A Court of Wings and Fate

27. Shadowy Touches

    "It sounds like you've been there often enough."

    Lysander nodded. "Mom and Aunt Feyre visit it frequently. I used to go with them when I had more spare time."

    "Do you paint?"

    "Estelle and I both do."

    "I didn't know that," Mikael remarked.

    Estelle gave a wry laugh. "I'm not very good at it. I just do finger paintings. Lysander has all the talent."

    "You're just as talented as me, Essie," Lysander replied, rolling his eyes. "You use different methods, that's all."

    "Do you paint, Nyx?" Sienna asked.

    Nyx shrugged. "Every now and then. I used to like pottery when I was younger."

    "I remember that," Corbin laughed. "You spent more time flinging clay onto us than you did actually shaping it." He slung an arm over Nyx's shoulder.

    "Where is your home?" Mikael asked, leaning closer to Estelle.

    "You can't see it from here. It's closer to Rhys and Feyre's estate."

    "Oh, what's this?" Celeste exclaimed, dragging Lysander along behind her. The group changed course, trailing after them.

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    The square began to quiet down as the evening wore on, although music poured from the doors of several clubs and taverns. Mikael waited with Calden, Celeste, and Sienna while the Illyrians purchased something from a vendor who was still working. They returned, each carrying two cups of a steaming liquid.

    Estelle handed one of hers to Mikael. He sniffed it curiously. "What is it?"

    "Cinnamon apple cider. It's one of my favorite hot drinks." She sipped hers with a contented sigh.

    Mikael tasted his, then grinned. "It's delicious."

    "I think it might be better than Celeste's hot chocolate," Sienna laughed.

    "Nothing is better than my hot chocolate," Celeste scoffed.

    The squares receded behind them as they walked towards the walled banks of the Sidra. Stars reflected off the dark water. Mikael lifted his eyes to the sky for a brief moment. The stars were much brighter than the ones in the Dawn Court.

    The group passed onto a bridge and Estelle set her mug down on the railing. She pulled her pendant out from beneath her leathers and rubbed her fingers over it. "The stars are what I miss most when I'm gone," she said. "There's nothing like them. They only get brighter as the weather grows cold."

    Mikael studied her from the corner of his eye. "The ones at home will be brighter on cold nights too, but they don't compare to this."

    He braced his elbows on the railing and continued to sip his drink. Mikael glanced over his shoulder. Nyx, Corbin, and Calden were staring over the railing as well. Lysander, Sienna, and Celeste had claimed a bench.

    "I fell in once." Estelle pointed to the rippling waters below them. "I was young and hadn't learned to swim yet. I couldn't control my magic or use the shadows very well either. I managed to shield myself, but I didn't make the shield airtight. I essentially trapped myself in a bubble of water. I nearly drowned." Her voice became hushed. "I remember that I could still see the stars and, even then, I was grateful they'd be the last things I saw."

    Her shadows curled around her tightly. Umbra squeezed Mikael's arm, echoing their concern. "How did you survive?" He asked.

    "Dad rescued me." A smile flickered across her lips. "He was so worried about me that he barely let me out of his sight for a week afterwards. He refused to leave the house or attend any meetings with Rhys and Uncle Cassian."

    "I imagine that didn't go over too well?" Mikael laughed.

    "No. He only left when Mom promised she would teach me to swim as soon as possible. Nyx and I learned to swim that summer." Estelle stroked a shadow that had wrapped around her arm. "The shadows didn't like water for a long time after that."

    "I know the shadows are sentient, but to what extent? Do they have their own fears?"

    Estelle knit her brows. "It's complicated. They can move and think and speak of their own accord, but their abilities are limited to my own. If I'm weak, they're weak. If I'm strong, they're strong. If I die, they die. They have fears, but their fears are just extensions of mine. My father's shadows were afraid of fire for a long time. Now that he isn't, they aren't."

    "What kinds of things do they tell you?"

    Estelle glanced at him, grinning with amusement. "You have a lot of questions tonight."

    "I am a scholar," Mikael reminded her.

    "All right. They can tell me a person's thoughts and feelings. They can tell me what someone will do before they do it. They can warn me of danger. They talk to me as a friend. They often give nicknames to important or special people in my life. Sometimes, the nicknames are the same as the ones my father's shadows have. Other times, they're different."

    "Do they have nicknames for me?" Mikael asked.

    Estelle hesitated before answering. "Yes. I've called you by them before."

    "Feathers?"

    "No, that's my own nickname for you."

    Mikael knit his brows, thinking. "Those names you called me in the valley, after Ronan had taunted me?"

    Estelle nodded. "They call you the Angel of Dawn. Prince of Sunrises." She looked as though she would say something more, but the words never came.

    Mikael touched his hand to his sleeve. Umbra was coiled beneath it. "What do they sound like? I've wondered that ever since Umbra came to me."

    "When they talk individually, they all have different voices. Some are quiet. Some are loud. A few of them have accents. I always remember a shadow's voice after I've heard it. Most of the time, they just talk in unison. They whisper." Estelle swallowed, brushing stray curls back from her forehead. "Like this."

    She lifted her fingers to Mikael's jaw, tilting his head towards her. His heartbeat quickened and he gripped the railing tightly. Estelle brought her lips to his ears.

    "They like to curl around my ear as they speak." Her breath was warm against his skin as she murmured the words. Estelle traced her fingers around his ear. "It feels a little like this." Her fingers traced his jaw again, then ran down his neck. Mikael's chest rose and fell with uneven breaths.

    "What do they say about me?" He asked.

    "They say you're handsome. They want to hurt those who have hurt you. They believe you're special." Her voice was so soft. So quiet. Shadows tickled his arms as they drifted over to him. "Angel of Dawn." Mikael closed his eyes. "Prince of Sunrises." It felt like he could scarcely draw a breath. "Mikael."

    He leaned his head down further as her lips touched the spot beneath his ear. Estelle's nose brushed against his cheek. She threaded her fingers through the ends of his hair. Mikael loosed a heavy breath.

    "Why have they given me nicknames?" He whispered. "Why did Umbra choose to come to me?"

    "I don't know." She backed away. He felt her absence sharply, but Mikael didn't move. "I..."

    "We should get back," Nyx called. "Devlon has a full day planned for tomorrow."

    Estelle pulled her gaze away from Mikael's and spun on her heel. His heart raced uncontrollably as he watched her go. It was all he could do to keep from reaching out to her. Loud instincts hummed through his veins. He ignored them and rejoined the group, keeping a good amount of distance between himself and Estelle.