Chapter 2

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The court fell silent, calmly waiting for their High Lord's word.

"I would hear first from my High Lady."

Feyre's distress was evident, even muffled through the door. "I—I can't. It's not right. We can't keep voting on the lives of those who aren't present. Rhys, I forgave you, I forgave all of you, but Nesta ... she'll never forgive us. It should be her choice."

"Is it your choice to abstain from the vote, then?" Rhysand asked gently, but with a distant coolness to his voice that indicated the vote would continue, with or without Feyre.

"No." Feyre's voice was ragged with emotion. "I vote that it should be Nesta's choice."

Mor was quick to say, "I vote absolutely not.We can't even tell her we'd allow it. I won't let you do to her what was done to me."

The court fell silent, calmly waiting for their High Lord's word.

"I would hear first from my High Lady."

Feyre's distress was evident, even muffled through the door. "I—I can't. It's not right. We can't keep voting on the lives of those who aren't present. Rhys, I forgave you, I forgave all of you, but Nesta ... she'll never forgive us. It should be her choice.""No one is going to slice her up and nail a note to her belly." The words would have been cruel from almost anyone else, but were practically bland coming from Amren. "Eris is our ally. Besides, it's my vote next. Wait your turn, Morrigan."

"We will proceed with order, lest we all end up yelling again. Amren," Rhysand said encouragingly.

"Yes. Nesta should go. The bride price, gold or favors, will pay off her debts, and we will cement Eris's alliance. No one is forcing her to actually marry him—she'll have plenty of chances before the final ceremony to back out for any number of reasons, and in the meantime, she can provide the Night Court with insight into Beron and Eris's dealings, and whatever is going on with Eris and Keir as well. Her presence in Beron's court could draw out Briallyn, allow us to catch the human queens off-guard. It's not like Eris has exactly given us much on any of them, and if Beron contacts Koschei through Briallyn..."

"You are suggesting that we send Nesta to spy." Azriel's low voice was careful and steady.

"Frame it as a test of whether we can trust her as part of the Inner Circle," Amren replied. "But yes. You would train her until she leaves, a few weeks perhaps, and check in on her regularly. It will cause less distress for Azriel to be our liaison than Cassian, of course. Less territorial male preening, at least."

A pause while everyone mulled this over, though a growl escaped from Cassian. Nesta's heart was pounding as the realization that they were voting to sell her off in marriage sunk in. Rage flowed from a widening pit in her chest to heat every part of her body.

"This is an intriguing play," Rhysand finally said. "Morrigan, your vote?"

Nesta had never heard so much emotion in Mor's normally cool, husky voice. Mor was nearly shrill as she said, "No, no, again no. If not no, then give her a choice for Cauldron's sake, but don't let her make the wrong one where she could land in Beron or Briallyn's claws. You say no one is going to hurt her, but what is stopping Beron from getting to her if she is found out?"

"Nesta herself," Elain said quietly, with a small, rueful laugh. "She has more power than any of us, truly. And didn't Eris ensure your freedom, in his own way? He is a powerful ally, and the risk seems worth strengthening that alliance, or at least gathering information on Beron and Briallyn's dealings. I say yes."

Nesta was sure that Elain was out of order, but no one corrected her. The silver flames began to press at Nesta's internal walls with Elain's betrayal, but Nesta tried to count her breaths in the practice of Mind-Stilling to calm herself, or else she would burn the entire house away to nothing.

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