A Court of Innocents

7: Pandemonium

Despite Rhysand and Feyre foregoing their crowns, people still stared. I didn't know if it was because of the stunning gowns, or because Rhysand, Cassian, and Azriel all looked sharp in their get-ups. Yet even when we found our seats in the middle section, just between the rose garden and the bird baths, others still turned their heads to stare at us.

I took a seat between Lucien and Cassian. Azriel hadn't looked at me the whole way over here and had not very subtly put as much distance between us as possible. My mind was on the shadowsinger until the musicians made their way to the small stage in the center of the garden.

Lucien leaned over to whisper, "What's wrong with Cassian?"

I frowned at him, then turned my attention to the Illyrian on my left. He was paler than I'd ever seen him, his hands gripping the edges of his jacket so tight his knuckles had gone stark white.

"Cassian?" I murmured, but the orchestra started up before I could ask him if he was okay, and I was shushed by someone in the row behind me.

The orchestra played a spirited piece that I found myself wanting to sway to. The cellos were crisp and clear, and the violas played the climax of the song so beautifully it was tearjerking. And then, just as the last note was fading out, a handful of butterflies rose above the orchestra and disappeared into the night. The timing was too perfect for it to be coincidental, and when it happened again after the second song, I realized why the Botanical Symphony was talked about in such high regard. They somehow managed to teach the butterflies to respond to the music. Between every song transition, another burst of beautiful bugs were released into the night. It was breathtaking.

Two hours later, the orchestra began their final song. It started out slow and somber, but the mood changed as the violins were brought in. The song became light and playful. The tempo increased, reaching higher and higher towards a quick climax, and my heart raced along with the music. That ending came surprisingly quick, and I felt as if I'd been sprinting towards something—only to stop suddenly at the edge of a cliff. My heart was still hammering as a cloud of butterflies erupted all around the room and flew up, up, up until they faded from sight. There had to be at least three hundred butterflies released this time. It left me starstruck.

I was still watching the last of the butterflies disappear when it happened.

I heard the coughing first. And then—

Someone cried out in horror.

My attention snapped towards whoever had cried out, but hell had already erupted upon us. Suddenly, everyone around us was coughing and hacking uncontrollably. I would have thought it was a reaction to being around so many strange flora and fauna—had I not seen the blood. I turned in my seat to find countless people around us covering their mouths to stifle a cough, only to pull their hand away and find it stained crimson.

"Get Elain and Nesta out of here," I ordered Lucien.

He complied without a second of hesitation, quick to save the sisters from what was bound to happen next. He wrapped an arm around Elain and reached for Nesta's hand before Winnowing out.

I shot from my seat to help the people closest to me. One quick glance over my shoulder told me the others had already started doing the same. I moved to the closest couple, an older man and woman, and put a soothing hand on their shoulders. Their bodies shook with the intensity of their coughing. It was so relentless they could barely get a breath of air in. They shared a glance before looking at me. Painful realization flickered in their eyes, but that wasn't what made me gape at them.

The blood wasn't just coming from their mouths now.

It dripped from their noses.

Their ears.