ASTRA
Astra hadn't left her room for the remainder of the day and night. Sitting in her marble bathtub and soaking until the water chilled to an unpleasant temperature had eased the tension in her muscles from using her magic.
Even upstairs, she had been able to hear the continued argument taking place on the main level. Her father, Azriel, Nyx, and Nesta wanted to indirectly kill Eris and all his remaining brothers, aside from Lucien. For some unknown reason, her father believed that Helion would be more than willing to do it.
Astra's mother, Cassian, and Lucien were much more concerned about the warning she'd relayed from the star-spirit. Though none of them trusted Eris, they argued that he was not as bad as he presented himself to be since they had seen glimpses of a good male on several occasions.
Murmured words of comfort made their way up the stairs from Gwyn, who was trying to reassure Mor that everything would work itself out.
Amren had been silent, and Astra imagined she was bundled up next to the fire contemplating The Prison and oaths.
While most of it further soured her mood, certain parts were entertaining.
At one point, Lucien had yelled about her father now knowing what Tam had felt when he'd discovered the bargain with Feyre Under the Mountain. Astra had to give her uncle credit because not many people had the balls to throw something so obviously hypocritical back in her father's face when he was already enraged.
She'd debated if she should go back down and check to make sure Lucien was still alive but hadn't wanted to face him yet. Her worries had subsided when Elain had brought a tray of steaming hot dinner.
Astra had been pleasantly surprised to discover the reason for Elain's absence in the Dawn Court and at the family meeting earlier.
The scent had overpowered the delicious soup she'd delivered.
Though Elain must have been very early on, there was no mistaking that she was with child. Being anywhere near a potential fight was risky. The fact that she'd ever wanted to enter the bedroom at all had been astonishing since Astra had only further proved her lack of control over her magic.
Astra hadn't been surprised to sense Lucien protectively lurking in the hallway, but Elain had been all smiles and was the only one who seemed to think spending time in Autumn wouldn't be so bad since the scenery was so lovely. She'd even asked if Astra could send back any unique flower seeds and harvest meal recipes.
After dinner, Mor had paid a visit thinking it best to share a more detailed version of the story of her betrothal to Eris. Astra had known the general picture of what had occurred, but she'd never brought the topic up since it seemed to make Mor uncomfortable.
The conversation had been highly unpleasant and made Astra wish she'd been there to see Keir killed after what he had done to his own daughter.
Eris's motives for leaving Mor naked in the woods when he found her after she'd been tortured in the Court of Nightmares were still a mystery, but Astra had every intention of getting the information out of him at some point.
A restless sleep eventually found her after the sun had set, but she'd briefly awoken in the middle of the night to discover her mother asleep next to her in bed.
Privacy seemed to be a thing of the past.
Astra had considered rousing her and kicking her out, but she spotted her father in an armchair next to her bed. He'd pleaded with her in her mind to leave her mother alone. Apparently, she'd been worried that Astra would disappear in the middle of the night and had hardly slept since they'd discovered their children were missing. Astra had simply snorted and rolled over, covering her head with the blanket.
---
When Astra woke the following morning, the sky wasn't entirely light, but both her parents were already gone from her room. She wanted to go back to sleep and continue to sulk for the entire day, but a few taps on her door interrupted that plan.
Cassian poked his head in, shoulder-length hair falling around his face as he warily eyed her. "Your Aunt Nesta was in a nasty mood last night over this whole ordeal. She kicked me out of the house for suggesting we cut you some slack. Please get to training on time so she sees you're making an effort and I can sleep in my own bed tonight."
He left and shut her door before she could respond. She hadn't had any intention of showing her face at Valkyrie training, but being back in Cassian's good graces could be beneficial, so she crawled out of bed to prepare for the day.
A terse note lay on her desk from her father. Two words - How long?
Astra wondered if he'd spent all night awake, thinking of a way to cleverly get any information out of her about her bargain with Eris. The note was not specific and could have been about anything, but Astra knew better than to think her parents weren't desperate to know what she'd meant by not forever.
Her hand was steady as she wrote down the number 3.
She hoped her parents would assume she meant years and not months. The small piece of parchment disappeared the moment she set the pen down.
When she walked into the kitchen for breakfast, she found her mother, father, Cassian, and Azriel reviewing letters around the small breakfast nook.
Cassian looked relieved to see her out of bed and dressed in leathers, but Azriel didn't acknowledge her entrance.
Her hand went for the basket of fruit on one of the counters, but she immediately dropped the apple she'd grabbed when she'd been assaulted by the memory of watching Eris seductively eat one. Toast paired with an orange was a much safer option.
