Azriel
Azriel fidgeted with the band on his hand, centering himself with deep breaths as he waited outside the tent for Velaria to emerge.
"Vel," Azriel said, trying to hide the shaking of his voice, "we have to go. Are you ready?"
The tent flap flew open, revealing Velaria in full Illyrian leathers, her hair tied up in a bun. She shot him a piercing violet glare, moving to stand beside him. "I'm here, I'm here," she said.
Azriel smiled at her, taking her hand and pressing a kiss to it. "Sorry to bug you, but we really do have to leave."
Velaria rolled her eyes, lacing her hand in his as they began to walk in the direction of Helion's tent.
They walked in silence, walking slower than usual as they took the time they had left to just be together under non-fatal circumstances.
A crowd had already gathered outside of Helion's tent, despite the sun just beginning to rise over the gorgeous Night Court mountains.
Feyre was handing Nyx off to Emerie as they approached, her eyes full of fear as she watched her son. "Please, keep him safe," she said to the Illyrian female.
Emerie shifted Nyx into one arm, using the other to rub Feyre's shoulder. "We will. We promise," she said as Mor nodded next to her.
Azriel surveyed the crowd, mentally tallying who they were waiting for. "The only people we're missing..."
"Sorry, sorry, we're here," Lucien called from the other side of the crowd with impeccable timing.
Velaria clapped her hands together with the arrival of Lucien and Elain, every head in the crowd turning to look at her. "Helion is going to run through a quick tally to make sure everyone is here," she said. "And then you'll each go over preparations with your respective sections, and we'll be off. Helion?"
The real High Lord of Day nodded. "Lucien, Elain, and Cresseida?"
"All here, Helion," Lucien replied.
"Marigold and the Spring Court sentries?"
"We're here, too," Marigold said, eyes weary but still burning with her usual calculated passion.
"Velaria and Azriel I know are here, as am I," Helion said. "Kallias and Feyre?"
"Present," Kallias said.
At the same time, Feyre said, "I'm here."
"Good." Helion's eyes found Velaria's. "Velaria?"
Velaria inhaled sharply. "Find your sections, check in, and leave when you're ready. Mari, Helion will winnow your section out."
Marigold nodded quickly before turning to the sentries.
Kallias, Feyre, and Helion came over to where Velaria and Azriel were standing.
Velaria took another deep breath, Azriel squeezing her hand comfortingly, and they went over the plan one last time.
✿ ↬ - - - ↫ ✿
Velaria
The overpowering scent of the Spring Court when they landed was sickening, but she was too focused on concealing the presence of her power to become fazed by it.
Lucien nodded at her as soon as they had landed, taking Elain's hand and beckoning for Cresseida to follow as they walked through the clearing, the trio soon out of sight.
Marigold and the sentries left next after a couple minutes of smearing dirt over her pristine, pale skin. After Helion had refused, she had dragged the tip of a dagger over her cheek and bicep to create superficial wounds, smearing the resulting blood over her ripped clothes as well.
And then it was their turn after silently counting the seven anxious minutes they were to wait.
Helion glamoured himself at the same time as Kallias and Feyre did, the metallic scent of the glowing magic of Day, the piercing magic of Winter, and the smooth magic of Night mixing together.
Velaria looked to her mate, who only nodded. She shifted him quickly, modifying his height and build slightly to mimic that of Cassian's, his hair lengthening and curling, face broadening. Soon, the Commander of the Night Court's armies stood in front of her, the sight unnerving.
"How does it feel?" she asked Azriel.
"Definitely different," Azriel answered in Cassian's voice. "Holy shit, I even sound like him, too."
"And your scent has become his," Kallias said from behind him. His gaze landed on Velaria. "You possess a great amount of skill with your set of abilities."
Velaria dipped her head slightly, and as she came back up, shifted herself into her brother.
Feyre, as Eris, gaped as Velaria's hair shortened, shoulders widened, as she grew taller and taller until meeting her brother's height. Her face began to take the square shape more like their father's, as Velaria had inherited their mother's round face.
When she was done, Helion looked her up and down. "Something's missing," he said, the glamour making him sound like Tarquin.
"I know what it is," Azriel said quietly.
