A Court of Souls and Shadows

2. Azriel

473 YEARS LATER.

"The Soul Stealer? You can't be serious," I said. Rhys just stared at me, a silent confirmation that he was, in fact, serious. You could've heard a pin drop in the dining room of the House of Wind. It was like everyone was holding their breath, waiting to hear my reaction.

"You're insane. She hasn't been heard of in over 400 years. She's probably dead!" I said, running a hand through my hair in frustration. Rhys had sent me on a lot of difficult missions as his Shadow Singer, but this had to be the craziest by far. I would be practically chasing a ghost.

Feyre furrowed her brows and looked at me with a pleading look in her eyes. "Please, Azriel," she said. "I know it sounds crazy, but crazy is all we've got left. We're desperate. If anyone can find her, you can."

I let out a frustrated sigh and nodded at my High Lady. She was right. We were desperate. Even with Bryaxis on side, we were still vastly outnumbered in the war with Hybern. We needed all the help we could get. The Soul Stealer would certainly turn the tide. The stories of her power were horrifying, even for me. Her power rivalled that of even Rhysand's. He could turn people to mist, but it took a lot out of him to do so. If the stories were true, the Soul Stealer could rip the souls out of hundreds of bodies at a time, without so much as a fleeting thought. The thought of the dark power made me shudder. I turned my attention back to Rhys.

"Have you been in contact with Kallias?" I asked him. He nodded, his lips forming a tight line.

"Unfortunately, he doesn't have a lot to go on. The Soul Stealer was his father's bastard, and he hunted her until the day he died, but was never successful. Kallias believes she's dead, and has no interest in helping us. He says it's a fool's errand," Rhys said.

"He's probably right," I said with a frown. "Did Boreas keep any records at all?"

"No," Feyre said. "Kallias was too young to remember himself. The last time the Soul Stealer was seen, she was escaping through the forest at the edge of the winter court, into the mountains."

Cassian entered the room and chuckled. "Well that narrows it down," he said.

"Thanks," I said with a wry smile. "Real helpful, Cass." He just looked at me and grinned.

"You've got this, Az. Fire up them shadows and get a move on. I hear the Soul Stealer was hot back in the day," Cassian said with a wink. I rolled my eyes at him and turned back to Rhys and Feyre.

"I'll find her," I said with a resigned sigh. It might be my craziest mission yet, but as Feyre had said; crazy was all we had left.

"That's the spirit!" Cassian chirped, the picture of optimism. I just shook my head at him as I made my way to the armoury in the House of Wind to prepare for my journey.

As I started gathering swords and daggers, I heard footsteps in the doorway behind me. I turned to see Rhys leaning against the doorway, a crease forming between his eyebrows. "You've never failed me, Az" he said. "But I'm not expecting any miracles." I let out a resigned sigh.

"Do you truly believe the Soul Stealer still lives? Or are you just going along with this to keep Feyre's hopes up?" I asked him. I regretted it the second the words left my mouth. Rhys frowned and crossed his arms, looking down at his feet in thought. He was quiet for a few moments, before he looked up at me again.

"Yes, I believe she still lives. Her father Boreas wasn't the only one hunting her back then. I'm sure you remember. The entire realm went crazy. Everyone wanted the Soul Stealer in their personal army. We would have heard if she had been killed or captured. No High Lord would be able to keep something like that a secret."

"After all these years, I suppose she has gotten good at hiding," I said with a nod. Rhys smiled.

"But no one gets away from your shadows, do they, Az?"

"No," I smiled back. "They don't."