She silently sat in one of the chairs and tried to get a glimpse at what they were reading. Her attempt hadn't been sneaky enough, prompting her father to set down the letter he'd been reading and frown in her direction. He looked exhausted and annoyed already.
He clicked his tongue. "Your little stunt in Dawn has caused quite an uproar among the other High Lords." He pointed to the letter he'd just been immersed in and went on. "Tarquin is inquiring if his armada and ground forces should swarm Autumn from the Eastern sea and Western land border. Thesan sent a note about the structural damage you caused to his favorite palace, but he was too polite to request compensation for the damages. Helion is breathing down my neck about wanting to study you like some research experiment."
Astra scowled when he paused to pluck another letter out of the stack.
"This one..." he drawled while holding it up, "Is my personal favorite. It includes a long paragraph where Kallias profusely apologies for Fannar bedding you."
Her father then turned to Azriel and snapped, "Are there any more males I should know about other than the Winter heir and that Illyrian I was informed of while she was missing."
Azriel finally looked in Astra's direction, a hard expression on his face. Clearly, he had told her parents about Vance in her absence. He quietly responded, "Not that I'm aware of."
Violet eyes fell back on her. "I did not think I would have to lecture you again on putting yourself in a vulnerable position at such a young age."
Astra had initiated all encounters with the two males, but it was pointless to correct her father.
"Being our child," he said while gesturing to her wincing mother, "Means that you have a target on your back and it is safe to assume that people will flirt and take you to their beds in order to harm you or us."
Heat filled Astra's cheeks as the conversation turned into an embarrassing lecture and Cassian looked as if he would rather be anywhere else now.
"Rhys, you've made your point," her mother gently said while wrapping an arm around her father's waist. "Besides, you already promised to leave those two males alone."
"No, Feyre darling, I promised I wouldn't castrate them," he smoothly said. "I mentioned nothing of them suspiciously dying intact."
"Stop trying to make jokes," Astra mumbled under her breath.
She hadn't said it quietly enough, for her father snipped, "Your mother thinks I'm funny."
Astra rolled her eyes and got up from the table, taking her breakfast with her. Halfway out the door, she looked back over her shoulder. "You're confusing funny with occasionally charming and mostly temperamental."
Cassian's snickering chased her all the way to the living room.
---
When Astra winnowed and dropped down to the training area atop the House of Wind, she was met with blatant stares. Suspicious glances and murmurs followed her as she walked by the other females to get to Alette and Pix.
Nesta was huddled together chatting with Gwyn and Emerie, but her spine stiffened when she sensed Astra's arrival. Definitely still mad.
When she reached the two members of her training unit, Pix gave her a small, cautious smile, but Alette eyed her with distaste.
Trying to ease the friction, Astra softly asked, "Is it just me, or is everyone staring at us?"
Alette peered around to the others and whispered in a hushed tone, "It's not us they are staring at – just you. There are rumors flying around Velaris that you went off alone to do something foolish and betrayed your parents by joining the Autumn Court to save yourself. Not to mention, you are apparently a loose cannon with those powers."
Her stomach clenched at the blonde's harsh information, but it was to be expected that news of what she'd claimed would make it back to her home. High Lords and their close advisors loved to gossip.
Astra tried not the let the sorrow show on her face as she neither confirmed nor denied the accusation, but hissed, "I do not want to discuss what happened."
Pix's chocolate gaze roamed over the staring trainees. "Don't worry. They will get over it eventually. People in this city are open-minded. I was only gossiped about for a short time when I came here and then they accepted me and moved on to the next juicy story."
A small bit of relief coursed through Astra at Pix's observation. As a Demi-Fae, she knew what it was like to have people on both sides of the border between the human and Fae lands wary of her. Of all the places in Prythian, Velaris was easily the most accepting of outsiders and the people had forgiven her father for some of the more infamous transgressions he'd been forced to commit by Amarantha.
Pix looked thoughtful like she was debating speaking her thoughts aloud and finally she continued. "Beron deserved to die. He's committed more atrocities than just what he did to you and your brother. Autumn will be better off without him."
Astra didn't quite know what to make of Pix's statement so she just nodded her head.
Astra wondered if Pix had some connection to Autumn - she'd never asked any personal questions. They'd never been close enough for that kind of talk.
The three of them stood in the back corner for all the exercises and kept their mouth's shut to avoid any more scrutiny from the other females and to get farther away from Nesta's wrath.
---
There had been no training with Amren in the afternoon. The cranky, ancient being had sent word that she was too busy to be bothered.
