Born in the shadow of Amarantha's brutal reign, 𝑵𝒆𝒑𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒆 has never seen the world beyond temple walls. Raised in isolation at the foot of the mountains in Cesere, her life has been one of ritual, restraint, and restless longing for answers she's longed stopped asking for. But when Hybern's forces descend on her temple months after Amarantha's fall, she is forced to watch her sanctuary burn - and with it, the only family she's ever known.
Rescued by her court's High Lord, she is offered refuge in the House of Wind, a place where ancient magic breathes over stone and scarred wings silhouette a starlit sky. But grief leaves her hollow, and dreams of blood-stained snow and a tether to something unknown stalk her sleep in the library beneath the House.
As war builds on the horizon, Nephele draws the attention of Rhysand's Inner Circle. His spymaster, 𝑨𝒛𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒍, cannot understand why his shadows seek her out. His general, 𝑪𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒂𝒏, is haunted by the sense that he's known her far longer than he should. His second-in-command, Amren, scents forgotten secrets slumbering beneath her skin. His cousin and confidant, Mor, watches as the threads of fate weave together despite the unraveling caused by Nephele's arrival.
But something stirs in her blood. A power she never knew. A truth she was never told - buried beneath a life built on lies. To stop what is coming, Nephele must uncover what was taken from her. She must decide what - and who - she's willing to fight for before the Cauldron comes to full power.
And what it will take to awaken the 𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓 within her heart.
═══════
𝑨𝑪𝑶𝑴𝑨𝑭 - ...
𝒔𝒍𝒐𝒘-𝒃𝒖𝒓𝒏 𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆
⋆⁺₊❅. 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘹 𝘧𝘦𝘮!𝘰𝘤 𝘹 𝘢𝘻𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘭
⁺.❆₊⋆𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵
ACOTAR- Azriel/OC
Volume I in the A Court of Secrets Series
-
Five hundred years ago, the Princess of the Night Court was slaughtered in the Illyrian wilderness. Her wings were torn from her back. Her head was put in a box and thrown down the river for her brother to find. Her story ended the way it was told- through blood and suffering and death.
At least, that's what everyone thought.
But there are secrets she took to the grave-
And one of them is that she's still alive.
Now, as war with Hybern looms and the cracks in the Night Court begin to splinter, her return sets off a chain reaction that no one is ready for.
Allegiances shift. Truths are questioned.
And the story everyone thought they knew begins to unravel-
One bloody, burning lie at a time.
-
Special thanks to @fxckmiup and @crimson_text for their support, encouragement, and editing.