Azriel woke me up the next morning with kisses along my jaw and I sighed happily as I opened just one eye, watching him.

"What time is it?"

"Early I'm afraid," He replied, "But training calls."

"Isn't your mate entitled to a break?" I asked and he grinned.

"If anything my mate is entitled to working even harder." He stood up, pulling the sheets with him and I opened both eyes, sitting up.

"Okay, I'm up."

Eyes were on the two of us as we entered the training ring side by side, both of us with swords strapped to our backs and dressed in black. Emerie let out a low whistle and Nesta smirked from where she stood, while the other priestesses watched us with open mouths. Azriel winked at me before heading over to Cassian, who watched with a smug expression. A shadow stayed with me, twisting around my arm playfully. It tucked behind my shoulder as my two best friends approached.

"You two could be Lord and Lady Shadow," Emerie said in greeting. "Terrifying."

The shadow skittered across my shoulder as if in amusement, before returning to its master. I snorted, "I'll add it to the list of potential titles."

"Three lap warm-up," Cassian announced to all of us and cups of water were put down as the three of us shrugged off our swords. "Four for Gwyn," he added and I gawped, looking at Azriel. Amusement shone in his eyes.

Nesta let out a snort as I started to jog.

"Four for Nesta, too," Cassian called out and she groaned from beside me as we set the pace.

We focused on ranged combat for this training session and this would continue over the next few weeks. We started with knife-throwing. Targets were set up at one end of the ring.

"Every warriors have their strengths," Cassian said as we moved into a line, ready for the demonstration. "I am much more confident with close-range weapons. Swords, maces, axes, a dagger. Although I can fight ranged, it's far more of a challenge for me," He threw a knife and it hit the edge of the bullseye. "Azriel on the other hand…" Two knives were thrown, one from each hand. They landed touching each other, right on the bullseye. "I'll let him demonstrate today," A laugh and then he stepped to the side, letting my mate takeover.

He showed us the stance first of all, getting all of us to do the same. Then he worked through the best techniques for knife throwing.

"He could probably do this in his sleep," Emerie said from beside me in a whisper.

"I hope not," I replied.

We were handed our own knives and spread out. The three of us had used knives before but it had been a long time since we'd used ranged combat and I knew I was going to be a little rusty before I'd even started. I lined myself up with the target and breathed deeply, thinking about my body. Where every part was. How it felt. I flexed my wrist, my arm. And as I opened my eyes, I threw. Not quite a bullseye, but close enough.

Nesta's landed near mine but further from the target and she wrinkled her nose, "Well we can't all be good at everything."

I tried again, and as the knife flew through the air, I found myself drawn to the sound. I hummed along to the movement. It struck the target with a thump that had Cassian and Azriel looking over in surprise. The hand I'd thrown it from glowed and I blinked at the warmth radiating from the limb. Nesta raised her eyebrows as Emerie let out another low whistle behind me.

I'd scared myself, I realised, at training. Had my voice controlled the dagger? I still didn't understand the glowing but now the warmth too? Was this a gift from the Autumn Court? I'd excused myself after training, fleeing when Azriel and Cassian we're still packing away, and I had the quickest wash before changing into my priestess robes and disappearing into the library.

"You're… early," Merrill eyeballed me suspiciously as I walked into her office. She waved a hand at a pile of books, "These can go back on the shelves."

I gave a nod and picked them up, hearing her mutter as I left the room, "Strange girl."

I let myself get lost in my work in the library. I replaced books and searched for new ones as the other priestesses started their day. And when it was time for a break, I tucked myself away in a corner or the library with just my lantern and the book I'd picked up about the Autumn Court.

Fire is the power welded by the High Lord's family in the Autumn Court.

I looked down at my hand. It hadn't been fire. But the glow… the warmth… I looked at the Faelight in the lantern and the fire went out. A coincidence, surely. I reached for another candle but paused. Maybe I could… I closed my eyes and concentrated on my breathing. In through the nose, out through the mouth. I looked deep within my body, feeling for the magic. Where did my singing come from? The glowing? I searched. I felt a spark of magic. There. I tugged on it gently, as if pulling a thread from a piece of clothing. I opened my eyes as the lantern lit once more.

My heart thudded in my chest as I looked at the candle inside and I whispered, "Hello Autumn."

—-

"You've been unusually quiet the last few days," Azriel commented when he left the bathroom one evening after I'd spent the morning training in Windhaven and the afternoon in the library, researching for Merrill and trying to light a fireplace. I'd failed yet again. I laid on the bed on my front, reading one of Nesta's smutty books. Gone were the days of reading tame novels.

I slid my bookmark into the book and closed it, sitting up on the bed. "I've been doing some thinking."

"Dangerous," a playful smile on his lips.

