The Light to His Shadows

Chapter 7

-Azriel's POV-

Dawn had sucked the light from all of the candles around the room, I could see the fire still flickering but it was now dark, like Rhys's power was made into fire.

The orbs of light she created were spinning around her body and she was looking around in panic.

She sank to the floor and Rhys put his hand up, stopping us from going over.

Rhys's eyes glazed over a little and I knew he was mind talking with someone, from the way Dawn stiffened I'm assuming it is her.

The orbs of light didn't dim, they just span faster.

Rhys sucked in a sharp breath, and I wondered what was going on, Dawn then began screaming, I knew that there was a sound shield around the room so Leina couldn't hear our conversation with her sister, and I was suddenly happy for it.

The orbs of light slammed into Dawn's body, all of them hit her sides, stomach, chest and thighs and Rhys's eyes widened as he took their pattern in.

She was limp now and I ran over, her skin was badly burnt, and I knew we needed either Mor or Madja to heal her.

I pressed us into the shadows and went up to the room she had been staying in, laying her on the bed.

"We need to take her clothes off," Mor said as she ran in.

"What?" I asked.

"I'm pretty sure her health is more important than her modestly." Mor snapped and we began to carefully peel her clothes off the burnt skin.

"Where is Leina?" I asked as we worked.

"With Feyre," Mor replied as we finally got her top off.

We then pulled off her leggings which was a little easier. I felt like I shouldn't be here, but Mor needed the help.

Mor began to heal the burns and I noticed a scar peeking over her shoulder. Once all of her burns had healed, I turned to Mor.

"Will you help me turn her over?" I asked, she frowned but nodded.

We rolled Dawn onto her stomach and stood staring in mute horror.

Her back was a mess of scar tissue, short lines that blended together. Each line was done haphazardly, and none looked similar, like they had all been done at different times using different blades.

"Is she, holy shit," Rhys breathed as he took her in.

"She was a child when this happened," I breathed, the scars all looked old, very old.

"She got the first one a week before her thirteenth birthday," a small voice said from behind us.

We all turned to see Leina stood there, Feyre was looking at Dawn with pure shock on her face.

"How?" Mor breathed.

"I can't tell you, when she told me about them, she made me promise I wouldn't tell anyone, I won't break my promise," Leina said, frowning at us all.

I went to ask her about what she said earlier but Dawn began screaming.

Leina ran to her sister's side, climbing onto the bed next to her and pushing Dawn onto her back once more.

I couldn't help but feel like Leina had done this before. She gripped Dawn's shoulder's tightly as she shook her.

Dawn jolted awake, sitting upright as she panted.

"You're safe," Leina told her sister who took one look at her and pulled her close, beginning to sob.

"I'm sorry baby girl," Dawn whispered.

Leina just shook her small head, hugging her sister tightly. Once Dawn's tears eased, she looked up, flinching as she saw us all there.

"Your back," Feyre breathed, and Dawn's eyes widened.

"You should tell them Dawn," Leina said, looking up at her sister with tears in her eyes.

"You shouldn't have to hear it again baby," Dawn whispered.

"I'm staying," Leina told her sister defiantly.

Dawn shifted so that Leina was on her lap a little more as she held her tightly to her, she didn't look at anyone as she began to talk.

"None of the Illyrians liked us because we weren't fully like them, we didn't keep our wings out so we could save them, Leina wasn't even born when this started, it was just me and mum, who also didn't have the best of times there, but I think I probably had it worse. Just before my thirteenth birthday one of the Illyrians who just took the rite and thought he was all that because he got to the base of the mountain decided he didn't like that I was half fae, I'll save you the details, he raped me because he couldn't clip me. Father walked in at the end and told him to mark me permanently before he left again. Word got around the camp about what happened and other males saw me as an opportunity to, fulfil their needs so to speak, the only rule was that they had to mark me after. This carried on until we left the camp," she began to sob once more as the implications of that sank in, each scar marked a rape, and she had at least a hundred scars.

"You were twelve," Mor whispered, Dawn just nodded.

"How old were you when you left?" Rhys asked.

"Fifteen," she replied, looking up.

"I'm going to kill them," I snarled, pure rage taking over, they had raped a child.

"Don't bother, it will take you too long," she told me, voice, and eyes dead.

"She wakes up screaming more often than not," Leina told us, and Dawn hung her head.

"I'm not better than mother," she whispered.

"Did your mother not help you?" Mor asked.

"The first couple of times she did try, but then I come home with twenty one fresh cuts, and she was disgusted by me, she refused to help after that, saying that father was right, I was weak." She sobbed into her hands.

Twenty one cuts, all at once, she got raped twenty one times in one day. I couldn't stay there anymore, I walked out, past Feyre, and flew off, if I stayed there any longer, I would go to the steeps and murder them all.

I landed in the forest outside Velaris and roared at the sky, this beautiful, kind, caring girl had been abused in a way that was totally unforgiveable.

"Az," Rhys's soft voice said, and I turned.

He was stood in the tree line looking concerned.

"I'm going to kill them," I snarled.

"You can't kill them Az, I know you want to, I do too but it won't solve anything," he said, I clenched my hands into fists.

"They raped a child, there were at least a hundred scars there." I growled.

"Take a breath Az, she needs a friend, someone she can lean on, not a camp wiped out," he told me, taking a couple of steps closer.

I knew he was right, and I had just left her there, crying, she must hate me.

I winnowed back to the manor, and went up to her room, she was asleep, Leina was sat next to her on the bed, she looked over at me and smiled slightly.

"You make her feel safe spy master, I have never seen her so relaxed than when you are around," she whispered, and I gave her a small smile before walking out and quietly closing the door behind me.