A Court of Shift and shadow

XLVIII

Galads POV:

Her last message just made me empty. She was traped closer to the Keep, without a possibility to get out. I told Azriel and then winnowed back up in the mountains and the cabin. Drinking my head of during the nights, and in the days I was in the rings, fighting, training. Getting a beating every time for my mind was way to unfocused. And way to hangover. And ofcourse it was Belinda that found me on the third day. handing me another bottle of brandy.

"Now you can drink." She said as I emptied it.

"I am not against drinking, I just don't do it." I said back.

"Why is Katie against it now again?" Belinda sait down at my side.

"Tamlin." I said "He was drinking a lot, and his abuse was worse when he was drunk..." I put the bottle down, almost fealing sick as I said it.

"Oooh..." My sister said. "I never understood it was that bad..."

"She don't talk about it." She had only told me a year after. During Starfall. I had notice that she never accepted wine, but had never questioned it. Until that night. As the stars was falling around us, she had opened up that part of herself.

"How are you fealing?" Belinda took the bottle.

"Like shit..."

"Good. In the ring in five." She got up. And I followed, a bit unsteady. "Twin blades is still your favorite?" She handed me the swords.

"Yea." I weighed them in my hands. Making sure that the lighter one was in my right and the havier in my left.

"Good." She made and attack that I easily blocked. "Again." Our blades hit. "Again." Three hits. "Again."

"I recognise Cass methods in my sleep." I said. The series of movements got longer.

"Yes but it is efektive." Belinda changes the movements order and I followed. Dubbel block, one swing, block and swing. Left, left again. Low, high... I only paused as the sun came down to the horizon. Katies words a small faint whisper.

I am fine, have a bigger report tomorrow. Love you.

"Is she okey?" Belinda asked.

"Yes, for now. She has some news for us tomorrow." I said. "One more round?"

"One more round." We trained late into the night. And I found some sort of calm from it, it cleared my head and let me process the fact that Katie was traped... still hidden, but traped. Midnight had passed when we finished up. My arms and legs trembling.

"If we all fight like that in the war, we will win." Belinda only said walking into the cabin.

"We can hope." I said back.

"You, we will fix this. Katie will come home again. Heck, if Elain is correct latest this winter."

"That dosen't really help. Last time Elain got involved in my life, Katie almost died and needed to fight her illness for years." I mumbled.

"Elain only gets involved when she must. This is a good thing." She heeded up the the bedroom "See you tomorrow."

Somehow sleep found me, letting me dose of to oblivion for the night. It was almost a bit of a taunt, that I could sleep here, safe, warm. And my mate... In the morning, guilt was eating at me. I walk outside and started a routine. Flying a round over the cabin, time and time again, waiting for Belina to wake up. Or for Katie to contact me. I feared the later.

"Morning!" Belinda shoothed to me from the cabin. "How long have you been up?"

"Since sun rise." I said, putting down the blades.