Throne of the Fallen

As they settle in the small cottage, Envy reflects on the growing enigma of Camilla. She inquires as to whether they will visit Envy’s court, but he will not allow it, despite wanting to know what she would think of his home. They share the only bed and discuss the game and how they might find the next clue in Sloth’s home. Their shared proximity and banter quickly heat the sexual tension between them. Camilla falls asleep. Believing she is being tested for lust by the Corridor as she writhes while sleeping, Envy watches, aroused. Camilla, however, reveals that she was only feigning sleep.

Camilla teases Envy as he restrains himself from having sex with her. When he finally admits that he thinks of being with her constantly, she goes to sleep. The next morning, they leave the Corridor and arrive at House Sloth, where Camilla notes two large columns. Immediately, Sloth appears and plunges a blade into Envy’s chest for trespassing in his circle of Hell. Envy warns Sloth not to touch Camilla before vanishing. Sloth assures Camilla Envy is not dead, only sent back to his court. He then welcomes her to his court.

Camilla discovers that Sloth’s home is like an enormous library. He gives her a tour and explains, as they walk, that the two pillars are replicas of the Twin Pillars that signify the Seelie and Unseelie courts. He tells her how Wrath sealed away the real Pillars to keep Lennox away from mortals. 

As they walk, Sloth explains his home’s intricate filing system, and Camilla asks to look around for clues to the game. He agrees, and their conversation turns to Envy’s rule: He spends only one night with a lover. Sloth believes Envy enforces this rule because Envy’s sin will not allow him to be satisfied with what he has. Though Sloth tries to warn her away, Camilla finds herself more intrigued by Envy than ever.

As Envy recovers in his court, he is visited by his brother Wrath, king of the Underworld. Envy recalls how Wrath had refused to get involved in the last game with Lennox. Envy has never forgiven Wrath as his decision led to Envy’s current predicament. Wrath grudgingly hands over pastries made by his wife Emilia, which warms Envy’s heart, as he considers her a friend. 

Wrath questions Envy about his missing court, but Envy deflects. Wrath warns him not to stir up too much trouble with the game. They argue over Wrath’s choice to sue for peace with the witches and House Vengeance. Wrath then questions Envy about Camilla. When Envy downplays his interest, Wrath notes how Envy, unlike his brothers, can lie. 

Before Envy dismisses him, Wrath makes a comment about the bet he and their other brothers have on when Envy and Camilla will marry. Alexei enters the room and interrupts, saying that he can’t find anything on Camilla or her elusive mother.

Hours after Envy arrives at House Sloth, Camilla is notified of his arrival. Envy tries to discourage Camilla’s favorable opinion of Sloth as they search for their next clue in the Unseelie history section. Envy tells Camilla he plans to kill Lennox the next time they meet, revealing that the Unseelie King has stolen from him twice. 

He tells her about the mortal he’d liked years ago and how Lennox had invited both of them to his Wild Court. Envy refused, but the human woman had gone on her own, and Envy was unable to save her from Lennox. He asked Wrath to intervene, but he’d refused to avoid a war with the Unseelie. 

When Lennox finally returned the human woman to her world, she died. Because time in the Fae realm is slowed, she aged instantly upon her return. Envy asks Camilla never to trust an Unseelie royal before leaving the room. Camilla realizes he never told her what the second item Lennox stole was.

Envy feels odd after revealing the truth about his former lover. He reflects on how Lennox became more sadistic over the centuries. Sloth finds Envy and admits to having used his sin on her but to no effect. He suggests that Envy look for a tattoo or symbol on Camilla’s skin that might be blocking their powers, but Envy refuses to sleep with Camilla simply for information. 

Sloth then gives Envy a copy of the latest gossip report in the Underworld. The report comments on an unidentified individual lurking by Bloodwood Forest. It also reveals how Envy locked down his circle of Hell and hasn’t used his wings for a considerable amount of time. Sloth questions him on both, which Envy deflects. 

Sloth suggests that Camilla might be Fae or a shifter, like a werewolf or vampire, which Envy doesn’t discount. Camilla arrives and asks to use Sloth’s steam room, which makes Envy jealous. He sends Sloth and his servants out and, furious, demands that Camilla put on a robe to test a theory.

Camilla tells Envy that she has no romantic interest in Sloth, but Envy is being deliberately petty. They argue over the secrets they refuse to reveal to one another. Camilla warns Envy that he will need to move beyond his anger and forgive himself or risk becoming a shell of himself. She leaves, privately promising herself to find a way for them both to win the game, whereupon she will return to her life in Waverly Green.

Envy grows frustrated with Camilla’s continued mystery and how the continued lockdown of his court takes so much magic that he cannot use his wings anymore. As Envy crosses through to Camilla’s room on his way to hunt down the mysterious individual by the Bloodwood Forest, he finds her nearly naked. She is waiting for the massage he’d offered in a throwaway comment. He undertakes a sexually charged massage and leaves Camilla wanting, as she had him in the Corridor.

Sloth and Envy bicker as they and Camilla search for the next clue. Camilla reflects on the inevitability of her ending up on this path to meet the Unseelie King. She finds a smoky glass sphere and feels an inexplicable need to smash it. Envy identifies it as the Orb of Golath and orders her to put it down. Sloth confirms that the orb isn’t part of his collection, and they realize that it is their next clue. 

Once Camilla settles it on a shelf, Envy explains that Golath was an ancient being known as the Fear Collector. His orbs open doors to his realm when he wishes to collect fears. Envy and Sloth make a containment circle and break the orb in it. A projection of Golath appears and tells Envy and Camilla to find him. Golath then disappears, but Camilla refuses to go with Envy. He promises that she can trust him with her life, and they travel down a tunnel beneath Sloth’s House to meet Golath. Golath speaks cryptically about the fall of an ice prince and the rise of a crimson one. He gives Envy several warnings about the future before disappearing.