I sat on the couch, reading a book in the library. They had not spoken to me in three days, and it was only two before I was shipped back to Tamlin, to which I was going to break things off officially and possibly leave his domain. I wondered if I could stay here. These three days told me otherwise.

No wine, so I did the only other thing I could to contain it, but I was back to square one. The only debate to using Tamlin for the wine I wanted to take the edge off my power from seeping out.

I had transformed a few times, shifted around the house. I kept the fire to embers, the ice within the cave. The winds were at bay, and the darkness in the shadows. It was a different experience, not having something to dual it all down without so much effort. I closed the book.

When I looked up, a young man was sitting, looking at me with a hopeful smile. He did not move; eyes did not falter to match mine. Hair spun as the finest silver strands, pulled back and pinned. Eyes glowed a white iridescent color with a single gold pupil to indicate the center.

A loose white long sleeve shirt pushed up to the middle of his muscular forearms, his hands clasped as he rested his elbows on knees. Loose golden pants gleamed, shiny, but did not make a sound as he stood. He mouthed one word before he disappeared: Daughter.

It had to be my imagination, then a glimpse of things. My past life and Anna. There was a huge fight, rips in the fabric of the world. It was the same thing in my dreams, but it was not clear. I looked back to where he had been sitting; there was something left behind.

I picked up the strange thing, the flat symbol was a circular shape in the center. A white gem in the middle looked like the slit of a cat's eye. On top, it wired out in to horns on either side. Towards the bottom two spirals with black starlight gems at the center.

If you folded it in half, it would mirror perfectly. The whole thing was no taller than the length of my pinky, attached to a dainty chain that was long enough to slip it over my head. I felt the power behind it, beckoning me to put it on. The familiarity in it, like I had seen it before.

I slipped it into my pocket as I heard the door open. "Cali? May I come in?" Mor's voice called.

I walked around to the front smiling. "What's up."

"Just checking on you, making sure you're alright. You've been quite, and I don't see you around the house anymore."

"I'm fine."

"Cassian is here."

"Okay." My head tilted. "Does he have a question?"

"He does want to talk; I can send him away though. You are not obligated to see him."

"No, it's fine. I'll see what he has to say."

He was sitting on one of the backless stools. I sat on the couch, the one seat I dubbed mine when I read. He had his hands folded, looking at me, but he wasn't saying a word.

I softened my expression. "You can relax, is there something you need or wanted to know?"

"How's your hand?"

I held it up. "Healed not long after I came back here." I heard another heartbeat, one not too far off, I glared beyond to the hallway.

He set my blades on the coffee table. I saw the meted damage on one, he had kept them both safe for me. "We made blueprints of the knife, down scaled it and made a replica."

"Okay, thanks for this back." I held a hand over them, letting them fall into my shadows.

"Would you look at it?" He held out a small knife, I eyed it. "You said pocket size."

I held the folded blade, looking over the intricate blue and silver lines of the Damascus steel. "You used a very sturdy metal; it's not needed if it is only for small things. But, if you needed to keep it from bending or nicking from being struck in battle, I would say it would fare a good amount of hits."

I flipped the blade open. Obsidian and silver Damascus. "A stronger metal, good for penetration of other metals. You took this seriously." I played with it. "Flips open nice, fits good in my hand, comfortable even. Sharp edge. You might have to make it a little larger for your warriors if they are any bit the mountain you are. Defiantly a great-looking and useful replica."

"This is for you. A small thank you for the information."

For me? "I was not mad at you or anyone. I did not mean what I said, the bargain. I felt bad for even mentioning it, so I just told you." I smiled softly at the knife. "Thank you. I'll treasure this. It's the first gift anyone has ever given me to be mine."

"Not even from the High lord of spring?"

"I get his library to roam and play a piano that is his. I am given clothes because you can't have the curse breaker walking around naked, it would look bad on him."

He chuckled. "I'm sure a few would not mind. Still, does he not love you?"

