A Court of Lightning and Shadows

Twenty-eight

The days and hours flew by. They brought her stale bread at the most odd times, making no sense of time. 

She slept away most of the days, trying to escape her beatings and pain.

Briar passed out most of the time, but that didn't matter. She didn't feel real anyway.

Her father and brother kept asking her questions about the Inner Circle. She didn't answer any of them.

What she didn't get, was how they couldn't get the information themselves. If they were smart enough to break the wards around the High Lord en Lady's home, they could certainly get information.

Maybe they were scared. Briar almost laughed at the idea. She would love to see them get caught.

She would love to see Azriel kill them, or even do it herself.

The cell door opened and the familiar figure of her father body stepped into the room. "Get up and walk. Don't ask questions."

She did as he asked. He put a blindfold before her eyes. 

Her heart started beating faster as he shoved her forward. The bastard knew about the wound he had created on her back. He had opened the scars of her wings as well, she could feel the familiar ache coming back.

Every step she took hurt. But she had to keep going.

Two weeks had gone by. Two weeks.

Azriel couldn't remember the last time he had truly rested. He was away from home most of the time, searching for answers. He hadn't found anything.

He had searched the dungeons of the Court of Nightmares himself the first week. Everyday.

She truly wasn't there, so he had stopped after a week. He had also searched her house in her old camp, which was empty.

The Illyrians in the camp didn't know about anything either.

Every time he entered the river house, or the House of Wind, he got worried looks from his family. He ignored every single one of them.

Staying at the House had been easier than staying at the river house. He couldn't be heard when he left and he could avoid everyone.

He spent the nights on the roof, watching the stars as he hoped Briar could do the same. He prayed she wasn't locked away. Azriel had a bad feeling that it wasn't the case, that she was being tortured at this very moment.

He heard wings ruffle from behind him. Someone sat down.

"Are you okay?" he kept his eyes on the stars. He hadn't talked to Rhys in days. He hadn't even seen him. "I know it's painful-"

"What if she's already dead?" he said as he swallowed back the feeling of crying.

"She isn't. You would've felt it."

He wasn't so certain about that. He could feel the thread between them, but only his side. It felt like the other side was missing.

"They could keep her anywhere." Azriel said. He still avoided Rhys's gaze.

Rhys didn't say anything. He knew that it wasn't helpful. She could already be far away from the Night Court.

Briar was shoved into a room, the blindfold still blocking her sight.