The Middle / Lunar's Bridge / Hewn City
The Middle
At night, Thesan walked inside the Winter Court's main tent, his gaze fixed in the table with maps.
“Would you like wine?” Kallias asked, sighing to the white bluish bottle in a separated table.
“No, thank you.” Thesan stood in front of the table, examining the maps as he leaned both hands in the white wood.
“Have you noticed that after years, this is the first time that the soldiers haven’t winnowed?” the white haired asked sitting in a chair close to the slender male.
“Yes,” the brown eyed had his index finger in the map right where they were, he tapped it before sitting in the chair behind him, “I also noticed something different about them,” he crossed his legs, “At every attack to the cities, there was always a General or Commander, and several high ranking soldiers, all of those specific ones had a silver skull mark on their left shoulder.” He said tapping the arm of his chair with the tip of his fingers.
“I realized that. Earlier, before finding you, none of the enemies I killed had that mark.” The white haired glanced at the maps before turning his gaze to the other High Lord.
“I found one, before getting on our meeting point,” he placed both hands on his lap, “Got hit by a ash arrow in the eye from one of my soldiers, then got beheaded by myself.” He placed a lock of his shoulder length hair behind his ear, “Then the Continentals who witnessed it became a little desperate.”
“I guess we discovered who of them are responsibles for their depart at any possible defeat on their side.”
A nod from Thesan, “We need to change our strategy.” He placed his index finger on his own chin, “I wonder if the Night Court know this as well.”
“For what I heard, the attacks in there always had a massive use of magic on the Enemy side.” Kallias dragged a hand through his white hair. “Honestly, it surprises me that they have not fall yet.”
“It has never been something like what is happening here, in The Middle, then.” He took a deep breath, “Also the Enemies in the Night Court's numbers are extremely large if compared to here.”
A nod from the blue eyed, “The Continentals might have thought that no one would be going here. Also, I suppose they don’t know about our advancement.”
“Let’s keep it like this, then.” Thesan wrapped his arms around himself, sharing stares with the blue eyed for a few seconds, soon both of them started to plan what they would do next.
oOoOo
Lunar's Bridge
As the evening came, Cassian had a arm around Rhysand's waist while his brother had one around his shoulders, the taller helped the violet eyed to walk as he was severely limping on his bad knee.
“Where is Az?” Rhysand asked as they walked in the small living room in the lowest level at the North part of the Moon Palace, being illuminated by the Sunset’s light.
“Checking if there is any enemy around and drained enough for him to capture and interrogate later.” Cassian said placing Rhys in a random armchair, both males had their eyes vacant for a few seconds as they talked with their mates, “Let Nesta see you arm.” He said pointing to his brother's left arm, which was in an odd position.
“I prefer to wait for a healer.” The short haired placed both wings above the arms of his seat – as is wasn’t made for someone with wings –, letting their ends touch the cold floor, he couldn’t move his left arm.
“They are probably busy with the soldiers with serious injuries, as Nesta will be soon.” Cassian said sitting in the armchair ahead of Rhysand.
“I don’t think she will be pleased to look at me.” He started to remove the metal parts of his armor.
“Of course, you gave her good reasons for, and you know it, but she will do if I or Feyre ask her.” the long haired leaned his back in the armchair, his wings in a position similar to his brother's, who slowly removed the metal on his injured arm as his brows frowned in pain, then leaned his back in the armchair.
A few minutes passed until the females’ arrival, Feyre went directly to her mate, Nesta walked close to Cassian, who had a pleading look while sighing for her at Rhysand, asking her through the bond to see his arm, her face was grave, but she turned her gaze to her lover's brother.
“Can you fix it?” Feyre asked her sister while removing the leathers in the upper part of Rhysand's body, she had a pleading look on her face as well.
The older sister silently snorted, walking close to Feyre's mate, looking carefully at his bare left arm.
“His shoulder is dislocated, must be put back in place.” She said, her youngest sister gave her space, Nesta gave a look to Cassian before placing a hand on Rhysand’s forearm and the other on his upper arm close to the elbow, rotating the lower arm in a way that the back of his hand almost touched his own wing, then she made a few fast movements until his shoulder was back in place.
Rhysand let scape a low growl of pain, Nesta went to Cassian, grabbing his left wrist with both hands, pulling him closer to her, a silent order to stand up.
As Cassian did, she said: “You have two broken ribs on your right side.”
“It will be fine.” He said walking at her side, his movements were slow and stiffly.
As they passed by Feyre, the younger only said: “Thank you.”