Vel, do you want to do this? he asked down the bond.
Velaria took a deep breath. I have to.
And Velaria let her wings free. Her wings, not her brother's. The wings that she was sure Helion had only seen once and Kallias had never seen.
She shook her wings out, stretching them out to their full length. They ached for flight, their stiffness begging her to take to the skies and soar free once again.
Azriel was the only one who saw the scars on her wings when they caught the light of the sun before she shifted her wings into Rhysand's, her wingspan shrinking along with the scars.
"There," she said in her brother's smooth tone. "We're ready."
Kallias met her stare. "Let's go."
✿ ↬ - - - ↫ ✿
Marigold
The grip on her biceps was painful as the sentries dragged her into the front hall of the Spring Court manor. The blood dripping down her cheek felt warm and sticky as she surveyed her surroundings.
The hall was decorated lavishly, banners of green and gold hung everywhere, the floor carpeted in plush carpets of the prettiest greens.
"HIGH KING," roared the sentry at her right, Osborne, she had come to learn. "WE HAVE A PRISONER."
Tamlin appeared at the top of the marble stairs immediately, face twisted into a scowl. "Osborne, Evander, Cadel," he said. "Report."
"We found Lady Marigold lurking around the border," Cadel said. "She reported hearing her son would be here today and demanded to see him."
Tamlin walked down the staircase, his emerald gaze never leaving hers. "I wonder which son that could be," he mused, tapping his chin. "One of your sons has been quite diligent in his search for you, but I don't think that you're talking about the current High Lord of Autumn."
Marigold said nothing, pressing her lips into a thin line.
"Return to your posts," Tamlin snapped at the sentries. "Guard the living room. We have...guests there."
The sentries fled down the hall to their right.
Tamlin turned to Marigold, using a hand to lift her chin, forcing her to look him in the eyes. "How did you learn of this meeting, dear Marigold?" he asked, his tone lethal. "I thought I sent invitations out quite silently. Explain, and your sons will still be of use to me."
"I heard it from a wandering trader," she said, glaring at him. "Do not take this out on my sons."
Tamlin narrowed his eyes before standing up straight. "Very well, then," he said. "We will do this the hard way, then. SENTRIES."
Two different sentries came running in.
"Take Marigold to the dungeon," Tamlin ordered. "I will interrogate her fully when I get the chance. Keep her under lock and guard. She is not to escape."
The sentry on the left nodded. "Yes, High Lord," he said, and they seized her arms, dragging her out.
Only when Tamlin was out of sight did Marigold allow herself to breathe easy again.
Everything was going according to plan.
✿ ↬ - - - ↫ ✿
Lucien
With Elain on one arm and Cresseida on the other, Lucien entered the closed-off living room.
The room was decorated in garishly clashing greens, gold and white thrown in at seemingly random places.
The conversation in the room stopped as the High Lords in the room turned to look at him.
Rhysand was sitting at the fireplace at the very back of the room, Cassian standing still behind him. His violet stare settled lazily on Lucien, though Lucien could see the calculating look behind them.
Tarquin sat in the chair opposite to Rhysand, his hair and clothes immaculate. Like Cassian, Varian was standing behind him as an acting bodyguard. Cresseida subtly tensed beside him at the sight of her cousin and younger brother.
Eris's expression was set in a sneer as he looked his brother up and down. "Brother. Congratulations on your new title."
Lucien swaggered in, the mask of the prick settled in on his face. He ignored Eris, turning to Tarquin. He released Cresseida and gave her a shove in Tarquin's direction. "Got you a present," he snarled.
Tarquin looked amused. "Thank you," he said. "I've been waiting for this one to be returned to me."
"Hello, Elain," Rhysand purred. "Welcome to the circle of High Lords and Ladys, although I believe you are just the Lady of Day. I also believe that my mate has been looking for you. Have you found her?"
Careful, calculated words that were spilling out of Rhysand's mouth. He was subtly probing for answers, testing Lucien and Elain's loyalty. Lucien tried not to look at Elain, knowing the fear in his eyes would show.
"My sister may be looking for me," Elain said, "but I am not looking to be found."
The answer satisfied Rhysand, who only smirked. "If you do see her, tell her she needs to return my son."
