A Court of Horizon and Shadows

67.

AZRIEL

The Spymaster, along with the General, tried to get through the creatures that stood in their way as they got closer to The Prison.

But as much as they fought, they were both becoming drained of any power they had regained. With their wings severely injured, it was clear that trying to get to The Prison would be a suicide mission, seeing as the creations were practically hoarding them.

And the downpour didn't make it any easier.

Azriel gave it his all, ignoring the screaming pain his body was feeling. The only thing he wanted was to regain his mate and his brother. In his mind, he prayed to the mother, hoping that she would grant him that wish.

But the Spymaster was not able to fight any longer, succumbing to his exhaustion.

Azriel immediately ran to his brother, winnowing them to a brick roof. He collapsed as he used the last ounce of his power, feeling as if he was dying. His vision became blurry and the world around him was slowly fading.

He wanted to sleep, to let his wounds heal.

As the Spymaster closed his eyes, he thought of Auriella laying beside him, feeling the warmth of her bare skin radiating onto him. He could smell her scent of berries and feel her fingers tracing his tattoos. He could picture those green eyes clearly - beautiful and adoring.

Even if he was dying, Azriel wanted Auriella to be his last thought before he died. They had spent a short time together, but he was grateful to have those memories, to share his soul with the one he waited so long for.

Come back soon, sunlight. He said through the bond.

A moment later, Cassian was shaking him, "Don't die on me, you son of a bitch. If you do, I promise that I will go to the depths of the afterlife to bring you back." His brother says.

Azriel opens his eyes, "Did you think that I would give up so easily, brother?" He asked, a small smile tugging at his lips.

Cassian plopped down next to him, looking down at the hoard of creations that were creeping around on the brick road. The courts were filled with them now, meaning that nowhere was safe.

Nesta was marking her territory: Prythian was hers.

Azriel felt a jolt of pain go through him as he sat up, stretching out his arms as he watched the creations invade his home. He didn't turn to his brother, "Did you ever feel anything become different through the mating bond with Nesta? There had to be some sort of warning." He asked his brother, not expecting him to answer.

Cassian scoffed, "After Nesta rejected the bond, I wanted nothing more than to be rid of it. I didn't want to waste away, weeping over her. I knew I was going to lose myself if I did. So, I had to find my own way to shut it off. I had to ignore it. Every shift, every jolt, everything that came through, I ignored it. My body would always pull me to her, but I kept myself in place. I had to make my mind my own again."

He continues, "After I met Emerie, the bond started to become easier to ignore as things escalated between us. Of course, I would feel jolts from time to time, but I made my mind listen to me, commanded it to stop thinking about Nesta. As the years passed, the bond would remind me it was there, but it would not pull me towards her, it wouldn't whisper to me, it would just stay there, waiting." He explains.

The Spymaster narrows his eyes, "If you had kept control of the bond, then why did you lash out on Auriella the day she trained with Nesta and the sisterhood? She was in the wrong too." He says to him.