A Court of Lightning and Shadows

One

December 2024; this story is currently being rewritten and edited :)

Briar was sitting on the roof of her house in one of the many Illyrian camps. The night sky was bright tonight.

Briar loved watching the stars, feeling like they were calling her. Her mother had also loved the stars.

She had never gotten the chance to know her mother, because she died while giving birth. Her mother had been High Fae, and most Fae died while giving birth to an Illyrian child.

Briar survived. Her mother didn't.

Her father, a cruel Illyrian man, still blamed it on her. He used it to make her feel guilty all her life.

While most High Fae couldn't get pregnant easily, her mother had been able to.

Briar sighed and stood, walking inside the house. It was quiet and dark, meaning her father and brother were still drinking themselves stupid.

Briar hurried to her room. She didn't want to see them coming home tonight, afraid what they might do while having alcohol in their system.

Her room was small, only a small bed, a closet and a desk filled the room.

She quickly undressed and put on one of her pyjama's; a simple shirt with shorts she had gotten years ago. Briar hated wearing night gowns. It was too naked for her liking.

She lay down and pulled the blanket to her shoulders, feeling safer that way. With her Fae senses, she was able to hear her father and brother from outside their house.

Her father has always hidden her Fae heritage. He never wanted anyone to know about his High Fae mate, who he had gotten pregnant and had eventually died.

From the outside, Briar looked like an Illyrian. Her body was Illyrian. Round ears, dark brown hair, brown eyes. She had only gotten her powers from her mother.

They started to show when she was little, playing around when it was storming, sending little flashes of lightning into the ground.

Her father had beaten the shit out of her when he saw it.

She tried using them when no one was around. Small flashes of lightning would flare out of her fingers, but she didn't dare try something bigger.

The only thing that they hadn't taken away yet, were her wings. They still clipped the females in her camp, even though the High Lord had forbidden it.

Briar had started gotten her first bleeding later than others. The outcome of drinking potions and starving herself.

When she started bleeding, Alita, an older Illyrian woman, helped her hide it. The woman was old enough to know all the tricks, and Briar herself wasn't really stupid.

It was smart and many females used it, if they even dared to. The males were just too dumb to see it.

Alita herself had her wings clipped. She wanted to help younger females with keeping their wings.

The potion she made for her helped hide the scent. Briar didn't see her father and brother enough for them to notice when she had her bleeding and even if she had one.

It was now early spring, meaning her bleeding would start soon.

Briar woke to a loud bang against her door. She immediately jumped from her bed. The sun was already up, meaning she had accidentally slept in.

Her father opened the bedroom door, his face full of rage. Not that she had ever seen the man smile.

"You lazy piece of shit. Get up and get downstairs." he said with such anger, she thought he might hit her.

Briar only nodded, focusing her eyes on the ground. She never dared to look directly into his eyes in these moments.

She quickly put on a simple brown dress and made her way downstairs, preparing herself for the screaming she would be receiving. Or the blow in her face from her brother.

When she walked into the kitchen, she immediately started on breakfast. Her heart was beating out of her chest. If they had her Fae hearing, they might have heard it.

Her father and brother were discussing something about training, arguing softly.

She walked to the small table and gave them their breakfast, avoiding their eyes while putting the plates down.

Before she could turn away, her brother grabbed her wrist, yanking it back.

Briar's eyes shot to his, anger and fear rising in her chest.

"You know I hate it when you act like this." he said, smirking at her.

Briar's eyes widened "Like what?" she was a fool for talking back. She knew what it would bring her.

"Like you are a scared servant girl—" he stood, towering over her. "we all know the hatred you have for us and what you can do. But you still dare not looking us in the eye."

They always had something to blame her for.

Her brother made her look into his eyes again. He leaned in and whispered in her ear. "You are only good for one thing, be happy I'm keeping you alive."

Briar felt like she might vomit, thinking back to every moment.

Her brother sat down again, with his back towards her. That's when she felt a huge wave of pain fall over her.

She had started her bleeding. In the middle of the house. In the same room as her father and brother. Without any potions in sight.