A Court of Watchful Shadows

Discovery

~10 days since Hybern~

Azriel

Thanks to Madja's expert skills I was now standing 10 days since being shot with an ash arrow, my strength half returned as I paced around Rhys's office, my blood boiling during our debate.

We'd been throwing out suggestions on where Ziláa might be, though I was only worried about finding her, and bringing her back.

He rubbed his temples as he sat at the desk chair sighing. "She may very well have taken her chance and run off, you we all knew she was rather.....skittish."

"She needed our protection in Velaris, you and I both know she was running from something, what if that caught up to her?" I snap at him, yes he's my high lord and I respect him but this is my mate and I will defend her to my dying breath.

"Well perhaps she was working with Hybern, like I said from the start!" He countered.

"How could she be? She had little control over her shadows in the start and Hybern wouldn't send some untrained stray into our territory, Hybern didn't know of it's existence until those human queens sold it!" I was panting for air at this point, gasping for anything, for her.

"Well how come none of us saw even a whisper of what happened to her! She didn't just disappear into thin air Az, we have to be practical-"

A light knock sounded at the door. Silencing us both as we whipped our heads toward it.

Rhys cleared his throat "come in."

A dainty little fae with an iron ring half tip toed in, almost tripping over her feet. Clearly still getting used to her new body. It was Elain, one of Feyre's sisters that had been forcibly turned fae by being dunked in the cauldron at Hybern.

She had a tear stained face and hadn't eaten much these past 10 days I'd heard. If Feyre weren't spying on Tamlin in the spring court I can't imagine the way she'd worry herself sick.

"Is everything okay Elain?" Rhys asked softly, face etched with worry for his mate's sister.

"Y-yes sorry I just, I wasn't eavesdropping but fae hearing is new and I-" she sighed, regaining her composure "I saw the white haired girl, your friend, as I was being put in the cauldron, she was dragged away by another white haired man."

She what? Ziláa was taken?

I strode towards her, "did you see any more? What did he look like apart from the white hair? Did you see where he took her?"

"Az" Rhys warned.

"I don't know, he just took her round through to a side door and they didn't come out again before I was forced into..." she trailed on.

"Thankyou Elain, that's very helpful."

She gave a small nod and made her way out.

I snapped my head to Rhys.

"You shouldn't have cross questioned her like that Az, she's still clearly upset-" he began

"Yes yes I know shoot me with another ash arrow later, did you hear that? Ziláa has been kidnapped! She could be in Hybern! We have to go get her!"

He rubbed his temples again "Let's not make any rash decisions Az, listen, my mate is gone too and-"

"No! Rhys! You know where your mate is, I don't." I snapped at him "that's the best piece of information we have had in a week, we could have her back here by tomorrow."

"You need to heal, we can't just march into Hybern," he countered "and like you said, we don't know where she is so I suggest you send some spies in before we make the same mistake as we did 10 days ago and go marching in, they may be using her as bait." He was being reasonable, though all my reason had disappeared along with Ziláa.

I tried to calm the adrenaline coursing through me, to little avail. "Yes, okay, but I will be sending every one of my best spies to Hybern, if she's there then we start planning her rescue as soon as possible." I half demanded, half pleaded.

"You have my word Az, we'll get her back." He promised.