A Court of Madness and Depth

Chapter 21

AN: This chapter contains SPICE after the ***

As I left the dancing circle I reached out for my brother's power, searching for him among the campfires which littered the hills. There was a tug on the other side of our bond and I followed it deeper into the forest. As I neared my brother the surrounding trees began to glow of bright white light which clashed with a faint blue. I heard their voices before I saw them.

"You brought me out here, away from my own court, on Calanmai... for what?" Nostros, the High Lord of Summer, quipped.

"To convince you to align yourself with us," Tamlin's father exhaled, his tone laced with disdain and condescension. I fought back a scoff. How could Nostros even consider allying with someone who spoke to him with such little honor. However, it appeared he was wiser than I thought because there was no response from the High Lord of Summer. But Tamlin's father was growing in impatience, "You are a fool if you would rather align your pathetic court with the Mad Lord and his cronies."

"You speak so ill of me," Nostros exhaled, choosing his words carefully, "And yet you beg for my allegiance. You offer me anything I want; jewels, partners, crowns, land. Yet, the one thing I truly want from you is respect."

"Respect is earned, boy," Tamlin's father growled. Metal struck flesh and I knew there were claws protruding from the High Lords fingers. The while light surrounding the woods began to grow.

"I will not be threatened by you or anyone else. May the historical cycle of abuse between our courts end here and now. I have my own Calanmai celebration to return to," Nostros scoffed, and with that the blue light faded from ahead.

"Shit, he went back to Summer," My brother spoke into my mind. A curl of shadow became visible through the trees and I knew that he had winnowed to the Summer Court, following Nostros, but abandoning me in Spring.

Tamlin's father let out a roar, so loud it shook the entire hillside. Rocks fumbled loose and crashed down the slope around me. I secured myself to the root of a tree and tried to maintain my breath from becoming gasps. I was alone in enemy territory.

Loud steps pounded as they passed me through the clearing. I shrunk against the trunk of the tree I was crouched beneath, tucking in my wings as tight as they could go, partially submerged in ferns, out of sight. After passing a few feet of distance away from me, The High Lord of Spring stopped. I held my breath in my lungs, not daring to exhale or inhale a fraction of air in the quiet. The High Lord began to sniff the air, his keen senses heightened by the ancient magic that pulsed through his veins.

Rhysand's warning from earlier pounded in my ears. 'I don't want you anywhere near this cave when he gets here'. I wasn't near the cave, but I was near the High Lord and the ritual was sure to start at any moment. A heavy footfall crunched through branches and leaves a few feet away from me, then another, and another. I did everything in my power to dim the golden light which followed me no matter where I went. My pulse was thundering so loud I was sure that the High Lord would hear that alone, regardless of my scent.

"Father," Tamlin's voice sounded from somewhere a few feet off. Had he followed me here? I breathed in a sigh of relief as the High Lord's footfalls traipsed away from me. But the relief stuck in my throat as the sound of skin on skin filled the night air. I began to retreat, crawling backwards away from the two males.

"You were supposed to stay with the girl. She was a fool to come here, but we are fools to let her wander. We don't know where she is and I smell the bitch everywhere," His father growled at Tamlin. So there had been a reason Tamlin had asked to dance with me. It stung a little, but not nearly as much considering what his father said next, "You were supposed to seduce her and ruin her chances at an alliance with any other courts. Her father might try to sell her off to Nostros. Do you realize we are at war?"