Golden Lights in a Dark Sky ✔

17. A Plea For Help

After washing off all the valg blood and getting changed into something more comfortable Orion led me and a bleary-eyed Rae to a large room. In the center was a round table, and around that table was the Inner Circle and the rest of Orion and Rae's brothers. The room quieted when we took a seat and Feyre tried to give me a smile, but it looked forced.

All of the Inner Circle members were here for once. On Rhsyand's left was a short woman with cropped hair and silver eyes. I assumed she was Amren, the second in command. Then there was Mor, Rae's aunt, the tall blond who sat in between Cassian and Azriel.

Orion sat on one side of me, next to his brother, and Rae was on my other side. Rae slumped over the table, still exhausted. Everyone around the table looked exhausted. I'm sure I looked the same, bandaged up and bruised.

"Hello Ash," Rhysand greeted, "thank you for joining us."

"Sure," I said, not knowing what else to say.

"On behalf of all of us we thank you for protecting Velaris," Cassian said.

Most of everyone around the table nodded muttering thanks.

"Yeah," I said, fiddling with my hair. "I'm glad I stepped in to help."

"Right now our biggest problem is figuring out where those creatures came from," Feyre said. "We need to know how to fight them."

"They might be from the human continent," Cassian suggested.

"Then how did they get here in the Night Court?" Mor asked.

Bickering started up around the table. They shot ideas back and forth at each other, and the whole room got very loud. Orion groaned and Rae put her hands over her ears. That's when it hit me. I was the only person that knew what the creatures were. No one from this world had an inkling of what the valg were, or where they came from.

Suddenly this weight fell over my shoulders. I just became one of the important people in the room, instead of a bystander. I sighed and opened my mouth to speak, but shut it when I realized shouting would get me nowhere. I looked frantically to Rae, but her breaths were deep, signally that she had fallen asleep. Orion was bickering with his brothers. My eyes landed on Kai, who was watching me. He raised an eyebrow. Soft inky wisps knocked on my mental shields. I let him in.

What do you need Ash? Kai's soft voice asked in my head.

I need to speak. Can you get everyone to be quiet?

I smiled at Kai. He smiled back.

Kai tapped his mother's shoulder, and she turned to give him attention. He whispered to her and her eyes widened, swinging over to meet mine. Then Feyre tapped her husband's shoulder and he got everyone to quiet down.

"You have something to say Ash?" Feyre asked.

"Um, yeah," I said. "It's about the creatures."

"What about them?" Rhysand asked.

"Well," I said, taking a breath. "I think I know what they are."

Everyone's eyes widened, and the room got very silent. I gulped.

"It's impossible, but I think they're valg," I explained. "They were a problem in my world for years, so I don't understand why they're here now."

"Well, we did manage to capture one," Azriel said. "It didn't say much, just mentioned a fire queen and a healer."

I blanched. "Did it- did it say anything else?" I asked, stumbling over the words.

"Just how it was going to avenge it master's wife."