A Court of Shadow and Song

Chapter 6

Gwyn POV

Gwyn could not sleep. A small part of her worried there might be more rats around the cottage, but mostly she was mortified at her encounter with Azriel. What had she been thinking?! They were teasing one another and suddenly all Gwyn seemed focused on were his lips and his sweet comforting shadows. He was clearly mortified by the thought. He couldn't have run out of her room any faster.

Gwyn pushed the pillow over her face, resisting the urge to scream in frustration. This had never been a problem for her before. She was never interested in any male, but it seems that with her new found confidence and Valkyrie title, she has also started overcoming that nagging fear of the opposite sex. Or maybe she hadn't, but she certainly wanted Azriel. Of course it didn't matter, she thought with a sigh. She was damaged goods and no one knew that more than Azriel. He had literally seen it happen. She knew there was no future there so why did it bother her so much when he ran out of her room at the mere thought of standing close to her?

Gwyn groaned, she knew the answer to that question too. There was some part of her that had wanted to feel desired by the Shadowsinger, even after everything with Elain. She thought, maybe, he was drawn to her in the way she felt drawn to him. But that was nonsense. Even if Azriel wasn't hung up on the beautiful Archeon sister, he would not be interested in a trauma filled priestess.

Even so, when Gwyn finally drifted to sleep she dreamed of Azriel's golden eyes and that roaring laughter that sent her heart into overdrive.

~*~

Gwyn could not decide if she like the Autumn Court heir. He and the Shadowsinger seemed barely on speaking terms, which should tell her all she needed to know about him. But there was something else there, fighting to break through. Maybe it was all her time spent watching people in the library, but she was certain there was more to Eris than his snarky digs at Azriel and his nonchalant attitude. She found the challenge of figuring him out intriguing, like another ribbon hung from the wooden beam.

"My father has stopped sharing most of his plans with me. What I get now is half baked truths that only seem to cover the surface level of what he has in mind." Eris grumbled in annoyance. "He knows I am against his work with the Mortal Queens so he is shutting me out. But many of our army men are loyal to me."

"How did you manage that?" Gwyn wondered, fascinated by the dynamics of the court. Eris gave her a sly smile.

"They know where the power lies after my father is.... Dethroned. And they know that day is coming sooner rather than later. They have made the smart choice to side with me now in order to preserve themselves in the future." Eris did not speak down to Gwyn as she thought he might have, instead he answered her questions in stride, never showing annoyance at her curiosity.

"So what do you want us to do?" Gwyn finally asked.

"I have reason to believe that my father is working with Koschei and that his spies are staggered throughout our villages. I need someone the people don't recognize to blend into the village. Figure out who the spies are and where they are. The only way I can stop my father is if I have proof of his betrayal. I can bring this to the high lords and we can dethrone him together. This is how I do that." Gwyn thought about the request... about the people she would have to talk to, the men she would have to be around. But all for the greater good, she thought. This is to help avoid another war.

"Sounds easy enough." She said, matching Eris's smile. She did not miss the grimace from the silent Illyrian beside her.

~*~

Eris walked beside Gwyn in the small garden behind the cottage. He had spent the last hour sharing details he thought might be helpful to her mission while Azriel left to find them proper clothing to blend with the Autumn Court.