A Song of Ice & Shadow

Part 6

After that, the meeting seemed to go well until Eris called Mor a slut. In a blink of an eye, Azriel was at his throat, sealing them in a wall of blue, caused by his siphons.
"Enough" Rhys ordered seconds before Azriel could rip Eris's throat out, shadows on full display.
"Is that what you were referring to?" Y/n whispered to Cassian, her gaze fixed on the Shadowsinger. This was the first time she had seen him enveloped in the shadows like this.
"That's a glimpse of it" Cassian answered, his expression serious.
Although Azriel halted from ripping his throat out, he still squeezed at his throat. "Enough, Azriel" Rhys spoke into the Shadowsinger's mind.  Azriel drove his knee into Eris's stomach before releasing him, rage still consuming him.

Back in his chair, Azriel kept his eye on Eris, giving him a death glare, until the male finally apologized to Mor. The talks proceeded, and they discussed strategies of where to begin and what to attack first. Thesan informed them that they found a solution for Faebane and introduced one of his most skilled craftspeople, who was also an alchemist. Y/n was intrigued by this powder and wanted to learn how to make it.

Beron started talking about the refugees, and one thing led to another, resulting in him saying he doesn't care about the fate of the humans beyond the wall.
Y/n spoke again, her tone sharp and accusatory "of course, how typical of Fae-kind. Your arrogance and shamelessness know no bounds. It's no surprise there, I mean you always thought you were the superior race, which is why peace will never last in your courts" Y/n huffed.
"Are you threatening me, girl?" Beron's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"I'm simply stating the facts. It is only natural for chaos to erupt if High Lords thought they were superior. Your ego would lead to not being satisfied as being superior to humans, which then would turn into ambition to become even more superior than other High Lords. Grab more lands, force others to submit when you find out their weakness. Should I go on?".
"You think you're so clever, don't you?" Beron sneered.
"If I was, I would have run as far away as possible the moment Fae-kind knocked on our door. But you know what? That trait you have of feeling superior would actually benefit humankind. You'd all be busy fighting each other to care about humans. And who knows? Maybe one day, while you're all fighting, depleting your forces, the humans would attack and get rid of you".
"Y/n that's enough" Rhys interjected firmly.

Not two minutes later, fire exploded out of Feyre blasting Beron for insulting Rhys, talking about him being Amarntha's whore, and implying that if things go badly, he'd become the Kings' whore.

The meeting had been filled with the Night Court attacking everyone who insulted one of their members, for Rhys attacked Beron for insulting Feyre after, making Beron angry and preparing to leave the chamber as he shouted that he hoped Hybern would kill them all.
Y/n rose to her feet and managed to stop Beron with her speech "This meeting is not over. If we do not act now, Hybern will butcher us all, humans and Fae alike. Even if you don't care about humans, you must at least care about your people. Before you ask, I know this because I went into the Cauldron and I saw the intentions of the King, what he plans to do. You all hurt for the people you lost, the children. But what about the human children? The ones who died because of starvation, poverty, while you sat in your comfortable homes with excess food and gold long before Amarantha came. Humans have suffered for far too long. They have no one to protect them, to shield them, so I ask you to fight, to protect those you've forgotten for so many years" Y/n urged, her voice filled with emotion.

The High Lords finally agreed to fight against Hybern, and Beron said he'd consider it before winnowing with his entire family and Y/n released a breath before sitting down again.

Even after the meeting officially ended, they kept talking and discussing strategies. By the time they were done, it was evening. Only Rhys and Kallias's entourage remained in the chamber.

"That went well" Rhys declared, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. Azriel gave a non-serious, cold apology. Since his attack on Eris, Azriel hadn't uttered a word, his expression remained cold as he stayed in the shadows.
"If this went well, I wonder how it would have been if it went bad" Y/n commented dryly.
"You don't want to know, trust me" Cassian chuckled.

"Maybe when the threat is neutralized, you can come and visit. We can work on our estranged relationship" Kallias told Rhys, extending his invitation to everyone in the room, before everyone finally retired to their suite. Azriel was leaning against the wall beside a window, shadows consuming him, while everyone relaxed on the couch. A knock sounded on the door, and Rhys went to open it. It was Helion, who appeared to have a thing for Azriel by the way he spoke to him. But then he started making sexual innuendos, which everyone seemed used to.
"Is he always like this?" Y/n whispered to Cassian, who nodded.
"Ah, right. Where are my manners? We haven't been properly introduced. I'm Helion, h-".
"I know who you are. I was in that meeting" Y/n reminded, her arms crossed.
"Feisty. I like you. My offer extends to you as well, if you like" Helion remarked, a playful glint in his eyes.
"What offer?".
"To join my bed, of course".
Y/n snorted "in your dreams".
"I certainly will dream about you" he smirked, and Y/n gave him a disgusted look.

Helion and Cassian talked about their forces and what their plan was. Then they discussed Beron and his past choice to join the war, which led to Helion talking about Beron's wife, where Y/n discovered they had an affair for decades until they were caught by Beron. Y/n deduced something that night but kept it to herself, not knowing if she can use it to her advantage in the future. Everyone retired to their room, Mor taking Helion with her, while Azriel stayed by the window.

Two hours later, unable to sleep, Y/n went to get some fresh air on the balcony of their living room. To no surprise, Azriel was there, no doubt reflecting on what had happened that day. Y/n stood near the edge in silence, not wanting to interrupt his thoughts. After twenty minutes, she almost forgot he was there from the way he stood there in silence without moving an inch like a stone. His shadows, on the other hand, snuck up on her and brushed the skin on her back.
"Are you alright?" she finally asked as she approached him.
A long silence followed before he answered "I'm fine" his tone rough and cold.
More silence ensued. She debated whether to ask or not, not knowing if it was a smart move given his current state. "You're quieter than usual. I noticed today you haven't been yourself... or maybe you have been your truest self? Is that why?".
His shadows danced around the strands of her hair that fell loose. "Would you be scared of me if I said this is who I really am?" he finally turned to face her, closing the distance between them.
"No. I think I could never be scared of you" she replied softly, surprisingly not backing away.
"And why is that?".
"I don't know, it's just a feeling. You- it feels safe to be around you. Like a sense of security. I don't know how else to describe it....As long as you don't lie, it's fine, it doesn't matter to me which way you are".
"The truth is, I don't know my true self. I don't know if what you saw today- the violence, or the pain I inflict on others during interrogations, all the killing and bloodshed is who I truly am or if I'm the one you're used to, the composed, righteous warrior" Azriel found himself admitting things he never told anyone before, and to his surprise Y/n was supportive.
"I suppose you can be both, depending on who you're dealing with and which treatment they deserve. I'm fine with either" her lips curved into a gentle smile.
Suddenly her expression changed into a worried look "what is it?" Azriel, who immediately noticed, asked, his shadows stilling at her change in demeanor.
"I don't know, but something is wrong. We have to leave now".