A thing of secret, lovely beauty.

the missing piece of me.

* All have gathered once more to celebrate one of the most beautiful nights of the year: Starfall.

Gwyneth Berdara, fellow Valkyrie and priestess, joins the celebration along with her friends. Azriel, the Spymaster of the Night Court, watches her from afar, admiring the priestess as she looks to the sky.

But as his shadows dart to her, the Spymaster will soon realize what she is to him.*

azriel

Azriel walks through the city of Velaris, seeing the night sky brighten as Starfall commences.

He would usually spend it with Rhys and the others up at the House of Wind, getting drunk off of bottles and bottles of wine. But that wasn't appetizing to him at the moment.

As the days passed, he had felt himself become restless, but he didn't understand why. It was as if something within him was reaching out, trying to grab ahold of something that wasn't there. His body yearned for him to get close, to find that missing piece, but the Spymaster had no clue as to what his mind wanted.

The only time it would go away was when he would train the Valkyries.

But if a certain red-haired priestess wasn't there, the feeling would return. His shadows would scatter around him to find her. It was as if her invisible song entranced them, making them seek out her melodies and dance in the fog of her breath as they did before.

Azriel's mind went back to that small encounter, remembering those glimmering eyes and that mesmerizing smile that was embedded in his brain. The memory was enough to have the restlessness stir inside of him, stronger than before. He clenched his fist, pleading for it to stop messing with him, wanting peace for the rest of the night.

It was another reason as to why he had not joined his family tonight. He knew that Rhys and Cassian would wonder why his demeanor was off. He was usually in a good mood on this night, knowing that he was surrounded by the people he loved. He always cherished these moments with them, never knowing when it could be his last.

But tonight was entirely different.

Cassian had mentioned that Nesta, Gwyn, and Emerie had gone down into Velaris to get a better view of the stars. Azriel knew that they would most likely be near the edge of the Sidra, knowing that it was the best place to be other than the House of Wind. He had only been there once, leaving with splattered spirits on his clothing when it was over.

The Spymaster had gone into the chaotic crowd, hearing laughter and chatter fill his ears. The smell of wine and fresh bread filled his nose, making his stomach rumble. He hadn't eaten the entire day, spending most of it in the training pit to let off some steam. But food couldn't be further from his mind.

Azriel walked through the crowd with ease. They moved aside without even a glance at him, seeing as his shadows alerted them of his presence. He looked up at the sky, seeing it glow brighter with each step he took. The stars would fall at any moment.

As he got closer to the edge of the Sidra, the lights had started to dim around him. The loud voices immediately became whispers and murmurs as everyone looked up to the sky. He kept making his way through them, the tug in his chest growing smaller and smaller.

He was close.

Before the lights dimmed out completely, Azriel saw a glimpse of the red-haired woman that captivated his thoughts.

Gwyn stared up at the sky, grinning as she shook in anticipation. Nesta and Emerie stood beside her, pointing up at the incoming stars, whispering to one another. He was close enough to hear their low laughter, talking about some nonsense that didn't matter to him.