Chapter 8

Raey

''You are not human. Your story does not add up. You know things you shouldn't. Who are you?"

I had to decide what to tell them. They knew something was up with my story. I missed them. I missed my family. I missed my home in Velaris. Heck, I even missed the Illyrian war camps. It had been so long. And I had done so many terrible things. How would they ever accept me again? But I had to try.

I'd long ago accepted my past and my fate, and I had to hope that my family would do the same. If I didn't try to bridge the gap, the other side certainly wouldn't. If I didn't reach out, our hands would never touch. If I didn't leap, I would never reach the other side.

I jumped.

I would tell the truth, but not the whole truth and see how long it took them to figure it out. And when they did, I would drop my glamour for the first time in many hundreds of years.

I took a deep breath and really considered what I was about to do. If they knew who I was, what I'd done, not only were they in danger, but the only family I've ever known could, probably would shun me. I was coming back to them broken and hunted; I had left them and hadn't returned for hundreds of years. I had no useful skills or information. I deserved their shunning.

But I needed them. They were my heart, my strength. My family. And we'd all done terrible things and hurt people. And I missed them. Very much.

I smiled.

Rhysand

The girl leaned back in her chair, the front legs tipping off the floor.

She smirked, lounging in the hard stone seat.

"I," she began, "Will allow you-" I scoffed "-to ask me some questions. I will answer yes or no. And at the end of these questions, you will guess who I am. And if you are right, I will remove my glamor."

I jolted. Not only were her terms and claims ridiculous, but none of us had detected the glamour. How was that possible? I didn't know. It shouldn't be possible.

"You have three minutes to agree to my terms. Bye-bye now." She winked and made a shooing motion. Disgruntled, but with nothing else to do, I winnowed myself and the rest of the inner circle away.

Immediately I turned to them.

"How does she have a glamour? How did none of us detect it? Is it even possible? And we still don't know who she's working for or with. And why is she not afraid?" Cassian burst out.

Mor stepped forward, "She could be working alone. That would explain her complete lack of fear."

I considered it. But how was it possible for anyone to have enough power to break the wards? I didn't know, and the complete lack of knowledge was putting me on edge.

Azriel materialized at my shoulder, shadows swirling around him. His deep voice boomed around us,

"What are we going to do?"

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair.

"I don't see there's much else we can do. We agree to her terms and try to figure out who she is. She seems familiar with us and is quite powerful, evidently, and quite unafraid. Are we agreed?"

After receiving three nods, I winnow us back into the interrogation room. I smile.

"We agree to your terms, but we want to clarify a few things before we begin. First, what is your name?"

She tilted her head.

"Millie."

"Well Millie, how many questions do we get?"

"Well, I'm willing to negotiate, but I was thinking around 10?" Her voice was smooth and deceptive.

I glanced sideways.

"Twenty," I responded.

"Deal." She jerked her chin at us. "Go."

I sat forward and laced my fingers in front of me. I would have to ration my questions carefully.

"First question. Is your name really Millie?"

"No."

"Are you working for or with someone?" No way she could have broken the wards alone.

"No." Nevermind.

"Are you human?"

She glanced behind me consideringly.

"No."

"Are you high Fae?"

She hesitated. Her blonde hair floated on her shoulders.

"…no."

She sounded unsure. As if the answer was not quite truthful. No. As if the answer was not quite correct.

"Are you a lesser faerie?"

She winced, and replied in the same hesitant tone,

"…no."

I sighed in frustration. I needed to find out her lineage and power.

"Are your parents alive?"

Her eyes shifted from mine to somewhere over my shoulder.

"No."

"Do you have any siblings?" I needed to know if she had any family left at all. "Are they alive?"

Her eyes darted to my face and away again, her throat bobbing as she swallowed harshly.

"One. Yes, they are alive."

She didn't even give the gender away. This girl was good at giving away very little. Too good for it to be a natural skill.

"Have you received training?"

"Yes."

"In what?"

She quirked her eyebrow and leaned back.

"Right." I said. "Yes or no questions."

I considered where to focus the conversation next.

"Are you mortal?"

She seemed to chuckle to herself slightly before glancing back at me. "No more than you are."

I contemplated the answer. Immortal, but could be killed. Curious.

"Do you have magic?"

"…yes."

"Did you break the wards alone?"

She swallowed, her eyes darting around the room. Her posture tensed, and she licked her lips nervously.

"Yes." The voice was full f hesitation, but underneath it all lay a vein of confidence. If this girl was telling the truth, she had broken the most powerful wards in Prythian, and hadn't burnt herself out. And she hadn't shattered then crudely, she'd carved a doorway into them, a feat that required great power and great control. This girl really was a threat. I needed to know where she had come from. Who was she?

"Are you from the Spring Court?"

"No."

"Are you from the Winter Court?"

"No."

"Are you from the Autumn Court?"

"No."

"Are you from the Summer Court?"

"No."

"Are you from the Dawn Court?"

"No."

"Are you from the Day Court?"

"No."

"Are you from the Night Court?"

"Yes."

Impossible. If she was from the Night Court, we would know her, or at least know of her. But then again… maybe we did. She had mentioned a glamour, after all.

"Do you know us?"

Her eyes flickered over us as she glanced at us, the wickedly amused façade dropping for a second to expose a frightened child. But that didn't make sense, as she was so powerful. Why would she be frightened? Her throat bobbed as she swallowed, and infinite sadness filled those impossible deep eyes. She hauled the mask up with visible effort and attempted a smile, which missed the mark, coming across as a watery grin.

"Y-" Her voice broke. She cleared her throat and took a steeling breath. Her back straightened. Her eyes hardened.

"Yes."