A court of water and worlds

Chapter #16

"Angel of death, huh?" Gwyn says while shoving a spoonful of stew into her mouth.
"What do you mean, huh?" Azriel asked, sitting across from her on the kitchen counter.
They were currently at Rhysand's mothers home in windhaven.
It had two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room and a kitchen.
They were planning on staying here for three days.
"Well, is it like a nickname, or something?" She asked.
"No, I am actually the Angel of death," Azriel said in the driest tone ever.
"Stop being annoying,"
"Stop asking pointless questions."
"My questions are not pointless," Gwyn said, putting her empty bowl in the sink.
Emrie, Nesta and Mor were currently sitting on the couch and Cassian went out to talk with Devlon.
The spymaster was sitting on a stool across the bar from her.
"Gwyn, when you learned I was a shadowsinger, the first thing you asked me was if I could sing. Not, how did you become one? or how do you command your shadows? You asked me if I could sing," Azriel said finishing his stew.
"Well, I didn't want to ask you something super personal cause I didn't want you to think I was weird, plus I love singing. I'm still waiting to hear you sing," Gwyn said, taking his bowl and putting it in the sink.
"First of all," Azriel said, holding up a finger, "I already think you're weird."
Gwyn stuck her tongue out at him.
"Second of all," he said smiling, "I don't like to sing in front of people, so you will probably never hear me sing."
Gwyn narrowed her eyes at him.
O, he does not know what he just did.
Gwyn vowed at this very moment that she will one way or another hear him sing.
"Well then where do you sing? There are people everywhere," Gwyn asked.
"Wouldn't you like to know," he said, taking a drink of water.
"Ok, wait. Let's make a deal,"
Azriel raised his brows at her.
"You sing a song, I will tell you my other abilities," Gwyn said smiling, she knew how badly he wanted to know what her powers were.
He looked down at his cup for a moment then looked back up at her, "no."
Gwyn let out an annoyed sigh.
"No need to be dramatic about it," Azriel said, and suddenly one of his shadows flew to circle around her wrist.
She studied it for a moment.
His shadows were fascinating, they were like an extension of him but also their own entity.
Gwyn could pepper him with questions about his shadows all day, but she didn't want to ask anything too personal.
She knew the shadowsinger didn't like to be interrogated.
"Fine," Gwyn said, narrowing her eyes at him, "has anyone ever heard you sing?"
"Yes," he said, bringing his hands to his lap, "my mother."
"Can your mother sing?" Gwyn asked, her Interests now peaked.
He nodded and smiled, "she has a very beautiful voice," he said, and Gwyn's heart did a happy little flop.
"I cannot believe people call you the Angel of death," Gwyn said with a smile.
"Are we seriously back to that?" Azriel asked, resting his chin on his fist.
"Wait, Az you can sing?" Gwyn heard Mor say from the couch.
Gwyn watched as Azriel narrowed his eyes at her,  as if to say, "don't you dare."
"Yes," Gwyn said, holding eye contact with Azriel, "but he refuses to sing in front of anyone."
Nesta and Emrie came up to the bar and sat on each side of Az, and Mor came to stand on the other side of the counter with Gwyn.
"I cannot believe I have known you for over five hundred years and I am just learning this," Mor said to Azriel.
Gwyn Looked at Mor than back at Emrie.
"Yeah," Emrie said, "she's super old."
"O look who's talking Mrs. I won't tell you my age," Mor said to Emrie.
And emrie rolled her eyes at Mor.
Gwyn had to stifle a smile.
"It's true," Nesta said taking Azriel's cup and drinking the rest of the water, "I hear him humming all the time when he is sharpening his blades."
Azriel's head whipped to Nesta.
"I don't hum."
Nesta looked at Azriel then back at Gwyn.
"Actually I could have totally been hallucinating it," Nesta said and Azriel looked back at Gwyn.
"See I don't hum," he said.
"Ok, wait. Nesta you should have my back here, stop helping out Azriel," Gwyn said, taking Nesta's cup.
"You know what I'm on Gwyn's side here," said Mor, "plus I want to hear you sing," she said to Azriel who was starting to look uncomfortable.
"What time did Cas say he would be back?" Gwyn asked, trying to change the subject.
"He should be back any time now," Nesta said, and Gwyn saw Azriel's shoulders relax.
She didn't understand how Azriel could talk to her so easily but around other people he seemed uncomfortable.
It was usually hard to tell what he was feeling because his face was always unreadable but, All Gwyn had to do was look into his eyes.
A moment ago they were pale and wide but now they were calmly observant as he studied Nesta.
"Do we have any more snacks?" Nesta asked, getting up and walking around the counter to look through the Cupboards.
"There are only crackers," Emrie said, "I already looked."
"Is there like a place up here where we could get chocolate?" Nesta asked Emrie.
"No, but I have a secret stash at the shop. I'll bring some tomorrow morning before we start." Emrie said, playing with her cup.
Emrie was staying at her place above her shop and Mor was staying with her.
Because there wasn't enough room here, was their excuse.
Nesta and Gwyn teased Emrie for about two hours after she told them Mor was staying with her.
"We should probably get going," Mor said to Emrie who nodded and stood up.
"don't forget seven a.m." Azriel said as Mor and Emrie walked out the door.
Not three seconds later Cassian walked in with a bruise on his jaw.
"Cauldron Cas. What happened?!" Nesta said, walking over to him.
"I think the women at this camp are better at fighting than half of the men here," Cassian said, flinching as Nesta brushed her hand over his bruise.
"Wait, you're saying a woman beat you up?" Gwyn said smiling.
"I am so excited to meet them," Nesta said, sitting Cassian down on the couch.
"Only you two would be happy that a woman beat me up." Cassian said.
