A Court of Flame & Shadow - Eris x OC

Under the Mounain I

Vel was staring at the stars above, pondering if the gods were watching or if they'd already left this world behind for something better. Rhysand's silky midnight voice came when the darkness was thickest. Faint and distant, as if he'd used up the very dregs of his power to project it to her.

The Attor is coming.

She stood up and dusted herself off. Rhysand's message had come with a delay, the Attor was already there. She'd weakened the wards enough that he would be able to break them, not enough to raise suspicion. Although she'd felt his presence pass through, the charcoal black of his skin seemed to blend into the shadows and the silver of his fangs and claws glinted in the light spilling from her cabin.

"I remember you from the war." His voice was low and disembodied, shifting like sand on the dunes.

"And I remember you. An ugly mug like that is difficult to forget." The Attor let out a humorless laugh, the sound grating and discordant.

"Will you come willingly or will you let me have my fun?" Vel caught a flash of blue in the shadows behind him. Could it be Faebane? She involuntarily took a step back. Her instinct had her leftover power roiling in her gut as the memories of her time in the Autumn Court dungeon resurfaced. Raw. Vivid.

"It seems the Bitch Queen trusts you a good deal to send you here all by your lonesome." Amarantha didn't know of her real powers, her fight during the war had been mostly behind the scenes. Vel wasn't planning to reveal them now.

The Attor hissed. "You will give Her Majesty the respect she is due, worm. You pose no threat. You always had others fight for you, in the war and before that. You never got your hands dirty."

Vel grinned. "What makes you think I would change my strategy?"

"There's nobody left to save you. All your pawns are captured. Or the High Lords in your case."

"One or seven kings it does not matter. The Queen is the most powerful piece in chess. But I wouldn't expect you to know that, you've always been as bright as a dungeon with no torches."

The Attor charged, what looked like a leash woven out of thin threads of metal visible in his hand. Vel dodged effortlessly, twisting around him and kicking him in the back. He stumbled into the shadow of the old oak tree, into Glynn's open arms. The Attor's body froze. His grey skin turned to stone. Vel smirked at the bewildered expression fixed on his face.

"Do you think he can still hear us?" she asked Glynn.

"It's quite likely. My magic has been weakened terribly." Glynn sighed and rubbed at his bald head. He'd said as much when she wrote to him a fortnight ago. "I didn't even get the proper time to enjoy my recovery."

"Hope you're not enjoying your powers on anyone who doesn't deserve it." She threw over her shoulder as she studied the Attor, a perfect rendition only a gargoyle could make. A flash of light and Vel shifted – long limbs, leathery wings, silver claws, and sharp teeth. She circled the Attor, taking in every detail. Two more things before it could be perfect. She touched the back of his head and entered his mind, categorizing his memories from the past year – tortures and conversations, messages and orders. Somewhere far away, she felt the Attor thrash.

"You have one day, maybe two if you're lucky," Glynn said, studying his creation. "Why not just kill him?" Vel yanked the leash from his hand, the bite of the woven metal all too familiar on her skin. A cold sweat broke out on her back but she steeled her voice.

"I want him and his Bitch Queen to know that I could kill them any moment, I just choose not to." She smiled back at the Attor with his own too-long teeth. It was like looking in the mirror. "If you don't mind, could you take the trash away? It doesn't quite match the aesthetic here. Drop him in the ocean if you'd like, maybe he will float back to Hybern. Or maybe we'll get lucky and he will sink to the bottom." She got closer to Glynn and whispered so only he could hear "Keep hidden and stay safe. Thank you for your help."