A Court Of Shadow and Blood

☆ The Echo ☆

Lilith did not sleep.

She spent her night amongst the books, curled in a ball and hiding from everyone. She was not afraid of the Library and its ancient, hewn walls of stone. She was not afraid of the yawning chasm of darkness at its center.

She was afraid for her mother. Her sister. For Azriel, and the others who had welcomed her whole-heartedly into a warm hug that she had not felt since her mom and Madalyn had cocooned her in one. She was afraid of the haunted look in her mother's eyes when they had embraced for that brief few minutes before she was gone again, nothing but an upgraspable wind.

She was afraid, she realized, because when the sun rose that morning, it would be the seventh day of her mother's promise as she'd been told about. And if she did not return then, she never would again.

Lilith rocked herself, her hair neatly braided by the kind Elain, and her clothes given to her by the adoring priestesses, crude holes torn in the back for her wings. The faelight flickered near her, enough to give her pause. She counted the flashes of darkness.

It was almost morning.

Her lip quivered, violet eyes shuddering. She pushed to a stand, and walked slowly towards the sound of faint singing from the priests. She was happy; she did like Velaris and all it foretold, but she could not muster that happiness with the threat of bad news over her.

She passed shelves and shelves and shelves, passed the random array of seats and the little nooks full of softness that bespoke a good reading spot. She found her way towards the dining hall, nothing but a dome carved from the walls of the mountain itself, and settled herself at the seat she had been in since the day she'd arrived. Elain was soon next to her, a dress of poppy yellow over her shoulders and her brown-gold hair woven into a crown upon her brow. Her calming floral scent washed over her, but Lilith could only grip her silverware in a white-knuckled hand.

"Are they okay?"

Elain smiled softly, a shadow of tire beneath her warm eyes. "I was trying to find you. We got word last night that they are returning. They should be here soon."

Hope, bright and unfurling like a flower, blossomed in her chest. "Really?"

"Yes." Elain rubbed her head and began to eat. Lilith tore into her own food with a sudden fervor, bubbling excitement growing within her. She hardly registered what was before her until it was gone, and she was running from the room, her old robes hanging from her frame awkwardly. No one stopped her as she made it to the steps at the top of the Library, and began a dogged ascent. At times, she figured running on her hands and feet up the steps would be faster, and it worked until she ran low on energy and returned to a mild jog.

Her pants became heavier the longer she went, small legs working hard. The rest passed in a blur before she was cresting the final step, and the door pushed open for her.

She laughed, breathless, as she ran to the nearest window and overlooked Velaris. The city was still in shambles, left behind to the Palace Governors to control how each section healed itself. But her gaze was drawn to the horizon of mountains, to the ocean, to the opposite side. Her sharp, fae eyes latched onto a dark shadow.

She danced with excitement, whooping with joy. They made it, they made it, they made it!

"They survived," she said aloud. The House of Wind was quiet around her, empty. A sudden fear draped over her, enough that she shrank back and entered the dim stairwell again, the door closing behind her. The last time she'd been in the room, she'd been compelled to descend the thousand footsteps all the way to Velaris to help Azriel in his battle. Only for her to be plucked from the steps by an attor.