Chapter 6 Talwyn
CHAPTER 6
TALWYN
I do not like this, Az,” Talwyn said as she paced in the private quarters of his Desert Alcazar. Azrael was putting two sets of clothes in a pack, along with a few other necessities. “I do not like that we do not know the plans. I do not like that we are not more involved in the particulars.”
“It is a mission, Talwyn. Nothing more,” Azrael said, ever the warrior, as he buckled more daggers and weapons to his body.
“It is not just a mission.”
“How is it not? Your cousin was compromised defending my Court. We owe them this debt,” he said. Striding for his desk, he took something from a drawer and put it in his pocket.
“We owe them nothing,” Talwyn snarled.
Azrael glanced at her brie?y before crossing the room oncemore to get something else. She wasn’t paying attention any more to what he was packing. “You are the queen, Talwyn. Do not let your emotions cloud your judgment. Aiding them with this will strengthen relations with your cousin. It will get us closer to our end goal.”
She paused her pacing then, turning to face him. Politics and tactical moves. That’s where Azrael’s head always was. The best moves for their Courts, for her as a queen.
He was bent over his desk once more, writing on several pieces of paper.
“What are you doing?”
“Instructions for Orestes,” he replied. “Things that need to be taken care of in my absence.” His charcoal continued to scratch across the parchment.
“I will still be here, you know,” she said dryly. “I can take care of things in the Earth Court.”
“You are already pacing like a child,” he said in response, unfazed by her tone. “You will not be focused enough to tend to my inter-court matters.”
“Do not speak to me like I am a little girl, Azrael Luan,” she spat, crossing to him and ripping the charcoal from his hand. “I am your queen.”
“Then begin acting like one, your Majesty.” Azrael rose to his full height. He was several inches taller than her, and his granite hewn features were hard and sharp. His earthy brown eyes met hers.
“I am thinking like a queen. I am thinking that it is stupid to ask you to do this when we could send another warrior who is just as capable. You could deliver them and wait for a message to go and retrieve them. You do not need to stay. Why are we sending another Prince of the Courts into this madness?”
Azrael studied her face, and she made herself withstand his scrutinizing glare. “You are sending me because I am your greatest resource in this matter, Talwyn.” His tone had softened just a touch. “You are sending me because I will be your eyes among the Courts we are no longer part of. We cannot trust them to share everything they will see and hear while they are there. Do not feel guilty for asking this of me and utilizing me.”
Talwyn didn’t know what to say as he stepped around her once more to continue his preparations. He was right. She knew he was right. Even Ashtine had been unable to ?nd out vital information from the winds. She did need eyes and ears on the inside if Sorin and his new queen were unwilling to share them with her.
“You will …” She swallowed, looking out the window of his rooms at the sky that was quickly losing sunlight. They were to meet at the Fiera Palace at sundown. “You will keep me informed of things? So that I know when to expect you home.”
“I will send updates as I am able,” he con?rmed, hefting his pack onto a shoulder.
“That is not a good enough answer, Prince,” she retorted.
Azrael stilled once more and slowly set his pack back down on his bed. “What is this really about, Talwyn?”
“It is about making sure one of the few people in my life I can depend on is returned to me in one fucking piece,” she snarled, locking eyes with him once more.
Azrael was silent for a long moment before he said, “This is very different from ten years ago, Talwyn.”
“Is it? Is it not a mission led by Sorin to retrieve someone important to him, no matter who is lost in the process?”
“Talwyn.” He said her name with a thoughtful sadness that had her turning away from him.
“Forget it. Just forget it.”
She turned, striding for the door out to his living area. “Talwyn.”
“I said forget it, Az. We need to go. Grab your pack.”
She wrenched the door open and crossed the sitting room straight out to the terrace, gulping down the cool night air. She glanced down at her left hand where a Mark had once stood stark against her skin. A Mark that had faded over time. A hawk soared across the sky, and she tracked it as it dove to the earth after some prey or another.
She scented him, soil and forest and ?r, before she heard him come out onto the terrace. She knew if she glanced over her shoulder he’d be leaning against the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest. Her hair was blowing on the winds she was siphoning off, releasing her emotions that were making her magic roar up inside her. The hawk reemerged, and with her Fae sight, she could make out a shape dangling from its talons.
She felt a tickling sensation at her wrist, and she looked down to ?nd a piece of ivy growing, tiny purple wisteria blooming along it. A peace offering from the Earth Prince. Still, she did not turn to look back at him.
