A Court of War and Sacrifice

8. A Piece of Advice

    Azriel joined Rhys, Amren, and Mor in an office. They all sat down and Rhys cast a shield over the room. Mor tilted her head curiously. "What is this about?"

    "The Dread Trove," Rhys answered. "You're the only other member of our Inner Circle who can know its location, and I think we should give it to you."

    "Technically, I'm not the only one," Mor countered. "Seren could know too."

    "We aren't telling Seren for Amren's peace of mind," Rhys explained, half rolling his eyes. Amren crossed her arms and watched Azriel, daring him to say something.

    He remained silent, but shadows wound onto his shoulders and watched her menacingly. "All right, then. Where is it?" Mor asked. Rhys spread a map across his desk and Mor bent over it. Her eyes widened in surprise. "It's in Cretea?"

    Rhys nodded. "The three of us took Nesta's weapons and the Dread Trove there after Feyre recovered from Nyx's birth. Drakon and Miryam have protected their people successfully for hundreds of years. Their wards were so well places that we thought they were no longer on Cretea, remember?"

    "I remember. We gave them the Cauldron to protect after the battle with Hybern, too." Mor bit her lip. "Doesn't it seem a bit dangerous to keep those artifacts together?"

    "The Cauldron itself is in Cretea," Amren explained, "but Drakon took the Trove to a sacred island that is separate from Cretea. That island is warded as well."

    "So they're close, but not together," Mor said to herself. She shook her head with a smile. "Sometimes I underestimate your intelligence, Rhys."

    "I appreciate your faith in me," Rhys chuckled. "And now that you know, I want you and Az to go check on them. Drakon will show you the Dread Trove's island so you know its location."

    Azriel stiffened with disappointment. He'd been gone a lot the past few days and had been hoping for a short break, at least. He simply nodded when Rhys glanced at him. "We'll leave this afternoon."

    Rhys lowered the shield and Mor and Amren left the office. "You don't want to go?" He asked after the door closed behind the females.

    "There's a few things I needed to talk to Seren about, but it's all right."

    A smile spread across Rhys' face. "Did you tell her?"

    "Yes, but she said she wasn't sure and I understand that. We haven't talked about it since." Azriel crossed his arms. "Amren can't keep treating Seren the way she has been."

    "I know, but we can't make Amren do anything. They need to work through their differences on their own. And, like you told me, some problems sort themselves out if you leave them alone."

    "Yes, but I was talking about you and me when I said that."

    "What's the difference between us and Amren and Seren?" Rhys raised an eyebrow. "You felt betrayed by me. Amren feels betrayed by her."

    "The difference is that I knew I wanted to forgive you eventually. I'm beginning to think Amren wants to hold onto her anger." Azriel narrowed his eyes. "And Seren doesn't deserve to be treated the way Amren treats her. Not after everything she's already gone through and is still suffering from."

    "I know. I'll do what I can, but at the end of the day, it's up to them."

    Azriel nodded and left the office. He headed outside, where Seren was working in the garden. She broke a few dead sprigs off of Elain's rose bushes, humming to herself.