"Maybe, but I don't know if it is out of obligation or if he truly means it. There is the third thought, keeping me around because I am a powerful Fea now… I never asked for much. I only wanted his time, but I don't get that anymore. Besides what Ianthe allows in his busy rebuilding schedule. He only wishes for me to stay inside where he deems it safe. But for who? Everyone else, or me."

I flicked the knife open, looking closer at all the lines. "Actually, I think I love it. The blade, not my life situation. Between him and Rhysand, I have had enough."

"Rhysand only wants the best…"

"For his people? He wants to stop the war, we all do. I'm useful. The only reason I'm here, the only reason he called the bargain was not because he wanted me to spend time with him, it was because I'm useful. I am a tool to help him achieve what he wants."

"So that's how you truly feel." Rhysand rounded the corner. I knew it.

"Yes, Rhysand. Do not think I did not feel you lurking like some prowling beast. You used Cassian just as you used me. Even under the mountain, when I told you I had it handled, you used me to rial up Tamlin. It was not necessary. You made me a laughingstock, the harlot. So now I will also be called the whore, regardless of, if I was never taken to bed. So, was this an empty gift, a pity gift or a get me to talk gift?"

"That was all Cas, and it was sincere. You think I don't care for you? You think the things I did, did not cost me down there?"

"Ah, yes. The cost. There's that you owe me attitude. I never asked you to do anything besides get Jerian's eye and leave me to myself in that cell. Oh, then bated you out so I could have four other walls to see. So no, not in the slightest. If you're looking for more information, I don't have it. I gave it all to you."

"I had to make you hate me, to make it believable. You even stated how you were still mad, so I left. I let you have your peace in the spring court."

I bit my lip. "I never hated you, and it pissed me off how you left, where was that I will see you soon. Everyone seems to have this different concept of soon. Cause in my head, I thought that meant two weeks, if not a month after the Mountain.

"How do you think it made me feel for you to dip in the middle of a conversation, right after I gave you that slip of paper. I had to ask just for you to come around, you treated this like it meant nothing." I held my tattooed hand up. "What if I told you, I looked forward to it? Every day I looked at it, watched, hoped."

"You really wanted me to use the bargain."

Tears were rolling down my face. "I told you exactly what would happen, even if it was slightly undetermined. I hoped that you gave a damn to the things I said."

"I did, and I did my best."

"Under or out of the mountain. Because at this point, I'll take the other Rhysand over this one. I liked him, more than I should have. He spent time with me, he took care of me. He did everything he could." I stood.

"You liked that humiliation?"

I ran my hands down my face. "Not that, you idiot. There are things you said and did. Just before that last trial, things that made me believe you cared. Maybe it was because your freedom was on the line, but in those days, it felt good, regardless of if it was in hell. If you planned to leave like that, then you should have left before you could let that little spark of power drop. Should have stopped tugging on that bond and let me die. Not lie to me." I took a breath, my heart was doing a marathon, tears rolling like Colorado mountains. I wiped my face, ice chipping off.

"Cali."

"I wasn't done. I thought for a damned second, you cared. Then you used that bargain to keep me in my seat." I shook my finger. "I was so wrong yet again. So, what is this thing you still want from me? Be honest, Because I don't think it was what was in the book you stole."

"To read a book, at least one half. It is written in the same language you write in."

"Want in one hand and shit in the other, High Lord. See which fills faster. In the meantime, I'll think about it." I walked away.

"You'll think about it? You know Prythian is on its last leg, and you'll think about it? I thought you cared about the war that will happen."

I looked over my shoulder as ice exploded from me. "Fuck you. Your two weeks of time is almost up. I read somewhere if you fail on your end the bargain it becomes broken for failure to comply with your own terms." I shifted halfway into the shadows. "Opps. I- got ninety-nine problems, singing bye, bye, bye." I sang as I walked back to the library.

I heard the scuffle of feet and things breaking, the two men were fighting. The fight rippled out of the mountain. I gave no fuck to what was transpiring just outside the mountain as power rang out, rippling everywhere for hours.