A Court of Stars and Darkness

Chapter 3

Nesta

Have them prepare to meet in their mountain court. I'm bringing Fide with me. Talk with the Shadowsinger and the Witch first. I want to do things right.

I read the paper a few times before looking up at the shadowsinger whose shadows were roaming more freely. As if momentarily distracted.

"What is this?" I turned towards the girl by the window who kept touching her necklace. "Who is Fide?" Crumpling the paper, I took a chair by the fireplace and watched as Azriel moved to stand beside me.

"One of her dragons." Azriel answered, his shadows retreating, as if he had found his focus. "What does she want with the Court of Nightmares?" The Court of Nightmares was a terrible place. Every time we had to go there we all had to behave as if we were cold, calculating and horrible as the other fae who prowled beneath the mountain.

Nyssa closed the curtain and took a deep breath, before fully facing us.

"Power. All this is about power." She moved closer and Azriel's wings shifted spreading the shadows once again. "Your Court of Nightmares is famous throughout the continent. The most feared Court of Prythian."

"And she wants to make a statement by showing up there and assure an alliance with the Night Court." Nyssa nodded to Azriel's statement.

"My queen has been forced to come here as well." She turned to me and I sat straighter, my face blank. "As you probably know, Kaya is linked to her father through a terrible bond, and you, Nesta Archeron... I believe you are one of three in Prythian who might be able to break my queen's bond." She came closer and tried to put her hand in my arm, but probably remembered some of the stories that are known about me and decided not to.

Smart.

"How so?" Azriel questioned as those unnerving shadows curled around his ear. "Who are the others?"

"The High Lord of Day and the Zultre Matzare." Something told me that the last mentioned wasn't good. "Finding her mate would also be helpful but, since finding a mate is a terribly difficult task, we were hoping you and the other High Lord might help finding a way out of this nonsense. And as for you, shadowsinger, my queen shares some similar gifts I was hoping you could help her use. Gifts she is afraid to use." A pained look crossed her face but was quickly replaced by determination upon hearing my next words.

"And if I refuse?" I intended to help only after I was certain Kayara could be trusted and did not pose a threat to my family.

"Then we have no business with The Night Court. You will always be welcome in our home but there won't be a solid reason for the risk of an alliance." Nyssa said while adjusting her dress and moved closer to the door. "Morrigan, I believe has already spoken to the High Lord and High Lady about this matter, but I wanted to speak alone to you, cause I believe you'll be the ones closer to her in this Court."

Azriel maintained emotionless while the conversation unraveled. But his shadows drifted away completely when our foreign visitor again spoke.

"For two hundred years I lived in chains. I lived in fear and was forced to experience terrible things that to this day are hard for me to speak. But," silver lined her eyes but a fire I knew too well also burned. "She fought us. Bled beside us to get us our freedom. Not because she wanted another title but because she knew what it was like. And she still faced the consequences of the freedom she gave us with her chin held high. I'll never forget it. And the people in the continent won't either."