"We have a week." Tahlia spared a glance over her teacup to see Viron looming over her. "One singular week and you're both doing... what exactly?"
Viron's uneasiness had grown in the weeks they'd left the night court. From paranoia, to outright insanity. A mild exaggeration on Tahlia's part, but even the calming herbal teas the healers had given him weren't working anymore.
He screamed through the nights and when he didn't work during the day, he trained to keep his mind busy. Or... he pestered the pair of them with his worries. The exact same ones that had been plaguing them. He'd had some vital points to begin with, but hearing the same things over and over again got tedious after a few days.
"Having breakfast. Care to join us?"
"Helion-"
"Viron. Sit." He placed down his cutlery and folded his hands in front of him. "You're right, we have a week. And then... then we will get your men back. We will fight whatever battle necessary for our people, but there is nothing we can do now besides prepare." The same preparation they'd been doing for weeks. Training and training until their bones were aching and their muscles sore. They'd slaved for hours over the maps of the battlefield, analysing vantage points and where they'd be at more of a disadvantage. "We don't know where they are."
Which had been frustrating Tahlia entirely, as well as Azriel if the letters he'd sent were telling. The Night Court were taking turns to patrol and search Prythian and Hybern and the mortal lands.
Yet, there was not even a whisper of an army. Or the new King. Or the Queens. Or their patrol team that had disappeared weeks ago.
Viron finally took a seat opposite them both. "What about her?" He asked with a voice mildly calmer than it had been before. A facade, most likely.
Tahlia raised a bored eyebrow as she tore at a piece of bread and stuffed it in her mouth. "What about me?"
"Would you mind not eating like a wild beast?"
She shrugged. "I'm famished."
Viron was as close to a brother as she'd ever gotten, but with her family history, not having any blood related siblings seemed like a safer bet. Still, over the centuries, they'd become this. An insufferable pair of non-related siblings. They had the rivalry and bickering down to a tee.
"Why can't you see them?"
"I don't know. Possibly because they're not making their own decisions." And as much as he got on her nerves the majority of the time, she didn't have the heart to tell him the alternative. Not unless she was certain, and she had a feeling, deep in her gut, that they were alive. But that led to the next question. If they were alive, why, and how long for? Those conversations were usually kept between herself and Helion.
"You gave the spiked wine to Eris, meaning you saw him."
She scoffed. "When I figured out I couldn't see Eris, I started watching Beron." Even keeping tabs on him had become almost impossible in the days passed. Between him sitting in his office or drinking tea with his wife, it didn't seem like he was doing much at all. There were glimpses of Eris here and there, nothing out of the ordinary.
There hadn't even been a fall out after the ball. Beron had taken Eris to his study, made him recite every encounter and every conversation before dismissing him almost bored.
"Figure something out." Viron snapped. "I'm tired of waiting. Of doing nothing. If I have to search for them myself I will."
"If you wanted to die so much, you should've just asked." She emphasised throwing a butter knife into the shoulder of his chair.
Viron didn't flinch. Instead, he glared at her as he pulled it out and threw it back. The knife landed between two of her fingers.
Helion took the item before blood was shed. "What she means to say, is that there are patrol teams searching already."
He turned to the High Lord slowly, looking at him like he'd grown another head. "Night Court patrol teams." Tahlia didn't see the good in pointing out they were arguably better than their own. "Since when did we trust them?"
"Since the last time we sent out a joint patrol team and they didn't come back." Tahlia had heard both arguments before worded in mildly different ways. The last being only yesterday. "We have an ally, Viron. I thought you'd be happy about that."
"You'll have to excuse me for not jumping for joy about a High Lord that was on the wrong side of the war for decades."
That was new. Tahlia propped her head into the palms of her hands. "Care to remember which High Lord leant you a healer to help you live? To heal in his house and get blood stains on his carpets."
There was a pause in the conversation, like he debated carrying on. But her eyes flashed white, and she'd already heard them. He hadn't even needed to open his mouth. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"I didn't say anything, that's not fair."
"You were going to. So say it."
"No."
"Enough!" Helion yelled. "You," He hissed at Viron. "Whatever you were going to say, don't."
"I wasn't-"
"And you," He looked to Tahlia. "Don't get angry at people for things they haven't done." He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Viron, you have a problem with Rhysand and his patrol team, you can take it up with him." The chair creaked beneath him as he called over his shoulder, "Care to stop eavesdropping?"
