The Night's Child | The Night Court Chronicles

Chapter ★ Nine

Tarquin was still in bed when Iradessa returned to her quarters, though her countenance was completely different than it had been when she last left him. She informed him of the summons from the Night Court - that her duties as emissary, as agreed upon when they wed, were being called upon by the Night Court's Heir.

She did not hide the bitterness in her voice, and Tarquin did not pretend to ignore it.

He insisted she stay, just as Emrys had insisted the same, but Iradessa, stubborn in her ways, would listen to neither of them. She was a female of her word, of honor, and would follow-through with whatever it was Rhiannon needed her for. That was what she told herself as she packed lightly for her trip north, though she had no idea how long she would need to remain there.

For as long as Emrys needed her, she reminded herself.

Not to mention, the Summer Court's fashion was far from appropriate for the Night Court-- she would buy what she needed while she was there. And so she silently ran through the list of the rest of the things she would need to do before she left, alongside the list of things she would need to do once she returned to her childhood home.

Sleep did not come easy for Iradessa that night - concern for her brother and anxiety about returning to the Night Court weighed heavy upon her. That was why, once she saw the beginning of the morning's light from the large open windows of their bedroom, she got out of bed and readied herself for the day. She didn't even think to say goodbye to Tarquin where he slept, her mind far too preoccupied with the tasks at hand. She dressed herself regally enough - Emissary she may be, but she would represent the Summer Court proudly. And once she was ready, she took her bag and walked to the guest room where her brother resided.

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Emrys found himself curled up on his side once Iradessa left him, nursing the bottle of whisky rather than a glass of the stuff. He kept running over his memories with his mate in his mind. He couldn't help but miss Osiris, now that he thought about it, and he hated himself for that more than almost anything. But eventually, he did sleep, and did not wake until the next morning, well after dawn with a raging hangover that made the lights brighter and the noises louder. Groaning, Emrys rolled over and went back to bed. He distantly remembered they were leaving today, but he couldn't quite remember why or where...

The opening of the bedroom door and the sudden arrival of his sister quickly jogged his memory. He rolled over to avoid the inevitable, and she growled audibly as she walked across the room, throwing wide the curtains to let the new day's light in. Marching back to the bed, she pulled away the blankets, clearly not caring about what Emrys may or may not have been wearing underneath.

"It's time to wake up. Now."

Emrys hissed at the cool air and the bright light both. He rolled over again in an attempt to bury his face back in the pillow. "Why?" he demanded from where he lay, still curled in on himself.

"Because, we have a summons to answer," she reminded him plainly. She continued to make her way around the room, gathering his items and stuffing them into his bag.

"Oh, fuck," Emrys breathed, and everything from the night before flooding back into his mind like a bad memory. He sat up at once, and in a fluid motion quickly stood from the bed. He dug the heels of his hands into his eyes, trying to rub both the sleep and the hangover from his head. It was futile. But he did not want to look at Iradessa, he did not want to know what she thought of him now that she knew what he'd done, that she had the time to sleep on it. But they had to go. He would not make a scene. He would not be a child about this.

Instead, he helped his sister pack the rest of his things, which took all of two minutes. "How are we getting there? You have a carriage ready?"

She shook her head. "We'll walk and winnow, the old fashioned way. Between the two of us, it should get us to the palace by nightfall."