Nevalah walked down the empty white-marble hallway, frowning as she looked at the blank wall-papered walls as she moved towards the foyer of her new manor-home. They were still blank, not one painting or plant decorating the long, bright hall. It felt strange, that empty.
She had moved in over two weeks ago, but she had no furniture. All of it was back in the Summer Court and she didn't dare go back to her home, the wound of losing it was still too fresh. So she had decided to furnish the bedrooms, the office, library, dining room, and parlor first since those seemed more important than getting useless decoration.
Especially as she was running low on money, to the point where she had to start working again, though she couldn't complain. There was a reason why she chose this area to work, and it wasn't just for the extensive wealth it gave her.
Currently, she was working on four different cases, all of them easy and quick that took hardly any work at all. Honestly, they were overpaying for how simple and quick she could get the work done, but she needed the money.
As she got to the grand and sun-filled foyer, she paused in the center of the warm room and looked up at the large window on the wall above the tall wooden front doors. The warm golden light filtered through the window and warmed her skin as she straightened her top, a soft black velvet jacket.
She'd bought it for no other reason than the fact that she needed something that wasn't a dress for when she was working, and the material was so fine and the color so rich that she couldn't resist it.
The moment was short-lived because outside she heard the muffled voices of four members of the Inner Circle. Rhysand, Feyre, Morrigan, and Azriel. They hadn't even knocked, her shadows had told her that they were there. Her shadows hadn't neglected to say that they were all unarmed, save for Azriel, who they couldn't get a clear read of.
For the last week whenever they checked in on her, it was only one of them, normally just a sentence while they passed on the streets. She had made sure they never came to her home, making sure she always ran into one of them on the street, but she had been busy today with work and didn't have time or the need to leave her home.
Taking in a deep breath, she turned her face away from the warmth of the sunlight and walked up to the tall wooden doors, grabbing onto the golden doorknob and pulling the heavy door open to see the High Lord standing there, his hand mid-air as he prepared to knock.
"You took long enough," he said, smirking, his eyes looking her over, cataloging the multiple weapons she had sheathed over her body. His dark brows raised and she just offered an innocent smile.
As the High Lord said, "Preparing for a battle?" her eyes drifted to Alexander where he stood beside Morrigan and she froze, her mouth slowly falling open. She truly hated her shadows sometimes. They wanted to trick with her and she wished they were a real solid thing so she could knock some sense into them.
She looked back to the High Lord and stepped aside to let them in, taking a moment to compose herself. "I'm working," she said, forcing a polite smile even as she was mentally yelling at her shadows.
She patted the hilt of the dagger secured at her hip and smiled and nodded at Alexander who looked genuinely shocked, hoping that he could simply turn around and leave.
"Welcome to my home," she said, smiling warmly at Alexander as she pushed the heavy door closed and waited for him to finish his bow before she moved to the front of the small group, leading them back down the empty hall. She turned so that she was walking backward, her hands folded behind her back.
Her movement was silent, save for the hissing of the fabric of her pants as they rubbed up against each other, her steps otherwise silenced.
"I'm sorry there isn't much decoration," she said, and at the way they hardly glanced around the hall, she knew they couldn't care less about the decorations. "I'm running low on money and I have priorities—like eating. But all should even out after today if Maria doesn't decide to go buy a whole bunch of jewelry, which she very well might."
Eva couldn't help but smile, especially as Maria rounded the corner and Eva turned to her, bowing her head. Maria was dressed in a simple pastel-yellow dress, the linen light and flowing as it fell over her body in a stream to the floor where it hung loosely around her ankles. There were dots of stain where she had spilled a droplet of wine or where she'd dropped a bit of the stew she'd been cooking onto the delicately sewn hem of the dress. It was the clothes of a working woman.
"I have to look good while I cook, what else can I say?" Maria said, trying and failing to hide her smile. She pulled the strap of her worn leather bag further up her shoulder and held out a hand. "I need money so that I can go buy some spices."
Eva blinked and tilted her head, calculating in her mind how much money it would cost. She knew she had enough, but she liked to be exact. She looked over her shoulder at her five guests, looking over their curious faces. "Are you staying for lunch? I'm sure Maria would love to cook for someone that isn't me."
