A Court of Shadows and Thunder // AzrielxOC SlowBurn Romance, ACOTAR FanFiction

Chapter 63 - Chaos

Azriel knew what chaos looked like, because he had seen it many times before. In battle, when soldiers fought mercilessly, when bodies fell and the grass was painted red. It was always so fast, so unruly, so unpredictable. And right now, Azriel knew that chaos was coming. Only the thing was, he had known it was coming all along.

Azriel watched as Brianna's expression grew hard, but the fear in her eyes remained, and he remembered the first time he had decided to lie for her. He remembered when he had told himself he would tell all her secrets to his court, and how he never had, how he never would.

He watched as Dorian's eyes darted toward him and to the High Lord of the Night Court, how Yohann's vessels almost became to glow, and Azriel remembered how he had protected Brianna's secrets, how he had helped her cover them up.

Rhysand took another step forward, while Drakar remained where he was besides Amren, as everyone in the room had gone completely still, completely silent. Waiting to see what would happen, to understand what was going on.

"Amren found Drakar wandering the northern forests by himself," the High Lord spoke slowly, though every word felt heavy, "Lost, confused, bound by a spell that even I could not unravel. Tell me, how did this happen?"

The question hung in the air, as silence grew more and more. Azriel waited, unsure of what to do, unsure of what he could possibly do, as he watched Brianna stare at his High Lord. Azriel didn't know what he could do, he didn't know what he could say, because none of his words or actions could save them now. Not here, not in front of his court, of all the High Lords of the land, of the Inner Circle.

And then, Brianna tore her eyes off of Rhysand, her gaze landed on him. And he saw the sheer panic within them, and now Azriel understood something else. The question was being left unanswered because it wasn't for her, it was meant for him.

Azriel looked to Rhysand, and his violet eyes had already found him. And in them, there was something unreadable, something indiscernible. And the shadowsinger knew that, though he had lied to Rhysand many times before, he could no longer do it now.

Not here, not in front of everybody looking on at them. Not when every important fae in Prythian stood within the room, when every single invited Syren stared on, confusion riddled in their every expression.

Azriel could not lie, and Rhysand knew it too. And when the spymaster said nothing at all to his High Lord, Rhysand turned away, before Azriel could catch the look in his eyes.

"Weeks ago, there was a horde of Martax found slaughtered in the Middle," Rhysand continued on, his voice carrying out within the silenced room, "And then, a flock of butchered Naga in the forests west of Windhaven."

Rhysand turned to look toward Brianna again, but before he could speak, a voice rang out amid the crowd.

"What is the meaning of this, Rhysand?" Helion stepped out from a couple of faes, and made a gesture with a hand still holding a glass of wine, "Why must you interrupt a gathering of your own doing?"

"An interruption wouldn't be the word I would use," Amren cut in, her blood red lips still curved into a smile that irked Azriel to the bone, "An intervention, perhaps, is what I ought to call it. Something for all is us to know, something all of us should be aware of."

She looked toward Azriel again, and then her eyes glided toward Brianna, who, until now, had remained silent, almost paralysed with fear.

"Then say what it is you have to say," Helion said with a scoff, seemingly ignoring the growing tension in the room as though it were all an inconvenience, "And then we shall all get back to drinking and merrymaking."