A Court of Shift and shadow

XLIII

Kaites POV: 

The smell of fish hit me when I walked in to Azriels office, or what ever I could call the room in the center of the spynet he controlled. I hindered the reflex to cough at the smell. I hate fish, cocked, raw, living, dead. It didn't mater.

"You look like you are about to vomit." Az said.

"Fish." I said in return, siting down at the other side of the table, a map over hybern laid over it.

"Sorry." He moved the plate of food. "Let's focus on this..." pointing out over the map.

"So, if we remove the Stone, how would we do it?"

"Like I did last time. Go in from the sea, this way, then set up a camp outside of the walls." I followed his finger on the map. "Then when the time in right, move in from the first wall, and the next, and last the Keep it self."

"How long did the last spy group come?" I asked, studying the marked Keep, the two walls surrounding it. The inner one separated the workers from the Keep.

"Hyad came into the Keep... The others was just on the edge on the outer wall." Azriel's hand stopped over the wall. "But now, we need to get into the mines, and the keep." He pointed at the marker for the mine.

"You could move in from the south, going in from that point moving over the mountains, Entering the mines with the workers." I said drawing out the road. "You could hide in the shadows, and I could fly in over the keep."

"You are not going there." Az said short.

"I don't need to go into the Keep, just watch what is happening and be a eye in the sky." I said, holding my ground.

"As I said before, I will not take you there."

"We don't have time for you to be in the mines AND in the keep." I sat down. "And I did say, what we would do if we removed the stone as a factor."

"You would still not be the one I send in, but you are right about the path. It is a better one." He leaned over the map,

"Who would you send in? If we eliminate the stone." I asked.

"To be honest, no one, I trusted Hyad he was the one who got the mission to go inside the Keep. No other." He massaged his temples.

"If I wasn't Galads mate?" I asked. "Would you send me then?"

"Yes..." He sighed, placing his head in his hands. "You are right. Flying over the keep, watching it hidden from above is the best way to go."

"Anyone else that can do something similar and stay hidden? With glamouring?" I asked, scanning the map after any other way of getting inside. Not pressing on the fact that he admitted that it was my relation to Galad that held me back.

"No, not to the extend we need, Spies that can hide, yes, and some that can fly. But not both."

"If we send someone else to the mine, can you go over the keep?" Changing the roles.

"Maybe... But I would be limited to only working at night. And in bad weather." Another sigh. "That is not enough..."

"And we are still talking abut it without the stones." I added. Leaning back in my chair. "That fish smells."

"It is not that bad." Az said in response. "How did you do it? Shielding yourself from the Faebane."

"I used my Air, letting it shield my body." I said. "But why it worked, I have no idea. Feyre has tried to recreate it but can't."

"But you can?"

"Yes, but I haven't really tried to do it again since then." I confessed. "And if the stone can break through magic, so my shields are not going to help." Silence fell, Azriel still leaning over the map, deeply immersed in thoughts. I tried to focus but that plate of fish was to muth. I contemplated to take it out. Even if it was Azriel's lunch.