The artwork above is not mine.

•༻☾☽༺•

    The next five days passed in tense slowness. There was no sign of Koschei or the Vanth. Erebus' Illyrians had disappeared as well. Not even the shadows could learn any information regarding their whereabouts. Azriel dropped into a chair with a weary sigh and massaged his temples.

    "The meeting is tomorrow." Rhys leaned against the fireplace mantle across the room. "I invited everyone but Beron and Tamlin. Keir won't accompany our group, but Devlon and Jorah will. So will Gwyn and Emerie. I still don't trust Keir enough to let him see our plans. We'll make sure to ward the meeting room. Drakon and Miryam promised to attend and still plan to. I'm not sure who the other High Lords will bring."

    "I'm sure Thesan will bring his Peregryn general," Cassian said.

    "Kallias will bring Viviane," Azriel murmured.

    "Did you manage to tell Eris about this meeting?"

    Rhys shook his head. "I planned to tell him at our next meeting with him, but there hasn't been one. I can't send a note because Beron might find it. Beron is not welcome at this meeting. We'd be foolish to invite him."

    "And no one can find Tamlin." Cassian crossed his arms. "Let's hope five out of seven High Lords will strengthen our forces enough to hold out against Koschei."

    "We fought the King of Hybern when he had possession of the Cauldron and won."

    "You died," Azriel snapped, lifting his gaze. "Do you remember that, Rhys? Could your departed soul hear how Feyre screamed? You and Amren died. Cassian and Nesta were almost killed. We lost so many and the King of Hybern only had the Cauldron! Koschei has the Cauldron, the Dread Trove, Nesta's weapons, and alliances with the people who were once on our side. This battle will be nothing like the War with Hybern."

    "I'm just trying to be optimistic."

    "Try being realistic instead." Azriel stood and left the room.

    "He's just worried, like all of us," he heard Cassian say.

    Azriel stormed out of the house, shadows drifting over him. The air was cold and a thin layer of snow covered the ground. He leaped into the air and let the wind carry him away from Velaris.

    Azriel flew until he reached a small hidden valley, deep within the mountains. No grass or snowdrops grew in it now, but it was still serene. The small pool was partially frozen over. The stream flowing into it was just a tiny trickle. Come spring, when the mountain snows melted, it would flood over its banks for a week or two. Then, the entire valley would erupt in greenery.

    Azriel sat on a rock and hooked his arms over his knees. He gazed at Ramiel, far in the distance. A few stars were beginning to appear in the darkening sky. He drew in a deep breath and released it slowly.

    "Seren told me I might find you here," Rhys said, winnowing into view behind him. Azriel didn't look at him. "I know this battle will be rough. That's why I'm trying to be optimistic. If I look at the realities of it, everything becomes hopelessly overwhelming."

    Still, Azriel didn't acknowledge him. "I know the odds are stacked against us, even if the other High Lords agree to fight. Koschei has had hundreds...thousands...of years to study our battle tactics. To find our weaknesses. To learn where to strike and when. He has Prythian's most formidable magical artifacts in his arsenal, to use as he pleases. I know that."

    Rhys sat down beside him. "But I also know that we've fought in many wars. We've killed all manner of creatures. These Vanth, they will be no different. Once we recover Nesta's weapons, we could even kill Koschei."

    "We went into battle at Hybern with Koschei's siblings backing us. They were cut down in seconds," Azriel said.

    "That tells me that Koschei can fall just as quickly as they did."

    "But do you remember the destruction they caused before they died?"

    Rhys shuddered. "I try not to. It makes it hard to sleep at night." Azriel managed a wry smile.

    "Do you think Koschei stole Velaris' location from you and Feyre?"

    "I don't know. I hope not." Rhys clenched his jaw briefly. "I feel so stupid for not realizing he was there. I'm Daemati. How did I not know someone was looking into my mind?"

    "You were focused on breaking the spell. Besides, I think Koschei only had a limited window of time to work with."

    A thoughtful look filled Rhys' amethyst eyes. "Once we began breaking the spell, he had to take what was necessary to his plans at that time. After the spell was gone, so was he. He likely only saw what he needed right then."

    "I hope you're right. If he sends some of his forces to attack Velaris while we're all gone and Seren is there..."

    Rhys touched his shoulder gently. "I've put extra wards over the house. So did Feyre, Amren, and Mor. No one will be able to get in unless we permit them. If they try to enter forcefully, we're going to have to scrape their guts off the wards." Azriel flashed him a grateful smile. "Did you ever decide on names?"

    "Yes, but we're not sharing until the baby is born," Azriel chuckled. He slid off the rock. "Come on. Mother knows we'll need to be well rested in order to have enough patience for tomorrow." Rhys gave him an exasperated look. They leaped into the air and flew away from the valley.

