A Court of Flame & Shadow - Eris x OC

The Court of Broken Things

Lucien hated the Hewn City with every fiber of his being. It reminded him too much of Amarantha's court Under the Mountain and worse, it brought out that side of Rhysand — the only one Lucien had known for most of his life. Still, he'd insisted on joining the Inner Circle as they paid a visit to the aptly named Cout of Nightmares. His brother would be there, or so the spymaster had claimed.

Eris seemed unchanged. Every inch the princely, arrogant male he remembered — with his finely crafted pewter-colored jacket and his favored ruby-encrusted dagger at his hip. He used to have a pair of them, Lucien recalled. Inseparable. Wielding the two of them Eris had been a force to be reckoned with. Lucien wondered if his brother had somehow lost one of them during the war. The missing dagger was not the only thing amiss. There was something off— or rather, different with his brother. Lucien couldn't quite put his finger on it.

The Inner Circle finally filtered out of the throne room, having finished what they'd come to do — to warn both Keir and Eris that their secret little meetings were being watched.

Lucien lingered.

Eris cocked an eyebrow in his direction. "It seems my little brother finally deigns to talk to me. Keir, would you be so kind as to offer us some privacy." It was not a request but an order. The steward of the Hewn City had the good sense to leave without complaint, despite the fact that Eris was kicking him out of his own throne room.

Lucien steeled his resolve. He would much rather never interact with his brother ever again. But this was important.

Even though they were alone, Lucien still descended the steps of the dais and came to stand close enough that they could talk in hushed tones. He whisked one of the candelabras closer as he moved. In every court, the walls had ears. But in this court, he was more concerned about the shadows.

Though his brother looked at him with the usual disdain he noted a spark in his amber eyes. If Lucien didn't know any better it might have been approval. The candles flared brighter, chasing away any lingering darkness.

"Where is Vel?" Lucien asked softly.

Eris's face remained unchanged, a mask of boredom. "I'm not sure what you're talking about, brother."

Lucien's metal eye whirred and focused. Something was not just off. It was wrong.

"She's been gone for four months. Her cabin is abandoned, all the wards around it — dissolved."

Eris rolled his eyes and scoffed, "What scheme are you baking Lucien? Speak plainly or don't bother, I have better things to do than entertain your whims." There was thinly veiled impatience in his voice.

"You don't need to tell me where she is. I just want to know if she's alright, that's all." He despised how small his voice became. As if they were children again and he was begging Eris to not tell father about one thing or another.

"You know how I hate to repeat myself but I'll do it for you, little brother. I have no idea who this person is or why you think I would know her whereabouts." Eris paused for a moment, considering. "I do find it quite strange that you're chasing some mystery female, seeing as you are a mated male now." His brother snickered. "It's understandable I suppose. I do hope that if my mate kept rejecting me like that I would get the hint sooner than you."

Lucien didn't even care enough to let the insult land. Eris had always been an excellent liar and yet, this time, he seemed to have even convinced himself.

The talk with his brother had rattled him. Enough that he considered asking Rhysand or his spymaster if they could find any information on Vel's whereabouts. But something gave him pause. Despite the fact that the inner circle had known her much longer than him, none of them mentioned her disappearance. He knew Rhysand had noticed when she winnowed out of Feyre's home in the human lands. Yet, they never brought it up. As if they were content to forget everything that had happened.