The training group on the roof has now expanded to 11 priestesses. During their workout, Gwyn tells Nesta about the ancient Valkyries’ mental control techniques. Hoping to quiet her roiling emotions, Nesta asks for a copy of the instructions. Later in the session, she challenges Cassian to let her fight with weapons. He gives her a wooden sword, but she learns how to handle it quickly, and it gives her a sense of tremendous focus: “For three days, she’d had fire in her blood. For three days, she had dreamed of swords and stairs and combat. She couldn’t stop it. Had fallen into bed so tired that she had no chance to even read before she was unconscious” (416).

That evening, the fire that now fuels Nesta drives her to climb down 6,000 stairs before returning to the house. The following afternoon in the library, Gwyn coaches Nesta through the Valkyrie technique for mental stillness. It takes many attempts and much concentration, but by the end of the session, Nesta feels peaceful.

A few days later, Cassian takes Nesta to a blacksmith’s shop on the outskirts of the city. He wants her to get an appreciation for weapons by seeing how they are made.