#berdara

Gwyn scoffed, “Wow, so I’m suddenly Gwyneth now.”

Gwyn scoffed, “Wow, so I’m suddenly Gwyneth now.”

Azriel didn’t reply, he just kept stomping ahead towards the estate house. He knew he was walking too fast when Gwyn started tripping. He muttered an apology as he helped her maintain balance. She just glared in return.

He pushed open the estate doors and passed by the foyer in a hurry. He just wanted the damn truth. Cassian was on his way out and was about to say something. He apparently changed his mind considering the look on Azriels face.

Azriel didn’t say a word, he thundered towards Rhys’s office and went in without knocking.

Rhys,who had a babbling Nyx playing with his black tie looked up towards them and frowned. He took a look at Azriel’s expression and then sighed at Gwyn.

“I told you, we should have told him.”

Azriel frowned.

“Told me what?”

Rhys got up and placed Nyx in the play pen next to his table.

He stood up and straightened the wrinkles off his white shirt which had a speck of chocolate custard on it.

“We’ll explain, but first let go of Gwyn. She is not a threat.”

Azriel had kept the hold on Gwyn’s arm light the entire time. He let go at his High Lord’s command.

“If you saw who she had been conferring with Rhysand, you’d have other thoughts.”

“I sent Gwyn to speak to Narwaz.”

Azriel felt his eyebrows shoot up.

“What?”

Gwyn coughed and moved past Azriel, shoving him a bit as she went.

“Narwaz is a childhood friend. Caitrin and I were very close to him.”

Azriel frowned, his shadows whisking past him and caressing the tendrils of auburn hair peeking out Gwyn’s hood.

“While I was working at the library, I saw Merrill access the getang archives.”

“What’s so important about these archives?”

Rhys leaned forward on his seat. His forearms resting on his thighs.

“The Getang archives contain all we know of the magic of the Old. Dangerous magic which entertains the idea of harnessing evil armies across different universes into our own.”

Gwyn nodded, “To conquer and destroy. Koschei has been so focused on the dead trove and the dead trove itself is a huge part of the magic.”

Azriel tilted his head, “and Merrill was looking into these archives?”

Gwyn nodded.

“It looked suspicious to me, so I started checking exactly what she was going through. Azriel, she was searching up rune marks to activate portals across Prythian. She often disappeared into the night and I found her throwing notes into the fire. Only those notes would vanish before burning to a crisp.”

Rhys leaned back, “Gwyn came to me with this information. If Merrill is sending these notes to Autumn, then we can’t trust any alliance.”

“How do you know its Autumn.”

Gwyn looked a bit sheepish. “I snuck into her office, tampered with her drawers lock and read who it was addressed to.”

Azriel would have gawked, only years of sheer control stopped him from it.

“Gwyn, do you realise how dangerous that could have been?”

Gwyn rolled her eyes.

“Rhys already gave me a lecture, I don’t need another from you.”

Nyx sqwaked from his pen as if in agreement. Gwyn quickly ruffled his soft hair.

“That doesn’t explain Narwaz”.

“When I found out Narwaz was Gwyns friend, I asked her to reach out to him. He is Eris’s right hand man and if I’m to work with him and trust him. I need to know Eris is not involved in this.”

“How can you trust Narwaz?”

“Narwaz is one of the most honourable and best men I know”, Gwyn assured him.

Azriel didn’t like how easily Gwyn spoke of the male with such tenderness. He didn’t like the flicker of annoyance he felt either. He didn’t want to even begin trying to understand why he felt it in the first place.

“Gwyn and Narwaz are slowly infiltrating the Autumn Court on my behalf. I wanted to key you in but Gwyn said you were already overworked and she could handle it.”

Azriel glared at Rhys, “She could have been killed.”

Rhys simply smirked, “She’s a Carythian who apparently has a knack for spying. She’s more than qualified and capable.”

“I know she is but it was still dangerous.”

“I said I could deal and I can”, said Gwyn softly.

Her tone was soft but it held steel. She’d been offended.

“I’m going with her.”

“What? No”, said Gwyn.

Azriel turned to Rhysand.

“I just finished my work on Koschei’s secret base. This can be my next mission.”

Rhys started to speak but Azriel interrupted, “ She is capable but this is complicated. Surely, you know this is a job for two spies. A job which requires the Spymaster.”

Rhys took a while. He studied both Azriel and Gwyn and Azriel frowned… why did Rhys seem amused?

“Okay. You both take lead and figure it out. You’ll have to set base up in Autumn and loop us in from there.”

Azriel and Gwyn nodded.

Gwyn then proceeded to stomp out the room. Azriel frowned and just as she went past him, he softly held her elbow to stop her. A spark igniting at the touch. Azriel’s breath hitched.

Gwyn’s teal eyes that held so much amusement on most days held fire right now.

“What? What’s wrong?”

Gwyn huffed, “You know for someone so observant and smart, you sure can be obtuse sometimes.”

Azriel pulled her closer.

“What do you mean?”

“You seriously doubted me? Considered me a traitor?”

She didn’t wait for a response, she snatched her arm back and left the room.

Nyx was babbling at her and holding his arms out from the pen. Gwyn came stomping back in and quickly picked him up and tickled him. She cooed at him and peppered him with kisses.

She looked at Rhys, completely avoiding eye contact with Azriel, “I’m kidnapping him for an hour.”

Rhys chuckled, “Be my guest.”

Gwyn stomped right back out of the office with a bewitched Nyx playing with Gwyn’s Auburn hair.

“Well, you fucked that up”, said Rhys.

“I’m glad you find this amusing.”

Azriel sighed and felt Rhys’s hand land on his shoulder, “Let me teach you the art of grovelling dear brother.”

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