A Court of Secrets and Shadows

Chapter Thirteen

Cassian was howling and Nyx had a small smile on her face. No one really explained anything about the Fae world to her.

She listened to the rest explain what Illyrians were. And to her next question. "I didn't see you Under the Mountain."

"Because none of us were." Mor said

"Amarantha didn't know they existed. And when someone tried to tell her, they usually found themselves without a mind to do so." Rhysand said a tiny bit of his mask falling into place.

"You truly kept this city, and all these people hidden for fifty years?" She asked making Nyx's eyes harden. It wasn't a threat she told herself calming her shadows.

"We will continue to keep this city and these people hidden from our enemies for a great many more." Amren said not as an answer but as a promise. A promise we were all apart of.

Nyc could see Feyre's inner turmoil and Mor was the one to continue. "There is not one person in this city who is unaware of what went on outside these borders. Or the cost." Mor said strongly. Nyx found herself nodding, she had countless spies on the other side when they got trapped. Most stayed hidden and laid low, a few though were killed.

Feyre asked about how they all met. And Nyx didn't particularity like sharing their whole life story to a Fae they just met, but she stayed silent.

When Nyx started to hear Cassian tell the story about how they met she tuned it out knowing the shadows would alert her when it's her time to speak. Instead she focused on the female across the table for her.

She wore a blue dress. She was truly beautiful. Rhysand was lucky. She listened with a small amount of joy as Cassian described his and Rhys first encounter. But her face turned hard. Because he was a bastard.

"And you were friends after that?"

"No—— Cauldrons no," Rhysand said making Nyx chuckle remembering how her and Azriel often had to pull them out of brawls before someone would catch them and get all of them lashes. She didn't hear half of what he said only focusing again when he said "but it wasn't until the twins arrived a year later we decided to be allies."

From besides her Cassian clapped Nyx on the shoulder and reached around her to get Azriel. "Two new bastards in the camp- both untrained shadowsingers to boot. Not to mention neither could even fly thanks to—" Cassian was thankfully cut off by Mor.

  Both twins faces had gone cold at the thoughts that plagued both of them.

"Rhys and I made Az's life a living hell, shadowsinger or no." His face brightened "We were to scared to make Nyx's life hard" the table laughed lightly. Then his face fell.

"Bastards are treated like they are nothing but the males can still fight. Females though. Illyrians think Female bastards aren't worth anything." His face hardened at the thought of what they did to her so Nyx took over storytelling.

"Females are already the lowest at the camp only kept around for breeding. But no one wants to breed with a bastard. I was somewhat "lucky" since I was a shadowsigner, some would overlook the fact I was a bastard just to breed a shadowsigner." Across from her Cassian let out a low snarl. "But for normal bastards most of the time they are used as toys for the other males in the camps enjoyment. But Rhsand's mother made it known that I was to be left alone. They still tried to make my life hell. I would get lashings almost daily for something I didn't do perfectly, but I managed." Nyx chuckled slightly "But even full blood Illyrian females are treated like nothing, before Rhysand banned it, females used to get their wings clipped on their first bleed so they wouldn't be able to fly. Instead just used as breeding tools." Around her the whole table went silent, all remembering the cruelty of the camps.

"I- My talents were considered wasted to Rhysands father, he took me out of the camps and trained me to be his shadowsinger." She told Feyre, not telling her whole story to a female she barely knew.

Rhys knowing she didn't want to talk anymore about what happened during those years. Not even Azriel knew all of it.

"My father was a brutal man, he destroyed every sense of the female we used to know. So when they came back to camp for the first time in twelve years we didn't know what to do. At this time the war was starting and he realized how powerful we became. So he separated us." It wasn't a lie, but wasn't the full truth. Nyx herself destroyed the female she used to be.

"He gave Rhy's a legion that hated the fact he was a half breed to command, threw me into the ranks to be a common foot soldier even though my power out ranked all of the war-Leaders. And he took the twins with him to do his dirty work. His pet shadowsingers." Cassian all but growled out.

Nyx just rolled her eyes, in their eyes Orin would always be the evil male. And she wouldn't defend all his actions but he saved her life multiple times. He made her into what she was today and for that shell always be thankful.

The conversation continued and Feyre told her story. Hot rage flashed through Nyx. How could someone let that happen. Humans really were useless creatures.

Nyx felt grateful when Cassian offered to train the new Fae. But what she said next made her even more angry.

Nyx felt disgusted at the thought someone would waste that power. A Faes power was meant to be honed and used, if it wasn't it would become uncontrollable and unpredictable. Someone would deny her the option to train, Nyx knew how it felt.

Conversation headed towards war again and She payed attention this time but in the middle of it her shadows came and whispered to her. The High Lord is her mate. It whispered into her ear She glanced at Azriel who obviously just got the same message.

Does he know She asked Azriel from the shadows sending them to him.

I don't know for sure. He might suspect, though I can't feel the bond between them yet. He answered eyes staying on the people talking.

"Go to the Prison. Talk to the Bone Carver." She heard Amren say getting the twins to pay attention again.

"We'll go. The Prison sentries know us— know what we are." Nyx told Rhysand. Knowing full well Azriel would want to see the Carver.

They would spend hours with him. He knew everything and they loved knowledge. He trusted them, to a point. Or just preferred them over the others.

But Nyx understood when Amren said he wouldn't talk to them if they went.

He's been dying to talk to Feyre ever since she was reborn. Has been nagging Nyx and Azriel to go get her for him. And if they went there without her. And him full well knowing she's now In their possession for the foreseeable future he would be angry with them. So she let it sit and Azriel obviously got the same idea because he didn't protest.

"Tell him I say Hello then." Nyx said with a slight smile to Feyre still feeling slightly off having someone so new sitting in the 'family' dinner but despite that Feyre clearly fit into their crazy little group like she's always been there. She sipped her crystal glass sitting back slightly in her chair and let the conversation wash over her, feeling a wave of affection for the misfit group of Fae.