A Court of Innocents

8: Denial

A crisp, midmorning breeze was the only sound as Lucien Winnowed us to the southern heart of the Dawn Court. This was as far as his magic could carry us. From here, we'd walk however long it took for Lucien's power to recharge enough to take us to the Spring Court. We'd landed at the top of a small mountain. From here we could see the two towns that stretched out across the valley, as well as the border of Dawn in the faint distance. Lucien and I scanned our surroundings in silence, watching for any Dawn soldiers that were still holding a grudge against the Illyrians that had looted villages on the east side of the court. But there was no one here. In fact, there was no sign of life at all.

We were quiet as we trekked down the mountain and crossed into the first town. Every building we came across in the town square was completely abandoned. No—not abandoned. I stepped into an empty tavern and froze at the ash that coated the ground—and the bones. Blood long ago spilt had dried into the wood of the bar and stained the tables where people had been slaughtered as they tried to enjoy a drink. The townspeople hadn't abandoned their home—they'd been murdered inside it.

This town had been one of Hybern's long list of victims.

"We should leave," Lucien said from behind me, only daring to take one foot inside the tavern that had become a tomb overnight.

But I just stood there staring. Glaring. Hybern had taken so many innocent lives. I'd been in the thick of battles for most of the war, so I hadn't witnessed what our enemy had done to those who didn't dare or know how to fight back. But this...

"War is never a pretty thing." Lucien's voice was void of any emotion and I wondered how he did it. How he could walk through a place like this and... just not care. I was older than him—if anyone should be heartless, it was me. But with every year that passed in my life, I only found myself caring more and more about the thousands of innocent lives that always seemed to be thrown in the middle of every altercation.

When I didn't respond for the second time, he came to my side. Put a hand on my shoulder. And dragged me the whole way out of that cemetery of a town.

***

The next town over had managed to survive the slaughter, simply because they'd been smart enough to hide in their basements as Hybern made their way through these lands. From what I'd overheard in whispers shared around the town's most popular bar, the families who had survived had been forced to hide in their basements for an entire week. Some people had starved, some had gone crazy from the lack of sunlight. But, though scarred, they'd survived. That was the important things.

I chugged two pints of ale as Lucien slowly sipped at his glass. I needed the alcohol to forget about everything. The ghost town we'd seen today was just the newest thing to push me over the edge. But in the back of my mind, Cassian occupied my thoughts. I prayed he was okay, prayed Rhysand's healer was good enough to hold off Death until someone found a cure.

I'd written him a letter this morning, telling him about what I'd gone to do with Lucien in the Spring Court. I'd given it to Rhysand and told him to wait to give it to Cassian until he was well enough to read the letter on his own. Because he would get better. There was no other option.

The others... my goodbyes had been brief with them. Mor had given me a tight, bruising hug, and had told me to give Tamlin a taste of his own medicine while I was in his lands. Elain had been too occupied saying goodbye to Lucien to even look in my direction, and Nesta had refused to leave Cassian's bedside for anything or anyone. Rhys and Feyre had wished me luck. Feyre later pulled me aside to remind me that she and Rhys would respect any decision I made regarding my mate, and then had gifted me with a dagger that she'd used against Hybern, insisting that it had saved her life and that, if the time came when I needed to use it, the dagger would save me too. Amren had graced me with a gift as well: a golden ring with a ruby encrusted in the center. Upon asking why she'd given it to me, she merely shrugged and said casually, "The ruby has dark magic within it, and breaking the stone will unleash a darkness that will kill every enemy around you." I would have laughed at the joke had she not stared me down with those otherworldly eyes of hers.