A Court of Shadows and Pain

Fifty-two

"I don't know where they went exactly, but it should be somewhere around here." Eris told them. "I can stay and help--"

Azriel cut him off, his shadows inching dangerously close to him. "You should go away. You got her into this mess. Twice. Leave." Azriel said lowly.

Eris didn't protest. He only inclined his head. Azriel immediately moved away from him, sending out his shadows for any information.

"Thank you, Eris." Rhys said before Eris winnowed away.

Rhys walked over to Azriel, trying to keep up with him. "He helped us." Rhys stated.

Azriel glared at his brother. "He tried helping her once before. That almost didn't end well." he said. "I can't lose her. I won't lose her."

Rhys gave him a sad smile. "We will find her." he told his brother reassuringly. This also had to be hard for him. Valery was his best friend. His sister.

Azriel nodded, hoping his brother would be right.

His shadows hadn't found anything so far. The place Eris had led them was close to the Illyrian mountains. She could be anywhere.

"When did you find out about the bond?" Rhys asked, breaking the silence.

Azriel hesitated upon speaking. "The night of Winter Solstice."  he told him.

Rhys hummed. "Did you accept it?" he carefully asked.

Azriel shook his head. "No. She wanted to wait." and maybe this was the reason she wanted to wait, cause she had known there would be a possibility of getting caught.

"I'm sure she'll accept it once we get her back." Rhys said, adding a sad smile.

"Yeah." Azriel said, trying to sound convincing.

Follow, a shadow whispered in his ear. It pulled him further into the woods. Azriel looked at Rhys. "They found something."

They both followed Azriel's shadow, until they noticed them swirling around something on the ground. Azriel moved towards it, trying to see what his shadows were hiding. Or rather, what they were trying to get his attention on.

His shadows moved out of the way as he and Rhys neared. They revealed a dagger. A dagger which unmistakingly belonged to Valery. Azriel picked it up, observing it for any blood.

She had been here. Or at least close to here.

Azriel showed the dagger to Rhys. "I don't know whether this means we're close, but at least we know she's been here." he said. He was clinging to every bit of confirmation that she was alive. The main thing obviously being the bond. It had faded a lot, but the invisible thread was still there.

His shadows grew restless before a single one curled around his ear. We found something else, they told him.

"Take me to it." he said aloud.

Rhys looked at him with confusion. "What are they saying?"

"They found something." Azriel grabbed Rhys before the shadows winnowed him away.

They stepped out of the shadows further up the mountains, in a more deserted place. There was a small house in the distance. It certainly looked suspicious.

"I've never seen this house." Rhys stated. They also never really came around here, seeing as there were no Fae of Illyrians living over here. Or so they thought.

She's in there, a shadow told him.

Azriel turned his head to Rhys. "They say she's in there."