The house was quiet as Estelle prepared for the meeting in the Dawn Court. Lysander was at the House of Wind with Corbin, as he had been for the past several days. Seren was in Windhaven, helping with the training efforts. Azriel was gone on official Spymaster business.
Estelle tugged on her leathers and buckled the numerous straps in place, then tucked her pendant beneath them. She made sure her shoulder pads and knee guards were properly situated before tugging on her boots. Estelle sheathed Znaniya on her thigh.
She paused before a mirror, taking in her reflection. Someday, the bare patches on her leathers would be filled by siphons. Someday, she would bear the tattoos of an Illyrian warrior beneath them. Estelle smiled at the thought.
The High Lord awaits, the shadows said.
"All right. We're going." She pushed open her balcony doors and leaped into the air. Estelle's wings snapped open and she glided effortlessly towards Rhys and Feyre's estate.
Nyx and Rhys were already waiting by the front doors when she arrived, but Rhys wore a troubled expression. Estelle tucked her wings close to her back as she landed.
He carries bad news, the shadows told her.
"What's wrong?" Estelle asked, glancing between her uncle and cousin.
"Something came up in Windhaven. Devlon asked that I come. You and Nyx will go the Dawn Court by yourselves," Rhys explained.
"What happened?"
He sighed, shaking his head. "Troublemaking novices."
Estelle and Nyx narrowed their eyes. "Ze'ev?" Nyx guessed.
Rhys gave a short nod. "Don't worry. I'll take care of it. Give Thesan my apologies and behave yourselves."
"We will." Rhys' own wings manifested and he flew away. Nyx faced Estelle. "I suppose we should get going. Do you want to fly or winnow?"
"Let's fly." Estelle's stomach was already knotted with nerves. "We've never handled a meeting on our own before."
Nyx gripped her shoulder firmly, flashing her a cocky smile. "Hey, it's us. We'll do great. Besides, Thesan has always been a kind male. He'll understand. It's not like we have to go meet with Eris or Tamlin alone."
They spread their wings and took off. "If we were faced with that situation, I'd prefer meeting with Eris. We know him better than Tamlin," Estelle replied.
Nyx hesitated. "True, but it couldn't hurt to make more of an effort to befriend Tamlin."
Estelle laughed and flew close enough to knock against his shoulder. "You just want to make a good impression on Venelia's dad. Did you go see her?"
"I thought you didn't want to know any details."
"I don't want details. I want vague stories."
Nyx rolled his eyes. "Yes, I went to see her."
"Did you sneak out? Were you caught?"
"No, I did not sneak out and no, I was not caught."
"Your parents let you go see her?"
Nyx rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "They didn't know that's where I'd gone. It's not that they'd keep me from her, but I know Dad would be wary to accept this. I just told them I was going on a flight and wouldn't be back for a while."
"I see. How do you think Tamlin would react if he knew?"
"I...I don't know. I don't think he's the same male our parents remember, but I don't think he's so greatly changed either. It would take him a long time to get used to the idea of Venelia and I, and I'm afraid he'd be angry at first."
A shadow curled around her ear. His fears run deeper than he will admit.
"Would Tamlin hurt her?"
A cold mask settled across Nyx's features. "I don't think so, but I would kill him if he did." He blinked and the icy look vanished. "We don't have to worry about that now, though. If things become more serious, we'll tell our parents, but not until then. We want to figure things out on our own, before involving anyone else."
"That's understandable."
Estelle let her gaze roam across the terrain beneath them. They had reached the Day Court. She could see the glimmer of Helion's palace just up ahead. Balcony doors opened as they past, and a familiar golden brown haired female ran out, waving.
"Nyx! Estelle!" Elain hollered. Lucien joined her shortly and waved as well.
They waved back before Nyx spoke again. "We should probably winnow the rest of the way there. We don't want to keep Thesan waiting." Estelle nodded and reached for his hand. She gripped it and wind roared around them.
◦═══✦═══◦
Mikael blinked his eyes open groggily, then sat up with a groan. His head throbbed and his limbs were stiff and leaden. The warm buzz of alcohol still filled in his stomach.
Celeste was sprawled out on the bed beside him. Calden snored from the floor. Sienna was out cold on an armchair, her hand wrapped around the neck of an empty wine bottle.
Mikael risked a glance outside and instantly regretted it. The brilliant sunlight only worsened the harsh pain in his temples. He realized something else with a start. It was past midday. They'd missed training and he had skipped a magic lesson.
And that wasn't even the worst of it. He was supposed to be attending a meeting with his father soon. Rhysand, Nyx, and Estelle were on their way right now! Mikael rolled out of bed and stood on unsteady legs.
"Shit. Father's going to kill me," he rasped to himself.
He stumbled into the bathroom and ran cold water in the sink. He splashed it across his face and guzzled down a few mouthfuls. Mikael combed out his hair, then quickly tugged on a shirt. He ducked into his adjoining closet and grabbed his leathers. The brown and beige material slid into place effortlessly. He shook out his wings and tried to clear the fogginess from his mind, to no avail.
