A Court of Shadows and Secrets (ACOTAR FANFIC)

Chapter 22

Kali sat quietly as they spent the dinner telling their stories. 

Mor, a dreamer born into the court of nightmares. 

Amren, an ancient being who started out as something more. 

Cassian, an Illyrian bastard forced to survive by beating the shit out of other kids for their clothes until Rhys' mom took him in. 

Azriel, a shadow singer with a past reminiscent of her own. Born and raised in a cell surrounded by nothing but hatred and darkness. At least she had Antares in the cells, yes it was hell but she wasn't alone. 

Feyre had been horrified to learn the gore truth about Illyrians. Kali had always talked of their faults but sugar-coated it for her sister's sake. In all honesty, Kali doted on the Illyrians, they were her family before the Archerons. She knew nothing better. To her, the hell of the camps was heaven compared to what she knew all her life. 

When the attention turned to Kali, hoping to hear her experience with the Illyrians she didn't speak of her own volition. 

"So... You're THE Kali. The Illyrians talk about you. Especially the women... I heard you concurred the blood rite." Cassian smiled trying to push Kali into talking. He, like the others, was truly curious as to how she convinced Devlon to let her participate let alone how she won it alone. 

"Yes. I did." Kali responded shortly, not really wanting to bring her past into the conversation for fear that they would talk about more than just the Illyrian camps.

"That's very impressive. The only three other people to do that are me, Rhys, and Az. How the hell did you get Devlon to let you partake, let alone train?" Cas sat forward not hiding his intrigue.

Noticing Kali's reluctance to respond Feyre cut in, "What is the blood rite?" 

The conversation once again shifted away from Kali and back to Feyre, but she couldn't shake the attention of a certain shadowsinger whose piercing hazel eyes her staring her down. 

She looked back at him, raising her chin in question but he was not deterred, "You're still hiding something." 

The room quieted and became tense at Azriel's words. Kali's relaxed face turned to a nasty sneer as she glared at the spymaster. 

"My life is none of your concern, Shadowsinger." She spat, her honey-filled voice now laced with venom.

"You just show up one day to the camps and Devlon immediately lets you train. No Kali ever existed before that. Then after only twenty years at the camp, you ran away to the human lands... You wear glamour all the time. You don't wear any Siphons and yet you won the blood rite. Not to mention Mor called you Alya earlier..." Azriel's voice was like stone as he matched her glare. 

"Do you have a point or do you just like the sound of your own voice?" 

"My point is you are a complete mystery... you are hiding something and I think that Rhys and Mor know what it is. I want to know who you are." Azriel practically growled.

"Azriel," Rhys said in a warning tone. 

"As I've said before, my life is none of your concern, Shadowsinger... So drop it." Kali matched his tone. 

"Drop the glamour." 

"Fuck you. I don't have to prove shit to you."

"You could be a threat to my home-"

"AZRIEL!" Rhysand roared, glaring down the table at Azriel. 

The male turned his attention to Rhysand, "Drop it, Az."