A Court in Flames

Chapter 12

Cassian's POV

I can't believe her. She had barely beaten me today how did she expect to beat 25 highly trained Illyrian.

When we had winnowed back to Night Court she started walking back to the house of wind with a swagger and smug smile on her face. She turned when we entered the house. "Problem solved!"

I stared at her. She couldn't really think that she would win. "No applause? Oh well. My court was always like this when I did stuff like this."

"You've done stuff like this before?" Rhys asked equally stunned.

"Of course! Dramatic reveals and heart-stopping plans are my specialties." She said as if she felt offended.

"You can't seriously think you can win," I asked her.

"Of course, I'm going to win, Cassian. I'm the best damn assassin in my world. Well, I guess now assassin turned Queen. I know all of this means nothing to you, but I was Adarlan's Assassin. I have been the best assassin since I was seventeen. And I was going easy on you today. I could've ended that fight at least five times before I did. Created an army to take down the Valg, which let me tell you was not easy. Survived two months of torture and then another eight months, while pregnant. I think I can take on 25 warriors." She then proceeded to storm off.

"She's an assassin!" I shouted.

"Well, ya. Where do think she got those moves from? A princess would never have been taught that." Mor said.

"You knew?" I asked Mor, my jaw, dropping, 

"She told me weeks ago. Same with Feyre and Amren." Mor said with a shrug before walking after Aelin.

Aelin's POV

I flipped through yet another book on portals. The same old nonsense. Portals can be used to travel between worlds or within the same world... Boring!

A knock at my door came, "Come in," I mumbled while I continued flipping through books.

"Hey. What's up?" Mor asked as she walked in.

"Not much. These stupid books have zero information. It's all, wyrdmarks need magic in the blood to work. They can be used to do almost anything. Portals can be opened between worlds. Nothing I don't already know. It's so frustrating."

"I'd ask what I can do to help... But... I don't understand any of these signs." I opened one of the books and the first page had a wyrdmark that meant portal.

"Anything with this mark or this one put in this pile. If not just put it somewhere over there." I pointed at the huge mound of books that I had collected and flipped through over the past month. "Then cross the name off on that list. I'm planning on returning them all this week and getting more."

She sat down. "Why aren't you enjoying your stay here?" I lifted my eyes to look at her.

"You wouldn't understand," I told her and went back to reading my book. She went back to flipping through in silence.

"My daughter doesn't deserve the fate I gave her. And I don't want her to live a life without joy while I enjoy myself here. I did that once. To my people. I became an assassin and lived in luxury while my people suffered. I won't do that again. Not to my people and especially not to my daughter." I went back to reading.

"Aelin? For what it's worth. I think you may be the least selfish person I've ever met. And I mean it. From what I've heard you have atoned for whatever selfish things you've done in the past. The coffin, the lock, the room. That was you being selfless. You are willing to die for them, Aelin. You're willing to fight for those who can't fight for themselves." She said and looked at me.

"It won't ever be enough, though, Mor. No matter what I do. I'm a Queen. I have to do these things for my people. For my family."

"No. Giving yourself up is always a choice. I know plenty of Queens and lords that wouldn't do that for their people, Aelin. Keep being selfless. And if you sometimes you're selfish your people will forgive. You're fae, Aelin."

"Fine! You win! Let's go find some chocolate cake." I said while casting my book aside and throwing my hands in the air.

"Seriously? That's you indulging yourself?" She asked me with a raised brow.

"Chocolate is life. If chocolate didn't exist I don't think I could live," I told her as I walked towards the door. "You coming?" Mor stood up quickly a wicked smile on her face.

As we walked to the kitchens we bumped into Amren.

"Where are you two going?" She asked suspiciously.

Mor opened her mouth to answer, but I elbowed her before saying "The library!"

"Seriously, Aelin? You know the library is that way." Amren pointed behind us and Mor just glared at me. "And I know you know that because you go there practically every day. So where are you really going?"

"Fine if you must know. We're going to the kitchen," I said with an overly dramatic sigh.

"Let me guess. You're going to go steal some chocolate cake." Amren said. "You are insufferable, Aelin." She said before walking off.

"Aelin this is a bad idea," Mor said as I crept into the kitchen.

"It's an amazing idea. One, it's cake. Two, if you don't want it then just don't tell on me because I want that cake."

"Ugh. Fine." She leaned against the door as I grabbed the cake on the counter.

As we walked back to my room, hardly containing our laughter we nearly ran into Feyre. I quickly hid the cake behind my back and pretended to look innocent. When Mor almost laughed I stomped on her foot and she immediately stopped.

Feyre eyed us suspiciously. "What are you two up to?" she asked. "And what are you hiding?"

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing at all," I replied with a shake of my head.

"Then let me see your hands, Aelin." I looked at Mor and frowned before showing Feyre the cake.

Her eyes widened dramatically. "You two were going to eat that by yourselves?" She asked.

"Well, I would've eaten it by myself but Mor was helping me so it's only fair that I share it with her," I told her with a wicked grin.

"I won't tell Rhys on one condition... I can have some," Feyre said.

I looked at Mor and she shrugged. "Deal!"

We sat down on the floor of my room.

"Wow. That's a lot of books." I just waved it off and dug into the cake. Mor and Feyre started eating the cake, too.

"I'm returning them all this week. Anyway, they're all completely useless," I said while eating the cake. "This cake is good," I mumbled around my mouthful of cake.

"They're all useless?" I nodded.

"All portal and wyrdmark basics. Like I don't already know that. I just need books about what marks to use to travel between worlds and the mark for my world. I got here by drawing a symbol of mountains and stars." I told them while I stuffed my face with cake.

"Makes sense. That's the Night Court symbol," Mor said and I nodded.

"I've been looking through the translation books for any mention of Erilea or Terrasen or really any place that's familiar. I think there might be another symbol to key into what world you want to travel to, but I'm not really sure."

"Aelin? Could you maybe teach me some? I mean I would really like to be able to visit you when you go back to your home." Feyre asked me. My mind flashed back to when I had asked Nehemia the same question.

I nodded with a wicked smile on my face.