This was no place for emotions. He was right. This was a mission like any other. They needed information. They needed to retrieve the Fae Queen of the Western Courts. Without Scarlett, they could not track down these keys. She could not move forward with her plans without those keys.
Taking a steadying breath, she ?nally turned to face Azrael. His pack was on the ground beside him. “Are you ready?” she asked. Her tone was frank and cold. The voice of the Fae Queen.
“I did not consider how you would feel about this undertaking, Talwyn,” he replied, his hard voice softened in a way he only spoke to her.
“Feelings have no place in this undertaking,” she said, closing the distance between them and looking pointedly at his pack. “If you are ready, let’s go. I want to talk to Sorin more before you all leave.”
“Aditya will not make the same mistakes, Talwyn. His entire Court journeys with us. He knows the lands we are going to. He knows the people who have her, and he knows allies.” He was watching her carefully as she reached down and picked up his pack, extending it towards him.
“Good. Then you should not be gone long. Is there anything else you need to grab, or can we go?”
“Talwyn.”
“What?” she snapped, ?nally meeting his gaze once more.
“I swear to you that I will come back to you,” he replied, holding her stare. “Nothing there will keep me from returning to your side.”
There was a beat of silence before she said, “Good. Building relations with a new prince would be annoying, and I doubt his distractions would be as effective.”
The corner of his mouth twitched, as if a smile were about to form, but it never did. Smiles rarely found their way to his harsh face. He took the pack from her ?ngers where she held it out to him and set it back on the ground. Then he took that outstretched hand and pulled her towards him.
“I will send Rinji with updates as often as I can, and will Travel to you whenever possible,” he said, tilting her face up towards his.
“It is ?ne, Prince Luan. Whenever you can be spared will be ?ne. I appreciate your willingness to do this.”
His ever-present scowl deepened. “Do not do that, Talwyn.”
“We need to go,” Talwyn said, trying to work her way out of his grip. “They will be waiting for us.”
“Talwyn,” Azrael growled at her, tightening his hold.
“Az, it is ?ne,” she bit out, the earth below her rumbling slightly. “Let’s go.”
She wrenched herself from his grasp, grabbing his pack. Before he could say anything else, she snatched his hand and Traveled to the Fire Court. They landed outside the Fiera Palace gates. She dropped his hand, shoving his pack into his arms, and strode through the gates without a backwards glance. She knew Azrael wouldn’t push this here. Not in front of the other Courts. They were always a united front in the presence of others.
She also knew he’d bring it up later. Even if later meant weeks from now. She could feel his eyes boring into her back as she breathed deep to calm her temper and magic. A sentry opened the main door for her, bowing slightly. When she stepped into the entrance hall, a few of the staff were rushing about here and there, and her eyes fell on the mortal prince and his guards. His hazel eyes locked onto hers. There was something different about him. Something harder, more imposing.
She smirked at him as she said, “Good evening, Crown Prince.”
“Queen Talwyn,” he said with a slight bow. “I was unaware you were accompanying us on this journey.” His two guards had come to his sides, hands casually on their swords, as if they thought they could do anything to her with them.
“I am not joining you, but Prince Azrael is,” she answered, gesturing behind her.
“Do you know the plan, then?” Callan inquired, shifting his gaze to the prince.
“Likely little more than you do,” Azrael replied.
“Glad to know it is not just me being kept in the dark then,” Callan muttered, and Talwyn almost laughed out loud at his musings.
“Where is Sorin?” she asked.
“Preparing I assume,” Callan replied with a stiff shrug.
Talwyn studied the mortal prince with a tilt of her head. Despite his best attempts to hide it, she could see his anxiousness underneath. He was ready to return home, likely to get away from Sorin and Scarlett.
“And are you prepared for what awaits you upon your return home, Crown Prince?” Talwyn voiced now.
Callan’s hazel eyes dragged back to hers and held a steely resolve. “I am prepared to serve and protect my people from whatever … threats may be in store. Their wellbeing is a higher priority than my own.”
“Spoken like a true prince,” drawled a female voice. They all turned to ?nd Eliza striding towards them. She was bedecked in her usual attire, although she had more weapons than usual. She carried a pack on her shoulder, along with a bag in her hand.
“Where is Sorin and the rest of his cabal?” Talwyn said when Eliza came to a stop before them. She detested all of Sorin’s Inner Court, but Eliza was by far the worst with her insufferable arrogance and smart mouth.
“Cabal?” Eliza questioned. “Such interesting names you have for us, Majesty.”
