A Court of Three Stars

40: The Weight

The Wraithgrove, Adhira, Solarea

Leur

"How are the boys?"

The woods stretched out around us, ancient trees casting long shadows over the mossy earth. The air was cool and damp- heavy with the scent of cedar and rich soil. Silver light flickering between the branches, dancing across the stream as if alive, the shade and mist dimming the sunlight that filtered through the thick canopy overhead.

The Wraithgrove had always been quiet, but not the suffocating kind. It was a stillness that held life just beneath the surface—a pulse of magic that had thrummed here for centuries, unbroken even by time.

For so long, this place had been my prison. These enchanted woods forgotten by history and its prying eyes, nothing but a lost princess and the whispers of the mist inhabiting it.

Somehow, now it was a sanctuary, my refuge when the weight of the world became too much. Here, among the shifting trees and glimmering streams that carried remnants of the Ingysi's magic, away from watchful eyes, fathers with broken legs, and brothers with shame written all over their faces- here, I found some semblance of clarity that seemed so far away.

It was a smart move played by my mate, a plan he hadn't even told me about before executing. Tamlin was almost always by my side when the world fell to pieces.

It was only fitting that we'd keep that tradition.

And if I was being honest, I'd missed him.

It had been so long since I'd truly seen my best friend, since we'd spent any measure of time together that wasn't consumed by chaos or some otherworldly terror. So long that I'd almost forgotten the weight of his footsteps beside mine, steady and deliberate, or the calm, quiet presence of a predator lying in wait.

"Their usual selves." Tamlin shrugged, his footsteps in tune with mine as we walked through the dense woods, a dry humor in his voice that had never dimmed over the centuries, "They were just about over the moon when I told them the truth, though."

That earned him an actual smile, a warmth that blossomed in my chest at the reminder that somewhere- deep below the sea on a distant planet- hope still existed, "I suppose I did tell the Holstrom boy."

"That kid is a fucking wreck." He groaned, shaking his head. "Along with Tharion Ketos. Every time I turn around, one of them is causing a new headache. It's like they wake up every morning and set out to fuck up my day."

"I'm sorry you got stuck on babysitting duty." I bumped his arm lightly, though it felt more like brushing against the trunk of a tree with how solid he was. "Jarek's doing fine in Spring according to my spies- in case you were wondering."

"I'm not worried about it." His gaze shifted, catching the silvery glint of the stream winding its way through the grove. "And I'm pretty sure the Depth Charger is a lot better than whatever shitshow you've got going on here."

I snorted, "I just told Rhys that this is a shitshow."

A smile curled on his lips, "How's Feyre and Nyx?"

"Why are you asking?" I probed.

He rolled his eyes, stepping around my back so that he was walking closer to the stream next to us, as if it would somehow magically turn into a raging rapid and sweep me away into oblivion.

Then again, I wasn't sure what else could possibly go wrong, and considering my luck had just about gone to shit- it wasn't entirely out of the realm of possibility.

"You know, when Azriel came to get me- I thought I might finally get a break from your nagging." He grumbled.

My brows shot up, "Nagging?"