A Court of Lightning and Shadows

Twenty-seven

——
Azriel POV

They had arrived to the Court of Nightmares minutes ago, they were waiting for Keir.

"To what do I owe this pleasure?" he asked. The man looked like he had just been pulled out of his bed.

"We need to talk." Rhys said.

"Okay, well. This doesn't seem like the appropriate time." he said. Rhys gave him a glare.

Keir motioned for them to follow.

Cassian, Amren, Mor and Nesta stayed behind, searching the now silent Court for any signs of Briar.

Azriel followed Feyre and Rhys closely as he watched his surroundings.

His shadows had been restless all night since Briar got taken away.

They sat down in a study. Keir took place behind his desk. "Why are you here?" he asked both Rhys and Feyre.

"What do you know about Edrei." Feyre said.

Keir's eyes widened at the name. Feyre gave Rhys a knowing look.

"She... died. Many years ago." he said. He sounded hesitant.

"What was she to you?" Rhys asked.

"She was my half sister. My father had an affair with another female who died after giving birth." he started, "My father took her in. I saw her around, but we didn't talk much."

"Tell me more."

"Why do you want to know this?" he looked at the three of them.

"Just tell me more." Rhys said again.

"We saw each other during meetings and only spoke to one another when necessary." Keir said, "She had these weird gifts."

Now they know where Briar's power possibly came from.

"Do you know she has a daughter?"

Azriel shot Rhys a glare. He hadn't expected him to tell Keir.

"Yes, before she died. I was told her daughter died during birth." he said. He found their gazes, "Right?"

Rhys gave him a look. Keir shook his head, "Who is she?"

"Edrei had a child with an Illyrian." Keir understood where this conversation was going.

"That's how she died." Keir said, "While giving birth."

Rhys gave him a sharp nod. "You don't look like you really care."

"I didn't know her that well." he responded.

"Have you ever seen Illyrian males around the Court?" Feyre asked.

"Besides you three, yes." he started. "Some Illyrians came here after the war."

"Have you seen one these days?"

He shook his head, he hesitated "Not that I know of."

Rhys nodded. "I want to search the cells."

"As you wish." he said.

They followed Keir to far under the Court of Nightmares. Far under where the people lived, were many cells. Cells Azriel had seen many times.

She couldn't be in here. Not in the place he had tortured people himself.

Stay here, Rhys said into his mind. Feyre and I are going to take a look. Keep an eye open.

Azriel only nodded. It wasn't the right time to yell at Rhys because he wasn't allowed to go with them.

Minutes passed. He tried tugging the bond multiple times, but he couldn't feel the end. He couldn't feel her.

Rhys and Feyre came walking back, Keir on their heels.

Feyre shook her head softly at him, a disappointed look in her eyes.

Azriel kept his face blank, but he could feel his heart ache.

Keir walked them back to the entrance. "Thank you for your lovely visit." he said annoyed.

"Remember where you stand, Keir." Cassian snapped. Rhys gave him a warning glare.

They walked out of the mountain, waiting to get further away until talking to each other.

"She wasn't in the cells." Rhys said. He looked at Cassian.

He shook his head, "We couldn't find anything either." Azriel could see sadness in his brothers eyes.

Azriel took off and flew away, searching for any other answers.

——
Briar POV

She had been slipping in and out of conscious for some time now. Briar didn't even know how much time had passed.

There wasn't a sound to be heard outside of the cell. It almost looked like she was in a room, not in a cell with others around her.

She was seated with her side against the wall, careful to not let her back touch the stone wall behind her.

They had given her her shirt back, since they didn't want her to freeze to death. As if that would've been so bad.

She didn't notice the cold through the pain. Her father had used the whip until he was satisfied. She didn't dare ask, but she knew her back looked bad.

They had forced her to drink something. She assumed it had Faebane in it, since she still couldn't feel her power.

She also couldn't feel the bond. Which would mean, that Azriel didn't feel it either.

The door opened. The light that came out of the other room was too bright. She had to keep her hands before her eyes.

"Are you crazy?" a man yelled. She didn't recognize the voice.

Her father spoke, "We couldn't keep her in the dungeon cells. The High Lord and his puppets would've found her."

"I don't want anything to do with this. Do with her what you want, I don't want to get involved." the man snapped.

She could see another man standing next to her father. The man's hair was blonde and he looked like Mor. Was this Keir?

"Aren't you saying hello to your uncle? Or whatever the hell he is." her father said with a grin.

Normally, she would've kept her face blank, but she couldn't keep the pain off of it.

"I brought you another family member, you ungrateful bitch." he said.

She was happy that the man accompanied him. If he hadn't, her father would've beaten her again.

The man, Keir, only looked at her. His eyes showed some sort of pity for her. He looked scared of her father.

The man nodded and walked out, her father on his heels.

The door closed and darkness crept over the room again.

If this really was Keir, and he said he didn't want to get involved... Was she truly in the Court of Nightmares?

How hadn't they found her already? Maybe they wouldn't care.

Briar let out a sob. She was surprised that there were still tears left in her.

She was never getting out of this. She hadn't for 249 years.