There was a slight rustling of smoke near the braziers, and Rayner stepped into view. “Do not stir things up, Eliza,” he chastised quietly. “We have enough to worry about right now.” His gaze shifted to Talwyn and Azrael, and he bowed slightly in greeting. He had his own weapons adorning him and a pack gripped in his hand as well. Talwyn still couldn’t believe Sorin’s entire Inner Court was going to the mortal lands. Such utter stupidity.
Of the three of them, Rayner was the only member of Sorin’s Inner Court who she could stand to be around for longer than a few minutes. Probably because he rarely spoke. When he did speak, though, he was respectful and tried to keep the peace. Not that she was fooled by his seeming aloofness. He was as deadly as the rest of them. She’d only seen him unleashed a handful of times, and while she’d never admit it to anyone else, he’d been terrifying.
“Rayner,” she greeted in response. “One of you needs to ?ll me in on the plan.”
Eliza opened her mouth to snap a reply, but Rayner cut her off. “The prince will be here shortly.”
“We both know Sorin will not tell me everything,” Talwyn retorted.
“It is not my place to reveal his plans, your Majesty.”
There was almost a note of regret in his voice that sent Talwyn’s nerves into overdrive. She glanced sidelong at Azrael, who was watching her, before she quickly averted her gaze once more.
“Since two of the three parts of this little party are not aware of the plan, maybe it would be best to share before everyone jumps into the unknown,” Talwyn stated, crossing her arms in front of her.
Prince Callan stepped forward at her words. “I am in agreement with that idea.”
Eliza smirked at both of them. “Too bad you two don’t really get a say in the matter. This isn’t a majority rules situation.”
“I damn well get a say if you are taking my Second and my ring,” Talwyn snarled in return.
“Sorin is on his way down. He will be here in moments,” Rayner interjected.
He had barely ?nished speaking when footsteps echoed from the hall. They all turned to ?nd Sorin, Cyrus, and Arianna Renatus. What the hell was the Shifter doing here? And if she was here, where was Stellan?
Talwyn did a quick scan of the entry looking for the Shifter Alpha but didn’t see any sign of him, at least not in his natural form. The three came to a stop in front of them all, and Arianna propped a hand on her hip, a vixen’s smile on her lips.
“Sorin dearest, you did not tell me we would be traveling with such delicious company,” she said in her sultry tone, her eyes drinking in the Crown Prince before moving on to Azrael.
“Arianna,” Talwyn said tightly, with a nod of her head to the Beta. “A pleasure, as always.”
“Of course, your Majesty,” she returned with a bow of her own. Then she moved closer to Callan, sliding a hand up his arm and around his shoulders as she circled behind him. Callan stiffened at the liberal touches, looking as uncomfortable as a virgin in a brothel.
Sorin cleared his throat, a grin of amusement playing around his lips as he watched. “Arianna, this is Crown Prince Callan Solgard of Windonelle. Callan, meet Arianna Renatus. She is the Beta of the Shifters.”
“A pleasure to meet you, Lady,” Callan said awkwardly, attempting to step from her reach.
“Oh no, Prince. The pleasure is indeed all mine,” she replied with a ?irtatious grin, moving into his personal space once more and sidling right into his side.
Callan threw a pleading look around for someone to take pity on him, and Talwyn huffed a sigh. “Lady Arianna, the Crown Prince is not used to such affection. Perhaps you should give him some space?”
Her relations with the Shifters were the best alliance she had. Granted, she preferred to work with Stellan, but she’d had plenty of interactions with Arianna as well. They were both Power Shifters, able to shift into any animal or human form, and she did everything she could to remain on good terms with the siblings. They were invaluable when it came to power plays, and while they enjoyed their share of roguery and promiscuity, they were incredibly cunning and powerful. Stellan was also very protective of his sister, which made it all the more concerning that he wasn’t present.
Arianna’s grin became one of mischief at Talwyn’s suggestion. “Maybe he would ?nd he likes my type of affection,” she replied, nuzzling into his neck.
“I am sure he would adore your affection, Lady, but perhaps another time would be more conducive,” Talwyn replied, with a pointed look at Sorin.
A pout formed on Arianna’s full lips as Sorin held out a hand to the Shifter. “I am afraid Queen Talwyn is right, Lady. You know we are short on time as it is.”
Arianna sighed, slipping her hand into his waiting palm. “Of course, kitten,” she conceded. “But you will be sure to tell him how much he will enjoy my company, won’t you?”