Astra had spent the entire rest of the day sulking around the River House and avoiding any more confrontations. Her father appeared to be absent for most the day, and her mother was locked in her study with the remainder of the Inner Circle, likely forging some kind of plan.
No one had yet sought her out to continue the previous day's argument or inform her of any decisions that they'd made regarding her predicament.
She'd knocked on Nyx's door before dinner, but he'd shouted at her to get lost.
Resigned to the fact that she wouldn't be permitted to grovel for his forgiveness anytime soon, she slipped back into her room and reviewed the research she'd previously done on the territories within the Eastern continent. The scrolls and books were no longer in the hidden vanity drawer. They had been left out on her desk, letting her in on the fact that her family had torn through her room while she had been missing.
Nothing new jumped out at her so when her eyes became dry, she began rummaging through her closet for suitable clothing to bring when she inevitably had to return to Autumn.
No more ugly orange tunics would be forced upon her. Black, navy, and deep plum colors made up nearly her entire wardrobe. She laid out clothing she normally reserved for just the spring and fall months since the air around the Forest House wavered around those average temperatures.
By the time she emerged from her massive closet, a tray of food and a large glass of ice water were waiting on a small table in the corner. Cerridwen or Nuala must have silently left it for her when she didn't emerge for dinner.
The room had darkened considerably with the sunset, so Astra lit a few candles and the wood in her fireplace before savoring the food as a warm, vanilla scent filled the air around her.
As she was absentmindedly gazing out her large window at the twinkling city, the orange glow on her wall flickered and a voice intruded on the peaceful silence. "Are you nearly finished sulking?"
Her eyes widened at that voice. Low, bored, and full of arrogance.
Astra whipped around toward the source and nearly fell out of her chair when she beheld where it came from.
The smug face of the High Lord of Autumn was flickering in the flame of a large, wax candle that she'd lit and left on her desk at the far end of the room.
She slowly untangled herself from the chair and crept over to a small flame while hissing, "How are you in my candle?"
The question might actually have been why was he in her candle.
The small orange face that shared Eris's likeness split into a cocky grin. "Thanks to you, I am now a powerful High Lord, and fire all around Prythian bends to my will."
While his explanation seemed blunt and plausible, Astra was having a hard time wrapping her brain around the fact he could manipulate the minuscule amount of fire from a candle in her bedroom.
It was hard to know if it was an actual mirrored representation of his current facial expressions or some other kind of magic more like Azriel's shadows he'd discovered he now possessed.
His smile widened further at her unease. "I assume your family has enjoyed your visit, but I expect you back at the Forest House tomorrow. There's work to be done here due to your ill-timed declaration of my pure intentions for this court."
Astra had yet to recover from her astonishment over the far reach of his power, so she kept her reply snarky. "Oh, fuck off." She licked two fingers and pinched the wick – extinguishing his face.
Satisfaction at getting rid of him rose within Astra but was quickly replaced by ire when a larger version of his head hovered within the blue and orange flames of her lit fireplace.
The handsome features of his face were contorted into a sneer as he chided, "Astra, it's impolite to pinch someone's head off."
Disbelief at his audacity propelled Astra to fling herself in front of the small, ebony fireplace.
"Forget impolite. It's downright rude to snoop on someone in their private bedroom," she quietly spat, hoping she wouldn't draw the attention of anyone else in the house.
Eris let out a dark chuckle. "I'm sure watching you pout alone is intriguing, but honestly I've been much too busy to spy on you, which brings me back to insisting you return tomorrow."
Her eyes narrowed on his flickering form as she defiantly said, "And if I refuse?"
His jaw hardened and if he hadn't already been comprised of flames, Astra was sure his eyes would have been ablaze as he too-calmly stated, "It is neither an invitation nor a request - it is an order."
The form of his head winked out of her fireplace an instant later.
Immediately after, she doused the wood with her water and blew out every candle to ensure he wouldn't be able to pay her any more unexpected visits and bark more orders at her.
ERIS
Eris hadn't wanted to let Astra return to the Night Court. There was no telling what stories they'd share that painted him as a villain. His agreement to her visit was out of necessity, knowing that it'd be a disaster if she didn't calm her parents after he'd pushed them too far in Dawn.
He'd brought her to the overgrown field in order for her to expel some of her magic where she couldn't harm anyone. As he'd watched in awe while bright purple energy exploded from her arms, he'd felt the bond between them again and sent soothing sentiments across it to her. For a brief moment, he'd thought she'd felt it, but her end went slack and silent as she regained control.
He'd spent the entire day and evening following her departure sorting through his correspondences. Furious letters arrived every hour from High Fae landowners in his territory demanding clarification on what Astra had implied to the other courts. He had yet to receive fresh letters from any of the Tainted Triad, but he had no doubt that the story had reached them and added fuel to their rebellion.
