| BOOK TWO - A COURT OF ASH AND SMOKE | Lovers separated, powers that won't be controlled, a doomed wedding. With the threat of war looming over Prythian, Lucien, You, Tamlin, and Rhysand's Inner Circle must scramble to find allies and prepare thems...
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"So, the girl knows now?" Amren asked, those silver eyes narrowing as she looked you up and down, taking in my form as you entered the room and perched in one of the chairs opposite Rhysand's desk. You bristled under her intense stare; she had always intimidated you, and without anyone having to tell you, you knew that she was something far more from fae, something far more dangerous.
"She knows," was all you said, leaning back in the chair as all eyes seemed to turn to you. But you didn't falter - you were in control. "And it would seem I have abilities that will be helpful in the upcoming war."
"More like vital," Rhys murmured under his breath. You glanced over at him; you could see the tension in his shoulders as he leant against the edge of his desk, glancing over the various papers strewn out before him. He finally looked up, looking at each of you once: Mor, Amren, Azriel, Cassian, and you. The small group of mix-matched people that would apparently be plotting and planning an entire war. "Hybern is amassing armies. Most of Amarantha's creatures have crawled out of that damned mountain and sulked back to Hybern already."
"Not all of them," Azriel commented quietly. "There have been reports of creatures on the borders of Autumn, Summer, and Spring."
You swallowed down your dry throat at the thought of those monsters being anywhere near Lucien, but shook the idea away. You have to focus. It was Rhys that spoke next. "This route seems the most plausible for his armies to take, straight through the Summer Court," he said slowly, trailing a finger along the thick red line on one of the maps that you had found yourself studying days earlier. "And then he'll no doubt make his way through Spring to get to the Wall. If he wants to shatter it, that's his best route."
"When do we think he will strike?" Cassian asked, raising an eyebrow as he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the bookcase. "Do we have time to muster allies?"
"We can only hope," Rhys sighed. He pushed himself from the desk, looking over at Cassian. "What of the Illyrians? Is there a chance that they might fight alongside us?"
"Certain camps might," Cassian shrugged. "Windhaven most likely, and if one comes then the others will follow, if it really comes down to it."
"Let us hope that it won't," Rhysand said with a small nod. "If only we could find a way to stop Hybern getting to the Wall at all - maybe then we'd stand a chance of stopping this bloody war before it even begins."
There was a tense silence that fell across the room. You all knew what it meant, what Rhysand was suggesting, but no one seemed willing to say it. You knew that their silence was because of your presence, you could feel their concern as their eyes flicked from you, to Rhys, and back again.
"We need to ally with Spring," you said quietly. 'We need to ally with Tamlin'.
Rhysand's jaw clenched, and you were sure you caught the way he bit the inside of his cheek before he spoke. "That's one option," he said slowly.
