starfall. [ Rhysand ]

XXII

sightseeing.

Rhysand decided it was best to train Alexis at night, under the stars. He hoped that when they were prominent, she could harness their energy better, and it seemed to be working. But Alexis was struggling, nearly falling asleep on her feet. It was past her bedtime, probably two hours last midnight, and she was exhausted.

"One last time, Lexi," Rhysand said, giving her a nickname for the first time. She turned towards him surprised, she had never been given a nickname.

"Alright, Rhysie," she teased, recalling Mor and Cassian's playful use of that name which always annoyed Rhysand. He rolled his eyes but smiled.

"Come on," he urged, and she began concentrating. She imagined a connection to the stars, bounding her to them by strings, and drawing their energy through them. She pushed herself to the limit, she did not know how much power she could absorb but she only knew that the more she channeled, the more she felt fatigued. Sweat fell on her brow but she did not wipe it as she tried to deeply concentrate. She grunted loudly as she released the energy into a mannequin, shattering it into million pieces.

Rhysand was pleased. "The best teacher," he complimented himself with a satisfied sigh while it was Alexis' turn to roll her eyes.

"Can I go to sleep now?" She whined, her shoulder slumped as she yawned loudly.

"Of course"

As she left, she stopped by the entrance. She seemed she wanter to say something to Rhysand but she looked unsure. They locked eyes and she opened her mouth clearly wanting to say something but didn't, going away and leaving him perplexed.
For a week, she had been acting oddly since he had mentioned Feyre. She usually avoided his gaze and left the room when he was there. Even she couldn't explain her feelings. She thought about Feyre constantly, feeling guilty for being angry at her as she knew her old friend was currently struggling. And it made her furious that she was suffering the same fate as her as Tamlin and Lucien were probably to be blamed. She loathed when her thoughts wandered to them because the last nights, her sleep had been ridden by nightmares. It was always the same awful dream where she died, by Tamlin's hands while Lucien urged him to kill her quickly. But it didn't end there, she always ended up in a sort of limbo where she was tormented by Amarantha and the King of Hybern while Rhysand and his friends mocked her.

The day after her grueling training session with Cassian, during which she'd been lost in her thoughts and received a punch to the stomach, and almost threw up, Alexis decided to delve into her own race's history.
Rhysand had mentioned a vast library. He explained to her that it was into a cavern carved out of a mountain under the House of Wind, another housing he possessed. Rhsyand told her he had found quite a few tomes about the Stars. Alexis wished to see the library's beauty herself since Rhysand had raved so much about it. She swore his violet eyes had sparkled when he mentioned it. He promised her he was going to take her there. Lately, though, he'd been too occupied with with the city council. It seemed they had a lot to discuss since he had disappeared for 50 years and also he was very busy with looking constantly for a solution after she'd informed them about the King of Hybern possessing the Cauldron.
So she decided to read on her own about the history of Stars and Zetaz the first Fallen to ever grace the earth.

Mor, who lately had been comforting presence for Alexis, joined her as she delved into her research. Alexis was beginning to trust her, Cassian, Azriel and Amren more, the fear of betrayal slowly fading from her mind.