A Court of Shadows and Pain

Seventeen

The shadows told her about Azriel's approach before she could see him herself. She turned around to find the male walking into the room, shadows quietly resting on his broad shoulders and wings.

He was wearing his Illyrian leathers. Valery didn't want to admit it, but he looked beautiful. She hated the attraction she felt towards the spymaster. Even with all those thoughts she managed to keep a straight face.

"Ready?" she asked.

Azriel had to fly her down to Velaris. This was going be the first time that someone other than Rhys would be flying her.

The shadowsinger nodded. "Where will we be going exactly?"

Valery swallowed before answering. "To the bookstore. See if we can find anyone who might've seen anything." This was definitely going to be hard.

Those assholes had killed the man who helped her survive for years. The man who had felt like a father to her. Valery knew that his wife was still alive, so they could get a lead on that.

Azriel watched her for a few seconds. "You don't have to do this." he said softly.

Valery had to resist the urge to roll her eyes. "Of course I have to. It is my fault. They're trying to find me. That's a fact Spymaster." she said, crossing her arms. "And if you think I'm not good enough at this, you should think back to all those years I worked for Rhys without you noticing a single thing. I'm made for this stuff." she claimed.

Azriel threw up his hands in defense. "Never said you're not good enough."

Valery scoffed. "We should go."

Azriel nodded in agreement. "I need to pick you up though." he said.

Valery knew that. She'd tried to avoid this moment for as long as possible. "Just pick me up. I don't bite." she said annoyed.

And he did just that, swooping her into his arms before taking off into the skies. Her shadows immediately reacted to him when his scarred hands touched her. She noticed his shadows react as well. Valery decided to ignore them, just like Azriel did.

They flew in silence, only hearing the sound of the wind. After a few minutes the street of the bookstore came in to view. It looked just like she remembered.

Valery felt like she could throw up any moment, the thought of her dead friend taunting her mind.

Azriel must've noticed the slight change in her body. "Have you been down to Velaris since you came back?" he asked with a gentle voice.

Valery shook her head, choosing not to speak, letting Azriel know to not continue the conversation.

They soon landed in the street of the store. It was completely empty. All the memories she had made here came back in full force; from arriving as a scrawny 15 year old girl to being helped by the kind Fae to working in the bookstore for years to meeting Rhys to agreeing on her first mission.

Azriel snapped her out of her thoughts by waving his hands in front of her face. She now realized that her shadows had almost been completely covering her.

"You okay?" the Shadowsinger asked.

Valery muttered a soft yes before making her way to the entrance of the small store. The sound that the bell made when they entered the store made her shudder. Azriel followed close behind her.

"We're closed." a voice echoed through the small space. Valery ordered her shadows away. Azriel looked confused at her action.

"Lala?" she said. An older Fae woman peeked her head through a door further into the space.

"Valery?" she said with an unsure tone in her voice. Lala walked through the door, walking towards her.

Valery had to do her absolute best not to cry. "I'm so sorry." she managed to creak out.

The woman in front of her had tears streaming down her face. She looked as if she had been crying for hours. Valery lunged forward, bringing her into tight embrace.

They held each other for a few seconds before they parted. Azriel was still here, she reminded herself. When she looked at him, his eyes were already on her. Valery didn't see any shadows flying around his body, as if he too had ordered them away.

She knew about the focus it required. Valery looked at him with appreciation.

"What are you doing here? I have so many questions." Lala said.

Valery swallowed. "It's a long story." she decided to answer. "But I'm here for you actually. We're trying to find out what happened to Elliot."

Her eyes were lined with sadness at the mention of the name. Lala looked behind Valery, focusing on Azriel.

"He doesn't bite." Valery said to Lala to lighten the mood. "We're just here to ask some questions."

Lala nodded, her head hanging low. "I don't know what exactly happened." she started.

Suddenly Valery felt like she couldn't breathe. She wanted to ask the woman if she had seen anything, but her body just froze. A gentle hand placed on her shoulder. The touch made relax instantly.

"You don't have to answer any of these questions if you don't want to or if you can't." Azriel started, "But we're here to help. To find out what happened to your husband."

Lala nodded in understanding.

Valery still couldn't get herself to talk. Azriel's hand now slid to her back, resting on the middle of it.

"Did you see anything when it happened?" Azriel decided to ask.

Lala shook her head. "No. I didn't even notice he was gone until I heard his terrible scream." the woman started crying again.

"It's okay, take your time." Azriel said gently.

After a few seconds, Lala continued. "The only thing I saw were three Fae males walking away from his body. They did look at me for a moment, but they left."

They had left her unharmed. As punishment for her. Because she had killed their father, they would kill hers. Valery bit on the inside of her cheek to keep herself from crying.

Lala moved forward, grabbing Valery's arms. "Please find them. Punish them." she almost begged.

Valery nodded as a single tear slipped down her face. "I will. I promise." she couldn't bring herself to tell the sweet lady in front of her the truth.

Lala looked her over for a moment. "Elliot would be so proud of you." she said.

Valery had to breathe in very deeply before speaking again. "Thank you." she said quietly.