𝐄𝐋𝐘𝐒𝐈𝐀𝐍 ━━━ ✧ ⋆ （ acotar ）

✧ ˚ 𝐱. 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐨 𝐢 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧

✧ ˚ ❝𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐒𝐄?❞

March had ended uneventfully, as did nearly the entire month of April. Asteria found herself in the gardens more often than not. She was trying to forgive herself for those deaths she believed to be on her hands, just like Lucien and Feyre had wanted, so she was forcing herself to keep from locking herself away in the manor.

But it was hard. Each day she stepped outside, she made herself take ten more steps away from the door. Even now that she had the courage to walk the gardens, Asteria still felt her soul screaming at her to get back to safety. Feyre had been spending more time with Tamlin, Lucien had border patrol, and Alis was busy enough as it wasㅡso Asteria had to do this alone.

Speaking of Lucien, things between them had been different since that night at the starlight pond. They were tiptoeing around each other very carefully, and every interaction between them was immensely awkward. It left Asteria with a constant ache in her chest, and she had no idea how to fix it.

She just wanted her friend back.

"They're setting up bonfiresㅡfor Calanmai," Tamlin explained. "It's in two days."

Asteria and Feyre stood with him in the treeline, a distance away from the manor as they overlooked a cluster of hill knolls. In the distance, there were masked faeries building what seemed to be unlit fires.

She laced her brows together, not moving her gaze from the scene. "What is Calanmai?"

"Fire Night?" 

Asteria shared a confused glance with her sister. He seemed surprised they hadn't heard of it.

"Humans don't celebrate holidays anymore," Feyre explained. "Not since your people left. In some places, it's forbidden. We don't even remember the names of your gods. What does CalaㅡFire Night celebrate?"

Tamlin rubbed his neck. "It's just a Spring ceremony. We light bonfires, and... the magic that we create helps regenerate the land for the year ahead."

"How do you create the magic?" Asteria tilted her head curiously as he began to lead them away.

"There's a ritual... but it's very... faerie." His jaw was clenched, which she knew now was a sign of his discomfort, or embarrassment. Asteria hadn't a clue what he'd be embarrassed about. Maybe he thought they wouldn't be open to learning about it? "You might see more faeries around than usualㅡfaeries from this court, and from other territories, who are free to wander across the borders that night."

"I thought the Blight had scared many of them away," Feyre said.

"It hasㅡbut there will be a number of them. Just... stay away from them all. You'll be safe in the house, but if you run into one before we light the fires at sundown in two days, ignore them."

Asteria shared another prolonged look with Feyre. "Are we not invited to your ceremony?"

"No. You're not." Tamlin clenched and loosened his fingers, again and again, as if trying to keep the claws contained.