Shadows Whisper | | Azriel

68

Vyn was in Velaris now. Rhys got him an upscale apartment, fully furnished and decorated. Vyn hated to admit that the High Lord had exquisite taste. It was all things he might have picked for himself—expensive and tasteful while not crossing the line into outright gaudy. It was a subtle display of wealth, and Vyn couldn't help but admire how well Rhys did at decorating the apartment. Somewhat amusedly, he thought that the male would have made a better interior decorator than High Lord.

He settled into life in Velaris easily, finding the city somewhat invigorating. This place was so different than the Hewn City. Where the Court of Nightmares had been filled with darkness and torment, Velaris was home to life and art. Vyn wasn't accustomed to lovely things, but he thought if Astryn's eventual offspring ever did come to rule, he'd enjoy leeching off their influence to exert power over this city. He could easily envision making it his own.

Rhysand, as far as Vyn was concerned, was an unfit ruler. His own sister was locked up for her entire life and he didn't have the slightest clue. And the Court of Nightmares needed to be tamed, to be reminded that they didn't rule themselves nearly as much as they liked to believe they did. Even this city, as gorgeous as it was, could do with a more strict High Lord. That wasn't even mentioning the Illyrian brutes living in the mountains. They, more than anyone, needed to be put in line.

His reasoning didn't quite align with Keir's. He didn't mind Rhys's half-breed status so much as he minded all his failures. His Court was divided and Vyn didn't think he could be considered a decent High Lord when the Hewn City hid so much from him. Not to mention how miserably he failed Astryn.

Vyn's plans for her were different than Keir's and Beron's as well. As far as Keir and Beron were concerned, Astryn could be tossed aside like garbage when she produced a few potential heirs. Vyn wanted her alive. He wanted her to live to see her child do all the things her brother failed to do. He hoped for that, but first he would have to see the condition she was in now. He hadn't known about her for a long time. It wasn't until Astryn was already nineteen that his sister told him she existed at all, told him about the plans that revolved around her. He had seen Astryn in that cage, and the first time he looked at her, he decided she was beyond saving. So, instead of trying to save her, he started out on his plot for vengeance in her name. Convincing his sister to end her own life was an intricate task, and he was still proud of how well it worked out. His other biggest move so far has been convincing Beron to choose his most reckless son to marry Astryn. He was certain Killan would murder Astryn entirely by mistake, and she would be spared from living a long life in a miserable marriage producing heirs.

Things were different now, though. There was a chance that she wasn't truly beyond saving. So, his first order of business was seeing if she was as gone as he believed her to be. If she was, he would put her out of the misery of life. His second course of action, was entirely dependent on how the first part went. If Astryn was well enough to live, Azriel would have to die. Vyn didn't particularly know or care if Azriel truly did love Astryn. He only cared that he was a danger to her. Any accidental pregnancy caused by the Illyrian would likely kill Astryn, and Vyn wasn't willing to let her take that risk. Moreover, he wanted Azriel dead so that Astryn would have a chance to actually choose someone for herself. Someone, Vyn thought to himself, more worthy than an Illyrian bastard.

Rhys would become a problem if he knew Vyn orchestrated Azriel's murder, which is where Beron's youngest son entered the picture. The boy could kill Azriel under the threat of his father killing his mother, and Rhys would never be able to trace it back to Vyn. He would retaliate against Beron, likely, but that would be a favor to the world. Vyn could slide into the now open space, earn Astryn and Rhys's trust and, when Astryn found someone worthy, he could help raise her child to be a better ruler than Rhys ever was.

He just had to wait, play his cards right. He just needed to see Astryn first. The rest of his plan depended on Astryn's state of mind, if it seemed like she was fit to continue living. He didn't like the idea of having to kill her himself—it was why he had left the task off to Beron's brute of a son. But now...he had to do it himself. He didn't want to kill his own niece, but if death was a kindness, he would grant her that himself now. He would live with that stain on his soul.

Vyn knew he would be meeting Astryn soon. Rhys said he wanted to give her a chance to settle back in before making the introductions. And Rhys had to make sure she was up to meeting anyone at all. Things with her mother had gone so poorly, and she was only just starting to really settle in. If she wasn't ready to meet him yet, Rhys had said, he would have to wait until she was.

He wasn't quite so patient though. He would have to meet Astryn soon, to decide whether or not she had anything left in her. He couldn't put it off until Rhys decided to let him in. He'd have to find his own way in if Rhys took too long. Besides, if she wasn't even stable enough to be willing to meet someone, that was a strong indicator that she might just find more peace and safety in death anyway.