Light and Shadow✔️

Training

I didn't see Azriel for three days after that. I tried once, knocking at his bedroom door, to bring him something against his headaches Elain had told me about, but when no one answered I didn't dare go in without permission, it felt too much like a violation of privacy. 

The three days were still filled with excitement; Feyre took me with her to the palaces in the city. I didn't have any money so I couldn't buy anything, but looking was already spectacular. The next day, Luciana, Mor, and Feyre showed me the Rainbow of Velaris. We had to wait until the evening because apparently, it was most beautiful then. The last day all but one Fae with wings accompanied me for my first flight around Velaris. Flying with the High Lady and High Lord of the night court was... Indescribable. The stars were glinting around us. All around us. It was black, violet, green, white, blue, every color and still it was dark. There were no words to describe it. I had never been gladder to still have the ability to fly. The only thing that wasn't perfect about those days was that they were void of shadow. Void of Hazel and Nigh-chilled mist. I never knew I could miss someone I never even knew.

My afternoon had been lovely so far, there was a pot of steaming tea sitting in front of me, a book in my lap, everything was good.

Knock, knock. 

I jerked so bad, I fell off the couch.

No one ever knocked at my door! Both Mor and Feyre just came in, Mor because she had no regard for privacy and Feyre because she had grown up with three sisters, privacy doesn't exist in a setting like that. Luciana mostly came with Mor, or Mor told me she would come later so I would let my door stand wide open. Cassian and Rhysand I mostly saw whenever I decided to take a trip to the kitchen, or they sat down with me in the garden, but none of them had come to my room as of yet. 

So someone knocking at my door was new. 

I called: "Come in." 

While heaving myself onto the couch much more complicatedly than necessary. 

"What are you doing?" I fell back onto the ground, taking on of the armchairs with me. 

"Ow," I whined. 

Cassian stood in the door snickering at me. 

I glared at him: "What do you want?" 

"Az sent me, training begins in half an hour, he wants me to fly to the House of Wind with you" it sounded very matter of factly. 

I pushed myself up on my elbows: "You could help me, you know?" 

He grinned: "Nah, I'm good." 

When I had finally gotten off the ground, Cassian being absolutely no help, put on my fighting leather and gone to the roof to start properly, we were late. 

By the time we were at the House of Wind, I was drenched in sweat also in a foul mood thanks to Cassian. Azriel was waiting for us on the roof of the palace, clad in his fighting leathers. I tried and failed very hard to focus on anything but his powerful muscles and the chilling, singing shadow around him.

"This'll go as following: Cass and I will spar in this ring, if anything happens I'm right next to you. When you've mastered concentrating while creating things, we'll start with fighting while creating things. Understood?" Azriel sounded cold, calculating.

"Where were you?" it was rare that I snapped at anyone at all but even rare for me to do it with such bite. 

He looked at me, clenched his jaw and repeated: "Understood?" 

"I asked you a question" my answer was as sharp. 

He gave me a long look, then drawled: "That's none of your business."