A Court of Shift and shadow

V

Galads POV:

What is happening? My dad's voice asked.

I think we caught the Shifter but... Azriel held her in a firm grip. She hasn't shifted on us... I blocked off my dad's answer and looked at the girl in front of me. Terrified, absolutely terrified.

"You are no spy." I said, Az giving me a small nood. The girl kept quiet. "Where is the High Lords residence?" The house was abandoned, and must have been for a long time. When Tamlin had moved was a mystery to us. The girl was still silent. If she wasn't a spy... I studied her face more closely, the skin, hair... Her eyes... No cat eyes this time, but green like the hills around us.

"Lower your blade Azriel." I said, her scent of wildflowers mixed with fear reached me. "She wont run." As Azriel let her go she fell down to her knees, crying.

"I'm sorry..." she sobbed "Please don't hurt me..." Her slender body shivered. Az walked over to me.

"This is unexpected..." He said.

"Yes indeed." She still didn't shift. "We won't hurt you" I said, her body relaxed a bit.

"You are not here to hurt me?" She looked up and froze. "You are not from Spring Court..." Azriel held back a laugh.

"No, did you expect that?" Instead of answering she shifted and flew away.

"Odd..." Azriel stretched his wings. "Shall we follow?"

"No... I don't think she will tell anyone that we were here." I said bending down to the place she had kneeled at. "She was more afraid of her court than us..." I retch down trying to get a sample of her scent.

"A hostage?"

"No..." I held a strand of her hair. "His daughter..." the Shadowsinger whistled.

"Now that took a turn." He said and I opened my mind again. Dad was already rambling about how we should proceed. Our mission had been to contact Azriel's informant, instead we had learned more than we expected.

Come back home! It might be long ago, but Tamiln will remember the smell of illyrians. Dad said. We didn't argue and transported us back home.

When we arrived my dad was pacing back and forth. Mumbling under his breath. Mom was just pale and didn't say a word. Amren was leaning against a wall and Cassian just followed my dad with his eyes. All minds were closed, moms even double reinforced. It was Amren who broke the silence.

"Irma was from the Summer Court. Maybe we can search there for information?"

"No..." My dad stopped pacing. "Tamlin will hear that we are looking into this."

"How trained was she?" Cassian said "I'm a bit sceptical that our Tamiln will have changed that much in the last 130 years. That he will train a female."

"In my judgement, not at all. We heard her for an hour in the abandoned manor before she noticed us." Az said. "I need a drink... Feyre, are you okay." My mom just nodded.

"Make me one two." She said,

"That's not an answer my Lady." I had never heard them talk like this. So serious and worried at the same time.

"I'm not okay... But that is not important now." My mom said and rose to her feet. "We could just do nothing, let whatever happens, happen."

"She was terrified." I said. "Scared to the point that she cried."

"I can understand that, two male illyrians in her court." Amren said. But I didn't agree.

"No... When she recognized me, she relaxed and then fled."