Chapter 160

The room was small and simply furnished. There were no curtains on the windows, and the morning sun shone brightly into the room, illuminating every aspect and leaving Sorcha nowhere to hide. She knelt in the middle of the small space, her head bowed demurely as Helion approached, and Lucien trailed after him, making sure the door was locked once they were inside.

"Sorcha…" Helion stopped, looking down at the priestess on her knees before him.

"High Lord."

Lucien watched the way she turned her pretty face up at Helion, her eyes bright and adoring as she looked at him. With the sun shining through the window as it was, and right across where Sorcha knelt, he wondered if she had chosen that spot specifically for this purpose. She looked the picture of innocence, and he hoped that the High Lord wasn't falling for it. Taking several steps forward Lucien moved to stand beside his father, looking down at Sorcha.

"Let's go over this again," Helion said, "Explain your actions so that Lucien can hear what you have to say for yourself."

"I…" Sorcha glanced momentarily at Lucien before returning her eyes to Helion. "I, of course, never meant to hurt you, High Lord."

"And yet." Lucien cut in, "You killed several people."

Sorcha had the nerve to look contrite. "I did not think that would happen…" she said softly. Lucien went to ask how she could possibly claim that, but she went on. "I only wanted to cause a little bit of panic and mess… and then I was going to help heal anyone who was injured and to rebuild and take care of anything that I could help with. Then everyone would see that I loved the Day Court, and hopefully I would be given a better position…"

"You drugged half the Court with faebane." Helion's voice held no softness, and Lucien was glad to hear it.

"Yes, so that I could be one of the few who could heal…" she frowned, "I… would have been…. invaluable." She looked between them imploringly then. "I would have done everything I could to help."

"That wouldn't have b-" Lucien was cut off by Helion raising a hand to silence him.

"We're not here to enter into debate with her." His father said softly, "Only for her to talk."

Lucien bit back anything further he had been about to say with great difficulty. Holding his tongue never had been his strong suit. He looked from Helion back down at Sorcha, trying to clear his expression of any distaste while the priestess drew a deep breath, her pretty eyes wide and pleading.

"I didn't know it would be so… bad." She said, tears welling in those eyes. "I didn't know that they would make the whole balcony fall…"

"Who?" Helion's tone was sharp, and Lucien knew that he would have answered any question directed at him in that manner without so much as a thought. Sorcha, however, did not seem so affected.

"Lesser faeries." She murmured, "I told you yesterday. I don't know them. They left the palace… I don't know where."

Lucien thought that was just entirely too convenient and he rolled his eyes. "You targeted Elain…"

"No… I… just wanted to prevent her having any of her visions…" her voice sounded small and innocent.

When he looked back down at her, it was to find the Priestess already watching him. "Is that it?" he asked, and she turned her eyes on Helion.

"Please." She breathed, "My only wish is to serve you, High Lord."

"If you have no new information for me, Sorcha, I will have to go and deliberate your fate."

"Please…" she shuffled forward then, and Lucien watched her hands reach out, taking hold of one of Helion's legs. She moved even closer to him, still looking up at him pleadingly. "Please… I only wish to serve you."

Helion extracted himself from the priestess' hands and turned for the door. Lucien followed him silently, casting one glance over his shoulder at Sorcha who still knelt on the floor. When they were out in the hallway, he turned to the High Lord with a sigh. "… was that helpful?"

"Do you believe her?" Helion asked, "Do you believe that she didn't know how bad it would be? That the entire balcony would collapse?"

Lucien thought about it. "I… am not certain." He replied, "But… no… I don't believe her."

"No do I."

"What will you do with her?"

"It needs to be discussed with all the High Lords." Helion said, "They will all have to vote." The High Lord paused for a second. "She went after Elain, so I think she should have a say as well… her sisters too…"

Lucien nodded, fairly certain he knew what both Nesta and Feyre would want done to Sorcha. "Do you often execute traitors here?"

"No." Helion replied, "It has been centuries since I have had a traitor in my Court."

"Is your sex-suite satisfying?"

"Feyre!" Elain gasped, her eyes on her younger sister.

"Well…?" Feyre's pale eyes were focused on Elain who felt herself blush. Looking to Nesta for support, Elain resisted a sigh when she found nothing but interest and curiosity on her elder sister's face too.

"Ashk said that Helion designed most of it." Viviane put in, mischief and joy clear in her blue eyes.

"That is fairly apparent when looking at it." Elain admitted. "It is almost as if he is trying to remind Lucien that he is his son."

"Interesting." Nesta mused. "Strange that he would want reminders of himself around the room that his son would be stuck in for his mating frenzy…"

"He probably thought he was being welcoming." Viviane put in. "Establishing a sort of home for him in the Day Court, as a part of the Court."

"That makes sense." Elain agreed. "That seems to be what his goal has been the entire time that Lucien and I have been here." She leaned forward to the little table between the couches upon which they sat, and poured herself a fresh cup of tea. "He wants Lucien to feel like he belongs here."

"He wants you both to stay." Feyre agreed. "So… what does this room look like?"

"It's golden." Elain told them, grinning a little. "There are suns everywhere, and flowers… and the bathroom has the biggest bathtub I have ever seen." Her eyes flicked from Feyre to Nesta to Viviane, "There's a garden…"

Feyre laughed at that. "Just be sure to keep your activities to the bed inside and try not to get all dirty in the gardenbed."

"Oh, Feyre." Nesta shook her head, "That was…"

Feyre rolled her eyes at Nesta. "Tell me more about why Cassian is here…?"

Elain watched Nesta flush scarlet and go silent instantly. "I… already told everyone." Her elder sister murmured, "He came to help if Sorcha wasn't found…"

"Mhmm." Feyre's tone told anyone listening that she didn't believe that at all. Elain let her gaze drop back to the teapot on the table, and she fiddled absently with it.

"When do you think I should do it?" she asked, not really sure if she wanted an answer from the other females. She didn't know if she would heed their advice, or not, but she supposed it would be an interesting thing to discuss considering what had happened lately. "Should I wait… because of what Sorcha did…?"

"Nobody can tell you that." Viviane said gently, picking up her own teacup. "You do it when it feels right for you."

Nodding, Elain thought about that. She would have to speak with Helion again.