A Court of Smoke and Moonlight

Chapter Seven

I stared at the white sheet covering Eris's dead body. Mor stood in solitude by my side.

"I can't tell you how many times I've imagined this," she whispered, her caramel eyes blank. "Every time I saw him, all I wanted to do was kill him. But now that it happened..." She swallowed, and a tear leaked down her cheek. I gently grasped her hand in my own, intertwining our fingers. She turned to me with wide eyes. "There's too much death, Feyre. Too much."

Rhysand, Azriel and Cassian had disappeared to the Autumn Court to bear the bad news to Beron. Aelin and Rowan had retreated to a nearby hall, their hushed murmurs carried away on a soft wind.

Mor gripped my hand so tight it hurt. But I didn't complain. "We need to put an end to all this killing. Now."

"I know," I said softly, squeezing her hand. "Aelin and I will see to that."

Mor sniffed, shaking her head as she subtly swiped under her nose. "I'm being silly. People are never going to stop dying."

"Not, you're not. We've been through a war, Mor. Trust me, I wish the fighting and death would stop, too. But we just need to keep fighting for a little longer. We'll get through this- together."

Suddenly, Mor enveloped me in a hug, her body shaking. I automatically wrapped my arms around her, gently stroking her golden hair as she sobbed into my shoulder.

"What in the bloody hell happened?"

Beron's roar jerked us out of our moment, and we pulled back. He stormed towards us, fire trailing in his path. He ripped back the covering over Eris's head, and stared down at his dead son. Rhysand appeared at my side, Cassian and Azriel behind me, as solemn and stony-faced as statues.

He whirled on me and Rhysand, his teeth bared in a terrifying snarl. "You pay for this," he spat, and in a burst of shadow, he and Eris's corpse disappeared.

I breathed a sigh of relief, the tension in my shoulders lessening slightly. Mor detangled her hand from my own, and instead crossed her arms across her chest. She wiped at her eyes. "Where are Aelin and Rowan?"

"You called?" A voice asked.

"Speak of the devil," Cassian muttered, and Aelin batted her lashes at him while Rowan glowered over her shoulder. They had just appeared back in the main room when Beron had vanished.

She jutted out a hip, folding her arms. "We think we know where he wants to meet us." She paused, probably for dramatic effect. Her lips twitched into a small smile. "We're going to Terrasen. We're going home."