A Court of Shadows and Pain

Four

Valery hadn't slept all night, the now rising sun keeping her from even trying. Her shadows also didn't help. They whispered throughout the entire night.

Normally, she would be able to silence them or order them away, but this time they wouldn't listen.

Valery got out of bed and made her way to the kitchen. She was once again met with the little shadow that lingered in the corner of the room.

It reacted when she looked at it. It wasn't hers, so she could easily guess who it belonged to.

"Fucking spymaster." she muttered under her breath. She decided to ignore the shadow for now. He would have to retrieve it at some point.

She grabbed herself something to eat before sitting down next to her fire place.

Her thoughts again went to the shadowsinger. To the scarred hands. How shocked he had looked when he noticed her shadows.

Valery wondered what it would've been like if she had accepted Rhys's offer to join his inner circle.

If she had done so, she probably wouldn't have any of the scars she now had to live with for the rest of her life.

She never went to see a healer after she returned from Under the Mountain. All her wounds had healed badly, leaving many terribly shaped scars across her body.

At first Amarantha allowed someone to heal her wounds. Most of them were healed by Rhys. She really didn't have many other friends in that place. But during the last five years, Amarantha stopped caring. She wanted to see how much it would take to get Valery to break.

The ones she hated most were the ones on her hands, but the whipping scars on her back still bothered her. She could never bend in a certain way without feeling her skin tighten. It still hurt sometimes.

She liked her quiet life in the woods. It was far enough from the Hewn City, but close enough to Velaris if something ever happened.

The Court of Nightmares. Hewn City. Hell hole. Whatever you want to call it. She would never step a foot inside that place again.

Valery was pulled away from her thoughts when her shadows started whispering.

Someone is lurking nearby

Not good

Hide

Valery pulled one of the curtains to the side, looking outside. She saw someone move through the trees. There were 3 figures actually.

Valery turned around to grab all of her daggers, strapping them to her body. While she was doing so, she send out some shadows to investigate closely.

Fae males

Three

Bad

They can't see, but suspect

A sigh of relief came out of her mouth as she realized they couldn't see anything. But they still came close. Closer than they ever had before.

They talk, the shadows whispered.

"What do they talk about?"

You

"A bit more specific please." she asked the shadows. They tended to talk in weird phrases or short sentences these days.

They talk about hearing something

That they know you are near

They're angry with you

They want you dead

Valery stayed silent for a moment, waiting for what else the shadows had to say.

They are turning around, but they say they will come back.

"Fuck." Valery muttered.

The shadows slowly made their way back, meaning the males were truly leaving. But that didn't stop the fact that they had come here in the first place. They were getting too close.

Valery placed her hands over her face, sighing as she thought about her options. She had to act fast.

55 years ago she would laugh at herself for being so scared. If it had happened back then, those males would've been dead a few minutes ago.

Now she had only sent her shadows. Not even to attack, just to listen. She was even more afraid than she wanted to admit. Weak and scared.

With her hands in her hair, she again thought about her options.

One; she could flee from the Night Court and seek shelter in Day or Dawn court.

Two; she could go back to Velaris. Even though Velaris was now open to the outside world, she would still be safe.

Either way, she would have to leave the little safe space she had created for herself. The thought scared her.

She needed to start packing either way. Not that she owned many things, but some weapons would do.

After collecting her stuff, she started packing everything in a bag.

It was just some clothes, jewelry and weapons. She strapped most of the weapons to her body, along with her sword.

It had been a long time since she had to gear up like she did right now. Normally, it would make her feel powerful, but now she only felt weak.

She felt a shadow curl around her leg. When she looked, it wasn't her own. It was the one that belonged to Rhys's spymaster. To Azriel.

She tried to shake the shadow off her leg, but it wouldn't let go.

"Go back to your master." she said. It didn't listen. "Go back to your master and tell him to tell Rhysand that i'm fine."

It still stayed. Valery sighed and rolled her eyes, deciding to leave the shadow be.