"Amren was right," Rhyssaid and leaned on the doorway to the living room of the townhouse. "You are really like hounds, there waiting for me to come home. Maybe I should buy you some treats." 

Cassian gave him the finger from his spot on the sofa where he was draped in front of the fireplace one arm around Mor's shoulders. Despise his relaxed face and body posture, there was a certain tenseness in the air. The kind of tension that happens when you are waiting for the bad news.

Azriel was standing at the window with Nala not far from him, the two were covered in their shadows, and in some places, the shadows connected, creating a direct line between the two singers but neither was acting on it. The two stood still and stiff as the snow fell slowly on the other side of the window. Amren... was the only one not in the living room. And it was proper for the best, she and Nala kept bumping heads. Amber vs. Silver. Burning vs. freezing. 

Feyre walked past the High Lord and almost threw herself down at the armchair, stretching her frozen limbs. Looking over at her sister Feyre almost had a heart attack, if high fae could have heart attracts. The shadows had moved from the pair of Shadowsingers just enough for Feyre to see the outfit her sister was in. Nala had always worn risky clothes in the mortal realm while her sisters had stuck to traditional, but it was clear that Nala was very comfortable in her Fae body. A tight pair of leather pants were clinging to her legs with a black laced top that showed almost everything. Only the most essential was covered by the lace design of Illyrian swirls. A black choker of shadows adoring her elegant neck. Feyre also noticed that it wasn't Nala's shadows that were covering her, it was Azriel's brutal shadows.

"How did it go?" Mor asked and straightened her back from her spot next to Cassian. The golden-haired female wasn't dressed up but was clad in practical black pants and a thick blue sweater, at that moment she couldn't have been more different from Nala, who had made sure to look her absolute best.

"The Bone Carver was in a talkative mood, who was a little too busy poking his nose where it doesn't belong," Rhys said, anger and irritation in his eyes and tone.

"But?" Cassian pressed and placed his armed around the knees, pulled his legs up, and rested his wings against his back.

"But," Rhys said. "He can also be helpful when it suits him. And it seems like we have to do what we are best at." Rhys then proceeded to tell what The Bone Carver had told them, even though Nala could feel that he was holding some of it back. He is holding what Feyre told the carver. Her shadows hissed in her ear, but Nala didn't want to impose on her sister at that moment. Feyre would tell her if she needed to know. There were more pressing matters at the moment. Azriel walked a bit closer to the circle of friends but kept himself at Nala's side, their shadows mingling and comparing rumors that both Shadowsingers choose to ignore at the moment. The male Shadowsinger was the only one to interrupt and ask questions as their High Lord told them what had happened, Cassian was taking it all in and knew that Azriel would ask all the right questions. Nala on the other hand was observing everything, all from Rhys to Feyre to Cassian to Mor to Azriel and the conversation and quickly coming up with tons of different strategies to get what they wanted.

"I'll contact my sources in the summer court and figure out where the other half of The Book of Life is hidden. I'll fly to the mortal realm myself and find out where the queens are hiding their half of the book before we ask for it." Azriel said after Rhys had told them everything. Nala placed her hand on Azriel's arm, something that didn't go unnoticed by anyone in the room, but before she could say anything Rhys had already dismissed his Shadowsinger.

"You wouldn't have to. And I don't want anyone to know what we are doing, not even your sources. No one outside this room – excluding Amren – needs to know about this mission."
"You can trust them," Azriel said with a strong voice and set his scarred hands on his side. Nala stepped closer to him, her fingers digging into the flesh on his arm in a warning matter. Leaning in she whispered so only he could hear her: "Don't. Choose the battles. Our shadows can be used smarter in this. We can't alert anyone else of what we are doing before it's time." Her breath tickled Azriel's ear and he had to suppress a shudder and a moan. Instead of answering verbally and risking his voice trembling, he only nodded and let his arms fall back to his sides. One of his scared hands brushed Nala's right thigh, as she still stood right next to him.

"So, what are you going to do?" Mor snarled; her eyes looked on Nala even though she was speaking to her cousin. Mor didn't trust Nala, to her there was something about the female Shadowsinger that was off, something about the way she was acting around Azriel. Mor didn't like that, not one bit.

Rhys picked a non-exciting dust grain from his fighting leathers. Nala moved back from Azriel but only by a centimeter, they weren't physically touching but their shadows were dancing together where their wings were close and there were only millimeters between their fingertips. When the High Lord looked up once more his violet eyes were blank and somewhat murderous. "The King of Hybern broke into one of our temples to get the missing pieces of the Cauldron. In my eyes that is an act of war – an act that shows that his highness isn't going to try and woo me."

"He properly hasn't forgotten that we sided with the humans under the War," Cassian said. "He would never put his plans over end while he tried to convince you and I'm willing to bet that some of Amarantha's followers have reported back what happened under the mountain. About how it ended." Cassian's Adam's apple bounced as he moved slightly uncomfortable. Nala tensed as her shadows showed her how it had ended, how Amarantha had broken Feyre's neck, how Rhys had tried to save her by killing the redhead, and how Tamlin had ripped the imposter Queen apart for killing Feyre. Azriel's hand brushed her own and brought the amber-eyed female back into the living room.

