To Kill A Kingdom | ACOTAR

Chapter 10 - "This is not the time for your games."

Feyre's very first task had arrived and Evette was forbade from attending to watch it. Amarantha had claimed that Evette would be free to roam about Under the Mountain as she wished, but she was forbade from the first task. Amarantha claimed her still having her magic was a risk - that she could help Feyre without anyone even knowing or expecting.

Evette decided to agree with this - she had faith in Feyre and knew she'd survive whatever Amarantha threw at her first.

So instead of attending the first task, she had remained in her room instead. The entire day she stayed there.

It was just a few days later after the first task, and Evette was headed back to her room, when all of a sudden she felt two pairs of hands grab her. She felt a cold feeling spread throughout her, and then she found herself being pulled through a wall. And then she was being pulled through several of them, until they finally stopped and the cold feeling faded.

However, all thoughts and demands faded from her mind when Evette noticed a body slumped on the cold concrete floor in front of her. The room had a metallic stench from the blood that was on the floor around the form. It took her just moments to realise who it was. It was Lucien - and his deeply wounded back was facing her.

"Lucien." Evette gasped before she completely disregarded the shadow wraiths, and she darted forwards towards him. Evette helped Lucien stand and supported him a little, and he let out a strained groan as she did.

"Evette?" Lucien spoke softly as she helped him to the closed and locked door. "How'd you get in?" Evette lifted her leg and slammed it into the door, hard, making the door rattle violently. It took her only three kicks to kick the door in.

"I'll explain when we get back to my room." Evette told him.

Evette and Lucien ambled through many corridors, which was fascinatingly next to empty, as she took them back to her room. They reached her room and Evette was able to smell the bath in the bathing room - it had been filled. She guided him there and she knew that it must've been the shadow wraiths. She supposed their spymaster was trying to gain her trust via them.

Evette moved herself from Lucien as he leant against the bath. "I promise I won't look." Evette assured him before she turned around. "Get in."

Evette heard the rustling of clothes, and then she heard him climb into the bath, and then wince and hiss as the water touched his open wounds. Evette turned back around, and made her way over. She placed one of her hands on his shoulder blade, and placed another over the side of his ribs. His skin felt hot and he tensed from her touch.

And then she felt both his muscles and body relax under her hands as she numbed and removed his pain. She heard him let out a soft sigh. "You need to stay still as I clean it." Evette instructed him as she moved to grab a clean rag.

Evette knelt beside the bath and she gathered his long red hair, before she gently placed it over his shoulder. She then dipped the rag into the pleasingly hot bath, before she lifted it to his wounded back and she began to clean it of blood carefully. "How'd you get inside that room?" Lucien asked her. "That door was the only way in...it was as if you just appeared out of thin air. I thought you couldn't use magic."

"It wasn't me." Evette told him. "Do you remember when my agony became too much, and then you left to go find something to help?" He hummed. "Well, there's something I haven't yet told you about what happened. Two shadow wraiths came and gave me a Fey healing concoction. It's only made in Angevin. They went there, got it, and gave it to me. They found me just minutes ago, and dragged me through the walls. They took me to you."

"I've figured that they're spies. Working for someone here that wishes for my trust." Evette explained to the man. "I'm not sure who just yet though. I'm leaning towards Day Court because the High Lord...he keeps greeting me with a kind smile whenever we pass one another." She dipped the rag back into the bath, and wrung it out, blood tinted water falling from it. "Well, whoever they work for. They've helped both me and you now. Clearly, they're not enemies."