A Court of Light and Embers

Chapter Eighteen

Bryce sighed, taking a sip of her coffee. "This is bullshit. No-one has seen them, and it's been almost a week."

Hunt ran a hand through his hair, his sunball cap backwards on his head. He had forgone his traditional warrior gear and was wearing casual sweatpants and t-shirt. He had dark circles under his eyes, and had been leaving their home at dawn and not returning until after dark. Bryce had managed to convince him to take today off, and he had begrudgingly agreed.

They had spent the better half of the day pouring over news reports and blogs; anything that might have information on Aelin and Feyre's whereabouts. They had been doing this for ages, and not a single thing had popped up.

"They could be anywhere," Hunt said, chucking him phone onto the couch. "They might not even be in Lunathion anymore."

"I highly doubt that," she replied, grabbing her coffee and sitting next to him. He lay his head on her shoulder, and she ran her fingers through his hair. "They have no idea where they are. How would they know how to leave the city?"

Hunt's hand tightened on her thigh. He picked up his head slightly to press a kiss to where her neck met her shoulder. She tensed, a happy sigh escaping her lips. "We need to lure them in somehow," he murmured against her skin, his hot breath leaving goosebumps in its wake. "Something that will make them come out of hiding."

Bryce jolted, a sudden idea sparking in her brain. "When they held me hostage, Feyre put an image in my mind. Maybe we could use that against her."

Hunt sat up straight, and she pouted at her loss of warmth and that wandering mouth. "But how?"

Bryce downed the rest of her coffee. "In the vison she gave me, I felt a strong connection between her and another Fae. Maybe lovers. Somehow, we might be able to use him against her."

Hunt stood suddenly, grabbing her hand and pulling her to her feet. "I know what to do." He said roughly.

~

Bryce and Hunt stalked down the hallways of the 33rd Legion. Hunt was back in his terrifying, intimidating warrior's armour, his grey wings tucked tight against his back. Bryce smirked at the guards who gawked at them as they passed.

Hunt guided her to a massive tech room on the fourth floor, filled with the sound of tapping keyboards and the click of computer mouses. They weaved between the many cubicles, until they stopped in one occupied by a blonde woman, who blinked up at them. "Yes?"

"We need to use the Identity Originator for an open case."

She tapped away rapidly at her keyboard, and Bryce turned to Hunt with a confused face. "What an Identity Originator?"

"You can create a realistic mock-up of a wanted person for posters or the news. However, in this case, we can make a version of that male you saw, and create a video of him and broadcast it to all screens. Hopefully, this could lure them out of hiding."

She smiled at him, tilting her head. "You never fail to surprise me, Umbra Mortis." Though he didn't smile, the sparkle in his eyes was answer enough. The woman turned to them. "Whenever you're ready."

Bryce explained the male she had seen. The woman drilled her for every little detail, like the angle of his eyes, the slant of his jaw, even the depth of his voice. After putting in code after code, the woman turned her screen towards them, and there sat the beautiful, violet-eyed male she had seen in the vison. He looked like a clone; exactly the same, from the slight smirk on his full lips to the way his dark hair casually fell across his forehead.

Hunt leaned on the desk. "Are you absolutely sure this is the male you saw?" Bryce nodded, crossing her arms. He gave a few directions to the woman, who nodded and immediately turned back to her screen, lights flashing.

Hunt began to walk down the aisle back out to the front of the 33rd Legion. Bryce frowned at him. "What happens now?"

"She'll make it look like we have him captured and being tortured. We can create an audio to sound as close as we can to his real voice, and play it over the top."

Bryce pulled on a stand on her ponytail, impressed but a little nervous. "Let's hope this works. Otherwise, we might be out of options."