A Court of Wings and Fate

19. The Shadow's Angel

The artwork above is not mine.

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Mikael glanced out the window. The moon was high overhead, but Estelle still wasn't back. He kept telling himself to stop being so paranoid, but there was a dark feeling in the pit of his stomach that he couldn't ignore.

Maybe she went for a flight, Mikael thought. Or she went to visit her parents. We are leaving soon after all. This is one of the last days she can see them. He stared out the window again. But she wouldn't stay out this late, would she?

Mikael sheathed Lovis at his back and left the bedroom. The hut was silent. Celeste and Sienna were snoring away in their room. Mikael spotted Calden in his. Nyx's bed was empty.

Maybe she and Nyx are off together? Mikael hesitated at the front door. I'm being paranoid. She can take care of herself. She wouldn't want me poking around in her business anyway.

Umbra brushed against his cheek. "Do you know where she is?" He whispered. The shadow angled itself towards the door. "Is she all right?" Umbra didn't move.

Mikael pursed his lips. She knows this camp better than I do. Another thought followed the first. Which means she isn't as aware of threats as I might be.

He shook his head, but couldn't shove aside the instincts that were urging him to go. Something was wrong. He could feel it. Mikael hesitated no longer. He strode out the door and leaped into the air, determined to find his Shadowsinger.

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Estelle stumbled down an alleyway, half asleep on her feet. She'd dropped a bottle of ale a few blocks back. After Nyx left, she'd chosen to find something to drink rather than going back to the hut right away. She was regretting that decision now.

She had completely lost her bearings. She was exhausted and half drunk. Her mind was fuzzy and the shadows' whispers were unintelligible. Estelle slumped onto a barrel and leaned her head against a wall.

She could feel a headache coming on, fueled by alcohol and lack of sleep. The shadows were tugging on her arms, but she ignored them. Maybe she'd just pass the night here and find her way back to the hut in the morning.

If Nyx wasn't gone, she'd reach out to him and ask him to take her home. Unfortunately, he was likely in the Spring Court by now. Not that he wouldn't leave if she needed him, but she wasn't going to interrupt whatever plans he had with Venelia. She'd be fine sleeping in an alleyway. She'd done it several times before.

Estelle stiffened, hearing something clatter to the ground close by. Footsteps dragged against stone. She sat up, peering through the darkness. The shadows were whispering urgently, but she couldn't tell what they were saying. They probably didn't even know what they were saying.

Five males staggered into view. Estelle recognized Ze'ev and Ronan. The other three were also Illyrians, some of Ze'ev's friends. She slid off the barrel a moment too late. Ze'ev saw her.

"Look who we have here," he drawled, slinging an arm over Ronan's shoulders. Liquid sloshed from a bottle in his hand. "Just the female I was thinking of." Estelle backed away, but tripped over something unseen. Ze'ev threw his head back with a laugh. "She's already got her legs in the air for me!"

Estelle pushed herself up to her knees. Her stomach churned and she vomited. She definitely wished she'd gone home now. Ze'ev and Ronan approached her, the other Illyrians in tow.