Starlight

14

Amren waits in the foyer of the townhouse when we arrive, Rhys likely has already sent her word of what happened in the mortal world. She gently takes my hand, softer than I've ever seen her, and leads me to the lounge area. I lower myself into the couch beside her, my eyes still clouded by the vision that consumed my mind. Vossan sits into the seat across from us, his eyes pinned to me.

"This book-" Cassian starts, Amren silences him with only a movement of her hand.

"The book can wait." She says before looking back to me. "Tell me what you saw, how it felt."

"I was standing in an ancient castle, two halves of immense power sitting within my grasp. I could feel the tendrils of magic swirling between them as they intertwined with each other and pulled to become one. The book melted away into a pool of liquid colored gold, held by only a sea of powerful black magic, and two young hands disappeared below the surface." My voice sounds far off, as if spoken from another realm. "I was then standing in the woods of the Spring Court, but all around me the flowers were beginning to wilt and decay, the entire forest turning to nothing but dust and ash. The ground morphed and changed until I stood on a long, sprawling beach, the waves colored red as they housed splintered boats, all that remained was one single, gleaming star in the sky."

The court looks between each other as whatever magic had its hold on me releases it's trance. I blink a few times, my vision finally becoming clear, and meet Amren's eyes. Rhys and Feyre stare at me in disbelief, Cassian shifts on his feet as Azriel and Vossan meet eyes. Mor steps forward, placing the back of her hand to my own head.

"You don't feel different," She says, looking deep into my eyes. "But your eyes, I saw them. They were clouded until this very moment." Vossan quickly stands, wrapping his arms around me as he gently lifts me to my feet.

"It's time you had some rest." He says with one last sidelong glance as Rhys before leading me upstairs. Exhaustion ripples through me the moment the last of the magic releases it's hold, it feels as thought I could sleep for a millennia. Vossan pulls the dress from my skin and removes the jewelry that hangs from my body as he eases me into the bathtub, refusing to leave the room as I soak.

"That magic... it took everything out of me." I say, falling deeper into the water. He sits on the edge of the tub and studies my face closely, as if to search for any cracks in my skin. He finally pulls me from the water and dresses me in my night clothes, the soft fabric rubbing gently across my skin. He lays me into bed and climbs in behind me, wrapping his arms tight around me.

"We'll figure it all out tomorrow, starlight. For now, you need to rest." He whispers in my ear, I nod in agreement as I succumb to exhaustion.

...

I sit in the lounge area of the town house, my clothes covered in dirt following the attack on Velaris. Vossan sits beside me, his skin covered in blood, and holds my hand.

"We need to strike back now." I say, finally meeting Rhysand's eyes. "Those queens betrayed us, they revealed this place. We cannot let them think we are weak." Vossan glances at me, then back to the high lord.

"I agree." Mor says, taking a step closer. "We sneak in, nullify the Cauldron, and get out before they even realize we're there." The room falls silent as we all divert our eyes to one another, checking for any signs of disapproval on our faces.

"It's a solid plan." Cassian finally says, leaning off the wall.

"I'm going." I say before any of them can object, Rhysand steps forward to interject, I raise a hand to silence him. "I will not sit on the sidelines, I told you this before." His mouth falls open once more, but he quickly decides the better option would be for it to remain closed.

"We leave tomorrow." Is all Rhys says before he disappears from the room.

...

I stand beside Feyre on the roof of the townhouse, she holds a glass in her hand.

"You're not afraid to go tomorrow? Even with the baby that grows within you?" She asks, I look up at the stars that hang in the sky above us.

"Everything I do is for this child. If fear causes me to sit on the sidelines and only hope that something will be done to stop Hybern, I fail in protecting the baby growing in my stomach." I say, lowering myself into the chair that sits behind me. "I fought in the great War all seven years that it raged. I will do it again for Prythian, I would do it a hundred times if I had to, if it protected this land and it's people." Feyre settles into the chair beside me and takes her hand in my own.

"I'm glad I had found all of you, found this family." She smiles at me and I squeeze her hand in my own.

"I could not have chosen a better mate for my brother, Feyre. I mean that with everything in me."