A Court of Shift and shadow

XXXIII

Galads POV: 

It was almost starge to see Katie like this, laughing, relaxed, her hair down. Not stressing of to a mission, not sitting deep in her own thoughts about a report. To see her live in the moment. During our morning flight she had played around more shifting from form to form. And I couldn't help but to wonder in the life we had lived at home made her loose something. Hade the years of living in fear made her lose that spark of life she now had in her eyes. Or was she truly for the first time in her life free. I didn't ask her, just followed and appreciate the moment of my mate being happy.

"You know..." She said when we landed in the courtyard. Taking my hand leaning her head on my arm. "I thought that I would be missing the missions more. And that it would be hard to take a brake from them if..." Her words trayed of. I stoped her placing my hands on her waist.

"And it is not as hard as you expected?" I asked.

"No... It is almost like..." She got quiet again, leaning her head on me. "Like I needed this, in order to..." She shook her head. "I don't know why, but I needed this." I kissed her. And then asked.

"Have you missed the Spring Court? I know this is not the one you grew up in, but it was still you home." She went still, taking a deep breath

"I think I have... Spring is, was, am still a part of me. And by Caspan reclaiming it, I can once more go here, fly over the hills, run in the green foresters... I love the mountains at home to. But pinetrees are not the same as the oak and maple."

"Don't underestimate the Pinetree." I said, hugging her. "But I can understand."

We walked inside, taking a quick breakfast. Before collecting ourself outside the studie. I had seen the memories of Katie's fight in that room, now she was holding my hand nervose to enter. I also was nervous to enter. But after a moment of collecting ourself, we did.

It was not the piles of paper that made my stomach turn inside out, not the bookcases from floor to ceiling, not the trophy heads of creatures hanging on the wall. No it was the six pairs if Illyrian wings hanging amongst them. Two old gray, the membrane dried up and I guessed that they would crumble to dust if we moved them. The other four... I left the room, half walking, half running outside. Someone screamed, or it might have been me. My knees hit the ground, Katies hands found my shoulders. A steady pressure.

"Tell them not to move them..." I said, or more whispered. A harsh dry whisper.

"Then know that..." She was sitting in front of me, her hands so cold to my chin. "I didn't know..." I had seen her memories, and never thought that the gray shapes of wings was Illyrian, nor had she. But the four others...

"They are new..." I said "The four darker ones are newer..." And I knew when he had taken them.

"Want do you need to do?" She asked, I looked up. Meeting her green eyes. The ground trembled as Azriel and my dad landed. Hearing my call.

"Where?" Was all dad said. Walking towards the manor. I got up, Katies hands still on my shoulders.

"I can show you..."I said and followed, Caspan meet us, bowing his head.

"We had no idea..." My dad just kept on walking, not reacting to his words.

"I know..." I said as I passed. Caspan still standing in the door, and Katie at his side.

"Cauldron..." Az turned around as he entered the room, trowing up at the sight of the wings. "They are theres..."

"He said that he had destroyed them..." I heard my father say, and I realized who the grey pairs of wings belonged to... something deep inside of me broke and is became painful to breathe.