A Court of Ash and Fire

Chapter Fifteen

Cassian gaped at her. "Who was that?"

Aelin stared at the ground, not really seeing. "My mother."

"But... she was Fae."

Aelin slowly nodded.

"Does that mean-"

The blonde woman who had delivered dinner in her cell gently crouched beside Aelin's limp body and tucked a strand of hair behind her round ear. "Definitely human. There's no trace of a glamour, either."

A golden-brown haired woman asked gently, "was your father Fae, too?"

Aelin shook her head.

Rhysand said, "this doesn't change anything. You are still going to be held here until you give us some more answers, like what was that thing that you killed, or-"

"It's called a Valg," Aelin said wearily, slowly getting to her feet in Cassian's grip. "Otherwise known as a major pain in my ass."

Everyone's eyebrows rose. "You've battle one of those things before?" Azriel asked.

"A couple times. None of them very pleasant experiences, though."

"Do you know why they're here?"

Aelin snorted. "I don't even know where 'here' is."

Rhysand waved a hand. "Prythian."

Aelin frowned. "What?"

Rhysand's brows rose so high they were in danger of disappearing into his hairline. "You haven't heard of Prythian before?"

"Can't say I have."

"This is so weird," the red-dressed woman said, standing up and pacing the room.

"It might not be that weird, Mor," the golden-brown haired woman replied. "She could just be from another place in the world."

Rhysand shook his head. "Feyre, there are no other Fae in the world. All of them are here."

Feyre frowned and turned to Aelin. "What was your mother and father's name, Aelin?"

Aelin ignored her.

Rhysand took a step towards her. "Do you really want me to go into your mind again?"

Aelin gave him a saccharine smile. "By all means, go ahead." To further prove her compliance, she tilted her head towards him.

Rhysand merely studied her, his lips twitching. "Your eyes," he said. "They're very unique. Exactly like your mothers. And yet, I have never met a Fae with eye like yours before."

"That makes sense," Aelin said sweetly. "My mother died when I was a child."

"And I am over five hundred years old, and yet I have never seen her before."

Aelin sighed, tired of this conversation. "Look. I'm not going to tell you anything more. So why don't you just let me go and we can all be on our merry way."