Daylight

Chapter 41

The Spring Court forest was so much quieter than Lucien remembered. There had always been a peaceful isolation about it, but this seemed like a much more unnatural quiet. Lucien could understand why Feyre had struggled here. This was the kind of place where someone could drown in their own thoughts if they let themselves become carried away. Velaris was full of vibrant colors and laughter and energy. It was exactly what she had needed to bring her broken spirit back to life.

Lucien stalked through the trees, avoiding paths he knew were regularly monitored by sentries. He wasn't sure how many Tamlin even had anymore or how frequently they patrolled, but Lucien thought it best to take routes that were less traveled.

Even by taking the tangled, overgrown paths, Lucien still reached the manor in under a day. He was grateful that he had slept most of the previous day. Traveling through the woods at night was definitely more dangerous but less likely to be detected by sentries. It wasn't yet noon by the time he saw the manor in the distance.

It looked as serene as a painting. There must have been a few servants still staffed since nothing appeared out of place. The gardens were still meticulously maintained, and Lucien couldn't help but think of how much Elain would love it here. There were fields of wildflowers as far as the eye could see, but the manor gardens alone would probably leave her speechless. He wished that things had worked out differently so he could bring her here to marvel at the endless spring.

Lucien had been thinking about how he wanted to approach the manor the entire time he'd stalked through the forest. He knew the land and the layout of the house well enough and was confident that he could sneak in and out without being caught. But he was no lowly thief. Not that the wings were Tamlin's rightful property to begin with, but Lucien was not going to skulk in and out like a bandit in the night. Regardless of what the outcome was, he was going to confront this lingering tension with Tamlin... if Spring's High Lord was even here.

So, he marched right up the gravel road leading to the manor, up the stairs, and through the front door.

One of the maids saw him first. She was a woodland faerie like Alis. He recognized her—her name was Dryzi and she had a daughter who worked in the kitchens that happen to make the best cherry cordial pie in all of Prythian. Lucien had made a point to learn all the servants' names when he'd lived here. Dryzi let out a tiny gasp of surprise and rushed off, no doubt to alert Tamlin.

Lucien sighed. Whether he was ready for this or not, the time to turn back had long since passed. He didn't wait in the foyer for Dryzi to reach Tamlin. Rather, he climbed the stairs and went in search of the High Lord himself. The dining room had been empty when Lucien passed by it, so chances were Tamlin was either in his room or in his study. Lucien opted to check Tamlin's room first. Even if he didn't find Tamlin, he knew that's where the wings were kept in any case.

He slowly creaked the door to Tamlin's room open, but it was empty. The wings were splayed wide in a glass cabinet against the wall opposite Tamlin's bed. Lucien's lip curled at the sight of them on display, like a hunter's trophy.

He approached the case and studied it, trying to figure out the best way to remove the wings and transport them without damaging them any further, all the while listening for any sounds of movement outside the door.

He peered around the room, looking for something to wrap the wings in once he'd removed them from the case. Lucien retrieved one of the spare sheets from a chest of drawers and laid it out flat on the floor.

The sun shone in through the window, illuminating the thin layer of dust across the duvet. Tamlin clearly hadn't slept in here for some time, a fact that Lucien found odd and foreboding.