Her olive eyes were wide with an innocence the Shifter in no way possessed, and a wry smile pulled at Sorin’s mouth. “I will be sure the Crown Prince knows exactly how good you would make him feel, my Lady.”
Seemingly satis?ed, Arianna stepped away from Callan and back to Sorin’s side, who smoothly passed her off to Cyrus when she tried to cling to him. Cyrus snaked an arm around her waist, tucking her in tight against him and whispering something into her ear that had her grinning a feline grin and running her ?ngers along his jaw.
“Does everyone have everything they need?” Sorin asked, shouldering his pack. Cyrus stooped to pick up his pack along with another bag Talwyn assumed was Arianna’s.
“I am in need of an explanation of the plan, Prince,” Talwyn bit out from between clenched teeth.
Rayner and Eliza came to Sorin’s side as he met her glare. “I have as much of a plan in place as possible, Talwyn, but I do not know in what state we will ?nd Baylorin. Our most pressing matter upon arriving will be to ?nd our allies.”
There was a swirl of ashes near Rayner, and he pulled a map from them, passing the parchment to Sorin. Sorin gestured for Azrael to come over, and Talwyn moved with him, his arm brushing against hers.
Azrael and Rayner each took a side of the parchment, and Sorin pointed to the castle. “Obviously, this is where the king resides. Mikale’s father, Lord Lairwood, is the hand-to-the-king. This is his estate.” He moved his ?nger to another area. “This is where all the unmarried soldiers reside for the most part, including much of the king’s High Force.”
“Do you think that is where she is being held?” Azrael inquired, rubbing his jaw in thought.
There was a low snarl from beyond them. “My father is not keeping her prisoner,” Callan said tightly.
“No offense, Princeling, but if he has learned what she is, he may indeed have arrested her,” Eliza replied ?ippantly.
“No,” Callan insisted. “She is not there.”
“While Eliza has a point, I do not believe that is where she is,” Sorin cut in. He pointed to an estate a short distance from the castle grounds. “This is the Tyndell Estate. This is where she resided for a year before I brought her here. Lord Tyndell is in charge of the king’s armies and was my superior while I was there. He is working with Mikale and …” Sorin paused for a moment, seeming to debate something internally, before he took a breath and added, “Scarlett believes Lord Tyndell is one of the Maraan Lords.”
Talwyn’s eyes snapped to him at that. “And who exactly are these Maraan Lords?” she asked in a dangerous tone. They had been mentioned a few times now by Scarlett and Ashtine, yet no one had bothered to ?ll her in on this threat.
“I am not entirely sure,” Sorin admitted. “Scarlett knows far more than I do, and before she could tell me everything, we had to deal with the Night Children at the borders. She believes that Deimas was, in fact, a Maraan King. She had several theories as to why he entered into a union with Esmeray, but couldn’t say for sure.”
“So who are the Maraan Lords, then? What are they doing here?” Azrael asked. Talwyn could see him calculating all of this new information.
“Scarlett believes they are after the same thing they coveted in the Great War. Something in Avonleya. She thinks they are trying to ?nd a way through the Avonleyan wards using Blood Magic,” Sorin answered. “She does not know how many Maraan Lords are here. According to her research, there are seven Lords in total. She and the other Wraiths of Death supposedly killed one a few years ago. She also believes Mikale to be one. Who the rest are, she does not know. If she has inklings, she did not share them.”
“You believe she is at the Tyndell Estate then?” Talwyn asked, her eyes returning to the map before them.
“No,” Sorin countered once again.
Talwyn released a frustrated huff. “For the love of Celeste, Sorin.
Where the fuck is she then?”
“Our best guess is that she is either being held by Mikale here at the Lairwood Estate,” Sorin answered, indicating the sprawling estate even bigger than the Tyndell property. “If that is the case, we already know the general layout of the house; as that is where we had to break her out of before we returned home.”
“And if she is not there?” Azrael intoned.
Talwyn watched a muscle feather in Sorin’s jaw, and a small part of her that used to be attached to him ached deep in the recesses of her soul. She knew his tells, his small ticks. It was taking every ounce of self-control to keep his emotions in check right now. Before her stood her aunt’s Second. The Fae who took control and got results. The Fae who would become as callous and as wicked as necessary to achieve an end he desired.
“If she is not with Mikale, she is likely with the Assassin Lord, her old master. In which case, she is likely being held deep in the Black Syndicate, and we will need to rely on our allies there. They will intimately know the layout,” Sorin answered.
“We are going into the Black Syndicate then?” Azrael asked, violence tangible in the aura around him.