His brothers had made themselves scarce, leaving him to continue to fume over their bargains with his mate while he wrote what seemed like hundreds of letters.
The hateful words of the High Fae he now ruled didn't surprise him, but he'd been thoroughly shocked when the servants began bringing in small gifts and notes from lesser faeries that resided in Autumn. Carved wood figures, crowns weaved of thin branches, and jugs of homemade ale were now overflowing in his study.
A few of the more feminine crafted crowns had been sent with notes for Astra. It figured that she'd only spent a few days in his home and had already won over a majority of the commoners.
He'd kept his guards on full alert overnight out of fear that another High Lord would attempt to slay him, and he desperately needed rest. Peaceful and plentiful sleep had not been possible since his father's death, but he miraculously slept soundlessly throughout the entire night.
The following morning, Eris took his tea and biscuits back in his study and continued to tear through work.
After several hours of mind-numbing reading and writing, he felt the wards around the Forest House momentarily dissolve. Within seconds, they suspiciously re-knit around the large complex with renewed strength.
Eris immediately winnowed to where Rikoh was posted, and they led separate searches throughout the surrounding forest and within the house.
Vulcan and the other hounds hunted furiously outside but had come up empty.
The search was called off before dinnertime when nothing was found to be amiss. Planning to take his meal while he continued to work, he snatched a tray from one of the enormous kitchens and took it back to his study.
When he pulled open the large double door, he found the High Lord of Night casually reclining in his chair behind the desk. The bastard was sipping on a glass of Eris's finest aged wine and looking through his letters.
Rhysand pointedly looked up from the note he was skimming and drawled, "How nice of you to bring me dinner. I'm positively famished after severing your wards and reading your revolting correspondence."
The tray Eris was holding began warping to the shape of his hand where he tightly gripped it, as the silver heated along with his temper.
Rhysand's violet eyes focused on the melting tray and he smirked. "It's a wonder you have any nice things around here with those hot hands and poor humor."
Eris slammed the ruined tray on the oak wood desk. "What do you want?"
The smug intruder gracefully put the rim of the crystal wineglass to his lips and drank the rest of the dark red liquid before replying. "I want many, many things Eris."
Eris eyed him and pulled up a spare chair and sat across from the lethal High Lord.
Once he was fully seated, Rhysand continued. "What I want most is the power to bring your vile father back from the dead, just so I can kill him myself, over and over."
"You and me both," Eris muttered.
"A close second is that I want to slit your throat," Rhysand darkly said as a hand shifted to talons, "Drain your blood, mix it with a barrel of this fine wine, and present it as a Solstice gift to Amren for helping me shred your wards today. The problem is that I'm not confident it won't adversely affect my daughter since you managed to manipulate her into some kind of bargain."
Eris loosed a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. He might have been able to put up a decent fight against the High Lord of Night with his newly acquired powers, but as Astra had said - he would be fighting alone while Rhysand had the Inner Circle defend him.
The talons changed back to long fingers and Rhysand crossed his hands on the surface of the desk. Eris took the opportunity to quietly ask, "Does Astra know you are here threatening me right now?"
The room darkened and a frown appeared on Rhysand's sculpted face at the name of his daughter on Eris's lips. "She does not. She is too engrossed in sulking alone in her room to be keeping tabs on her dear, old father."
Eris kept his face impassive, not wanting to give any indication he'd been curious as to what she'd been doing. "If you don't intend to kill me, what are you here for aside from breaking the seal on my two-hundred-year-old bottle of wine?"
"I'm here to inform you of what is going to happen over the next three years."
Eris flicked his eyebrows up in surprise. His mate must have found a sneaky way to give her family a few key details of their bargain without outright telling them.
Rhysand's voice sharpened. "You are going to tell me everything you know of the mysterious island your father had access to. Then, you are going to pass along any information you've gleaned from your spies in the East."
Eris had no problem relaying what he'd discovered while searching for a way to save Astra if it meant some of the tension in the room would ease. "The island appeared on an ancient map I discovered hidden in my father's office. It's located off the rocky Eastern coastline of my territory. The wards are keyed to the High Lord of Autumn and from what I can tell, my father and his Flame Guard were likely the only people alive that knew of its existence."
He'd briefly winnowed to its approximate location while Astra had been unconscious and recovering, but he'd landed in the ocean and had to swim through the wards he now controlled for it was completely invisible from the outside. It had been a waste of time, for there was nothing of use other than a bit of blood staining the charred grass and a few remnants of what had once been trees.