Elain snorted, but curtseyed. "I don't wish to see her, but if I am forced to, I'll relay the message."
Rhysand let out a bark of laughter. "You'll fit right in here," he said. "Come, sit down, both of you."
"We were just placing bets on who would be the last to arrive," Tarquin said. "It seems Eris has won. Again."
As Lucien and Elain moved to sit down, relief flooded throughout his entire body. He settled into the chair, Elain perching on the arm of it like the Lady she was expected to be.
No one suspected they had just let the fox of no court into their merry little den.
✿ ↬ - - - ↫ ✿
Velaria
As soon as Lucien had reached out with his mind saying everything was according to plan, and Marigold relaying the same message, they winnowed directly into Tamlin's wing of the manor, Velaria using a decent chunk of her power to cloak all of them in invisibility.
"Anyone who walks past truly can't see us right now?" Kallias asked, looking around anxiously.
"They can't see you, but they can hear you," Velaria hissed. "So stay quiet."
As soon as her shadows told her no one was around, Velaria released the invisibility, nodding to her company so they knew they were now visible.
Velaria straightened to her full height as Rhysand, tilting her chin in the fashion he would.
Azriel looked around. "Kallias and Feyre, go that way," he said, gesturing towards the doors at their right with a scarred hand. "The rest of us will go straight."
Kallias and Feyre nodded, Feyre holding her hands out, power humming, as Kallias opened the door. They disappeared inside of it at Kallias's nod.
Azriel opened the door in front of them as Velaria and Helion each guarded an opposite hallway, Helion standing in front of the one Kallias and Feyre had just disappeared into, and Velaria guarding the doorless one across from Helion.
They went through the door at Azriel's signal, immediately being met by another set of doors, these ones locked.
Velaria waved a hand and the doors opened by themselves.
They walked through, two guards at the door, who were immediately at attention when they walked in.
"State your business at High King Tamlin's chambers," the guard on the left said firmly.
"Tamlin asked us to grab something for him," Helion said in Tarquin's crystal-clear voice.
The guard on the right narrowed her eyes. "And why are Rhysand and Cassian with you?" she asked. "What are you retrieving?"
"That's the High King's business, don't you think?" Velaria said coolly, sliding her hands into the pockets of the black pants Rhysand typically wore. Her shadows had disappeared completely, hiding out of sight with Azriel's.
The guards shared a worried glance.
Azriel bared his teeth, the red siphons adorning his armor glowing. "Do you want us to go back down there and tell the High King that you refused us entry?" he snapped in Cassian's voice. "Do you want us to tell him that you refused some of his allies?"
"I – well, we're not – Tamlin said–" the guard on the right stuttered, fumbling with the gold spear in her hand.
Velaria was at her throat in a second, summoning the shadows of the power she shared with Rhysand to wrap around the guard's throat. "Do you want to let us in now?" she hissed directly into the guard's ear. "Or shall my shadows constrict your throat further?"
"Go, go," she croaked, glancing at her partner.
Velaria released the grip on the guard's throat. The guard sank to the ground, spear clattering on the marble floors as she rubbed her throat, the other guard rushing to rub her back.
"Thank you." Velaria walked right into Tamlin's private chambers, grinning like a wolf, Azriel and Helion behind her.
Azriel and Helion nodded at her before they spread out to search the different rooms, Azriel tackling the living room, Helion taking the closet, and Velaria taking the bedroom.
She used her magic to strip all the sheets off of Tamlin's bed while she searched through every drawer in his obsessive amount of cabinets, clawing through silk shirts of whites and greens and golds.
Her shadows lifted up the rug and the mattress, one even digging into the stuffing of the mattress to search it. They zoomed through every inch of the space, ducking between the cabinets and the walls, through possible hidden compartments in the floors or the cabinets.
"Any luck?" Velaria shouted to Helion and Azriel, continuing to dig through one of Tamlin's armoires. She threw tunics behind her onto a growing pile of silk eyesores, pulling out random long coats embroidered with silly designs.
She turned to the drawer of crowns and various jewelry that she was sure Tamlin had never worn.
"Hello?" Velaria yelled, realizing she had never gotten a reply back from Helion or Azriel.
"Hello, Velaria darling."