Chapter 249

Elain was still smiling about her dream when she went down to breakfast later that morning. Lucien was already seated by the time she got down there and she sat beside him, grinning. Feyre poured herself a cup of tea before looking across the table at Elain and lifting her cup to her lips. Elain watched her sister take a sip of the tea, waiting for whatever it was that Feyre wanted to say to her. It was clear that there was something as the room was just about silent, with the exception of Rhys crunching a bit of toast.

"Lucien said you had a vision of Nesta?" Feyre asked as she set her cup of tea down.

"It was a dream…"

"Likely more than a dream…" Lucien put in. Elain flicked a glance at him and then back to Feyre with a nod. It likely had been more than a dream.

"Yes, I think it was a vision of the present…" Elain added, "What she and Cassian were doing…"

"Are they alright?" Feyre asked, her pale eyes flicking from Elain to Rhys and back again.

"Yes…" Elain nodded, "They were speaking to an Illyrian female who was working in a clothing store…" She paused to think back on her dream for a moment, "I was seeing it through Nesta's eyes, as if I were her…"

"Is that not the way it usually is?" Rhys asked, reaching for another piece of toast. "With your visions?"

"Not usually." Elain said, "Most often I am myself, as a visitor to another's memory… if it is a vision of the past."

"Perhaps because it was in the present…" Feyre put in.

"I don't know." Elain replied, "It is different every now and again." She reached for the teapot in the centre of the table and picked it up. Lucien placed two empty teacups before her and she set about pouring the golden liquid into both. "It is always for a purpose, though." She added, "Every time I see something, it seems to have bene shown to me for a reason."

"And what might this reason be?" Rhys asked, and Elain bit her lip. She looked at Lucien for a moment before back to her sister's mate.

"Maybe I am supposed to go and help?" she asked, trying to sound confident. Rhys raised an eyebrow and looked at Elain for a second.

"Do you think so?"

"I don't know." She admitted. Lucien's hand wrapped around hers beneath the table and she smiled at him for a moment. Elain could feel Lucien's surprise at her idea, but beyond that she could feel his support. If she thought that she was meant to go to the Illyrian Camps then he would go with her, as she knew that he would.

"Az?" Rhys asked, and the Shadowsinger gave a one shouldered shrug.

"I did receive a letter from Cassian this morning."

"What did it say?" Lucien asked, "Is something the matter?"

"He asked me to come and offer some assistance." Azriel said, "Apparently my skills would be of benefit."

"If they need help, then maybe that is exactly why Elain had that dream." Lucien said, and Elain nodded her agreement. This seemed to be exactly the purpose of that dream. If Nesta and Cassian were about to try and held the whole camp of females stand up for themselves and resist whoever was coming down in raids to help themselves to whatever they liked, then the more help they had the better. "Perhaps…" Lucien went on, and Elain turned her head to meet his eyes, both russet and gold, "we might go and see if we can help before we head back to the Day Court?"

"Yes." Elain nodded, lifting her tea cup and taking a sip. "I think that is a great idea." She squeezed her mate's hand beneath the table with her free hand, and he gave her a small smile by way of acknowledgement. "Would anyone have any objections to that?" Lucien asked. Elain looked around the table, pleased to see heads being shaken.

"You may come with me." Azriel said after a moment. "I will be going up there by lunch. I just need to get a few things sorted…"

"That sounds like a plan." Lucien nodded, his eyes returning to Elain as he raised a questioning eyebrow. She nodded her agreement. That did sound like a plan.

"Will you come?" She asked Feyre who bit her lip.

"I suppose I could…" Feyre looked to Rhys who shook his head.

"You go, I have things to see to…"

"Very well." Feyre said, "I could spare a day or so to see what Cassian needs help with."

Elain thought about her dream again, and she supposed that the High Lady of the Night Court would probably be an excellent person to be convincing some of the females of the camp that they did not have to give up anything that was demanded of them from those on the raids. She wondered how that would go with neither she nor her sisters being Illyrian. Would they be listened to, or dismissed? Cassian and Azriel's opinions would have weight, however. She just hoped that that would be enough.