A Court of Thrones and Thieves (ACOTAR FANFIC)

Chapter 7

~~~~INEJ~~~~~

Inej was pissed at Loki for leaving her alone in front of the Night Court Leaders.

She knew that Loki was trying to give her a choice, saying that she didn't own Inej and that she was free to return to Prythian if she so pleased. 

Technically Loki did own her. 

Loki bought her from a whore house, Inej's Illyrian father sold her when she was twelve. She remembered the Illyrian camps. 

The night court was her hell. She hated the thought of going back. When she was sold away to the slave traders and put to work in a brothel she thought maybe it would be better. 

Better than the Illyrians, better than the night court, just better. 

She still had the brand they burned into her left shoulder, marking her as property of the Emerald Palace. 

Then Loki came along, and saw a young fae girl no older than fourteen crying and surrounded by shadows. 

She went to the owner of the Emerald Palace and paid to take ownership of Inej. 

Loki Brekker may do a lot of bad, but she was a good person. Not many people knew that. She was smart about hiding her kindness. 

Saying that the only reason she bought Inej is that she was a shadow singer, but the inner circle of the crows knew the truth. She freed Inej because she hates to see kids hurting. 

Inej was only seventeen and she had the skill to best even the 500-year-old Spy Master of the Night Court. Jesper is only 25. Nina is 22. Matthias is only 54. 

In the eyes of the fae, Loki Brekker and the crows were all still a kid themselves. 

Loki Brekker was 7 years only when she first came on the scene, using glamour to make people listen. In the thirteen years she has been in Ketterdam she has built a legend as well as a band of ride-or-die criminals. She fought to protect people like her in the only way she knew how. 

She remembered Loki one day telling her, 'To fight monsters, sometimes you have to be a worse monster, Inej. Then one day, when everyone knows you're a monster, you needn't waste time doing every monstrous thing.'

Loki was that monster to most, but when you understood her you could see the goodness behind her actions. 

Inej would always be loyal to Loki Brekker, the girl who saved her. The girl who always gave her a choice. The girl who protected her own and gave them the money to leave if they so desired. 

Which is why she knew before they even opened their mouths, that nothing the night court would say to her would get her to leave her home in the barrel, leave her family with the crows. 

"Hello. My name is Feyre. This is Rhysand, Mor, and Azriel. You are Inej, right?" Feyre Archeron spoke first. 

She saw the sympathy in all of their faces as if she were trapped and they were here to save her. She weighed the option of just following Loki straight out the door.

Sensing her hesitation Rhysand spoke up, "We are from the Night court, Az and I are Illyrians just like you. We just... We wanted to talk with you. Give you the option to come back with us." 

Inej fought the urge to laugh in their faces. She would die before abandoning the crows. She knew they were probably just here because of her shadow singing abilities. It was a rare gift and they most likely were worried about it being used against them. 

"I have no interest in returning to Prythian, High Lord," Inej said, maybe a bit harshly. 

"We can protect you from Brekker if that's what you are worried about." The cool rasp of Azriel's voice pierced the air. 

The cool indifference on Inej's face shifted to a burning rage, "Be careful how you speak about my master, shadow singer. I am not forgiving to those who insult Loki Brekker. I have killed men for far less." 

The members of the night court stiffened at the treat but Inej didn't care. One by one Loki had saved each member of the crows at one point or another. They would lay down their lives for Loki, just as she would for them. 

The tattoo on their arms meant more than ownership. It was different than the brand on her shoulder. The crow tattoo meant unending loyalty to a family not bound by blood. A family headed by Loki Brekker. 

No member of the Crows took kindly to anyone who spoke ill of their boss. 

Then she felt it, the cold claws scraping at her mind shield. Trying to see if Loki Brekker had forced her loyalty. 

Inej's shadows became angry around her as her glare turned on the High Lord. "Get away from my head, High Lord." Inej spat, venom laced in her words. 

One thing Loki was very strict on, was learning how to repel Daemati. Every member of the crows was taught to be very skilled in blocking out unwanted guests into their thoughts. No one knew why Loki was so strict on the topic, but as in most things they obeyed knowing she probably had a good reason. 

And Cauldron was she thanking Loki for those hours of training now. 

The claws pulled back, before the high lord could apologize Inej continued, "I will never return to that Hell you call home. I am loyal to Loki Brekker alone." She pulled back her sleeve to show the crow tattoo on her arm. 

"Now if you'll excuse me, Loki says we have shit to do. So you can see yourselves out." With those parting words, Inej disappeared into her shadows. 

Going to smack Loki for leaving her alone with those bastards. 

~~~~~~RHYSAND~~~~~~

"It's dangerous to leave her here. Do you think Brekker has something on her?" Feyre asked after the Shadow Singer Inej left. 

"I agree, it doesn't feel right leaving one of our own in this place." Mor agreed to try to understand the situation.

"I just want to know why we didn't know about her before. If she's as skilled as Brekker says she's probably older than me. She must have fought in the wars with Hybern, maybe even the first war with Hybern. So how is it we've never heard of her till now?" Azriel contributed by saying what we were all thinking. 

They knew nothing about the crows.

They knew nothing about Inej or about Loki Brekker. 

They were completely in the dark.

And that was terrifying.