A Court of Wings and Ruin Chapter 20: Library Adventures

Previously, Feyre and Nesta started various trainings to prepare for the upcoming war. Feyre and Rhysand need to figure out how to stop the King of Hybern from destroying the wall that separates the immortal and mortal territories. So that means…

A Court of Wings and Ruin: Chapter 20

“I’ve never been to a library before,” I admitted to Rhys after lunch

THAT’S RIGHT, IT’S LIBRARY TIME, MOTHERFUCKERS

“I mean,” I clarified, “not counting the private libraries here and at the Spring Court, and my family had one as well, but not … Not a real one.”
Rhys glanced sidelong at me. “I’ve heard that the humans have free libraries on the continent—open to anyone.” […]
“In one of the territories, they allow anyone in, regardless of their station or bloodline.”

Holy shit, and rich out-of-touch government assholes aren’t talking constantly about defunding it? Nor are late capitalist wanks talking about privatizing it? Goddamn, what’s that like? Tell me more about this magical fantasy land.

As it turns out, the mountain that Rhysand’s private home is at the top of has a library carved into the bottom of it. I’m not saying this ultimately entirely logistical information changes my opinion of Rhysand as a person or anything, but I feel like he buried the lede a little bit.

Rhysand explains that libraries have an unsurprisingly more classist history in the faerie lands: before the war, humans weren’t allowed inside “unless you were someone’s slave on an errand” because the faeries didn’t want them to have access to knowledge of magic. After the war that freed the humans, most scholars resorted to burning down their libraries rather than letting humans get access.

A chill snaked down my spine. “They’d rather have lost that information forever?”
He nodded, the dim light gilding his blue-black hair. “Prejudices aside, the fear was that the humans would find dangerous spells—and use them on us.”

Kind of not surprised that Rhysand, King of the Gated Suburban Community, wouldn’t recognize that that’s still pretty prejudiced, but continue. He goes on to explain that human/faerie half-breeds have pretty much also been shunned by both communities, and many ended up as sex workers to get by. It’s super cheery stuff.

To be fair, Rhysand does have open up about some slightly more progressive thoughts on this thing I’ve been shitting on him for since the middle of the last book.

“My father was still High Lord then,” Rhys said, his back stiffening. “We had not allowed any humans, slave or free, into our territory in centuries. He did not allow them in—either to whore or to find sanctuary.  […] Velaris has been closed off for so long—too long, perhaps. Adding new people, from different places, different histories and cultures … I do not see how that could be a bad thing.”

Ok, that’s enough serious things. Time for something hella dumb.

Rhys glanced to the open doors—to the hooded and cloaked figure patiently waiting in the shadows beyond them. [A] priestess.
“This is Clotho,” Rhys said

I’M FUCKING SORRY, HER NAME IS CLOTHO. I know, I know, the name comes from Greek mythology and all, but it is fucking Clotho how do I take this seriously

Clotho is one of the priestesses who works in the library. This chapter insists on being a downer as Rhysand explains that the library is a sanctuary and everyone who works there is a priestess with a horrifying past. Clotho was assaulted by a bunch of dudes who broke her hands and cut out her tongue! Why are we reading this book for our comedy blog? I DON’T KNOW.

It was as if the base of the mountain had been hollowed out by some massive digging beast, leaving a pit descending into the dark heart of the world. Around that gaping hole, carved into the mountain itself, spiraled level after level of shelves and books and reading areas […]
“What’s at the bottom of the pit?” I asked as Rhys came up beside me, his shoulder brushing mine.
“I once dared Cassian to fly down and see.” Rhys braced his hands on the railing, gazing down into the gloom.
“And?”
“And he came back up, faster than I’ve ever seen him fly, white as death. He never told me what he saw.”

I bet this will never come up again.

Clotho takes them to a small reading area where she set aside a few books with the research that Rhysand had asked her to pull aside for him. She leaves, and Feyre and Rhysand immediately start joking about fucking in the library.

“maybe I’ll spread you out on this desk and lick you until you scream loud enough to wake whatever is at the bottom of the library.”

At least they remain on-brand as ever.

Rhys leaned in again, kissing my neck—that place right under my ear—and said against my skin, “Let’s see what names you call me when my head is between your legs, Feyre darling.”
And then he was gone.
He’d winnowed away, half the books with him. I started, my body foreign and cold, dizzy and disoriented.
Where the hell are you? […]
Two levels below. […] I can’t work with you distracting me.

HE WENT FROM “HEY GRRRRL LET’S FUCK IN THE LIBRARY” TO “OMG STOP DISTRACTING ME WHILE I’M TRYING TO WORK” IN A HEARTBEAT HOW DOES ANYONE LIKE THIS MANCHILD

To summarize their research: the wall was never supposed to last! Bum bum bum! It was intended as a temporary solution “to cleave human and faerie until peace settled long enough for them to later reconvene”, which obviously never happened, especially as generations passed and the wall just became a thing that was always there.

They talk about the war, and Rhysand admits that army against army, they don’t have good odds. Feyre asks if he could beat the King of Hybern if the two of them fought one-on-one, Rhysand says he doesn’t know but would be “willing to take the brunt of it” if it gave everyone else a chance, and Feyre immediately points out that he shouldn’t have to even though she kind of just brought this idea up in the first place yo Feyre what the f

Rhys only watched me, eyes shadowed. “How can you ask me not to give everything I have to ensure that you, that my family and people, survive?”
“You’ve given enough.”
“Not enough. Not yet.”
It was hard to breathe, to see past the burning in my eyes. “Why? Where does this come from, Rhys?”

Same.

Feyre suddenly remembers she’s in a fantasy novel and gets an idea.

I sorted through all I knew, all that had happened. Considered the books I’d read in the library below. A library that housed—
“Amren warned us to never put the two halves of the Book together,” I mused. “But we—I did. She said that older things might be … awoken by it. Might come sniffing.”
Rhys crossed an ankle over a knee.
“Hybern might have the numbers,” I said, “but what if we had the monsters?”

OH FUCK YES ARE WE GONNA GET AN ARMY OF UNSPEAKABLE MONSTERS FIGHTING FOR THE FORCE OF GOOD? I AM HERE FOR THIS.

“I’m not talking about the monsters roaming across the world. I am talking about one”

FEYRE WHY MUST YOU HURT ME SO

“who has nothing to lose and everything to gain. […] The Bone Carver”

Ariel, I hope you remember literally anything about the Bone Carver, I feel like it might come up.