"I'll take you if you want to see it, but there isn't anything left. I assume your daughter obliterated it along with three of my father's guards."
Rhysand was looking beyond Eris and pursing his lips as if he were debating what to say. After a long pause, he shared, "Her powers did not come from Feyre or me. My son inherited the ability to manipulate the dark, but Astra was blessed by the star-spirits at her first Starfall. Her magic is volatile, unstable, and in desperate need of firm control. She keeps it locked away most of the time, so it festers within her, leading to explosive outbursts."
His assessment of his daughter was nothing Eris hadn't already guessed, but the origin of her power was unexpected.
Thinking it best not to comment on Astra, Eris continued. "As for my spies, they missed their deadline to report their findings. I assume they were either caught or slain."
That news seemed to annoy Eris's rival High Lord more than anything else he'd said. Rhysand drummed his fingers on the desk and said, "Something is amiss in the Fae territories on the continent. I do not know what yet, but I have reason to believe it poses a threat to Prythian."
"What do you plan to do about it? Are you here to request my help?" Eris questioned.
Glancing back down at the letters on the desk, Rhysand sneered. "I think you have many of your own internal problems to deal with and don't need more on your plate until it's necessary to involve you."
Eris rolled his eyes. He no longer took orders from anybody and would investigate on his own if he wished.
Darkness leaked from Rhysand and his voice sharpened he finally got to the real purpose of his visit. "My family and I will assess the threat and you will stay focused on your own court. It is not within my power to break whatever bargain you made with my daughter, so she will remain here under your protection."
Though Eris's heartbeat was erratic, he kept a smug look on his face as Rhysand's voice changed to a deep growl. "My daughter will be kept away from any and all danger during her time here. If harm befalls her, I will uncover whatever you cherish most and take it from you. Do not think for a second, I am above torturing your pitiful mother or maiming your precious hounds to make you suffer."
Eris bristled at his words. A promise, not a threat.
The High Lord of Night had already shown remarkable restraint in the wake of his children's capture. If faced with heart-breaking devastation, he'd surely revert back to a more primitive Fae monster and act on pure instinct, slaughtering anyone even remotely responsible for his grief.
Eris would not allow Astra to be harmed while in his territory, regardless of the terms of their agreement. Rhysand obviously hadn't guessed about the mating bond – an oversight on his part. If he had, he would have understood the lengths Eris was willing to go to in order to ensure her protection.
Eris took several seconds before he calmly replied. "She will be looked after, and I can assure you, her safety is a top priority."
"See that it is or the next time we have this conversation, the rest of my family will be present and it will be far less pleasant. I will also be sending Amren to periodically train with her to get a gauge on her control. Azriel's shadows will be my eyes and ears in this dreadful house, so be on your best behavior."
Rhysand stood in one swift motion a loomed over Eris, despite them being about the same height. "The ancient wards around this house were impressive, but not nearly as old as Amren. Since we are now allies again, she took the initiative to make a few improvements to them, including giving Feyre and myself unrestricted access."
He gave Eris one last lingering sneer before disappearing in a whirl of darkness and stars.
Eris pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration and reached for the nearly empty bottle of wine. He didn't bother with a glass and brought it to his lips, draining the remainder. He should have challenged Rhysand to a duel like a proper male and been done with the whole situation. He'd acted weakly - like the coward his father had always accused him of being.
When he finally stood, he noticed a roll of cream-colored parchment in the seat that Rhysand had occupied.
He took a few deep breaths to further calm himself to prevent his hands from catching the parchment on fire. Confusion filled him as he gently unrolled it and quickly skimmed over the contents.
It was an old letter from Helion addressed to Rhysand. It reviewed the ins and outs of impenetrable shields.
What puzzled Eris the most was the scribbled notes lining the margins, written in the precise handwriting he knew to belong to Rhysand. The comments appeared to be making calculated adjustments to the intricate instructions, outlining ways to conform it to his daughter since her magic seemed to destroy the average shield.
Plopping back down in the comfortable seat behind his desk, Eris pondered the unexpected visit. He suspected that Rhysand had been downplaying whatever threat was arising in the East. Perhaps it was part of the reason he relented and decided that his daughter would be better off away from the Night Court for the time being. Keeping Astra out of the fray of danger.
Eris considered sending a letter to Astra, demanding her return to Autumn as soon as possible, but instead, he decided to test out his strengthened power over fire. His mother had told him once when he was very young and still an only child that thousands of years ago, the ancient High Lords of Autumn had the ability to have conversations and spy through lit fires.
Orange flames ignited in the palm of his hand and he stared into the emanating glow as he willed it to reach his mate.