Rhys strolled in, a smirk tugging at his lips, hands stuffed deep in his pockets. "Apologies for not wanting to join a particularly hostile environment." Viron seemed to stiffen at his sudden appearance. He got up from his seat and aimed for the exit. Rhysand nodded his head once. "Viron. Always a pleasure." There was a vague grunt, but then Viron was gone. "I'll fix that later."
Helion waved a dismissive hand and got up to greet his friend with a tight embrace. "I wouldn't stress yourself with his issues. We have bigger problems on our hands." And he gestured to Viron's empty seat at the table to which Rhysand took with a wide grin on his face. At first Tahlia thought he might mention the brewing storm of war. Alas, he did not. "Like the vase you broke the last time you were here."
Rhys shrugged. "I'll buy you a new one."
"My mother made it for me."
"In which case I am indebted to you, friend."
Helion's mouth twitched once, it was the closest he'd get to gloating. The vase had been an ugly thing, the first that his mother had crafted for him, but there were hundreds of others placed around the Day Court that she'd made. The last resided in his rooms. Tahlia didn't hate that one like she did the one Rhysand had broken. In fact, she really rather liked it.
"Indeed. It's been too long."
"It's been weeks at most." Tahlia muttered under her breath.
"Yes, too long." He repeated. "I'm surprised you came alone."
Surprised or disappointed? Tahlia hadn't decided which was more likely.
"Apologies, I must admit, I don't tend to take you as much of a threat. I rather enjoy our companionship." He looked at her then, toying with butterknife lying on the table, knowingly. "You on the other hand, I would like to have a discussion with."
He held out his hand, a stone materialising into his hand, and placed it in front of them without another word.
She eyed it wearily, giving it a prod. "A rock. How impressive. Does it... do anything?"
"It's a rock, of course it doesn't do anything. That doesn't make it any less remarkable."
Tahlia sighed. "I think you've lost your mind."
He ignored that statement, pacing around the table to stand behind her. "I found it in the memorial ground you visited those weeks ago." With Azriel. A voice in the back reminded her. Not that she needed reminding. It wasn't the memory of that that was making her stomach roil. "Turn it over."
The rock was heavy, that much was known by the echoing boom that sounded as she dropped it. She was out of her seat stepping away from it the moment she translated the runes. "What the hell is that?"
"A plaque." A plaque found in the Night Court, in a tomb. Engraved with markings that translated to-
"Ramses? Ramses' plaque?" She didn't dare touch it again, instead poked it with the knife, hoping to everything holy that it wasn't real. "Who've you shown this to?"
"Nobody." He said. "Not even my wife. I came straight here. You didn't know the body was left to the Night Court?" Rhysand sounded just as baffled as Tahlia felt. Her mind was reeling. She wasn't entirely certain her brain was still in the room with her.
Helion shook his head. "I believe we weren't allowed to know. We had his heart. I think it made the rest of Prythian nervous, us knowing where the rest of him was kept. Lest we try to bring him back. The irony is not lost on me."
Her head was shaking, like it was trying to rid the knowledge from her mind. She'd seen the drawings on the walls. "The inscriptions... it was of a good Lord. A kind Lord."
"Which he was." Helion said, cringing as soon as the words fell from his lips. "Until he wasn't. I don't think they had any plans on keeping the memory of him alive in case-"
"In case there were people that decided to idolise him and his ideologies."
"His body..." Even Rhys' voice wavered before he cleared his voice and tried to carry on. "Will they be looking for it?"
Tahlia jumped in, quick to ease the panic settling across his features. "I hardly think there's anything left in that sarcophagus besides a bag of dust and bones. And they didn't need Jurian's."
Silence settled between the three of them for some time. Helion's hands tapped nervously against the table, quickening until he finally spoke. "You don't think this will change anything?"
There were two simultaneous answers.
Tahlia's "No."
And Rhysand's "This? Probably not."
A mildly relieved breath fell from Helion. "Very well. Does this mean you'll be going back to tell your court?"
He paused, a look flashing across his face Tahlia didn't understand. "Not exactly." It made Helion's ears prick and back straighten. "I have no intention of telling my court anything."
The Day pair shared a confused look between them. "Why not?"
Another piece of rubble was placed on the table in an old dialect, similar to the one placed there before. "This." He pointed at the rock. "This."
Helion stood to look at this one, his fingers brushing over the markings, a far off look in his eyes.
"This is why."