Olethros

sixty - azriel

None of us slept during the night. Eventually, we'd gone to our rooms and laid in our beds. But, when the sun rose, we gathered silently in the sitting room. My mind hadn't stopped wondering how far Freyja and Odessa had gone, if they'd found shelter or food.

None of us trained, we didn't try to distract ourselves. Now that the truth was out and my brothers knew of what I'd done, there was no peace. We had cried together, emotions running high and worries not yielding.

"Will you tell Alcaeus?" Cassian asked after hours of silence. My head lifted from where I stared at my hands. Rhys didn't acknowledge him for a long moment, bloodshot eyes staring at the morning sun in the window. We waited until his chest rose with a breath and he blinked.

"No. Betrayal or not, I don't want them in his hands anymore."

I didn't blame him, despite it being a treasonous act against his father. Rhys had grown strong enough in the past decade that he could block Alcaeus from searching his mind. He could fight, he could defend. Freyja and Odessa were brave enough to run from him, so Rhys would be brave enough to defend them.

"He's going to look for them, and he's going to blame you," Cassian muttered. Rhysand's jaw clicked as he blinked again.

"That's what you do for family. You fight for them and you die for them."

Why didn't you before? I wasn't stupid enough to ask him that, but I couldn't help thinking it. Rhys stood aside while his sister was being sent there, and he made no move to help her until I did it first.

"When do we go to her?" I asked, unable to stop the tightness to my voice. Both of them looked to me.

"Tomorrow. If they're walking as well as flying, I suspect they'll hit the farming village today. Unless they decided to go throughout the night, then they'd be down by the fishing village along the river."

"They aren't following the river. They're not going South at all, only East until they hit the sea."

Rhysand's jaw moved again. "They have to hit the river. It flows from the sea."

"Not the portion that comes from snow runoff," I argued. Rhysand rolled his eyes and focused back on the window.

"Either way. We will find them and ensure they're safe. We can't spend too much time there, warriors fly those mountains for training on stamina."

I stayed silent, meeting Cassian's eyes briefly. Rhys was on edge no matter what. There would be no arguing with him unless I wished for a dagger in my chest.

"Morrigan is coming to visit us today. There will be no talk of Freyja nor their escape. I trust her, but I can't trust that mine or her father not to interrogate her," Rhys ground out. I nodded, not bothering to speak. He stood anyway and walked over to the door to the training ring.

"Do you think he will tell her?" Cassian asked, leaning back against the settee. I scoffed.

"Of course he will. Rhys can't keep a thing from Mor."

Cassian forced a laugh before the half-smile fell from his face. There was something in the air this morning; a strange haze of sorrow that none of us dared to mention. It was a sickening twist in my stomach like a warning of something terrible to come.

She will die from your deeds.
They will perish cursing your name.
Monster.
You've ruined her.
Monster.

I grit my teeth, looking back to my gloved hands. My shadows had been worse since last night, festering horrid thoughts.

"There they are," Cassian's voice pulled me from the depths of my mind. I looked to the window and indeed, Rhys was carrying Mor as he flew them down. I groaned, rising from my seat. I supposed it would be good to have a distraction, to drink and speak with Mor like we all used to.