I walked past him and grabbed a candle from the bathroom. He watched as I placed it down on the bedside table and crouched in front of it. I took a deep breath and reached into that pit of magic inside me. I pulled at the thread and in answer, the wick of the candle lit. Azriel moved to crouch beside me. He said nothing as he looked at the candle and then at me.

"That day with the knives…" I ran a hand through my hair. "My hand went so warm and when I went to the library, I decided to try it… I've tried bigger things but so far it's only candles, which is pathetic I know but…"

"It's not pathetic," he told me. "We all start somewhere." He turned my hands over in his, so my palms were up. "I'm not really trained for this kind of magic but… we can try." He pressed a kiss to my forehead. "For now, though, you should sleep. You've got a long day tomorrow."

—-

White. The colour priestesses wore for important ceremonies. Calanmai, the Solstice… It was a colour of new beginnings. My priestess robes were the brightest white I'd seen, the only colour on the white belt at my waist, which had been embroidered with flowers for the Spring Court. And for today's ceremony… my invoking stone sat on a diadem atop my head. The first time in years that it had been there and not tucked away in a pocket or worn around my wrist.

The Spring Court seemed just as lifeless as when we'd left it before, I thought, as I walked behind Rhysand and Lucien, Azriel and Cassian flanking me. In my hands I held a garland of flowers, wanting there to be some colour and some life on the hillside outside Tamlin's manor. Rhys cloaked us as we walked, just in case of any Autumn Court spies lurking, watching.

The grass below us was still green, I noted, even if it was night. Some kind of colour in the once beautiful landscape. Lucien had been surprised when he had been nominated as the heir, Azriel had told me that morning, but he'd accepted it nonetheless. Prythian needed him to and he hoped that it would be a long while before the crown passed to him. He too was dressed in white, as Tamlin was where he waited ahead of us. The three of us a contrast against the black Illyrian leathers worn by the three warriors in our company.

I placed the floral garland across the stone-carved altar that was used for special rituals in the Spring Court, mostly the Great Rite on Calanmai and then I set up the candles that appeared when Rhysand waved a hand. With another wave of the hand, the book I needed appeared too and I opened this out, ready to begin. I glanced up at the sky, checking for the moon's location as my heart thudded in my chest. Nerves. This ritual was history in the making. And I'd been chosen to do it. Pressure.

The moon moved in the sky, its beams shining through the hole carved into the rock behind me. I signalled to Tamlin and Lucien. It was time to begin.

They stepped forwards together, both expressionless. Tough crowd.

I recited the words in the old tongue, lighting each candle as I invited the Mother to join us. A gust of wind moved across us in response, but it did not blow out the candles. I continued on. I read the old texts and then came the oaths.

With a dagger from Tamlin's ancestors, I stepped forwards and made a cut on his and Lucien's hands. Blood dropped onto the soil. One drop. Two drop. And then I bound their clasped hands together with a white ribbon.

"Lord Tamlin," I said, "If your crown should fall, do you swear before the Mother now that you give your court, your lands and magic to Lucien Vanserra?"

"Yes, I will." He said.

"Lucien Vanserra," I turned to the male with the hair so close in shade to my own, "Do you promise to protect this court and land from all evil? To guide its people away from darkness and to the light? And to uphold all traditions and treaties?"

"Yes, I swear it." Lucien said.

I murmured again in the old language, holding their bound hands in mine and as the moonlight shone down, a silvery magic seemed to move from Tamlin and around Lucien's head, settling on his brow like a crown. The breeze seemed to have stopped. The crown was gone and Lucien took a breath, as if absorbing the magic, the oath. I unbound their hands and their skin healed before us as I said one last prayer to the Mother. And then it was done.

My hands were shaking as I moved to blow out the candles and the silence between everyone was deafening.

"It is done then," Tamlin said to me and I nodded. He took his leave, stalking back off towards the manor. No thank you, nothing.

Lucien, on the other hand, bowed his head to me. "Thank you." And he followed after Tamlin.

In a wave of his hand, Rhys dismissed the candles and book, but I held up my hand to stop him before the flowers were gone too, "Leave them. This place needs some life."

He gave a nod and then turned to Cassian and Azriel, "We should take our leave. I doubt Tamlin wants our company."

We headed back towards our winnowing location in silence, although Azriel smiled as he caught my eye. I'm proud of you.

I hadn't expected to hear his voice in my head. I had become better at reading his body language and facial expressions but… this was new. Do you think I did alright?

Well it worked. A little humour in his voice and in his eyes. And then he froze, as did Rhys and Cassian.

"We have company," Rhys said. The three males stood ready, their hands on the hilts of their swords and I unsheathed the dagger that had been tucked under my skirt. The four of us stood in silence, assessing, waiting, as a branch or two crunched underfoot.

A red headed High Fae male stepped out of the trees just metres ahead of us, flanked by two soldiers of his own. Also armed.

Power rolled off of my High Lord as he said in greeting, "Hello, Eris."