•༻☾☽༺•

    Late the next afternoon, they arrived at the Court of Nightmares. Most of their group wore Illyrian leathers. Miryam, Mor, and Seren were the exceptions. Rhys and Feyre led the way into the meeting room. There was no sign of Keir. Rhys cast several wards around the premises. They all claimed their seats and proceeded to wait.

    "What if they don't come?" Seren whispered, leaning towards Azriel.

    "They will," Azriel said reassuringly. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

    Several quiet minutes passed. In a flash of light, one High Lord appeared. He was very handsome, with brown skin and bright amber eyes. His black hair was adorned by a golden crown.

    "Who is he?" Seren asked.

    "Helion. High Lord of the Day Court," Azriel explained. Seren nodded. She knew all of the High Lords by name, but had never seen some of them in person before.

    She tipped her head curiously. "He looks a bit like Lucien." Azriel followed her gaze across the table, where Helion had taken up a spot beside Lucien.

    "You're right," Azriel replied. "Maybe they're related somehow."

    Rhys and Feyre exchanged knowing glances behind Azriel. Seren ignored them as the next High Lord arrived. She knew Tarquin from Amren's descriptions alone. Varian and Cresseida followed him into the room. They sat down near Amren.

    The next High Lord to arrive was obviously from the Winter Court. His pale skin, sparkling blue eyes, and frosty white hair gave him away. Kallias escorted a beautiful female into the meeting room. She waved at Mor excitedly.

    "Who is she?" Seren whispered.

    "Viviane, Kallias' wife and mate," Azriel replied.

    Two more males followed them in. The first male had brown skin and hair, kissed by gold. His eyes were a deeper shade of brown. The second male had large feathered wings.

    Azriel kept his voice quiet as he said, "Thesan, High Lord of the Dawn Court. The other one is a Peregryn. He serves as the Peregryn Legion's general and Thesan's lover." 

     Rhys stood, lifting a hand towards the door. Before he closed them, one last person stepped into the room. Seren recognized Eris with a start. I thought he wasn't going to be here, she said to herself. Rhys raised his eyebrows, but closed the doors behind Eris.

    "We weren't expecting you, Eris," Rhys said.

    "Neither were we." Tarquin watched Eris with unmasked wariness. "Shouldn't you be at your own father's meeting?"

    "There is no meeting, seeing as all the anticipated attendants are here," Eris replied.

    "Beron is holding a meeting?" Rhys kept his gaze on Eris.

    "He invited us all to attend just after we received your invitation," Helion explained. "He mentioned you were not to be informed of this meeting, just as you said he could not know of this one."

    "The four of us met yesterday to discuss which meeting we would attend," Thesan added. His voice was deeper than Seren expected. "As you can see, we are here."

    "We're grateful you are," Feyre replied.

    "Why did you summon us?" Kallias folded his arms over his chest. Viviane rested a hand on his shoulder.

    Rhys' voice took on a somber tone. "Another war is coming to Prythian. Koschei escaped his prison two years ago. He, along with the Mortal Queen, Briallyn, and Beron, went hunting for the Dread Trove. We learned of this plan and began searching for it ourselves. Nesta Archeron located the Mask and Harp, but Briallyn found the Crown. They attacked Nesta during the Illyrian Blood Rite."

    "Nesta killed Briallyn, and Koschei went into hiding. We sent the Dread Trove away for safekeeping, along with three weapons that Nesta made. When she made them, she imbued them with some of the Cauldron's magic she had stolen, and they became enchanted. We've been keeping an eye on the Trove ever since, and managed to identify the fourth missing piece of it."

    "Hold on," Tarquin interrupted. "You found the Dread Trove and had possession of it?"

    "Allow me to finish," Rhys said. "Koschei went into hiding, but we discovered that Beron was still working with him. They were trying to find the three Mortal Queens who went into hiding, among other things. Beron managed to secure the loyalty of one of my Illyrian warlords, Erebus. The Ironcrest war camp is disbanded. Most of those warriors now obey Beron. They attacked Windhaven. They have kidnapped Vassa, the fourth Mortal Queen. Now, they've attacked Drakon and Miryam's home and stolen the Cauldron, the Dread Trove, and Nesta's weapons."

    Tarquin and Kallias had already opened their mouths. "And Koschei has used the Cauldron," Drakon piped up before they could speak. "He sent the traitor Illyrians to attack our people while he stole the Cauldron. While we recovered from the first attack, he used the Cauldron to make terrible creatures. They wiped out half of our people's population giving Koschei enough time to steal the Trove and the weapons."

    "You had the Cauldron?" Kallias blinked in disbelief, his gaze jumping between Drakon and Miryam.

    "And the Dread Trove?" Tarquin glowered at Rhys.

    "I, for one, admire your ingenuity," Eris said casually. "It was smart to let trusted allies guard the Cauldron and Dread Trove. No one knows where they reside, so the artifacts' location was kept secret."

    "No one but Rhysand and his court. They've had access to these artifacts for two years!" Tarquin exclaimed. "You say Beron and Koschei are the threats. I think you and your court are!"