A Court of Lichen and Twilight / An ACOTAR Fanfiction

Chapter Ten: Sings of Freedom

I couldn't tell if I was eventually dreaming or dissociating in a half conscious state at this point. My mind had its own sense of wanderlust ever since I had been locked in the too posh and half destroyed room. I wasn't coherent to the present world; no. This void and cascade of color colluding my brain wasn't our current time. It was beyond it in the past. A vicious memory played out by the recesses of my mind in an attempt at escape this trapped feeling.

The sweet sound of salty mist lapping on the slick black rocks of the bluffs was my indication that we were finally home at last. Miles away from Tamlin - but my true home laid here. It was storming, to no surprise, as the weather always did that here. Luckily, we had chosen to leave at first light which conveniently meant I wouldn't have to see Silas since he was getting off his shift and headed for rest for the next border patrol day ahead.

We had just arrived back to the castle in new finery made of different variations of our signature Dusk Court lavender hue we had packed for our return trip. My evening gown from the previous night was stored away in the pocket between realms where I had placed it, but I had left the gifted, gilded, amethyst masquerade mask behind on my mattress. We had plenty of the stones given to us by other courts throughout the years and after I had slighted Tamlin with the revelation of my ongoing relationship to Cassian, I felt guilty taking it with me. I still wasn't sure how he still might feel about me.

Cyra barely spoke. The blonde haired, beautiful woman was stone faced and cold after our trip had failed to gain her a courtship. Her mental barriers were up and we were strictly prohibited from invading each other's spaces when one was upset. Space was sacred here. I felt for her, but deep down, my stomach twisted on itself knowing I was the root cause. There was just the slightest bit of guilt under my own lingering satisfaction over the man that held me under the willows. They didn't know that, thank the cauldron. But I did. I had to live with that torture - and also the ongoing assault on myself when further navigating how to even get back to him. Going to and from our Night Court allies in Velaris was one thing. But traversing the realm back to spring for leisure instead of diplomacy was almost absurd and too far to include an entourage of guards with me as I traveled. Too many resources. I'd have to sort out those poignant details in the meantime, though.

A servant flanked by Vi greeted my mother and escorted her, Cyra, and my brother into the dining room where our brunch awaited. My sister's best friend laced their fingers together and waltzed with her, buzzing about how her trip went with the High Lord. I cringed internally when she sliced open the fresh wound once more.

Squash soup, fresh sourdough, and the smell of baked cinnamon apples ravaged my nose and made my insides beg for it's nourishment. I craved bread and butter, soup dripping off of it, and the sweet finish of a smooshed fruit. The winnowing journey home was no less daunting as the first trek and even more exhausting after a night's worth of drinking preceded it. A headache began to pound around my temples and throbbed only slightly whenever I took a step. I reminded myself to find Nila as soon as possible and ask for a tonic to clear it. I'm sure she'd be down for lunch in no time.

I went to walk into step behind them, when the servant halted me and my father before I could pursue my luncheon. He whispered something to the High Lord of Dusk and the man's grey eyes jaunted to my direction, then to the front door step of the main foyer. As soon as he had finished his barely audible murmurings, my father took me by the crook of my arm in a pointed fashion and switched us around to the same demarcated portal.

"Walk with me, Clea," he said, calm but unwavering. My heart thudded in anxiety. His mental shields were up and functioning totally as strong as the bedrock of the island bluffs. This 'walk' only usually accompanied a lecture of sorts. Typical topics were that I needed to to keep my power under control and that I could have killed somebody...and so on. Not that I didn't need reprimanded sometimes - because sometimes, the power just shot out of me without a warning. But this was different: I had a secret affair with the male we were parading my sister to.