Shadows Whisper | | Azriel

69

Astryn was getting a bit antsy in the House of Wind. She did her usual morning training with Cassian, but he headed off to the Illyrian camps shortly after they finished training. Azriel left to do some work, work he was entirely vague about. Rhys followed not long after Azriel to join him. Mor and Amren had wandered off as well, and now Astryn was finding herself a bit lonely.

She decided she wanted to go to Velaris, see the city a bit more. She searched through the fine clothes Rhys had gotten before settling on a black silk gown. It was lined with pretty, delicate lace. Absentmindedly, she wondered what Azriel might think of the dress on her.

She winnowed from the House to the city, trying not to think too much about how she had been told that wasn't possible with all the wards protecting the House.

Velaris was always stunning. It took her a moment to catch her breath from the sight of the city teeming with life and light. She wondered if she might one day truly love this city. She wandered around, ignoring the curious looks she got from others out roaming. She supposed she looked even more the part of Rhys's sister now than she had the last time she was here. The black gown was almost reminiscent of the dark finery Rhys dressed himself in. She blushed slightly at all the stares she got. She assumed it was only because everyone knew she was the High Lord's sister. She didn't even consider the idea that they were looking at her because of her, because she was devastating in that gown.

She felt a different kind of stare on her, something assessing and utterly bone chilling. The shadows swirled around her, scaring away most people at the sudden reminder of who, exactly, her mate was. The person with that icy stare wasn't scared by the shadows or the reminder their presence gave.

She locked eyes with the male. His eyes were a cold, deathly blue and his silver hair gleamed under the sunlight. He was familiar in a way she couldn't place, a terribly haunting way—like a ghost she only ever saw out of the corner of her eye.

The shadows didn't seem too pleased with his presence either, not even when his gaze softened and he looked at her like he thought he knew her too. She felt frozen in place as he began walking towards her. Her instincts screamed at her to run, or better yet to winnow back to the House of Wind and bathe until she scrubbed the feeling of his stare off of herself. She couldn't move though, couldn't summon that power that usually acted at only half a thought. She felt like the scared girl in chains again.

The shadows pressed against her skin, as if trying to urge her to move. She couldn't. She couldn't. A few shadows broke away and vanished into nothing and she knew they would be going to Azriel, wherever he was.

The male stopped when he got to her, a look of shock etched onto his face. It didn't reach his eyes.

"Niece," the male said softly, and the shadows hissed in hear ears.

Move, they urged desperately, move, run, so something.

She couldn't. She tried but her body felt like it had stalled.

"I think you've mistaken me for someone else," she managed to force the words out, "I'm sorry."

"I didn't...I'm sorry, I was supposed to wait. The High Lord—your half brother, was going to introduce us properly," he stumbled over his words, "I—your mother was my sister. I had no idea what she did to you, what she allowed to be done to you. I beg for your forgiveness for my ignorance."

She blinked a few times, trying to rid her mind of the image of figures blurred by a glamour so she would never stand a chance of identifying them. This male couldn't have been involved in what happened. Velaris was safe. Velaris was where the food was.