A Court of Desires and Darkness

Chapter 15

A cool breeze licks at my bare skin, sending a shiver down my spine. The warming sun shines high in the sky as a few soft clouds roll leisurely towards it. The leather armor I wear jingles with each step, the sound filling the space between birdsong. I take a deep breath of the fresh air, inhaling an aroma of roses and lilac. I guess I made it to residing in the Spring Court after all. A pair of goldfinches and starlings chirp pleasantly from the open area next to the forest--sounds I could get used to. 

I roll my leather sleeve down, covering the newest silver band on my wrist. A bargain made with the King in order to leave the camp for a few days alone. The only way he would agree to let me go is if I made a deal to not escape without magic. Since the old bargain forbade it with the use of magic.

Three days. 

Three days to find that little shack in the western woods of the Spring Court. If my sources are to be trusted, the Seer will be there. Being stuck in the war camp, there is not much to do. So, I decided to skulk around, blending myself into the shadows--listening and learning for any and all information about this mysterious Seer. To my surprise, Jurian gave up quite a bit of information, willingly nonetheless. He informed me that the Seer has been meeting with the King at least every other week and that, while we have been here, has been staying at an abandoned cabin--far enough away that no magic could trace it. How he came across this information, I am not sure. I didn't ask. He asked, though, for a bargain. I was so intent on finding the Seer that I agreed with no hesitation. 

Someday, in the future, I will need to call upon you. For the bargain, I ask that you come to me that day. Fine, I said, and the sting of the deal etched itself onto my back in the shape of the sun. Then, he gave me the exact location of the cabin. Another piece of information I decided not to ask about. 

It would take a day and a half to travel to the site and I have already been walking for almost that. At least, after I am finished, I can winnow back to camp to keep the bargain. When I was preparing to leave, there was a high amount of tension running through the soldiers. The only thing that could  cause it was them marching off to fight. 

I look up to the sky, to the stars beyond the blue, and send some luck to the fighters of Prythian. To Feyre and Rhysand, who seem to command the army against us. To Azriel. They are the only hopes I have of getting free of Hybern. 

A gangly oak tree stands in the middle of a clearing about a hundred feet away. The indication that the cabin is not far away. There is, of course, a ward around it, so winnowing in is not an option. 

My other option, one that I would prefer anyways, is to move via shadows--which the forest seems more than grateful to provide. 

Before moving in, I check all my weapons. The sword strapped to my waist, the multitude of daggers, and the small knife. I call upon my magic and it hums graciously underneath my skin, an electric storm brewing. It pulsates, ready to be unleashed--especially at my command for my own purposes. The Cauldron tickles at my back and I ignore it, focusing on the task at hand. I unsheathe a dagger, holding it in my right hand as my left fills with darkness, occasionally releasing tendrils of white electricity. 

Looking up, I notice a dark cloud moving quickly towards the sun, as if in a blessing. The moment it blocks the golden rays, I fade into the darkness. The world is a blur as I move silently through the envelope of shadow, the only sound is that of my heartbeat. Living as a lesser fae, I would do this almost every night, gleaning information from the lords that I worked under or stealing food and goods for those less fortunate. 

By the time the sun reappears, I am inside the small, one room cabin. To my advantage, the windows are all closed, their shutters latched. Only a flicker of a faelight dances in the far corner of the space, its light barely reaching where I stand. The Seer sits at a table, looking at something. Slowly, I creep towards him, keeping to the walls. Dust has settled on almost every surface of the building. A simple bed rests against the far wall, covered mostly in tomes and papers. When I move so that I am perpendicular with the Seer, I peer onto the table. His hands are laid flat. From behind, it seemed like he was reading or studying. There is nothing there, not even an empty plate.