The artwork above is not mine.
◦═══✦═══◦
Mikael didn't search for Estelle again as they flew the rest of the way to the Night Court. The air became cooler, the further into the Illyrian Mountains they went. It wasn't cold, but the temperature difference told Mikael enough. It was late summer right now. Winters in the Illyrian Mountains had to be brutal.
Briefly, he wondered if Illyrian leathers were insulated to withstand the cold mountain temperatures. He couldn't tell just by looking at Estelle's or the other Illyrians'. He didn't want to look at Estelle too long anyway. Not if she'd made such a mess of Ronan because he'd done something similar.
Mikael studied the male who flew ahead of him. Dark bruises ringed his wrists and throat. More bruises were scattered across his bare arms. Mikael couldn't tell if they extended onto his chest or down his legs. There were a few patches on his wings that were missing feathers as well.
Mikael tilted his head. She said he sexualized her. To what extent? A seed of hot anger took root in his gut at the thought. Umbra tightened around his arm. Mikael shoved the feeling aside. And...she said that he insulted me. She defended me.
He grinned to himself. That must be a good sign. We had one conversation without arguing and she told off Ronan for something he said about me. Mikael frowned. Of course, she could've just been trying to make herself look good too. Umbra squeezed his arm again. I'll choose to believe she was defending me.
Windhaven appeared in the distance. A large group of winged people was approaching. Peregryns and Illyrians soared past their group, waving and calling greetings. They reached the war camp and landed. Mikael scanned the gathering of Illyrians.
There were three people waiting for them. A foreboding Illyrian male, an Illyrian female with crippled wings and large brown eyes, and a High Fae female who bore a striking resemblance to Estelle and Lysander. Mikael recognized her as Seren Marzena at once. He guessed the Illyrians to be Devlon and Jorah.
Jorah launched into a brief welcome speech which Mikael vaguely heard. He was busy surveying the fenced in training rings, weapons shacks, and rows of shoddy huts. Some of the huts had undergone renovation, but most of them were lacking physical appeal. He spied uneasy expressions crossing the Peregryns' faces.
"Don't Illyrians ever upgrade their housing?" Mikael whispered, leaning towards Nyx, who had come to stand beside him.
"Usually not unless a hut collapses."
"Can't Rhysand do something about all of this?"
Nyx narrowed his eyes. "The Illyrian Legion might serve the High Lord of the Night Court, but their true loyalty is to their own Princes and Lords. Most war camps are in better condition than Windhaven. Windhaven is worse off because Devlon and Jorah have declared their loyalty solely to the Night Court, cutting themselves off from the Princes and Lords' resources. My father provides them with what he can, but the warriors don't want to accept our help."
"I see." Not for the first time was Mikael glad that the Peregryns weren't as formally structured in terms of hierarchy as the Illyrians. He would've had that much more trouble to deal with when he became High Lord if they were.
"Come on," Nyx said. "I'll show you where you're staying."
"You already know?"
Nyx nodded. "Dad has a specific set of instructions for you and Estelle. He let me know on the way over here."
"All right."
Mikael fell in step with Nyx as they headed towards the hut. Devlon tipped his head to them when they passed. They both returned the gesture. Mikael kept his gaze lowered though, recalling the stories he'd heard about this Warlord. One day, he would look Devlon in the eye, but not now.
They reached a hut and Nyx nudged the door open. Mikael took in the dreary scene, masking his dismay. The hut was small and bare. There was one fireplace surrounded by a few rickety chairs. More chairs and stools sat beside an uneven table. There was a sliver of something that might be considered a kitchen.
Nyx continued down the hallway. There were three bedrooms with two beds in each. At the end of the hall was a tiny bathroom. Mikael tilted his head, eyeing the contraption along one wall. There was a small crater in the floor lined with tiles, and a drain in the center of it. A nozzle jutted out from the wall, along with two knobs for hot and cold water. Mikael arched an eyebrow.
"Never seen a shower before?" Nyx chuckled. He patted the doorframe as he returned to the hallway. "Be sure to knock. There's no curtain for the shower."
"Who all is staying here?" Mikael asked.
"Celeste, Sienna, Calden, you, myself, and Estelle."
"Not Lysander or Corbin?"
Nyx shook his head. "They'll stay elsewhere, and I won't be here every time you come to Windhaven."
"And...have rooms already been chosen?"
Nyx grinned, giving Mikael a look that was both amused and sympathetic. "Yes. Celeste and Sienna will share. I'll share with Calden."
"Which means...I'm sharing with Estelle."
"That was my mom's idea. She thought that being forced to spend more time around each other would help you guys learn to get along. It worked for Cassian and Nesta, Devlon and Jorah, and many more."
Mikael loosed an exasperated sigh and scrubbed at his face. "I'm less worried about getting along and more worried about winding up dead."
"Estelle won't kill you in your sleep, if you're worried about that. She likes to kill someone face to face." Nyx pushed one of the bedroom doors open and jerked his head towards it.
"Has she killed someone before?" Mikael asked, his eyes widening. He hadn't even claimed a life yet. Estelle was only a few days younger than him, he knew. He entered the room.
"Yes," Nyx replied. "Five. One with her dagger. One with her sword. One with the shadows. One with magic. One with her bare hands."
"Who were they and why did she kill them?"