Mikael tripped back into his bedroom and kicked Calden. "What?" Calden barked, lurching awake. His eyes widened as he took in his surroundings.
"You guys should get going. My fathers are going to be pissed," Mikael chuckled.
Calden stood and toppled into Mikael. They both hit the ground. Mikael's stomach churned and he managed to roll over before vomiting. Calden grimaced. "That's disgusting."
Mikael snapped his fingers and the puddle vanished. "Shit. I am in so much trouble. I never should've agreed to Celeste and Sienna's dare."
"Yeah, but you did, and here we are."
A fist pounded on the door. "Mikael? Hurry up and get out here! Nyx and Estelle have arrived," Ameer called.
Calden pushed Mikael up. "Good luck."
Mikael ducked out the door, hoping he didn't look half as hungover as he felt. Ameer tapped his foot impatiently in the hallway. He looked up as Mikael approached.
"There you are. Thesan told you to be ready. You missed training and..." Ameer paused, inhaling deeply. Mikael closed his eyes, preparing for the worst. "Cauldron boil me. Are you drunk?"
"No," Mikael replied.
"Don't lie to me."
"I'm not. I'm not drunk." Ameer raised an eyebrow as Mikael took an unsteady step forward. "All right, I was drunk last night, but I'm not anymore."
"Your scent suggests otherwise, and apparently, you weren't alone in this act." Ameer started towards his door.
Mikael caught him by the arm. "Don't worry about it, Father. It's not like this hasn't happened before. We can't keep the others waiting. Let's just go."
Ameer stared at him with wide brown eyes. He shook his head at last. "You're going to be polishing and sharpening weapons for the next three weeks."
"There are worse things in life." Mikael nearly tripped again, but Ameer grabbed his arm, steadying him.
"By the Mother, can't you even walk right?" Ameer ran a hand down his face in exasperation. "Tell me you aren't going to throw up on the Heir to the Night Court." Mikael couldn't help but laugh at the thought. Ameer tightened his grip. "This isn't funny, Mikael. What were you thinking?"
"I accepted a dare," Mikael snickered.
"You had better hope Thesan finds this as amusing as you do."
They made their way down several flights of stairs and reached the Palace's grand foyer. Thesan was already there, along with two Illyrians. Mikael attempted to walk straighter and hide the shakiness of his steps. Ameer didn't let go of him.
Mikael's gaze sought out the female Shadowsinger at once. Estelle had her arms crossed and bore a disinterested expression. Shadowy wraiths wrapped around her limbs and flickered through her short locks of dark curly hair. He almost couldn't tell where the shadows ended and hair began.
His attention wandered to the pair of large bat-like wings resting against her back. Wicked horns curved from the apex of them. There was an assortment of scars marking the thin black membrane along her wings' central tendons. His own wings were like those of an angel's in comparison to hers.
"You both know my son, Mikael." Thesan said, gesturing to him in acknowledgement.
Nyx smiled at him and Mikael returned it. He waited for Estelle's acknowledgement. She inclined her head. A shadow wound up her neck and across her cheek. A frown crossed her lips as she looked him up and down. Mikael didn't like that look. He tensed as she turned away.
"He'll show you around the Peregryn training grounds," Thesan continued. Ameer began to protest, but fell silent as Thesan flashed him a warning look. He released Mikael's arm.
Mikael strode past the Illyrians. "Come on," he sighed.
◦═══✦═══◦
Estelle stared at Mikael's back, barely trying to mask her disapproval. He reeked of alcohol and females. Was this the truth of Thesan's son? If so, she was not impressed in the slightest.
Her shadows, on the other hand, were smitten. Angel of Dawn, one of them murmured.
Prince of Sunrises, the others echoed.
Stop it, Estelle commanded. She couldn't help but feel a prickle of resentment towards Thesan. They'd come to speak with him, not be led around by his half drunk son.
Nyx pinched her arm sharply, giving her a prompting look. His cold talons scraped at her mental shields. She lowered them slightly. Could you try to look a little less displeased?
He's obviously drunk, or at least hungover. Why would Thesan think it's all right to pawn us off on him?
Thesan didn't pawn us off on him. He's letting us be with someone of similar age and rank. It's to be expected.
It's insulting.
Mikael glanced back over his shoulder. His eyes were narrowed as he looked in between the two of them. "You know, it's not hard to tell when someone is talking about you behind your back."
Nyx withdrew and Estelle restored her shields. "It's not hard to tell when someone has been drinking all night," Estelle retorted. Nyx shook his head, his eyes begging for her to be quiet.
Mikael didn't reply. They left the Palace and took off. A number of guards followed suit. Estelle's disgust grew as Mikael faltered in front of them. He managed to straighten himself out, but was left looking a little green. Estelle rolled her eyes with a groan. She knew Mikael had heard it when he stiffened and flew farther ahead.