A Court of Souls and Shadows

7. Raven

After 3 days of travelling, we finally made it to the infamous Night Court, and it was not at all what I expected. The Night Court had often been referred to as the Court of Nightmares, and described as a horrible underground city filled with equally horrible people. But what I was looking at was decidedly very not that. Azriel stood beside me at the top of a rocky ridge, overlooking a small city, glowing with life.

"Welcome to Velaris," he said softly. "The city of starlight." It was the perfect description. I stared down at all the colourful houses built on top of one another, lights glowing from the small windows. The water sparkled in the moonlight in the bay beyond the city, and it was so beautiful that all I could do was stare at it in shocked silence. The sounds of laughter and music drifted up towards us on the wind, and it sounded so warm and inviting that it almost brought tears to my eyes.

This is what a home what meant to look like. There was life in Velaris. I had never seen anything quite like it. My entire life had been filled with isolation and loneliness. I'd never imagined such a place existed; I was so used to my lonely existence. The contrast was startling, to say the least.

"Are you okay?" Azriel whispered from beside me. I looked up at him and blinked rapidly to keep the tears at bay.

"This place..." I said, trying to find the words to adequately describe what I was thinking. What I was feeling. "It's... amazing. It feels warm here. Safe. I've never seen anything like it."

"No one has," Azriel explained. "Rhysand has kept Velaris a secret for decades. No one outside of the city even knows of its existence."

"So why you would trust me with this?" I asked, shocked at his admission.

"Let's just say I have a good feeling about you," Azriel said with a shrug. He looked back over at Velaris and I felt myself smiling. I had a good feeling about this place too. I closed my eyes and let my powers go, feeling them pulse through the small cobbled streets and alleyways in the city below. When I opened my eyes again, the city was full of bright, pulsing souls. I gasped loudly at the sight of them. I had never seen so many bright souls clustered together like that. The City of Starlight indeed.

"What is it?" Azriel asked.

"The souls here," I explained. "There's so many bright ones. I wish you could see it the way I can. Velaris really is the city of starlight."

Azriel smiled at me. "I'm still getting used to your powers, I must admit," he said. "I can't even begin to imagine what it must be like to see the things that you can."

I caught myself looking at the bright soul in his own chest, protected once again by thick bands of shadows. It was bright as ever and pulsing. "Where to now?" I asked him.

"To the House of Wind. Rhysand has already contacted me, in his way. Everyone is waiting to meet you."

I swallowed nervously and nodded my head. Azriel had told me all about the people I would meet as we had travelled together. From his descriptions, the only ones who would rival my power were High Lord Rhysand and a terrifying female named Amren. Rhysand's Inner Circle was made up of many powerful Fae, and I was nervous to meet them. I knew that I could overpower any of them if I got myself into trouble, but that wasn't what I was worried about. I found myself wanting them to like me, which was so strange because I had never cared what people thought of me before.

The years of being alone had caught up with me. I still missed my mother terribly. I didn't have any family left, except Kallias, and I had never made any friends. It was my own fault. I had chosen to live a life in isolation, after all. I was starting to wonder if I even remembered how to make friends. People usually didn't want to be friends with me anyway. No one ever cared about the person underneath the powers. I was just a weapon, nothing more.