A Court Of Shadow and Blood

☆ A Dance of Lies ☆

Her mind stretched over the meeting chamber, jumping over the barriers of ash and ice and pure light, searching for the one of black adamant. Silence whispered through the room, as if waiting. Eblis sent another questioning wave, a hand on the door of blue ice as if to steady herself while her mind worked. It was the first time she’d been asked to use her daemati abilities for her court, and she bet it wouldn’t be the last.

She turned to Azriel and Cassian who waited at her sides. “Rhysand isn’t in there. And neither is the High Lord of Spring.” The Illyrian males shared a quick glance. It was clear they all knew what they might be discussing, the lies and deaths of their pasts becoming unburied. She frowned, mind thinking quickly. “Cassian, you cannot leave Velaris unguarded as it is.”

Cassian threaded his fingers through his frozen hair, breathing finally relaxing a little bit. His wings drooped behind him. “I wasted too much time flying here to try and do the same back. It’s a far way from Velaris to here.”

“Why don’t you and Azriel winnow back and keep things under control. I will alert Rhys,” she supplied, turning her back to the ice doors. She faced the two large Illyrians who filled the cold hallway. Cassian considered it, sending a glance to Azriel.

The male was giving her a long look. “Azriel, please. I can do this.” She hardened her face a little, offering a sincere look. “Just trust me.” 

He brushed a shadow against the nape of her neck—a small shiver of surprise running down her spine—before disappearing with Cassian. Eblis resumed her blank stare into the meeting room, shaking off the faint scent of Azriel lingering around her.

She tapped onto Feyre’s shields, which parted quietly to allow their voices. 

What’s happened? the female said, words echoing from behind the wall. 

Keir is demanding an audience of Rhysand. Where is he?

A moment’s pause of silence. Second hall to the left. I’ll wrap things up in here.

Eblis uncoiled herself from her High Lady’s mind and very nearly sprinted to where Feyre had pointed her to. 

Eblis rounded a corner and was met with a wall of translucent white fur, the scrape of claws on ice setting her scrabbling backward. A large snout had poked her in the side before she glanced up, meeting the gigantic head of a polar bear with a bit of a start.

A polar bear—with beautiful iron armor glinting along its massive body, and a helmet making the soft snout appear furious and snarled. It snorted derisively and blocked the hall from her—as if the one smell had told it all it needed to know.

Eblis walked away from that area quickly, but not before she sent a questioning sliver of shadow. The polar had snarled and stomped a massive paw on it, snuffing out the small bit of magic.

Finally, she peeked around another corner and found herself watching Rhysand and Tamlin miming a conversation. She knew this time that if she walked forward she would run into a wall of hard air, blocking all sound from escaping the small bubble. Tamlin was alone, Patrasche nowhere to be found. Their gazes were hard yet open, Tamlin’s shoulders even slumping slightly in a sigh. 

Her knuckle rapped against nothing, no sound arising from it. But both High Lords turned to her, the magic falling as both asserted themselves. Spring green eyes glinted as they fell upon her.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, Rhysand.” She sent a quick glance to Tamlin, adrenaline buzzing beneath her skin. “I require a moment with you.” 

Rhysand nodded, turning to the High Lord of Spring. The male considered him in turn. Both seemed to want to say something, but Tamlin merely fell behind his mask of High Lord with a curt nod. Rhysand said, perhaps more sincere than he’d ever been to the Spring lord, “I’m sorry.”