A Court Of Shadow and Blood

☆ Violet Eyes ☆

“Shit.” Eblis jumped to a stand, her head aching at the sudden movement. Feyre was bathed in shadows almost as soon as the door opened without permission.

Imillion barged in, his wide, white wings filling the doorway. “Have you heard?” Behind him, another familiar face peeked over the apex of his feathered limb. Requeza, her dark brown hair pulled into a ponytail, pushed the male aside and strode in. Sleek silver armor glimmered in the sunlight.

“The Queen requires your presence, Spymaster.” At the same time, it seemed, both the newcomer’s gazes danced down to the bed she’d forgotten to hide, Feyre’s various items surrounding it. 

The Peregryn took a deep breath, inhaling the scent. “That is not Madalyn’s,” he remarked, but Eblis’s sharp glare quieted him. 

“It’s not your business, you two.” She offered a killing violet glance to Imillion. “And we’ll talk about the Princess later, fledgling.”

Requeza raised a brow at the male. “You haven’t been called fledgling in years; you really are in trouble.”

“Shut up,” Imillion muttered, though he looked rightfully shamed. “I was going to talk to you when you arrived but you seemed like you were kind of busy.”

“Of course. Now that business of the second child?”

“Female. About ten years of age, and supposedly not the Queen’s daughter but one of the King’s mistresses.” Eblis absorbed the information Requeza recounted, and her gut began to swirl. Ten years of age. It couldn’t be…?

She pushed it aside. “Alright, thank you. The Queen has probably called me to talk about it. You should get going and guard Madalyn just in case it’s something else.” 

“By the way,” Requeza began, Imillion already turning to walk away, “Madalyn has been sneaking out lately without us and saying it was with your permission. Well, specifically, she just got back from one.”

“It is with my permission, yes.” Eblis didn’t even mention that they should’ve asked her before it happened, but she knew her spies and knew there had to have been some sort of reason why they hadn’t. She shooed the pair away, and they shut the door behind themselves silently with murmured goodbyes. 

“You are close with them?”

“Yes. I’ve been with all of my spies since they’re younger years. It is why they are loyal to me,” Eblis replied. Except for Wenry—the boy delivered to her at one century of age because he’d begun using a whole town with their abilities. 

She winced, a hand going to her head as it throbbed. She’d overexerted herself, it seemed.

Feyre, still in dirty clothes, stepped in front of her before she could leave the room. “You should tell them. Everything. We could use their expertise when handling the Queen.”

“They’re loyal to me who is loyal to the Queen.” She side-stepped the female but paused with her hand on the doorknob of her room. Imillion loved Madalyn—he, at least, would help. But did she really trust her spies? Eblis picked through her memories of each carefully, remembering their training and developing each and every one of their unique mental barriers.

Yes. She trusted them, just as much as they trusted her.

She took a deep breath. “I’ll think about it, Feyre. Let’s go see what the Queen has to say.” 

She strode from her room, shadow cats on her heels, and found herself at the entrance of the throne room for the second time within two days. Alone, she walked down the aisle until she came to the dais.