A Court of Shift and shadow

XLVI

Galads POV: 

Azriel's shadows faded out, leaving nothing but an empty space behind. And it hurted to see her go. It hurted so dam much. Belinda found me standing there.

"You look miserable." my sister said. "Come inside at least. I have brandy."

"No thanks..." I said, Belinda just dragged me inside.

"Wrong answer." She said. "There is a meeting on planning the preparations. I don't care if you are invited or not. Just come."

"I..." I gave up as she more or less threw me into the meating room.

"Belinda, Galad." Mom said in greeting. Galad, you look like hell.

I know... Let me just collect myself. Mom turned back to the meating.

"We are expecting Katies first report in two days, when she has reached the southern shore of island. Until then we all need to look up what is missing in our supplies." Mom pointed at the map, and the marked way Katie was following in this moment. "Belinda, You need to take over in the mountains. Cassian will be handling the slack in the court of nightmares."

"Okey, Galad is following me." My sister said, I started to protest but just gave up as she continued "Lisu and Vesa to. We all will be needed to rally up the Illyrians and keep them in check."

"Galad, are you onboard with that?" Mom said.

"I only have a meating down in Spring next week, Caspan has asked me to help him." I said.

"Good, leave as soon as you can. And..." Az entered the room. I turned towards him. "Azriel, how did it go?"

"Katie is on her way, we got a little closer then we first planed. So she will be ahead of our schedule." Az said. "Next step now is so wait."

"Good. Next..." I left the room cudent handel anything more now, Belinda could inform me later. I found myself on the balcony, looking out over the city.

I had not realised that Kaite had fully opened the bond these last few weeks, and now closed it. She never did that, never let herself be so dependent on me or anyone. I had never really thought about it, or had an opinion. I had just been happy with living with her, that she was alive, and mine. Her happiness these weeks, even after the Winter Court mission, it had been amazing.

"Hey." Belinda came up at my side. "Are you okey?"

"No..." I confessed. "Not at all. It has never this hard before. To let her go."

"Because of her mission?" Belinda leaned over the railing.

"No... Or yes... She have never been home for as long as she just have been. And she leaned on the bond, we just come closer then before."

"She have not accept it before?" I heard the question in her voice, the confusion.

"No, just not lean on it, have it open. Let it be what it is. But she did now..." I put my head in my hands, having no idea on how I could explain this fealing. "When are we going up to the camps?"

"Today, but we are going to live in the Cabin. It is bigger then the House." She paused. "Have you ever taken Katie there?"

"No... She have visited the camps and Illyrians, more in the beginning when she trained. But when it became know about her relation to Tamlin, they refused to help her after that. And you where there with the wings..." I said back.

"That is bad..." Belinda said, still leaning on the realing. "When she becomes High Lady, and don't have the armies on her side..."

"She doesn't want to be High Lady." I cut her of. "She feared it for so long in Spring." I looked up over the city again, hearing the seagulls screams.