The Shadows Have No Face || 𝐀𝐂𝐎𝐓𝐀𝐑

The Stars are Falling, But All I See is You

I stood still and looked at myself in the mirror. The blue looked near-black in the low light, and each time a candle-flame flickered, it looked like stars crowded the fabric that stuck close to my body and showed the curve of my figure.

At the curve of my hips, the skirt flared softly. The sleeves fell off the shoulder and left my arms and collar exposed. The neckline was barely high enough to not turn me away from wearing the heavy garment.

I sighed deeply and tucked a strand of hair behind an ear, revealing one of the teardrop diamond earrings. The sapphire necklace sat delicately around my neck and accentuated my collarbones whenever I breathed in.

Why did I let myself wear this? It was a gift meant to be worn on this night, but still. This was... a lot. Though the blue was just the right shade to accent my skin and hair. Cassian definitely had an eye for color-matching.

But the weight alone told me to cost a fortune. I'd never worn anything like it—anything even close. And to think that someone would just... gift it to me. Someone who didn't know me half as well as she should.

I took a deep breath and left the room, listening as my heels echoed in the quiet hallway. Surprising, because I was twenty minutes late to the party downstairs. When I finally reached the top of the stairs, I could hear the laughter and conversation below.

It took a lot out of me to walk down those steps. I was suddenly very nervous. There were going to be so many people down there, and I didn't really know how to traverse that uncharted territory. The noise brought back memories of working in the tavern, but I wasn't behind the shield of a bar anymore. I was going to have to move through the sharks and figure out how to understand their foreign language.

Someone grabbed my hand and pulled me to look at them. It was Mor. She smiled wide. "I thought I could catch you here—you look amazing." Right in the entryway, below the chandelier.

"Are you alright?" She asked, moving her head to get a better look at my face.

I breathed a laugh. "yeah. Just a little nervous."

She held my hand and squeezed. "It'll go away with a few drinks. If it gets too much, come find me, and I'll get you out of here. But for now, I need to find whoever's making the drinks tonight."

She led me into the room and let go of my hand once in the crowd. I watched Mor swerve between people to the bar, cutting between where Cassian was talking to an Illyrian.

I felt my stomach drop. Another Illyrian. I quickly scanned the room to find how many were here—only three wings stood above the crowd. I tallied two off as the General and Spymaster, which left the one pair I didn't know of.

I checked if all my glamor was in place, breathing a sigh of relief. I was okay. It was okay. If I could find Rhys, I could get an explanation for the newcomer.

Following the radiation of energy, I found Feyre and Rhys talking to Elain, who was dressed in a flowing pink gown. She smiled at me and excused herself, saying she needed some fresh air.

"You look radiant," Rhys said. "I definitely prefer this over your usual attire."

I rolled my eyes. "Why is there another Illyrian here?" I got straight to the point.

Rhys nodded toward the newcomer. "That is Christov, a soldier that's been quickly climbing the ranks. Shows lots of potential."

I looked in their direction again and finally got a good look at the Illyrian. He looked young, but also... cute. Barely an adult crowded around seasoned veterans.