"Truly!" Maria burst out, no restraint in her voice as she stepped up beside her mistress, taking the slight bag of coins that she had summoned and slipped them into the bag. Azriel watched every movement. "It's been centuries. Eva never has guests, so the last time I cooked for someone else was when we were in the Dawn Court and she held a banquet for those that couldn't afford a fine meal. It was one of the best nights ever. Nyx said it was the night he fell in love with me."
Maria waited expectantly as she looked at them. With the pure joy in her full smile, Morrigan answered for the others. "We would love to!" If possible, Maria smiled even brighter, and as she walked away, there was a jump in her step.
Nevalah gestured with her head to the set of doors they'd stopped in front of. She had to take a moment to look over the finery of the door. At the gold inlaid to the white-painted wood. It was nothing compared to the grandeur of her old home, but it was still beautiful. She pushed the double-doors open and breathed deeply, letting the sweet scent of flowers fill her lungs.
It was like entering a whole different world. The glass table in the center of the room was sitting upon plush red carpet, a couch and two chairs all a fine red velvet accented with golden embroidery surrounding it. Little tables and plants litter the edges of the room, bordering some of the paintings Onyx had picked out and bought.
She gestured to the seats as she walked behind them, going toward her desk. "Please, sit and chat. I have to finish up some work." It wasn't a total lie, but she also needed time to center herself and figure out how she was going to deal with Alexander and steady herself so she could speak to him with seeming completely lost.
She slid into the sun-warmed upholstered leather chair behind her desk, the sunlight leaking through the window behind her lighting the shining polished wooden desk in front of her. This desk mostly contained little knick-knacks and a small stack of paper alongside pots of ink and her seal and wax. Her actual desk was up on the second floor in her office. A far grander and larger room than this one small parlor.
The High Lord and High Lady both took a seat on the couch beside Morrigan, all three of them quickly falling into a conversation about this new restaurant that they might want to go to sometime later that week. Alexander sat on the chair that faced away from her, but finally, her shadows whispered to her about him; how frightened and uncomfortable he was. She would've been able to tell that just by the strain his shoulders.
Azriel, on the other hand, sat by himself on the other chair, making no attempt not to watch her, his shadows heavy around his shoulders. She gave him a secret smile before she took a piece of paper and started to write, the scratch of the metal pen nib filling the air of the room.
It took but a moment for her to fall into the steady rhythm of work. Her shadows became visible as they darted out of the dark spots of the room to wrap around her ear and whisper and quick report before leaving once again.
Morrigan watched with open amazement, her eyes tracking the shadows as they faded in and out of existence. The High Lord and High Lady, on the other hand, were trying extremely hard not to seem intrigued, their eyes constantly flickering to her. It was only a matter of minutes before Alexander was looking behind him. His face leeched of all color once he saw all the shadows flocking around her.
She just hoped he would understand without having to explain.
Thankfully, Onyx appeared in the doorway of the room, appearing silently. He looked over the esteemed guests and instantly dismissed them, looking straight to Eva. "There's a problem," he said, his voice sudden as it broke the quiet conversation. All eyes turned to him. Alexander turned and looked to Onyx, his gratitude for the distraction obvious in the slump of his shoulders.
"What is it?" Eva asked, looking up from her work, willing her shadows to halt their continual work. He looked hesitantly around the room and tapped a long ink-and-dirt covered finger on the wood of the doorway. A shadow was immediately around his ear. Carefully, he whispered, Nine of the books are gone.
She sucked in a short breath and all eyes shifted back to her, excluding Alexander, who was still staring at Onyx as if his life depended on it. The High Lord and Azriel stiffened, preparing to jump to their feet if anything happened. Eva crossed her arms in front of her chest as she leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes and tilting her head back.
"Anything important?" she asked, opening her eyes and looking to Onyx.
He shrugged, the black material of his suit shifting. "Depends on what you classify as important."
She scrutinized him for a moment. He knew very well what important meant, the sly smile pulling up at the corner of his mouth said enough about his intentions. Onyx stared back at her and tilted his head slightly causing his fiery hair to shift.
Finally, he conceded and sighed, pulling his hand away from the wood of the doorway and crossed it across his chest. The sly smile was wiped away, replaced with a mask of indifference. The others watched on, their confusion evident in their silence.
Onyx sent another hesitant look around the room, but at a quick nod from Eva he said, "The only one that could be classified as important is Lucien Vanserra's."
