A Court of Secrets and Moonlight

69: Fear

Azriel

"Wake up."

I woke in the middle of the night to find Leur shaking me. The camp was quiet, just a night breeze blowing through, just a-

Something is wrong. My shadows hissed, It is watching us.

The hair on the back of my neck rose, and then Leur was slipping from the bed. Gwydion appeared in her hand, the twin to Truth-Teller in my own. I felt the soreness from her wound down the bond, but she paid it no mind. Lunet hissed at the tent flaps from her spot on the bed, her fur raised. I threw on whatever shirt was closest, slipping my feet into boots as we slipped out into the cold night.

I can feel it looking for something. Leur's voice drifted through the shadows as her hand found mine.

What is it? I asked.

Leur was shaking as we walked, the both of us wreathed in swirling shadows as the other's appeared out of their tents.

"You can feel it too?" Feyre looked between Leur and Nesta.

Amren burst from her tent, wearing what looked to be Varian's shirt, the male confused and bleary eyed at her back, "It's here. I can feel it slithering around, looking-"

"The Cauldron." Varian echoed, his rich skin going utterly pale.

"Shush!" Leur hissed, "It's listening to us."

Everyone went quiet and still, as if we could all just vanish from its ancient sight. Cassian stumbled from his own tent, rubbing tired eyes as he saw us all gathered here.

My shadows twisted, hissing as they heard something I could not, begging to retreat into my skin. I could have sworn that even the very wind recoiled. The sound was high pitched in my ear, like a sharp melody. I felt it right between my eyes as it continued, a headache forming between my brows.

"What is that?" I hissed.

Feyre's head snapped to me, "You can hear it?"

I heard only the hissing melody of my shadows as they tried to flee from whatever it was the others could hear, "No, but the shadows- they're recoiling."

"I can't hear anything." Rhys said.

"You were not Made." Amren hissed at him, "You cannot hear it's call."

"Stop talking so loud." Leur put a hand up, goosebumps along her bare arms as she strained to listen, "I think I can hear what it's saying."

Everyone stared at her with confused looks on their faces, but Leur only shut her eyes, concentrating in silence.

"Shadowsingers can translate melody into song." I whispered in explanation, "It's how we can hear what our shadows can, how we can speak through the shadows. It's an intrinsic language. If it is a song the Cauldron is singing, Leur can probably decipher it."

Feyre's eyes darted around, "I think it's leaving."

"Hybern knows where we are, the Cauldron likely wanted to look for itself after we taunted it with the scrying." Amren whispered.

Cassian finally spoke up, "And you're all Made, that's why you can-"

Leur's eyes shot open, and then she was screaming. She took off in a sprint, the rest of us following her before we even knew what she was saying, knew who she was calling for.

"Elain!" Leur screeched, careening through the tents, towards the tree line, "Elain!"

Nesta and Feyre echoed her, screaming for their sister as they followed, all of us heading right for that forest. My heart began pounding in my chest, at the realization of what we had forgotten, at the reality of what had just happened.