A Court Of Shadow and Blood

☆ The Phoenix Burns ☆

From Valhallan, where Yven had gone, was the ethereal Queen Vittori. She was beautiful and dressed in the finest, her hair shorn from her skull and tattoos stippled onto her scalp, her religion not of the Mother's and her cauldron, but of the sea. Eblis liked Vittori, who was graceful and witty yet not so vain of her beauty to flaunt it. She, during the negotiations, was quiet, her quicksilver eyes never leaving Eblis on her throne.

From Rask, where Jace had traveled, Eblis met their Holiness, Umy. The faerie was young, their hair braided and their face open. But Umy, while named leader, did not speak, and instead was spoken for by their guard, Ven. And another guard, Ino. And another, Yui. They seemed to love their leader, but did not trust them to not make any mistakes. It was a suspicious thing to notice, but she really had no place to judge them when they were there to help.

They talked for hours, the sun rising high and cascading through the windows high above her shoulders. When the clouds turned gloomy, and the rain finally began to fall, she called a halt to their discussion. She thanked them, assured with their talk of trade finally opening Hybern up to the rest of the world from where it had festered in a stagnant pond of exchanging hands.

As she watched them gather themselves, Eblis realized she knew little of their situations. She did not know if Eden was truly holy or if he merely claimed to be, to garner support; she did not know if Vittoria was well-liked or barely holding her throne, for Valhallan seemed to have a prejudice against females—or perhaps just Vittoria herself—given how her guards sneered at her behind her back; and she did not know if Umy had been threaded through a needle and tricked into being leader, if they were actually ambitious and had gotten the throne for themselves, or if they had come to it by circumstance. It irked her, but when she turned to give Requeza a glance over, she found the female equally scrutinizing and contemplative. Eblis smiled.

She had nothing to worry about for the female.

The advisors remained quiet during the meeting, and when the leaders were leaving, they remained quieter still. Requeza saw them off, Eblis only offering a calm, blank smile from the doors of her throne room. After all was said and done, her entirety of her spies gathered around her, awaiting the final words of their Spymaster. The thought by itself made her throat tighten.

Feyre and Azriel were still near her.

"Any updates on Asryun?" she asked, walking from the room and the bloodstain before the throne.

"She is nowhere to be seen."

She nodded, face tight. "I am sorry. We'll hold a burial for her one day." Eblis conveyed as much sincerity as she could, truly wishing that Asryun had returned, or that she would walk around a corner with a mischievous smile and a glimmer in her wolf-yellow eyes. But she wouldn't. And that would have to do.

Before she could ask, Kilow said, mind to mind, Imillion is ready for travel.

Alright. Thank you. I'll be there soon.

The female dipped her chin in acknowledgment and winnowed away, Wenry close behind. Patrasche, Yven, and Jace stayed, staring at her.

Eblis took a deep breath. "As I'm sure you've become aware, Imillion died by my side, as well as the Princess. I've become Queen Regent, but Requeza will be the leader in my place."

In true, bloodthirsty Daemati Council fashion, they hardly blinked. They only seemed solemn for a second, before they straightened. They asked what they could do.

"Protect and help Requeza. She is your new Spymaster and Queen. Yven," she said, catching the male's attention. The hulking figure flickered a gaze to her. "You're light on your feet. Why don't you be General, too. With the Queen's permission of course." The male smiled and nodded a head, and he and the others winnowed away as well. She watched the empty hall for a few moments, a blur in her gaze. She would see them soon, she assured herself.