"Shit," Eva muttered under her breath, causing the High Lord's eyebrows to shoot up to his hairline. Instantly, he was defending himself and his friends, "We didn't do anything."
"I know," Eva said and took another deep breath and straightened up in her chair. "My magic destroyed the book because I was careless about the limits of my magic and it simply couldn't hold it." She switched her attention back to Onyx and looked down at the book in his hand.
"Do you want me to start a new book?" he asked, making his way through the room toward her desk.
"No, the less blackmail material I have, the better." She said, earning herself a long, doubtful look from Onyx and super-raised eyebrows from Alexander. Eva waited, looking at Onyx as he stood in front of her. Finally, he lifted one of the books and dropped it on to the table. She recognized the title instantly: Feuds of the Summer Court and their Houses. He dropped another book on top of it: The Noble Houses of the Summer Court and Their Staff.
"A hint would be nice," she said, pulling the books toward her, flipping them open to the pages he'd marked with a string of black ribbon.
"For that one job, the lady hired you to secure her travel and protection. Her husband's House is in a century-long feud right now, and one of her guards—"
"Is an employee of the rival House," she finished. Onyx nodded solemnly as she jumped to her feet. Alexander rose to his feet out of reflex, everyone stilling as she started to pull out her daggers and check them. One of them, a short knife, had a knick in the tip of the blade. She tossed it to Onyx and he grabbed it out of the air easily. He looked down at the blade and frowned.
"That's hardly anything," he mumbled.
"It's enough to get in my way," she said, looking down at the manifest half-hidden under the books. She checked the name, the quick scrawled description of the traitor and sent her shadows after him. They were back in a split-second, swirling around her shoulders. They reported, The male has a letter with the seal of House Rivv, inner coat pocket, above the left breast.
She nodded at the information and sheathed the dagger she was inspecting and looked up at the High Lord who seemed genuinely confused, his eyebrows raised. "The lovely lady I am employed to protect is in danger of immediate assassination. I now must go and assure her a safe journey and the capture of the assassin. I will return in an hour or so, depending on how hard this male makes it."
She gestured to Onyx who looked absolutely done with her dramatics. "He will entertain you, or try to." He scowled at that and she just smiled.
As her shadows started to surround her to transport, Onyx started to stack up the books and muttered under his breath, "I help her save someone's life and all I don't even get a thanks."
"You can go buy a piano after this," she said right before her shadows swallowed her, carrying her back to the Summer Court. His eyes lit up, his head snapping up to thank her, but she was already gone, a cloud of sparkling shadows in the place where she, moments before, stood.
Eva came back to the parlor an hour later, fading in from shadows, to find it empty. A half-thought had her shadows telling her they were all in the dining room preparing for lunch, laughing and chatting. She looked around the room and its extravagant trappings, and breathed in deeply to settle the adrenaline rising in her. She reached out with one of her fingers to feel the cold wood of the desk, using the steadiness of it to pull her back down to reality.
Whenever she worked or got into any sort of fight, she ascended to such a place where her mind was empty and barren, her only thoughts revolving around her next breath and step and her opponent's next breath and step. Even though it wasn't much of a fight, in truth there hadn't been any fight at all, she still had to dedicate her whole focus to the situation to ensure the safety of everyone.
The second she had appeared on the worn dirt path in the center of the Summer Court under the warm, blazing sun, a beautifully crafted carriage lumbering ahead of her, she started stalking slowly behind the large black mare that the assassin was on.
He had broad shoulders and a proud posture, his hand always twitching toward the dagger hidden inside his leather armor, uncertainty filling his every move. It wasn't long until she jumped on him and gripped her arms around his waist to pull him down from the horse. In a couple of quick moves she had the hulking male on the ground, incapacitated and breathing heavily, his letter in her hand.
The other three guards following behind the carriage were instantly on her, assuming that she was the assassin, but she quickly took out letters and passed them to the closest guard. One of the letters was from the inside of the assassin's coat, the other one the letter she'd received for her hire. The guard quickly looked over the letters and passed it to the head guard who had jumped down from the front of the carriage to inspect it.
During all of this, she held the tip of the dagger to the thin neck of the male held underneath her. He was shaking, sweat beading at his brow. Part of her honestly felt bad for him. He obviously wasn't made for being an assassin and whoever was in charge of assigning him to do this work was utterly idiotic.
