Chapter 547

"Someone has seriously pissed Eris off."

"Yes…" Elain turned to find her elder sister looking at her, brows creased in concern. "I know."

"Who was it?"

"Vassa."

"Oh." Nesta moved with Elain toward a table laden with delicious chocolates. "I cannot say I am surprised."

"I kind of am." Elain said. She had thought that nobody would intentionally piss off Eris, considering his reputation. "I didn't think she was stupid."

"I can see them rubbing one another the wrong way, though." Nesta selected several pieces of chocolate and put them on a plate for herself. "I bet they both like having their own way."

"That's not in doubt." Elain told her, "That's not what it is about, though. Vassa decided to voice an opinion or two about the lesser fae being welcome and involved in this…" she made a gesture around them. "Apparently Nera was asking Eris to leave…"

"Mmm…" Nesta's face was cold, and her eyes hard. "I can see why he's pissed off."

"Indeed."

"He wouldn't dare though…" Nesta shook her head, "He woudn't actually do anything to her while she's Helion's Guest…"

"That's what Lucien hopes." Elain leaned back against the table. "He knows his bother better than I do, but… I can also see Eris doing whatever he likes."

"Yes, I can see him following rules when it suits him and then forgetting they exist when they do not."

"Precisely."

"Has Nera come out this morning?"

"I've not seen her." Elain swept the room with her gaze, her eyes finding Kera instead. "I… will find you later." She said to her sister, flicking a glance Nesta's way. "I need to speak with Kera." She saw the odd look Nesta gave her, but then her sister returned her attention to the table of chocolate, and Elain moved across the hall.

"I wondered when you would come to speak with me." Kera smiled at her.

"I wanted to give you time to actually find things out." Elain replied, remembering she had seen the other female getting along well with Vassa in the dining hall previously. The two of them had seemed quite comfortable with one another, and Elain had hoped that this had meant Vassa would have perhaps spoken a little to Kera about her reasoning for coming. "She seemed quite friendly with you from what I have seen."

Nodding, Kera pushed some of her blonde hair over one slim shoulder. "Yes, I actually think she's a bit starved for conversation. I can't imagine that Jurien is good company." The two of them cast furtive glances across the throne room to where Jurien stood with some other faeries from various Courts.

"That's probably accurate." Elain replied. She'd never gotten a good feeling from Jurien in their brief encounters. "She probably senses that he wants something from her."

"I think so." Kera agreed, wrinkling her pretty nose.

"Has she said anything about her intentions in coming here to you?" Elain watched the other female carefully. If Kera had actually begun to form a friendship with Vassa, she wanted to be able to tell if she wasn't going to get the entire truth from the blonde Courtier. "Anything about what she wants?"

"Well, she's not straight out informed me of the checklist she's walked into the Day Court with." Kera said, smiling prettily. It was a clever smile; a Courtier's smile. Elain remembered then that Kera was loyal to this Court and to Helion. She would not be giving her allegiance away to any mortal queen. "She was after information on all of the High Lords though. She played it off as interest in Courtly Gossip and a fascination with the fae she's had her whole life. I knew she was collecting information, though."