A Court of Song and Shadow

Chapter 59

The four of us spend the next few days relaxing and playing games--the Gods know that we deserved it. The only time I will be okay with sitting around doing nothing was if I was with them, if I were by myself I would probably begin to rip my hair out. The three males that sit in front of me make me forget the hell I have been through over the past few years.

I look up when there is a slight knock at the door, and I watch in confusion as Rhysand gets up to open it. He only opens the door a little so we cannot see who is out there, I watch as he turns slowly to Azriel.

"It is for you." Rhys says in such a voice I hear so rarely. Azriel sits there for a moment just staring at my brother before standing up to walk to the door. Rhys walks away to give him privacy and even my Fae hearing could not pick up what was being said to Azriel. I look to Cassian in confusion, but even he seems confused. I watch Azriel nodding his head before slowly closing the door. He does not even look at us as he begins to pack his stuff--I get up from my seat and stand in the doorway of his room.

"Az?" I ask.

"I have to go." Is all he says as he continues to quickly pack his belongings.

"I can come with you--" He cuts me off.

"No, you cannot."

"If it is a mission from my father, I can help--"

"It is not a mission from your father." He snaps at me, and I take a step back at the tone of his voice he has only used with me once before. Azriel freezes when he notices I started to back away from him and turns to me, "I am sorry."

"It is okay." I say softly--knowing that he would not have spoken to me like that unless something was truly bothering him. He observes me for a moment before placing what he was holding in his hands down on his bed.

"It is not your father," Az repeats himself as he closes his eyes, "It is my mother."

"Your--" I cut myself off as I look to him in confusion. I had believed Azriel's mother to be dead, not because he told me that but because he refused to speak about her. It had never occurred to me that his mother could be alive.

"I need to go see her." He opens his eyes as he begins packing again--his shadows have disappeared from his side completely. Azriel was not in a good state of mind, and I could not pinpoint what could be wrong with his mother to make him be in this state. He quickly zips up his bag and throws it over his shoulder. Az turns around to walk out of the door but stops when he sees me still standing here, he looks down at me but does not say anything.

"Are you okay?" I ask--barely more than a whisper.

"No." He replies truthfully.

"If you need me--"

"I always need you, Velaris." He whispers so only I can hear, and I stop breathing for a moment at his words.

"Let me come with you." I place a hand on his arm to show him that I am here for him--and will always be here for him. He opens his mouth to speak but quickly shuts it as he just nods his head--I go to tell Rhysand and Cass where we were going but Azriel grabs my arm before I can and we travel through his shadows.

My eyes take a moment to adjust to the bright sun shining off of a beautiful manor beside a river. I watch in awe as butterflies fly around the beautiful gardens surrounding the front of the manor. For a moment I think we are back in the Spring Court, but I see a familiar set of mountains behind the manor.

"She is sick," Azriel says, unmoving and staring at the building, "The type of sickness she has is so rare amongst Fae--especially Illyrians. It is so rare there has only been one book written about the sickness--and it was only a recording of one other Fae that had become ill like her."