Then that was that. Her papers were confirmed by the lady in the carriage and she received her coin after she delivered the male back to the lady's manor and her husband, leaving the rest of it to him.
Now, she started out of the parlor and turned left down the hallway, heading toward the back of the manor and the dining room that sat against the back wall. A small leather pouch of coins jingled at her hips from where it was secured to her belt, the only sound notifying her presence. She walked to where the light spilled through a floor-length window, the light making the marble sparkle.
The further down the hallway she went, the stronger the scent of exotic spices was; the louder the sounds of clashing voices were. It was obvious the High Lord and the members of his Circle felt comfortable without her present, and she didn't blame them.
She unsheathed her blades quietly and inspected them before she had her shadows swallow them, happy that there was no blood spilled on them and that they remained in pristine condition.
She made it to the end of the long and empty hall and stood before the tall and heavy dining room doors. She opened the door just as Maria was walking up to it, a bright smile on her face. Onyx rose to his feet as soon as he saw Eva, hurrying to match the long strides of his wife. It was clear by his pace that he would rather not spend another minute alone with some of the most powerful warriors in Prythian.
"You're back!" Maria said, not at all surprised at her appearance, as Eva dropped into a quick half-bow. Maria returned it in a half-hearted curtsy. The movement, however sloppy, showed the traces of her sparse court training.
Eva looked past her friends at the dining room and its barren decorations. Only one tapestry hung on the wall depicting an unnamed queen standing in the center of a room full of male courtiers, all of them gawking at her. Her face was shrouded in shadow, the only parts of her visible were the fine jewels glistening at her neck and in her crown, and the way the loose material of her dress hung on her curving figure. The weaver had called it 'For her Crown; not her Self' but had refused to say what it meant.
The glossy mahogany table in the center of the room was already set with white porcelain plates and cheap-looking glasses. It was the cheapest things that Eva could buy. There was no need to spend money on such extravagance when she needed to focus on being fed and clothed.
Morrigan sat at the head of the table where Maria normally sat, the High Lady to her right and Azriel to her left. Alexander sat next to Azriel, looking as pale as usual. The High Lord sat next to his High Lady and Eva didn't graze past the fact that Lady Feyre wouldn't be sitting next to any of Eva's party.
"Nyx and I were just going to grab the food," Maria said, looking up over her shoulder at her husband as he made haste to stand beside her. Eva stepped out of the way to allow them to pass, pushing back on the door to open it further.
"Do you need help?" Eva asked as Maria breezed past her, the scent of spices wafting after her. She paused for a moment and looked to Eva, shook her head, and continued down the hall. Before Onyx could get past her, she reached out her hand and gestured for him to stop. Maria paused and turned to watch as Eva untied the small pouch of coins at her hip and handed it over to him.
He smiled and dropped into a bow and muttered, "Thank you," before he turned and continued down the hall with Maria. He grabbed Maria's hand and lifted it before he dropped the bag of coins in her hand. He said something with his voice low, and Maria snorted in a very un-ladylike way, causing a smile to break out on her husband's face.
Eva watched them continue down the hallway for a couple more seconds before she looked back into the dining room and the five faeries looking at her. She pushed the doors open further so that they were as wide as they could be and entered the room fully.
But she didn't sit down. She only walked to the end of the table and turned to look out the wall of windows, letting the warm light wrap around her.
Her back gardens had rich green grass and plenty of areas open for gardening and plants. By the summer she had it planned that the gardens would be full and flourishing. Beyond the backyard was a small cobbled walkway, and beyond that was the Sidra. Every once and a while someone would walk by carrying bags or their nose stuck in a book.
"You don't have servants," Alexander observed, his voice breaking the silence. Eva's head snapped to him, surprised that he was the first one to speak. Once, they had been good friends. Able to talk for hours on end without becoming weary, so she didn't understand why it felt so strange.
"I don't," Eva said, walking around the table so that she could take her seat beside the High Lord. She wasn't going to let Onyx or Maria sit beside him, no matter how good his intentions were.
"Why not?" Alexander asked, his eyebrows raised slightly. Color was finally starting to return to his face and something other than fear or shock was in his expression. After all, she had been his employer and friend. He still trusted her, no matter how changed she was.
