A Court of Dreams and Promise

Chapter Eleven

 ✦ ───── ✧ To The Spring Court ✧ ───── ✦

Velaria

Velaria had done something unexpected. She partially lied to Azriel. Her tangent of love had been true, and she hadn't expected to get so emotional, but she had lied to him about her mission. While she was investigating a disturbance in the Spring Court that their spies had reported shortly after she was instated as her brother's personal spy, Rhysand had also instructed her to do something special.

"Velaria. I wouldn't ask if I wasn't worried, but," Rhysand said, gesturing with his hands, his worry conveyed in the sharp edge to his violet eyes, "I'm slightly worried."

"Just ask me, Rhysand." Velaria crossed her arms over her flowy top she had stolen from Mor's drawers. Today she had finally run out of clothes and pilfered through Mor's closets until she found the purple top she had on and leather pants.

"Can you still shift?"

"As in my beast form or into anything else?" Velaria asked.

Velaria was the only non-High Lord who could shift into a beast form, an ability given to her because of her immense amount of power. She had only shifted into it once, however, a time she never wanted to think about again.

"Anything else," Rhysand answered.

"Yes, of course. Why?" Velaria furrowed her brows. "Stop dodging the subject and get to the point."

"I would like for you to shift into something, anything, and spy on Tamlin for as long as you need to," her brother said. "As you know, our spies have reported that there's suspicious activity, and I am quite worried that he's planning something."

Velaria took a beat to think through the logistics before replying, "Alright. I can do that for you. How soon do you want me back with a report?"

Rhysand looked visibly relieved. "Thank you, Vel. And you can come back whenever, as long as you have enough evidence."

"I'll be back then," Velaria had promised.

And so now she was perched in a tree just inside the border of the Spring Court, preparing herself to shift. It had been a while since she had done so. Likely almost three decades.

She focused on the cool air, the well of her magic within her, and willed it to happen. She shifted in a blink of an eye, the craft thankfully coming to her as easily as it always had.

She shifted into a dragonfly, one of the common blue ones typically found dancing in the air around the grounds of the Spring Court.

When she had last shifted, she had the stamina to remain in this form for at least a week, but because it had been so long, she likely could remain like this for four days. Breaks during the night were vital to ensure that she didn't get burnt out, as she had often done when she first learned that she could shift.

She flew into an open window, perched on the wall, and waited.

✿ ↬ - - - ↫ ✿

A loud snarl pierced the air. Velaria was at attention immediately, springing off the wall and flying towards the sound. She stopped in a bright room, having found the source of the sound. The lights overshadowed the moonlight streaming in from the tattered windows.

Tamlin was sitting at the head of a splintered table, his claws already sliding out of his knuckles. Large claw marks ran down the length of the table, and Velaria's heart seized.

A priestess sat next to him. "It just isn't possible, High Lord," she said softly, trembling at the anger in his posture.

Tamiln snarled again, his eyes frozen with rage. "It is possible. I will destroy them. I need your help to do so."