“We will not get within a mile of the Syndicate before we ?nd ourselves either dead or captured, which is why we need to ?nd Cassius and Nuri as soon as possible,” Sorin explained. He pointed to an area of the map near the docks. “I do not know how similar Traveling is to portaling, Luan, but this is where I need you to Travel us to. Or as close to this location as possible. It is far from the Black Syndicate, but it is where we have close to a hundred orphans hidden. In the last correspondence we had from Cassius, he told us Nuri has not left the area since we left Baylorin. I am hoping that is still the case, and she will ?nd us swiftly.”
“We are going to rely on her ?nding us?” Azrael asked. “Why not track them down?”
A grim smile hooked up the corner of Sorin’s mouth. “You will ?nd, Luan, that you do not track down Death’s Shadow. She ?nds you.”
Azrael didn’t show any reaction to learning that one of their allies would be a Wraith of Death. Talwyn, however, voiced her own concern. “And what of the other Wraiths of Death? Do they know their companion has betrayed them?”
Sorin’s eyes darkened, but it was Prince Callan who answered her question. “One of them is dead, and the other is whom you seek to rescue.”
Talwyn couldn’t keep the surprise from her face. “Scarlett is a Wraith of Death?”
“Your cousin bears many titles and wears many masks,” Callan replied, with a surprising amount of bitterness for the woman he claimed to love.
She turned her eyes to Sorin, seeking con?rmation.
“Yes, Talwyn. Scarlett is Death’s Maiden. The other, Death Incarnate, was killed a year and a half ago.” Silence fell for a few moments while Talwyn tried to process all this new information before Sorin cleared his throat. “We have no more time for questions or explanations. We need to arrive in Baylorin undetected, which means the cover of night will be the best. We need as much time in the dark as possible to track down Cassius or Nuri. Luan, how close do you think you can get us?”
Azrael studied the map a moment longer. “I have never Traveled to Windonelle, but from the map, I should be able to get us close. It would be wiser to aim for the outskirts of the capital to avoid arriving at an inconvenient location. Will it be dif?cult toenter the city on foot?”
Sorin rubbed the back of his neck in thought. He pointed to an area in the north of the city near the coast. “I think if you can get us to this area, near the docks and cliffs, we’d stand the best chance.” He turned his attention to Callan’s guards. “Would youagree?”
The two sentries exchanged a look and a glance at Callan, who gave a nod. “If he can get us in that general vicinity, there are secret tunnels that lead into the city. They are in place to get the royalty out in case of an attack,” the shorter of the two revealed. “It branches off in various places throughout the city.”
Sorin’s brows rose in surprise. “Are these the tunnels they used to get in and out of the castle when she would come to Callan?”
“They are a section of them, yes,” the guard con?rmed. “Although the Black Syndicate residents seem to know more about the tunnel system than we do.”
The taller guard snorted behind them, clearly not happy about that fact.
“That is where we go then,” Sorin said, taking the map and rolling it up.
Everyone turned and gathered their things, and Azrael came to Talwyn’s side, checking all the weapons buckled to him one ?nal time. “Orestes will take care of things in the Earth Court. Stay close to Ashtine. Send Maliq if you need me. You are my priority, Talwyn. Not the Fae Queen of the Western Courts,” he said in a low voice. The same ivy and wisteria he’d wrapped around her wrist coiled there once more.
Talwyn slid the Semiria ring from her ?nger and held it out to him. He took it, subtly brushing his ?ngers along hers. He slid it onto his little ?nger, the magic of the ring stretching to accommodate his larger hand.
“Do not inconvenience me by dying, Prince,” Talwyn replied coolly.
Azrael nodded his head once in acknowledgment, before he moved to stand beside Sorin. Sorin’s Inner Court all gathered around him, touching an arm or shoulder. Cyrus still had Arianna tucked into his side, and Eliza held Callan’s hand in her own. The mortal prince’s two sentries each had a hand on his shoulder. As Sorin reached for Azrael’s shoulder, his eyes met Talwyn’s. She stared at him and let her walls down for a moment. She let him see everything she couldn’t say.
Sorin bowed his head. It was a small movement, barely noticeable, but she saw it for what it was. A thank you for letting them take Azrael and a promise to bring him home.
If he broke that promise, there would be no more chances. They would no longer just be rulers who often disagreed. He would become her enemy, and she’d enjoy plotting his downfall along with all those he loved.
Just like she would enjoy taking down the Avonleyans when they retrieved those fucking keys.