A Court of Nightmares and Rejects

Chapter thirteen

It reeked of blood down here, and there was still lingering scents of alcohol, fear, pain, lust and vomit. Azriel's nose wrinkled the moment we stood outside the caves gaping mouth. I rolled my shoulders in anticipation, my fingers twitching to grab the blade at my side. 

"Don't worry; you'll get used to it." I told him blandly, "There are few decent rooms in here, because Amarantha had some favouritism a few years ago." I told him blandly, ignoring how his heated gaze made me feel. "Or we can have the luxury of sleeping in the cells down below." My family and I had to stay down there, but in a different roomed-place or something from Feyre. Cursebreaker. The word echoed through my mind as I began to drift inside, Az on my heels.

My daggers were in my hands as I stalked through partly familiar surroundings, hallways of jagged rock and stone, breathing became unbearable as I stopped in a doorway, Azriel walking into the back of me, murmuring a quiet apology, before peering over my shoulder.

I stared at the place where Amarantha's body had been. Where Feyre's had been. And the two faerie along with them. All gone. Any mark left no trace. I already knew someone had cleaned it up, but not so smoothly. "It's like we're back, but it never happened." I mumbled, somehow able to voice my comment, with barely any oxygen in my lungs. As though noticing my shoulders didn't lift with a breath, Azriel held my upper arm, "Breathe. It's over. She's gone." He told me, "Breathe. We're in a much safer situation." I obeyed him, but my mind didn't leave the haunted place it was in.

My wings mentally shivered against the cold, I stepped into the throne room, and surprisingly, without Az protesting, I strode over to the shitty throne, clenching the arm support and kicked it, though my foot hurt more, obviously, I still grumbled, "She sat on this for fifty years, and only got crueller throughout her time here."

"Ciana, I don't want you to get too far into your memories, maybe we should go find somewhere to set camp? Somewhere for us to meet if we get driven apart?" I sighed, nodding. I took longer than most would to turn away from the throne. "You know, everyone's different. Rhys can't stomach coming here, but you can. For..." For the Court of Nightmares, he can go. I can't. I can't, I can't-

"Cia, calm down. Please show me where you think those rooms are?" I bit the inside of my cheek, side-stepping past the Spymaster and began stalking towards an alcove on the left behind the wall. A door lay un-seen to whoever would bow down to her, and I scowled at the handle now, Az trailing behind me as I tugged on it, it quietly opened, as though someone had oiled it... recently.

Azriel tensed behind me, he obviously thought the same. I clenched my dagger harder in my hand, "Keep your guard up." I whispered, and entered the secret passage-way.

We went to the very end of the hallway, ducking into the last room. A frilled white sheet that was covered in a small bit of dust covered a mattress, a picture of a dead female hung on the wall, I shuddered upon seeing it.

Az acted quickly, stuffing whatever we didn't need at the moment under the pillows, picking up the sheets and silently waving them in the air, dust billowing harmlessly in the air, I stepped out of the way, not wanting to cough and possibly be too loud, blowing our cover for whoever could be close. Azriel took one looking at the hanging painting and pulled it down hastily, leaning it against a chest of drawers. 

"We can't afford to have one of us caught at night and slaughtered before the other even gets there, it is better if we... stick together." Azriel said, his face going slightly pink. The Shadowsinger blushing is probably something not too many people had witnessed. Well, Mor, Elain and Gwyn had probably all seen it countless times. Jealousy gripping my heart in a wrought iron-handed grip.

I'll sleep... on that sofa." I told him, nodding towards a sea-green cushioned sofa on the far wall, feet away from the bed. "Are you sure? You could take the bed instead? Or-" He cut himself off, and I didn't let myself wonder what his suggestion would be. "No, no. I will take the sofa. I'll be fine. Are we going to start searching today or tomorrow?"

"I'd say tomorrow. It will be almost midnight right now. We need at least some rest before getting up and searching. We need to talk strategy, too." Azriel eyed me, "Did you eat before we left?" 
"Ye-" Wait, I technically couldn't say that now, because it is a sign I am harming myself by starving my body, Azriel's devilish grin told me he was thinking exactly that. "No, I didn't, Shadowsinger. But I'm pretty sure you already knew that." I mumbled, "And I didn't try to harm myself, I just forgo-"

"I would have known if you did it on purpose, Boo." Azriel chuckled, pulling off the bag from his shoulder, "It would've made the tattoo disappear." I put my boots beside the foot of the sofa, stretching before Az opened the bag, drawing out some bread and two apples. "The most prized possessions of Prythian." He said sarcastically. I snorted, and he handed me an apple.

We ate in silence, munching filling the awkward quiet. Azriel had put his 'casting shield' around the room so no scent or sound could be heard. We moved the drawers after that to stand in front of the door, blocking anyone from entering.

After I wiped the juice of the fruit on my pants, I dislodged my weapons and shoved them under the sofa, tucking them in safely. I then put a knife under one of the cushions. Az raised a brow as I did so. "I'm taking the comment you said back in Velaris, and putting something under my head." I mumbled. He chuckled, leaning back on his bed.

It felt awkward to have Azriel's gaze on me, as I swallowed, "I'm going to go draw a bath." I muttered, thank the Mother that there was a bathing room hanging off of the wall. Az quickly put another shield around it, too, so it wouldn't raise suspicion. After thanking him, I made my way inside, to see a dusty yet clean towel. Well, better than a used one. I shook it out, and placed it a few feet away from a rusty white-polished tub. 

When I turned on the tap, I gritted my teeth, the water was ice-cold. I closed the door to the bedroom and waited a few minutes for it to rise. I finally stopped it when the water rose to halfway. I stripped off of my clothing and sank into the water, clenching my jaw against the freezing liquid that met my bare skin. There was no shampoo nearby, or soap for that matter, though if it were a bar of soap there was no way in hell I was going to use it. So I sat there for a few moments, until my skin was left like gooseflesh and I felt numb, then I pushed myself up, and stepped out. 

I dried myself quickly, and shoved my shirt and pants back on, just carrying my leathers back into the bedroom. Azriel was lying down on his bed. "I bathed before coming to see you and Rhys." He explained. 

"No explanation was needed, but thank you?" I said, dropping the leathers to the side of the sofa, I pushed my wings against the backrest, and laid my head on the arm. Azriel stared at me for a couple of moments. "You do understand, if you have a bad dream, there is no flying out of windows. You have to tell me." He whispered softly.

"I know, Azzy." I sighed, "And because of that, I am determined to not sleep tonight." He let out a breathy laugh, hazel eyes dancing in the candlelight that kept the room in a dim glow. "You're sleeping, whether you like it or not."

I grumbled, but a smile bloomed nonetheless, "Good night then, Shadowsinger." I told him, he winked in reply, turning to the nightstand, and he exhaled, the candle flickered out, and he were plunged into darkness.

A/N:

Hi my amazing, brilliant, awesome readers !
I made two chapters in a day ! And I feel like making a third ! AAAAAAH ! Lockdown is doing something to me, I swear !
I hope you are all well and enjoying the story so far, I'd love to see your theories in the comments, and please do vote ! It means the world to me, because I'm usually critisized for how bad my writing is, and people think I'm weird that I like to write in my free time, so I'd be so happy for anything.
Thank you so much for the votes and views, I am literally shocked, I don't even know that many people! 
Love you all xx