A Court of Shadows and Promises

Beginning of the Story

The wind ripped around my body as we soared through the open air. The soldier's grip on me had fallen away, his screams shredding through me as he realized his own end was so near.

My body slammed into something hard, and I yelped, purely surprised from the impact. I twisted, hitting another tree and then the cliffside itself. We hadn't even gone far enough out to miss the foliage that had persevered and grown out of the rocky terrain despite the challenge of it. I could have snorted at the luck.

Then I noticed a thicket of trees, realizing that a small portion of cliffside jutted out as I smashed through branches and leaves. I yelled again, feeling it as branches stabbed and cut me. Finally, I thudded to the ground, my back screaming at the impact. I wouldn't even get the luxury of a quick and painless death.

I shuddered, unable to move. Pain laced through every vessel in my body. There were no sounds as I laid there and I could only assume the soldier was either dead from the fall or incapacitated as I was. My eyes drifted upwards, peering through the gaps in the trees and I knew no one would come down here. They knew this fall had been fatal, so why bother?

A cough tore up through my throat and I felt the warm liquid as it spewed out. Blood. I wouldn't last long like this. My only hope was that it wouldn't drag on. I tried to move again but nothing happened. Too weak, too broken.

My eyes drifted shut, allowing my mind to wander. I hadn't even gotten the chance to see Rhysand again. How cruel the Mother was. Would he be crushed? Or would it be easier this time around? He'd already lost us once. Hopefully, that would lessen the hurt. Or maybe he'd be unaffected entirely.

My thoughts slurred as it grew harder to even form them coherently. It would be a fight now. I could hold on and pray I'd last long enough to heal slowly on my own or I could just slip quietly away. Would my fiery friend be far enough away that the bargain we'd struck wouldn't strike him? It hadn't been a very clear detail. I hoped he was.

I felt it as my body convulsed. Was I shivering or was it some pain that I couldn't pick it out amongst the many injuries? It was hard to tell. My eyes had remained shut and I didn't have the will to open them again. There was nothing now.

There was whooshing somewhere above, a slight change to the sound of the wind whipping around the trees on the ledge, the leaves rustling louder. For a moment, I thought someone breathed my name in relief. A few heartbeats passed as the silence confirmed my feverish imaginings until I heard a small commotion somewhere to my left.

My heart raced faster, unsure what the hell it was. Had the others come to finish the job? Make sure I was dead? Perhaps they'd want to see it with their own eyes. Various scenarios ran through my garbled mind until a pair of hands slid underneath me, jolting me more into my right mind, and lifted me from the unforgiving rock. The movement sent sharp pains through several areas of my body, causing me to cry out and for my eyes to shoot open finally.

I laughed aloud at the sight before me, the sound a hoarse indication of how bad my body had faired in the fall. He wasn't real; he couldn't be. No. It was a delusion brought on by the proximity of death's door, my brain's way of easing the reality of how close it was. I'd be a fool to believe anything else.

A beautiful face- only inches from my own, gazing at me with an unreadable expression. He took a few steps, not saying a word. I didn't think I could muster up any words to speak anyway. I grimaced in agony and his hazel eyes flared, adjusting his grip carefully to not jostle my body again.

"You came back."

The words were soft with a what sounded like an undertone of guilt in them. I blinked slowly, forcing my eyes to stay open when all they wanted was to drift shut once more. Even with his abilities as a shadow singer, I hadn't dared hope he would find me. It would have been wishful thinking.

The sun had just begun to peek over the horizon, dawn making the dark night sky melt into soft pinks and oranges. His face was cast in shadows which made his elegant features even sharper- a harsh contrast against the scene behind him. Another breath passed between us and I inhaled sharply, shattering the calm silence. Azriel's face twisted in confusion, mistaking my outburst for some ache or pain.

"Well, I couldn't pa- pass on the offer to work for such a- a humble High Lord," I rasped out instead, a small smile tugging at the corner of my lips and ignoring how the world seemed to swirl nauseatingly.

He snorted in amusement at that, opening his mouth as if he were going to reply, but he paused as my eyes finally fluttered closed again.

The sounds around me faded, turning muffled and unintelligible. Azriel said something and waited for a response before speaking more sharply, trying to grab my attention again. I wanted to answer, to know what he was saying... Yet, I also just wanted to rest. Even if it was just for a moment. The darkness swallowed me without any hesitation.