The Whisper of Dusk

Chapter 25

Just survive

Ria got up to a loud bang. Her eyes lazily opened to a bustling scene around her- the servants were dressing up and murmuring this under their breath. Ria quickly got up, clearing up the sleeping area, folding the blankets, and letting her hand smooth the few creases that had arisen during her slumber.

"She is alive," she heard one say to another. "Who is?" Ria asked, curiosity churning within her. Their heads snapped to where she stood, "who are you?" they demanded. Ria let her head go down then, as she whispered in a fearful voice, "new recruit. My sister died and I am here to take her place."

Their eyes softened in the slightest. "The human girl," one finally said. "Feyre something," she said. Ria tilted her head, "I came in last night- what did she do to be here? Alive."

Before she could hear the answer, a cackling noise was heard ahead followed by a scream. The servants, as if taking that as their cue and warning, quickly shuffled toward the said noise, heads down, scurrying like mice. Ria followed suit.

"What is your name, girl," one of the same maid asked her. "Raya," she said. "You can call me Raya." The female nodded just as a heavy bucket of water was pushed in her hand. "The prison cells," the male said. She nodded and left quickly.

Now, she only had to find where the cells were. Fun.

It took her half an hour but she finally found the cells. Quarter of the water was already sploshed out, but Ria couldn't find it in herself to give a shit for that. She had more important things to do- like cleaning up the floors of this godforsaken place.

And so, Raya spent the next hour washing the place, ignoring the mix of leering, scowling and uninterested looks of the guards. She was near the exit when a female walked down- another servant with a plate of food in it. She was practically shivering.

"Do you want me to take it?" Ria asked. The female looked at her in surprise. "You new here?" she demanded and Ria nodded. A scoff, "figures." But she shoved the plate in her hand anyway, her voice surprisingly steely for someone whose body betrayed her fear, as she informed, "I will take the bucket. This is for that human girl- if she survived the night."

Ria' luck was shining and she was not about to question it. "Okay."

She went and tossed the plate into her cell- making sure to add a little note of her own. Stay resilient. Feyre was hers for the taking. And when Ria left, after taking good look at the alive girl, Feyre Archeron saw the note but crumpled it in her hands after trying and failing to read the second word. Stay. Stay. Stay.

Ria, or rather Raya, was supposed to go back to her quarters for lunch. But she needed to find someone, desperately. And so, when the servants were having lunch after serving the lords, Ria slipped out, walking toward the Autumn chambers.

It was colourless, Ria thought. So in contrast to how Autumn is. Is supposed to be. There were no hues of green, yellow, orange decorating the place, only red that of blood splattered and dried here and there over the years. She knew someone was coming toward the entrance, their footsteps quick and light. A door was there nearby- a storage room. All the servants were at lunch and so no one stood guarding the delicious delicacies that were kept here for the High Lord. She slipped in.

"Lucien is not even our brother," someone hissed. Another male snarled, sounding familiar. "He is our brother, even if his choices have not shown so in the past years," the other male huffed, "now go, you are giving me a headache." One pair of footsteps receded. And quicker than her blinking, the door was opened and in came Eris Vanserra, his eyes glinting. In another moment, he had her pinned against the wall, smiling wickedly. "Hello," he purred. "Eris," her eyes threatened tears. She did not want to fight him.

His grip tightened against her throat. "You dare call me by name," he snarled. "Ria," she whispered, and his grip loosened just in the slightest. "Prove it," he whispered. "Dusk is rapid." His grip completely loosened. "It is truly you?" he wondered. She nodded, another tear falling down. "I maybe missed you," she said smiling. And then Eris Vanserra, the cruel heir of Autumn, gave her one of his most genuine smiles. "Maybe I did too."

She hugged him for a long time then, letting tears fall down for the first time in ages.

"What are you doing here?" he breathed. They were in his private chambers and Eris had put up a barrier for silence. No one could hear us here; he had told her.

"Do you know anyone named Clare Beddor? She is a human girl, brown hair, brown eyes- I cannot find her." Eris' face paled, "and why do you need to find her?" "She is my friend. I went to the cells yesterday but the only human there was Feyre Archeron. I cannot find Clare anywhere but I know she is here and I know she is in mortal danger."

"I leave you for a few years and you start befriending mortals?" He said but she remained unamused. He sighed. "She is dead, Ria," he said after a beat, expressionless. She shook her head, "no." Ria knew that Feyre had sold her out and the Attor had dragged the girl here but, "she must be alive. Barely, and tortured- but she must be the same way Feyre found a way."

"Clare Beddor was tortured to death," Eris said and she flinched. But, he did not give her reprieve, "she was killed because Amarantha thought it was her Tamlin was in love with."

"And then Feyre?"

"She made a deal with her. Smart, that one, at least for a human. Either she solves the riddle or she completes the three tasks that will be presented to her one every full moon. If she succeeds, she will let go of her hold on us. And if the girl fails, lo and behold our new home."

"What is the riddle?"

"I am magic-bound to not say the question or the answer."

"Fuck." Ria breathed and Eris agreed. They sat silently then, absorbing one another' appearance, behaviour and information.

"Tell me about your past 48 years," he demanded.

And so they stayed in there, exchanging stories for the better part of the hour.

It seemed like Ria would be here for more time than she had anticipated. Change of plans, she thought, as she watched the hopeless eyes of her friend, she was here to be with him. Dusk would have to wait a while longer.

UTM for the next few chaps