A Court Of Shadow and Blood

☆ A New Day ☆

Azriel barely slept the whole night.

Adrenaline and strain itched at his skin, and he woke to every little sound he heard. His magic slowly replenished through the night, even as he used it to shield himself and the small girl at his side.

Lilith remained safe and warm.

He'd made sure of it.

Some time the day before, Keir's Nightbringers and the Illyrian forces had arrived to the city, having handled their own forces deftly with Rhys and Cassian leading them each. He could not deny that Velaris would've buckled had they not arrived, as even Feyre's magic had begun to fail in the long hours of battle. The forces had gathered only long enough to ensure the city's safety and the end of the flow of soldiers, and then Mor was winnowing them into the Day Court and farther to aid the rest of Prythian. Azriel and Amren had been the only ones to stay behind as they pushed on-Azriel only staying back because of Lilith. Faint reports from Feyre and Rhys and Mor was the only thing keeping him moving, as he was informed oftenly on where they were and were going next. Hybern's army had not rested during the night, and so it was into Winter Court that their armies continued without stopping, followed by the leftovers of the Day and Dawn.

At least, that was the most recent information dump.

Azriel had left the curtains open in the Townhouse despite Lilith's beggings, and his eyes had stayed glued to the darkening and then brightening sky the whole time she'd slept fitfully against him. He did not know why no forces gathered to attack again, or what was stopping them from doing so. He wondered if it had anything to do with the unstable movements of the soldiers the day before. He'd noticed it only briefly before he'd been moving again, but now, sitting and watching the stars, it was all he could think about.

As soon as the sun was in the sky, he nudged Lilith awake, her wings slapping him in the face as he did. She mumbled and rolled over so that he shook her more insistently. Finally she awoke with a start, eyes wide and blazing with fear. He shushed her, regretting his decision even as his blood itched at him to move, move, move. Everything felt wrong, and there was no way he could relax.

He grabbed the child and exited into the dewy morning. Though he noted the blood-strewn streets and deathly silence of the drained and tired city, he tried to prevent Lilith from doing so by whispering to her random things. Things about Cassian, Mor, and things about Velaris and its history. He flew to the House of Wind through the dark morning, the world drowsy from the terror of the day before. He allowed the girl to settle into one of the rooms, tucking in safely and surrounded by his magic.

Azriel watched her for a moment, the girl falling asleep quickly once more. He listened to her breathing, assuring himself she would be fine before he stalked to the stairs and spiraled down into the depths of the mountain.

The Library, unlike the quiet of the world above, had a small shuffle of noise about it. The staircase leveled out onto the first layer of the massive underground library, the books there numbering in the hundreds of thousands. He was greeted by the silent Clotho, her eyes questioning.

"Lilith is fine. Velaris is safe." The Priest nodded, and led him further into the floors and floors of books. Through the thick smell of leather and paper and ink and dust, he was greeted by the fresh scent of flowers as Elain rushed to meet him. She hugged him fiercely.

"I was so worried," she whispered. "Lilith just disappeared under our noses. If it weren't for Feyre's warnings and updates, we would've still been in a tizzy about her absence. How is the poor girl?"

"Lilith is fine," he repeated, calming her. Elain released him with a small, flushed smile. His shadows rushed along books and spread wide. "I wanted to check and make sure everything was good here."