Nyx hesitated, then said, "Ask her yourself sometime. She doesn't like us talking about it." Mikael nodded and Nyx left him alone in the room.
◦═══✦═══◦
Estelle led Celeste and Sienna around the camp, letting them get a feel for their new surroundings. She'd seen Nyx and Mikael enter a hut. Shortly thereafter, Lysander led Calden to the same one.
"What do you think?" Estelle asked as they reached the training rings.
"It's just like I thought it'd be," Sienna replied.
"I haven't seen anything unusually interes..." Celeste began.
She halted abruptly, her gaze fixing on two males sparring in a training ring. Both had tanned skin and dark hair. They were shirtless, flaunting the tattoos that surrounded their wings and trailed across their shoulders. There were a variety of scars marking their skin.
"Now that's what I came here to see," Celeste breathed. "Who are they?"
Estelle bit back a laugh. "The one with longer hair is my Uncle Cassian, Corbin's father. The other is my dad, Azriel."
Celeste's jaw dropped. "That's your dad?"
Estelle nodded. "My mom is over there." She gestured to where Seren was standing with Jorah and Devlon.
"No wonder you and your brother are so gorgeous." Celeste was still staring. Sienna elbowed her and she closed her mouth.
"I'm sure Lys would appreciate hearing you say that," Estelle snorted.
"Hey, Little Bat!" Cassian hollered. He and Azriel had broken off sparring. Cassian sheathed his sword and undid the wraps from around his hands. "Where's Corbin?"
"Showing some of the Peregryns around," Estelle replied. "Did you need him for something?"
"Not for anything important." Cassian swung himself over the fence and ruffled Estelle's hair as he walked by. "I'll find him soon enough. Welcome back." With a flap of his wings, he took off.
Azriel tugged a shirt on as he approached. "Who are your friends?"
"This is Celeste and Sienna. I live with them in the Dawn Court."
"I see." Azriel gave each of them a short nod. "Welcome to the Night Court. A word of advice, don't anger Devlon, but if you do, make sure it's over something Jorah will side with you on."
"Shouldn't you be telling us not to anger anyone in general?" Sienna laughed.
"Maybe, but I know my daughter." Estelle stiffened as Azriel's hazel gaze met her own amber one. "It's difficult for her to get along with people."
Celeste and Sienna glanced at each other. "We'll go find one of the Boys and figure out where we're staying," Celeste said, touching Estelle's arm gently. She gave them a small nod and the females headed off.
Estelle crossed her arms. "Is that your way of being subtle? You're a spymaster. You can do better than that."
"So can you. Seren told me what you said about Mikael and how you reacted to her. Rhys mentioned a few things too."
"Does anyone in this family believe in personal privacy?" Estelle muttered.
Azriel gripped her shoulder. "Estelle, there's more to this than you think. I know you're hurt, but did you ever think that Mikael might be too? Give him another chance and maybe he'll give you one. Try to get along. If not for your own sake, then for Rhys', and someday, Nyx's."
Estelle sighed, but relented with a nod. Azriel smiled and pulled her against his chest, hugging her tightly. "It's good to see you. I didn't realize how much I'd miss you and Lys."
"It's good to see you too, Dad." Estelle hugged him back. "I missed you." Azriel pressed a kiss to the top of her head as she drew away.
"So was that the Celeste that Lys has been telling Seren about?" Azriel asked.
"Yes. I didn't realize he'd mentioned her."
Azriel smirked. "He thinks she's very pretty."
Estelle grinned. "Twenty silver marks says he makes a move on her in three months."
"Forty and in two."
"Deal. I should go see Mom and find out where I'm staying."
Azriel grimaced. "You're staying there." He pointed to a hut. It was the same one she'd seen Nyx, Mikael, Lysander, and Calden enter. Celeste and Sienna were there too, now. They vanished inside.
"Oh. All right." Estelle set off. I'll put my stuff away first and then find Mom, she thought. The shadows almost seemed to pull her towards the hut.
Estelle entered and saw Celeste and Sienna sitting in one of three bedrooms. Calden and Nyx were in the other. She furrowed her brows, catching no sight of Lysander. Estelle paused in the doorway of the last bedroom. Mikael lay on his back, his wings draped over either side of the bed. They almost took up all of the floor space.
"I am not sharing a room with you," Estelle spat.
"Your High Lady says you are." Mikael didn't open his eyes. He folded his hands beneath his head.
Estelle smothered a growl and tossed her bag onto her bed. "Keep your feathers on your side of the room."
"Keep the shadows on yours." He cracked an eye open and watched her, almost as though he were expecting a specific reaction.
"You'd better not snore."
"You'd better not talk in your sleep."
"I don't." Estelle crossed her arms with a glare.
"Good." Mikael closed his eyes again. "It could be worse, you know. You might be sharing with your brother."
"I'd prefer Lys over you."
"And why is that?"
"Because he's my brother."
"And?"
"And I trust him."
Mikael sat up. "You can trust me too, Batsy."
"Stop calling me that, and I'll decide if I can or can't trust you, Feathers," Estelle sneered. Mikael watched her, his gaze unreadable. At last, he stood and left the room, closing the door quietly behind him. "Who's in the lead now?" She asked the shadows.
The Angel of Dawn.
"Traitors."