The Shadows Have No Face || 𝐀𝐂𝐎𝐓𝐀𝐑

How Long Will it Take?

If Amren was good at anything, it was asking questions at the worst possible time. It was her need to make sure I kept feeling the wrath of lying to her. She will probably never let it go, not until one of us is dead. I expected that much of her.

Feyre turned to Nyx and said softly, "why don't you go back into the living room and play before dessert?"

"But mom," the boy whined. "I wanna stay with you."

"Listen to your mother," Rhysand said.

I took a deep breath and looked at Amren. Her eyes glistened like gemstones. Not with threatening promises, but with question—curiosity. I think I preferred the terror she could give.

"What would you like to know?" I asked, just as calm as she was.

"What did you do up there? What was it like?" Amren seemed to hiss the words. Elain paled and looked away.

I waited a moment, thinking over what to say. "It was... it was talking. There was never a pause for breath with it. The only time I could get silence was when we changed rounds."

"What was it talking about?" She questioned further. I felt Nesta staring at me. She was leaning further towards me, like a magnet pulled her in.

I shrugged my shoulders. "All kinds of things. It talked of death and life, told detailed stories of people I never knew. Sometimes it would just... scream for hours on end."

Azriel looked down at his plate. He had gone as colorless as the snow outside. Amren was growing more interested, taking a sip from her wineglass. She motioned for me to go on.

I didn't know what to talk about, what to start with. No one had ever asked me what it was like there. I didn't know what would be too much for them.

"It was... cold. The wind was cold. The sun burned us to the point of scarring. It was easy to see who had been there longer. The newcomers were always so pale. There was an intense contrast between the light and the dark. The tower was open to the environments, bright and hot. But the barracks were underground, with not a single light. We had to learn to see in the dark, and quickly adjust to the light."

"And when you escaped?"

I sighed. "It was morning announcements. Every day we would gather for them. They would lead us in prayer for the first hour of the day. I ran during that hour. It was the only time no one was on watch. I ran for miles and hours, being chased by them. By the time I made it to the city, my feet were bleeding and my skin was pealing away from the sun."

"And when you came to Prythian?—"

"That's enough," Nesta breathed, turning away.

Amren snapped her head to the female and studied her for a moment. She slumped back into the chair and mumbled an apology. I only noticed now that I hadn't moved an inch since she started questioning me. I hadn't even blinked, my eyes burning as I did so.

Mor finished the last of her wine and said, "well then... let's get dessert out."

Rhysand clapped his hands once to clear the table off, and then again to reveal an array of desserts that made me gasp in surprise. Nyx came running back into the dining room and hopped up onto his chair, waiting impatiently for his mother to help put sweets on his plate.

I took a piece of the chocolate cake and one of the cheesecake. A cookie made its way onto the plate along with a cinnamon bun, which Cassian tossed over to me. Feyre passed a mug of coffee, which I thanked her for. Nesta said we all needed a bit of caffeine.