A Court of Three Stars

20: Venom

House of Wind, Velaris, Prythian

Ruhn

"Good god, kid, you're fast." Cassian complimented, still panting after our last sparring match.

"Thanks." I breathed, sweaty hands fogging up the glass of water I was chugging, "I'm pretty sure I got that from my mom."

The smile that spread across his face rivaled the beaming sun in brightness, "Yeah, she's always been quick as a hare too."

I finished off the last of my water before I asked, "You trained her?"

"Mostly." He nodded, "Rhys spent a lot of time working with her and Tamlin when they were young. And then there's all that time in Solarea that she trained too."

"Just take the credit, man." I quipped.

"Fine, yes, I trained her." He laughed, " And then she trained you with the same Illyrian technique."

I paused in my tracks, "Illyrian technique?"

Cassian just nodded, wings rustling, "It's a pretty specific fighting style, one that you're clearly well versed in."

It occurred to me then that I had never truly been so separated from this part of myself. I just hadn't known what any of it was when I learned it all.

I opened my mouth to speak, to reiterate that to Cassian, but a sharp tug in my chest cut me off. It was deep, down to the core of my heartbeat. A familiar burning that had my voice caught in my throat.

Something was wrong.

"What is it?" Cassian noticed the shift in my demeanor instantaneously, going into some kind of guarding mode. His body language went from casual comfort to the alert of a warrior in a second.

My eyes scanned out over the city, to the House of Song in the distance, but there was nothing. No sign of anything amiss aside from the burning, growing stronger and stronger with each passing moment.

I shut my eyes, trying to follow it, trying to feel anything more than that burn. There was the slightest hint, no more than a minuscule thread, a whispering voice on the wind. I had to strain to hear its melody, but once I did- my heart dropped down to my stomach.

"Something is wrong with my mom." I forced the words past my lips, "The House of Song, we have to-"

In a movement so fast so barely felt it, Cassian had grabbed me and shot into the air. I barely even had a moment to register the height, the roaring of the wind, before we had landed on one of the balconies.

And I was running, sprinting through the house, following that thread mindlessly down towards the archives. I didn't register anything else, no scent or sound or information but the vice grip of worry carving out a hole in my chest. I was nothing but breath and the rapid thrum of my heart whenever Bryce appeared in front of me in the doorway to the archives, sending me to a screeching halt as I tried not to plow her over.

"Don't go in there." She spoke, a hard line of stress settled between her brows.

"Why?" I panted, trying to push past her, "What happened? What's wrong?"

"It's fine, Ruhn." My sister attempted, two hands braced on my shoulders, "You just- you don't need to see it."

Cassian didn't stick around. He squeezed past her and darted into the room, disappearing around the corner. In the distance, I could hear faint crying.

"Move, Bryce." I couldn't think of anything but getting through that door.

Leur was hurt. Leur was hurt. Leur was hurt.