❝ Sometimes I feel like I have changed into something unrecognizable, but then I see you, and the love I feel tethers me back to this earth ❞
Maiya was walking a fine line. On one side was safety; her brother and mother and love, but the other was c...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
ℑllyrians had settled across the mountains to the north of the Night Court, in a variety of different places which I had yet to ever visit and doubt I ever would. The northernmost camps, where Azriel came from, were often covered in snow and ice for most parts of the years, with a brief period of warmth for the summer. The easternmost parts of Illyria had no fixed camps. The people there moved around with the changing of seasons, training along the way. The westernmost camps were warmer than all the others, right by the sea as Velaris was, and my mother had always talked about wanting to go and experience it.
She, and my brother, had both trained in the southernmost camps, that bordered the edge of the mountains and the land around it. I had only been once, remembering the hustle of the markets and the sights and sounds. It had been nothing like I had ever known, and I'd often wished that I could go back.
"This is Windhaven." Azriel explained as I looked around. It was one of the central camps in Illyria, located in the midst of the mountain range and only truly accessible by flight or winnowing. "It's the centre camp, the one directly in the middle of the other territories. It's where the most elite of the warriors are sent to train."
"So, no women here then?" The Illyrians view of women was not a high one, and it was comparable to that of the Hewn City. I could only hope that when I finally took control of Hewn that I would be able to change that, and Rhysand and whoever helped him rule, would be able to help the Illyrian women.
"None, apart from mothers who are dropping their sons off." I looked around the wooden cabins and large training grounds with an unimpressed expression on my face. I preferred my own home. This felt too exposed, the camp spread out far more than the winding streets of Hewn, and the men here did not fear me.
Azriel was beside me, the seven syphons glowing on his armour. His shadows were flicking with agitation, eyes narrowed as he searched for the leader, Devlon, who was supposed to come and speak with me.
I could guarantee that the reason he was taking so long was because I was a woman.
Azriel turned to sneer at another pair of leering Illyrians, who were looking my body up and down. It was probably the first time they'd seen a woman here who wasn't their mother, so I paid it little heed. I could beat them in a fight anyway.
"I swear, if they do not take their eyes off of you," Azriel shot them a cold glare as I turned to look up at his clenched jaw. "I'll kill them."
"Az." I sent him a warm look and a calming grin. "I really love that you would do that for me, but you can not. We do not need to cause an uproar just yet and it will be my job when we do. No need to make them despise you."