Nesta nodded, leading Cassian to the corridor as she would take him to their room before going downstairs to see what can be done to another soldiers, while Feyre helped Rhysand to stand up.
oOoOo
Hewn City
Lucien woke up as the morning light invaded his room, he stayed laid, slowly opening his eyes as he dragged both hands through his hair, he stared at the clock, almost 8 of morning, Elain would wake up soon.
He hadn’t see her yesterday, she had woke up late, and didn’t leave her room too often, he couldn’t help but think about her, knew that she was having visions, that she couldn’t see properly see, but knew it was bad, so bad that she had nightmares, which would also wake him at night as he could feel her feelings.
The red haired laid on his side, his head full of thoughts, doubts, he had so many questions, and his feelings betrayed him, he loved the brown eyed female, at first he had thought that it was because of their bond, the instinct, but it didn’t take such a long time to him to realize the truth, since as the time passed and they became friends, he knew this feeling, he had felt the same for a female before, for Jesminda.
He felt as a betrayer, and extremely guilty for the fact that he had find someone else to love, while his former lover had lost her life, executed by his father, who made him watch, Lucien couldn’t forgive himself as…
The male blinked, sitting in the bed, Elain had awake up, he felt it on their bond, his negative feelings might have awake her, that was something he hated about the bond, the lack of privacy about the feelings, sometimes he wondered if Elain knew about what he felt for her, or if his constantly no intentional cloud of sadness was able to hide anything. He blinked, think about the brown eyed again, she didn’t have any cloud as him, her feelings were bright, he knew she had the feeling of love, but she had another male.
Lucien also had doubts about the entire situation he was, the fact that Feyre always looked at him with that pity on her face, the way she would appear sometimes when he talked with Elain, and the day she appeared on his room in the Band of Exiles' manor. He wanted to know why his body was different, where were Jurian and Vassa on that day as what Feyre had told him was certainly a lie, why when he came back to Velaris everything seemed different, as if several years had passed. It has been years, yet he couldn’t take it out of his head.
The red haired pushed his blankets away from his body, then stood up, walking to his bathroom, to the sink, where he leaned both hands, slowly lifting his gaze to the mirror, staring at the circular almost unseen scar on his bare abdomen, from the injury he had got years ago, the injury that Elain had treat, he remembered how she got angry once after he had insisted that he could take care of his wound by himself, even Feyre got surprised at her sister behavior, at how protective she acted.
Lucien stepped to the bath, rotated the faucet, keeping it open until the tub was filled, then he took a towel, leaving it in the marble balcony of the sink, took a soap in the lower cabinet, then removed his underwear before entering in the bath.
oOo
Lucien walked through the corridor, towards the meal room, his long wet hair was brushed, parted on his right side, he left it lose, and placed part of it to the front of his left shoulder while the rest stayed on his back.
“Good morning.” Elain said almost instantly as she saw him through the door frame.
“Good morning.” Lucien answered, straightening his formal jacket as he crossed the room, noticed the blue stone on in the middle of her collar bone, “Pretty necklace, it suits you.” He said sitting.
“Thank you.” She smiled, her cheeks slightly pink, she already had a few pancakes on her plate, “How are you?” the female asked as he started to fill his plate with food, this question came from what he felt earlier.
The red haired kept his gaze on his own plate, “Just the usual.” It wasn’t a lie, he felt her eyes watching him, “How are your visions going?” he said before she could ask anything more.
“I am having only the presentment.” She said before taking a forkful of pancakes,
“Everything is blurred.”
Silence.
“Why it is empty here?” he asked trying to start a subject.
“Everyone are on Lunar's Bridge, the enemies are advancing in there.” She took a slip from her tea mug.
Lucien blinked, remembering how many times he had asked if he was need in the army, and Feyre always insisted that he wasn’t need, he asked her so many times, always getting the same answer, until he gave up on it.
“Will you join me in the next meals?” Elain asked, her voice made him come back to the reality, “The others will stay out during all the day.” She said holding his lower arm.
“I think –” Lucien got cut.
“The variety of plates is bigger than when you ask the servant to bring a trolley in your room.” She said noticing the change on his face, the corner of his lips slightly curving upwards.
“I might feel inclined to go.” He said humorously.
“There will be meat with thick tomato sauce, roasted potato with cheese, and rice with corn…” her voice humorously as well.
“So, I can see that my presence is required.” He said smiling, she let scape a low chuckle, “Cauldron, are you friends with the cookers?” he lifted a brow.
A nod, she released the grip on his forearm, “Yes, of course.”