"That's such a lie, I, and probably the rest of the population, find it very amusing," Azriel said, turning towards his brother.
Gwyn tried to smother her laugh by coughing, which was a bad idea because everyone turned towards her
"You good over there Gwyn?" Asked Nesta.
"Yeah," Gwyn said, still smiling, "I'm great," she gave Nesta a thumbs up.
"So what is the sleeping arrangement," Gwyn asked, because there were only two bedrooms.
"Cas and Nes will take one bedroom and you can have the other," Azriel said, getting up from the counter.
"Well, where will you sleep?" Gwyn asked.
"Are you worried about me, priestess?" Azriel teased, "I'll sleep on the couch."
Gwyn gave him a look.
"What?" He asked.
"Azriel your not going to fit on the couch,"
"Are you fat shaming me Gwyneth?"
"Stop trying to deflect. I can sleep on the couch. Your wings are far too big to fit," Gwyn said, walking around the counter.
"Gwyn, really I'm fine I've slept in far worse—
"But you don't have to," Gwyn cut him off, "and I don't have wings, so I'll sleep on the couch."
"While you guys figure this out, we are going to go to bed," Said Nesta, who was currently wrapped in Cassian's arms.
"Night," Cassian said and they went to one of the bedrooms.
Gwyn walked over to the couch and sat down on it.
It was actually really comfy.
"Gwyn, what are you doing?" Azriel asked, crossing his arms.
"Going to sleep," she said, starting to lie down.
"Gwyneth Berdara you are the most stubborn person I know," Azriel said walking over to the couch.
"I'm not stubborn, I'm sleepy," Gwyn said looking up at him.
He looked very tall from this angle.
"Do you need me to tuck you in or something shadowsinger?" Gwyn asked, pulling a blanket over her.
She looked up and saw him crossing his arms in an intimidating stance.
If it was anyone else it would have frightened her, but the fact that he was trying to size her up to sleep on the couch made her giggle.
"Really?" Azriel asked, arms still crossed.
"Really," Gwyn said in the same annoyed tone.
"Fine, but if you get uncomfortable or anything out here let me know ok?" Azriel said, his hands falling to his sides.
"Ok," Gwyn said, rolling onto her side.
Azriel looked at her for a few more seconds then turned to leave and Gwyn said, "I don't get a goodnight, spymaster?"
"Goodnight priestess," she heard him say over his shoulder.
Gwyn rolled onto her back smiling until sleep took her. 
—-
Fire.
Pain.
Burning.
His flesh is burning.
His hands are on fire.
He is trying to scream but his voice is caught in his throat because he is drowning.
He cannot breathe.
He is underwater.
His hands are no longer burning but the scars remain.
He is still drowning. Trying to swim to the surface, or find a surface to swim to.
He cannot see anything except for black.
He cannot feel anything except for water in his lungs.
He is panicking, trying to breathe, to scream.
His lunges are burning.
He tries to move but is bound by death.
He stops struggling, he feels a sudden calm wash over him.
he feels something in his hand.
He looked down and still all he could see was darkness.
A big flash of white infected the darkness and now there are threads of what looked almost like moonlight between threads of obsidian.
And then he saw it, a sword in his hand.
It looked like it was made from the darkness between the stars.
It felt like it was made for him to hold.
He still could not breathe but he felt he no longer needed to.
He felt as though now death did not hold him, but he instead held death.
He felt so much power coursing through his veins.
He felt it crawl through his body, from head to toe.
Then blackness was all he felt.
—-
Footsteps were the noise made Azriel's eyes shoot open.
His shadows had not warned him.
He looked to his side and saw Gwyn.
She was standing right next to his pillow.
He saw her reach her hands under his pillow.
What was she doing?
Her eyes were closed as if she was sleep walking.
Azriel moved quickly, sitting up and removing her hands from under his pillow which seemed to wake her.
"Cauldron, Gwyn what's wrong?" Azriel asked now concerned.
Gwyn gasped and snatched her hands back from Azriel's grip.
"How did I get here?" Gwyn said, backing away from him.
"I think you were sleepwalking," Azriel said, his voice horse.
"I don't usually sleep walk," Gwyn said, rubbing her eyes.
"I had uhh... I had a really strange dream," she said looking towards his pillow.
"So did I," he said looking up at her.
"What happened in your dream?" She asked, taking a step towards him.
"Umm, lots of black, pain, death," he said, pausing to take a breath.
"And a sword. It was like a really dark sword, and it felt like... death."
Azriel just now realized how crazy he must have sounded.
He looked at Gwyn and she just nodded and said "I saw a sword too."
Azriel let a little bit of his shock show on his face.
"Well, not a sword. More like a dagger, or knife or something. But it looked like it had been made from moonlight, it felt like life."
She rubbed her hands over her face.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," she said, starting to leave.
"Wait Gwyn," Azriel said and she stopped.
"Why were you reaching under my pillow?"
"I was?" She asked.
"In your sleep you started to reach under my pillow."
"I don't know, in my dream I was trying to reach the dagger made of moonlight." She said, hugging herself.
"Why? Is there something under your pillow?" She asked and Azriel lifted up the pillow.
There lies his dagger, truth teller.
Was she trying to take it?
He held up the sword showing Gwyn, and his shadows circled around the dagger, then around Gwyn's hand.
"It's my dagger, truth teller," he said, running his calloused fingers along the sharp blade.
He looked to Gwyn who was studying the dagger.
"That was it," she said, "the one I saw in my dream, just minus the moonlight," she added.
"Hey are you guys ok?" Azriel heard Cassian ask from the doorway.
"Yeah," Gwyn said, "we're fine."
Azriel nodded knowing that they were both definitely not ok.