A Court of Song and Shadow

Chapter 37

"Velaris, have you come to steal chocolate again?" Marie asks when she sees me.

"That only happened like one time!" I laugh as Marie places both hands on her hips.

"It happens every other day." She points out and I just pat her on the shoulder as I step around Az to go into the cabinent where the chocolate was. I gasp when I do not see any in there.

"You hid it from me?" I demand, and look to Marie with wide eyes. She laughs a jolly laugh as she points to Azriel.

"He helped me hide them from you."

"Az!" I shriek and he tries to hold back a laugh but fails. I hear children's laughter and watch in dismay as Nuala and Cerridwen run in between us--stuffing their face with chocolate. I watch as they round the corner and then I look to Azriel with my eyebrows raised which makes him smile even more.

"Your mother needs some herbs for something, I will be right back." Marie takes a bowl of some type of leaf and walks out of the kitchens with a smirk on her face--leaving it to just the two of us.

"You do not come down here unless you want chocolate," Az points out, "Or something is wrong."

"Neither do you." I point out as I lift myself up as I sit on the countertop, plucking a strawberry from its stem and plopping it into my mouth. I raise my eyebrows at him as I await his response.

"You first." He leans against the countertop beside me.

"I had to get away from Mor before I strangled her." I admit, still chewing on the strawberry.

"How is she?" Az asks, and I clench my fists at the question. She is one of his closest friends, I had no right to withhold information from him all because she said something I did not like.

"She is healing great--on the outside. On the inside, it will take a good while before she will be completely okay." I admit to him, and he just nods his head.

"Your father has finally called me to the battlefield. I leave tonight." Azriel looks to me and suddenly everything around us feels insignificant.

"Well at least you will be with Rhys and Cass." I point out--trying to sound hopeful, "And Mor and I are going to join you guys when she is ready."

"Your father has ordered Rhys, Cass, and I to all be in different legions. We will not be fighting beside one another."

"That bastard," I mumble, "Why would he not want the three most powerful soldiers he has to fight beside each other?"

"You know the answer to that." Az says lowly. A creeping sensation begins to form down my back when I realize Azriel will be going off to battle--and anything could happen.

"Any news about the Spring Court?" I change the subject.

"They still our fighting on our side," Azriel shrugs, "For now." 

"Are you nervous?" I ask him and he raises his eyebrows at me.

"Nervous?" He asks with a smile.

"For battle, father has sent you on missions before but this is different," I try to explain how I am feeling, "We have all trained for battle--but are any of us ready for it?"

"We have to be." Azriel says, not answering the question. We sit in silence for a long moment, and then I watch as Azriel leaves for the other room and comes back with a handful of chocolates. I jump off the counter in excitement as I run over to him and take the chocolate.

"I could kiss you right now." I say before I can stop myself, and my eyes widen at the words that had just come out of my mouth. My stomach drops but then Azriel begins laughing and it eases my nerves. I begin eating the chocolate and all my other worries seem to float away--just for a moment.

"We will all not see each other on the battlefield for a while," Az tells me as I continue to stuff my face with chocolate, "The Valkyrie are not fighting with any of our three legions."

"We will all find our way back to each other," I say, more to myself than to him, "We always do."

His eyes seem to focus on something far away, as if he were remembering everything we all had endured together so far--and how we managed to find our way back home to each other every time.

"Until then, I have a gift for you." I say as confidently as I can, not wanting to let my nerves show.

"For me?" He asks.

"Yes, you have to close your eyes though." I say as I reach into my shadows to pull out what I have been wanting to give him for months. He narrows his eyes at me but does not close them, "Az! Close them!" He lets out a chuckle as he closes his eyes, "Now hold your hands out."

He holds out his scarred hands and I place my gift in his hands, he opens one eye at a time and does not move for a second--just observing what I placed in his hands.

"A dagger? What for?" Azriel asks, now taking the dagger and observing it.

"Just because," I lie, I knew Azriel had wanted an Illyrian dagger for a long time now, "I tried taking up blacksmithing while I was stuck in the House of Wind, but I found I was not the best at it so that is the first and last thing I will ever make." I give him a nervous smile as he unsheathes the dagger from its scabbard and reads the runes on it.

"Truth-teller?"

"Do you like it?" I ask nervously.

"I love it." Azriel smiles a bright smile at me and I think that might just be the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. We stand there for a moment before he decides to speak, "Well this--"

"No goodbyes." I cut him off, not willing to let him say goodbye to me because I refuse to acknowledge this is the last time we will see each other for a while, "I will see you soon, Az."

"I will see you  soon, Velaris." Az smiles sadly and I have to force myself to walk away from him. I do not have to look back to know his eyes were on me the whole time I was walking away. I find myself back in my mother's rooms where Mor was lounging on the balcony--reading a letter.

"What is that?" I ask curiously.

"So now you are no longer mad at me?" Mor asks with her eyebrows raised, I try snatching the paper from her but she quickly puts it out of my reach with a smirk.

"No, cousin, I am no longer mad at you." I say in a monotone voice, and she gives me a feline smile as she holds the letter up.

"Our dearest Rhysand has apparently had a meeting with a human rebel army and their leader. He has asked us to meet with them and the human queens in a weeks time to discuss how they are able to join us." She explains to me.

"That seems awfully out of our expertise area, how come my father is not meeting with them? Or any other High Lords?" I ask.

"You think your father wants to fight beside humans? Or any other High Lord for that matter?" Mor points out and I nod my head in agreement.

"Did Rhysand gives us the names of the people we are meeting with?"

"Not the Queens, I assume we will be introduced when we get there--he did give us the rebel leaders name," She looks at the paper again, looking for the name.

"Jurian."