"Exactly. But that also means that Hybern's armies are infiltration Prythian." Nala spoke up, her voice soft and shadow filed as everyone in the room turned to look at her. "Without anyone having noticed."
"Yes. And I plan on doing the very same thing to them." Rhys said. And while Feyre paled and her feelings turned frightened, Cassian and Mor were smiling like predators. The two Shadowsingers were stone-faced, but everyone could see the ice-cold fury in the male's eyes and burning hate in the female's eyes if they looked close enough.

"How?" Mor asked.

Rhys folded his arms over his chest and looked around at the 5 out of 6 of his inner circles. "It requires careful planning. But if the Cauldron is in Hybern then we go to Hybern. Either to get it back here... or use the book to reset it." Nala felt a shiver run through her that wasn't her own. Looking over at Feyre, Nala saw the terror in her sister's eyes, so she sent her older sister a gentle smile and a small nod. Feyre relaxed just a bit.

"Hybern properly has as much protection and shielding as we have here," Azriel countered, his pinky intertwined with Nala's. "We'll have to find a way to get past those without being detected." Nala continued.

Rhys gave a small nod at the two. On the inside he was smiling, glad that they seemed to be so connected without knowing it, no matter whatever problems were between them. "And that is why we are staring now. While we are looking for the book. That way when we have both parts of the book we can move quickly – before anyone knows what we are doing."

Cassian nodded and said what the Shadowsingers to were thinking: "How are you going to get the Book?"

"Well since the halves are connected to every single High Lord with spells and only can be found by them – or by their powers... it would seem like we can use her power to both handle and find the Book of Life," Rhys said as everyone turned to look at Feyre. Nala easily felt her sister's anxiety but tried to push it away to not get anxious herself.

Feyre frowned. "Maybe what the Bone Carver was referring to by me being able to locate things. You don't know..." but she stopped as she looked at Rhys, a smug smirk had made its way to his face.

"You have a part of all the High Lord's power in you Fey," Nala spoke up, her head tilted slightly to listen to her and Azriel's shadows as she explained. "That means that you have 7 different magical fingerprints. If the High Lords were to hide something and had it protected by their magic, no matter where it's hidden you would be able to find it by tapping into each power." Rhys pointed a finger in the direction of Nala, agreeing with the female Shadowsinger without ever taking his eyes off Feyre.

"You don't know that!" Feyre said, looking between her sister and the High Lord.

"Maybe not – but there is a way to figure it out," Rhys said still smiling as Nala, under her breath mumbled that she did know which made Azriel's lips tuck upwards.

"Here we go," Cassian mumbled. Mor sent Azriel a warning look that had Nala tense and her shadows stand still. Mor seemed to warn the male Shadowsinger to not volunteer to do whatever Rhys was talking about. Said Shadowsinger only sent back an incomprehensible glance to Mor as Nala moved further away from Azriel, having been reminded that the two could not be. Azriel wasn't hers to have.

"With your powers, Feyre, you would be able to locate the one half of the Book in the Summer Court – and break the protection around it. But I'm not going to take the Carver on his words or sent you there without having tested it first. To make sure that you don't, that it doesn't fail when we need it when we need to get the book. So, we are going on an adventure, just the two of us. To see if you can find one of my treasures that I haven't been able to find in a long time." Rhys said, frowning slightly as Nala moved out of reach from Azriel.

"Fuck." Mor cursed and placed her hands in the folds of her sweater.

"Where and why isn't Nala coming with us?" Feyre got over her lips. Nala knew that the older Archeron wanted nothing more than curl up in her bed.

It wasn't Rhys that answered, it was Azriel, and his voice was void of any emotion: "To the Weaver. And Nala needs to train with me and Cassian, we need to know exactly how much training she had before she is off with Amren to do adviser stuff."

Rhys held up a hand as Cassian opened his mouth, effectively stopping any stupidity that may follow. "The trial is to see if Feyre can find my thing amongst the Weavers' treasures. When we get to the Summer Court Tarquin might have used magic to make his part of the Book look like something else. It could look like anything."

"By the Cauldron Rhys," Mor snarled and placed her feet on the floor. "Have you completely lost you..."

"Who is the Weaver?" Feyre asked from her spot in front of the fire.

"An ancient and horrible creature," Azriel and Nala spoke, their voices blending and creating a dark tone that should not be possible. It even sent shivers down the General's back. "Who likes to be left alone," Nala directed to Rhys, and Azriel followed up with: "Find another way to test her powers."

The High Lord only shrugged and looked at Feyre. Slightly dismissing his Shadowsingers' warning which wasn't something Nala took kindly to. Her temperature rose and her veins got an orange glow as her inner flame steadily grew bigger and bigger. Feyre bit down on her lip, clearly drained from energy but still kept an eye on her little sister who at any moment might have tried to murder the High Lord for ignoring her warnings. Azriel too had noticed the temperature rise, being closest to the female. He acted quickly and like she had done to him took hold of her arm. Her magic haltered at the touch of him, refusing to hurt him, and therefore simmered down.

"The Bone Carver, The Weaver... Can't you just call people by the name they were given at birth?" Feyre asked, making Cassian grin and Mor relax back into the sofa. Only Rhys seemed to notice how tired the evening had been for Feyre, Nala wasn't paying any attention to the conversation. She was far in her head and shadows as she stared at the place where Azriel was holding her. His touch was warm but nothing like her flames. They were destructive, his warmth felt like home and safety. Something Nala had never had.