The question didn't shock her as much as it seemed to shock Morrigan, whose eyebrows were nearing her hairline. Alexander only knew who she had been all those centuries ago: a great lady in a full, bustling palace. Not who she was, whatever she had become.
"I don't need them," she said, and Alexander tilted his head slowly, his eyebrows knitting together. It looked like he was trying to solve the hardest math equation he'd ever seen. Because she did not doubt that Azriel, the Spymaster, had already gathered plenty of information about her, she said, "I'm no great lady anymore, Alexander, so I don't have to uphold an image. I can order my own dresses, do my own hair, dress myself. Plus, many things in this house shouldn't ever fall into the wrong hands. Or anyone's hands. So it's actually for the welfare of me and the whole of Prythian not to have half a dozen people rummaging around in the shadows of my home."
Eva's gaze didn't break away from Alexander and his jaw fell open slightly his face paling. Just as the High Lord started to tense, Maria came through the doorway, a tray of steaming fish in her hands. Only when she spoke did Eva look away. "Stop being so dramatic. You're going to scare him off."
"I'm only telling the truth," Eva said, unable to hold the genuine smile on her lips. Although with her previous statement, it only made her look menacing. Maria got to the table, and with the help of a baffled Alexander, placed the dish of fish in the center of the table. By the smell, it seemed that Maria had gotten her hands on more of that Summer Court spice from Adriata.
"A very dramatic version of it, yes," Onyx said, four dishes of sides balanced on his arms. It was a testament to his steady steps and stillness that none of the food had spilled over the side or had been dropped. Maria helped him place them on the table before he left the dining room, no doubt going down to the wine cellar where only three bottles of wine wait.
"You should go," Maria said as she sat down beside Alexander. The others began to serve themselves, but at Maria's words, they slowed their work to pay close attention. It was impossible to ignore the fact that Nevalah and Maria were the enemies.
"Why?" Eva asked, no anger or disdain in her voice, only genuine curiosity. At that, the others continued their serving at a quicker pace.
"I know that look in your eyes—you were prepared for a fight, you didn't get one, and you're going to search for one until you find it, no matter if you're aware of it or not." Maria said as she started to pile her plate with food. "Go to one of the empty rooms and do whatever you do with your sword."
"Do whatever I do with my sword?" Eva asked as she rose to her feet. Maria was right and there was no need to stay when, whether she wanted to or not, she would get herself into a fight. And she knew getting in deep-shit with a High Lord was not something she wanted any time soon.
"What?" Maria said, grinning. "I do knives, not swords. They're too long and pointy."
"Long and pointy is what you want," the High Lord said, followed by a snort from Morrigan and a barely controlled laugh from the Lady Feyre and a half-smile from Azriel. Maria, on the other hand, burst out laughing as Onyx came back in, two bottles of wine in his hand. He smiled at his wife as he set the bottles on the table and took Eva's vacant spot. He no doubt having heard what Maria said.
Eva stepped away from the table and when she was at the doorway turned and, addressing the whole room, she said, "Just remember if you get any dumb ideas in your mind, I am just upstairs with a very long and very pointy sword and I can be down here in less than half a second."
No matter the playful tone of her voice and smile, the true threat was still there. And with that gleam in her eye, she looked like she meant it with every ounce of her being, which she did. If anyone attacked her family, she would be there in a fraction of a second and wouldn't hold back as she fought with all her might.
Alright, so this is totally out of character for me, but I have a little thing about Eva to tell y'all. It will help later in the story to understand some of her decisions, though it isn't that important for you to know. What I'm saying is that I'm giving this bit of information here because there is nowhere for me to put in the story. Trust me, I've tried, and failed, many times.
Okay, so here's the tea: Eva is panromantic and demisexual.
Panromantic = A person who is romantically attracted to others but is not limited by the other's sex or gender.
Demisexual = A demisexual is a person who does not experience sexual attraction unless they form a strong emotional connection with someone.
I learned this about her when I was just chilling in bed, thinking about the story, then I had the idea of her saying, "It doesn't matter if you're a male or female or anything in between, as long as you're not shit I can love you."
Of course, that isn't really in character, but I still love it and it made me think more about her sexuality. I didn't even have to think hard, because I already knew, in a way. She just is panromantic and demisexual and no matter what happens, no matter if I wanted to change it, that is who she is and I love her for it.