A Court of Watchful Shadows

Jurian

Ziláa

The dinner went smoothly I thought, I hadn't contributed to the conversation as much but I wasn't that chatty anyway, neither was Azriel in this particular setting I noticed.

I'm glad I at least attended the dinner, more information about hybern came to light, some that I wouldn't have found out because I'm too proud to question anything. I did also find out more about Mor's past with the autumn court, that made me feel terrible, it also reinforced my anger towards Lucien. Though it wasn't him who had done it I love to hate him.

Once Feyre and the others left I stayed in the dining area to finish off my second bottle of wine, about to open my third.

"I wouldn't recommend another bottle, don't forget you've got training with me tomorrow." Azriel appeared out of the shadowed corner.

Maybe it was the wine that had gone to my head, but I'd never seen him look so good, he'd since changed from his Illyrian armour, and was wearing a loose black sweatshirt and trousers.

It was the first time I've seen him in such casual attire. He's the kind of beautiful that makes people want to smash things.

He strides over, wearing the shadows around him well. He sits opposite me.
I say nothing and hand him the wine bottle, and stare as he takes a swig.

Some red wine dribbles down his chin, which he swiftly wipes away without a second thought, having not even broken eye contact. I was glad for the fact he'd wiped it away, I might not have been able to restrain myself from dealing with it myself...cauldron what's wrong with me?

I tried to shake the thoughts from my head, choosing to snap my head away to look out the balcony windows at Velaris instead of him, before he could smell the desire radiating from me.

When I looked back over to him after a short while he was gone, the bottle of wine had disappeared with him too. That scavenger. I roll my eyes and get up, wobbling down the corridor in my too drunk state to crash into my bed.

~~

"Yes Ziláa that was good!" He praised as if finally been making real progress with my shadows, I could now use them to control Cassian's movements much to his dismay. Though I'd been grumbling all day, feeling rather fragile after yesterday evening.

He hadn't mentioned the little encounter we had after dinner, though I was glad for it, I just wanted to forget it...whatever it was..

By the end of training Azriel saying the word the word "again" was permanently etched into my brain, he constantly drawled on about practice making perfect to the point where even Cassian was bored.

He had let me train an hour less out of mercy for how rough I was feeling today, he also told me he could still smell the stink of alcohol on me....rude.

I took his statement on board though and had a long soak in the tub that afternoon. Using my shadows as a means of getting me the soap and turning the taps on and off. Now that I had control over them it made my life a lot easier.

My considerable amount of alone time that evening gave me time to think about what had been said the evening prior, avout Jurian.

Everyone in Prythian knew of Jurian and what had happened in the war between faeries and mortals. Jurian was a mortal and the general of the mortal armies who became the lover of Clythia, the sister of the general of King Hybern's armies. Clythia fell madly in love with him but he used her for information about us fae and kills her. Amarantha — Clythia's sister finds her sister's remains and hunts him down tirelessly, though she doesn't kill him. She cuts off his finger making it into a necklace and gouges out his eye making a ring out of it. Jurian's soul remained in the eye, witnessing Amarantha's reign over Prythian for the last fifty years and all the atrocities she carried out. Rumour has it that the ring and the necklace were no where to be found after under the mountain.

It was brought up at dinner last night, as they're involving Feyre in their war plans against Hybern now that they know she's not going back to Tamlin they stated. Mor had explained the Tamlin situation with me, whether I wanted to hear it or not because I'd accused Feyre of being a traitor when I'd heard it was her who was staying with Rhysand in the townhouse before we met the other evening. I didn't know Tamlin had it in him to be so cruel...then again I didn't really know him nor anyone outside of winter court and Dawn court.

The concerns about Jurian at dinner were that King Hybern might be trying to resurrect him. Though they'd need permission from all the high lords to do that which would be impossible. Though King Hybern was a determined man and would surely find another way. I'd been thinking long and hard about it since dinner, if Jurian could be resurrected with but a finger bone and an eye then surely my mother could too? No?