds us that, as a gardener, she is used to getting her hands dirty and torn for a pretty result. Why else tease this information now if Sarah didn’t plan to show us what this looks like in the next book?

Rhys asked, “Have you ever seen Elain act like that before?”

“No.” I chewed on my bottom lip. Rhys’s gaze tracked the movement. “I mean, she’s been brave when she had to be, but she’s never been confrontational.”

“Maybe she was never given the chance to be that way.”

I whipped my head toward him. “You think I stifle her?” Rhys held up his hands. “Not you alone.” He surveyed the study as he thought. “But I wonder if everyone has spent so long assuming Elain is sweet and innocent that she felt she had to be that way or else she’d disappoint you all.” He sighed toward the ceiling. “With time and safety, perhaps we’ll see a different side of her emerge.”

&

I glowered at Rhys. “You think Elain’s boring?”

“I think she’s kind, and I’ll take kindness over nastiness any day. But I also think we haven’t yet seen all she has to offer.” A corner of his mouth tugged upward. “Don’t forget that gardening often results in something pretty, but it involves getting one’s hands dirty along the way.”

“And torn up by thorns,” I mused, recalling a morning this past summer when Elain had come into the house, her right palm bleeding from several gashes thanks to a stubborn rosebush that had pierced her gloves. The thorns had broken off in her skin, leaving sharp splinters that I’d had to pull free.

20. Elain will be the next one to experience the Night Court’s family intervention. The final hint in Feyre and Rhysand’s bonus chapter is also clear, and it echoes the conversation Feyre and Elain had in ACOWAR. Now that Nesta is on a healing path, it is Elain’s turn for help. For reasons I have already covered, it likely won’t look the same as her sister’s journey, but it will involve finding her voice, making choices about her life, and embracing her whole self (even that other side).

I sighed, absently rubbing my still-flat stomach. “Let’s focus on helping one sister before we start on the other.”

“Agreed,” Rhys drawled.

Although Elain was not active in Nesta’s healing journey (and based on their past dynamic, I would argue that she shouldn’t have been in order for Nesta to grow and start their relationship anew), Sarah planted many hints throughout ACOSF for her story. These hints parallel what we see for Nesta in ACOFAS: thoughts and comments from other characters, such as Cassian, Feyre, and Elain, with very few on-page interactions. Her story gave us a clear conflict that was necessary to resolve first. And now, with Elain, Sarah has set up clear inner and romantic conflicts for her story that need to be resolved next:

Inner conflicts: struggling to find her voice and embrace her full self, including the other side that she’s felt the need to hide

Romantic conflicts: enduring an unwanted mating bond, familial and political obstacles that stand in the way of romantic fulfillment

Overarching conflicts: allies refusing to sign treaty, mole(s) in the Night Court, scheming from Beron, queens, and Koschei, a mysterious fourth Trove item, and a missing Bryaxis

Paired with clues about her Made power, social skills, observational skills, stealth, secret-keeping, and potential training, she is ideally poised to address several of the overarching conflicts with her friends, family, and love interest:

We have a fae territory on the continent that is proving difficult to convince, and a female who can supposedly convince anyone to do anything with a few smiles.

We have moles in the Night Court who will need to be discovered and dealt with, and someone who has Cauldron-blessed abilities to hear, see, and track things that others do not. Bonus: she also has a strong connection to the Spymaster and spies in his employ.

We have a powerful death-god who would love to escape his leash and cause mass chaos, and a Made seer who has had visions involving him even though he is not woven into the fabric of this realm (which was the limit of the Suriel’s knowledge). With training, who knows what information she can access on Koschei, those who are working for him, and his plans?

There is a fourth Trove item shrouded in shadow that Nesta could not see, and a deadly monster on the loose. Would Nesta be able to track them both down with her remaining power? Or would a seer—who has her full powers and doesn’t require bones and stones to track things, including foreign beings—be better equipped for the job?