A Court of Darkness and Storm

Chapter 2 - Feyre

We were all reunited in the living room of the city's house. Mor was leaning over a couch. Amren, grumpy as always, was in one of the armchairs reading a book while Az and Rhys were discussing the information that the enchanter had collected, occasionally being interrupted by Amren with her grouchy notes about how that was useless. Cassian had left to attend a call at an illyrian camp in the border with the Day Court. In the last months, things were finally seeming to be on track. Still there was a lot of scars from the events of the war against the king of Hybern but our dear Inner Circle was prospering.

Rhysand and I were fine, besides all the work as High-Lord and Lady. Rhys and Azriel had been collecting information about possible rebels, watching cautiously their movements and actions. Didn't seem to be something promising but all care was short not that the wall had fell.

With a violent breeze, Cassian suddenly landed in the house's balcony, the floor trembling with the landing. Rhys abruptly turned, and shock took over his face. I presumed that whatever was the news that the general brought with him, it wasn't something Rhys was expecting. My mate quickly got up, grabbed me and took flight in direction to the palace above the Helm City.

- What happened?

- I... don't know – tears were running down his face and were blown away by the wind as we overfly Velaris.

We landed in one the palace's balconies, the despair consuming Rhys as he ran down into the hall, followed by me and the other that winnowed at the same instant. I groped that ebony wall through the mating bond, finding only silence, his focus totally distant.

Rhysand, what the hell is happening? My mate kept ignoring me through the mating bond, worrying me. Until I finally saw it.

In the middle of the hall, an extraordinarily thin female leaning over the floor, wearing nothing more than some white rags, her long dark hair covering all her face and pale shoulders. I couldn't see much more details, but she had several black tattoos in her arms and shoulders. Night Court's typical tattoos. Rhys came closer to her, kneeing in front of the female.

Rhys.

On the other side, only anguish and agony. Rhys, who is her? What is happening?

Rhysand landed his hands in the female's face, removing the thin wires that was covering it, then I could see. The violet eyes, the same shade of Rhys's eyes, fixedly looking into my mate's figure. In the same moment, I could finally feel who was her.

Is Alynna. My... sister.

I was in shock. How could she be alive if Tamlin's father... I didn't dare remember. Could be a trick, someone pretending to be her. As if he was reading my mind in the middle of that emotions and feelings turmoil, Rhysand warned me: The is no trick, Feyre. It's her. I don't know how, but it is. There wasn't a least possibility that she could have survived the Spring Court's attack. I tried to think quickly, imagining who in Prythian could have such ability to bring the dead back to life...

My blood froze at the thought of the Cauldron possibility. My sisters had dived in it just to be made into fae and had been traumatizing enough. Which would be the consequences to someone who has been dead for centuries? How many years ago that had happened?

Around me, our Inner Circle shared the same reaction: shock.

- Rhys, she is weak. Needs care – Azriel then broke the mortal silence that had followed. I followed the spy-master's look, that was focusing in the female's hands, revealing a horrifying image: the long and thin fingers, completely black. The black ink merged into the thin arabesques of Alynna's hands tattoos going until her elbows, creating a deadly and dangerous painting. For the Mother, what the hell happened to her? I couldn't see very well, but her face had soft features; the cheekbones extremely highlighted due to the excessive thinness. Her eyes were big and violet but seemed sad and exhausted. Her skin was so white as the snow but didn't seem healthy. Alynna was amazingly beautiful, maybe too beautiful for her own good.

Rhys nodded, still lost from the unexpected meeting, and carried Alynna in his arms, unconscious, taking her to one of the palace's bedrooms. She seemed light as a feather in Rhysand's arms, what was worrying.

After Rhys and Alynna vanished from our view, me and the Inner Circle started to look each other, all trying to find answer for the absurd that we had witnessed.

I didn't saw or hear anything from my mate through the rest of the day.