𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐝 - acomaf

Ⅵ

"He's pissed. Cassian even more so—he's convinced it must be one of the rogue Illyrian war-bands, intent on winning new territory."

"It's something to consider," Rhys mused. "Some of the Illyrian clans gleefully bowed to Amarantha during those years. Trying to expand their borders could be their way of seeing how far they can push me and get away with it."

"Cassian and Az are waiting—" She cut herself off and gave Feyre an apologetic wince. "They're waiting in the usual spot for your orders."

"Winnowing in would be easier," Mor said, following the High Lord's gaze.

"Tell the pricks I'll be there in a few hours," he merely said.

Mor gave Feyre a wary grin, her eyes then landed on Mai for a second before she vanished.

"Do you really think it was them? " Maiven said to Rhys through their bond

"I don't know" He answered

"How does that ... vanishing work?" Feyre said softly studying the empty spot where Mor was before

Rhys didn't look at her, but he said, "Winnowing? Think of it as ... two different points on a piece of cloth. One point is your current place in the world. The other one across the cloth is where you want to go. Winnowing ... it's like folding that cloth so the two spots align. The magic does the folding—and all we do is take a step to get from one place to another. Sometimes it's a long step, and you can feel the dark fabric of the world as you pass through it. A shorter step, let's say from one end of the room to the other, would barely register. It's a rare gift, and a helpful one. Though only the stronger Fae can do it. The more powerful you are, the farther you can jump between places in one go."

"I'm sorry about the temple—and the priestesses."

The wrath still glimmered in those eyes as he at last turned to Feyre. "Plenty more people are going to die soon enough, anyway."

"What are ... ," she tried. "What are Illyrian war-bands?"

"Arrogant bastards, that's what," he muttered.

"I can confirm that Illyrians are arrogant bastards" Maiven mused through the Eardreor bond.

Rhys sent the girl a smirk before stretching his wings, the sunlight setting the leathery texture glowing with subtle color. "They're a warrior-race within my lands. And general pains in my ass."

"Some of them supported Amarantha?"

Darkness danced in the hall as that distant storm grew close enough to smother the sun. "Some. But me and mine have enjoyed ourselves hunting them down these past few months. And ending them."

"That's why you stayed away—you were busy with that?"

"I was busy with many things." Rhys said

"I will let you know when I arrive so you can winnow there." He spoke to Maiven through their bond.

"Alright."

Rhys simply walked off the edge of the veranda—into thin air.

He swept past, swift as the wicked wind between the peaks. A few booming wing beats had him vanishing into the storm clouds.

"Good-bye to you, too," Feyre grumbled, giving him a vulgar gesture

"Come on" Maiven laughed shoving her sister with her shoulder lightly "You have work to do"

 •⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•

╰┈˚ · ° .  Hours later Rhys reached for Maiven through their bond. The crimson-haired fae quickly invented an excuse with her sister and soon, dressed in her League uniform, she was winnowing away, following the Eardreor bond to reach Rhysand, Cassian and Azriel.

The bloodsinger arrived at the Temple. All that remained of the structure were now ruins and as much as she hated to think this, she was glad that it was destroyed.

Going near or inside a Temple was the last thing that the girl wanted to do.

Dead bodies laid on the ground and blood splattered everywhere. A layer of fresh snow now covered everything.

Maiven nodded at the males as she surveyed the disaster in front of her.

"Let's start" She mumbled

The three Illyrian stepped back and watched attentively as the girl worked.

The bloodsinger sat on the ground, her legs crossed and back straight. Her hands rested palms up on her thighs. Maiven took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

The magic in her blood awaked as she called to her the blood that splattered the ruins.

Her fingers twitched as the blood started to rise in the air, whispering into the bloodsinger's ears.

Maiven's hair floated around her as more and more blood lifted.

Imagines flashed before her closed eyes. Screams and death. Maiven's eyes moved behind her closed lids and everything rushed to her. Fast to fast.

Her magic flared as the ground shook lightly.

"Maiven" Rhysand said wearily

But the girl was too focused on the massacre that appeared behind her eyes. She managed to regulate her breathing pattern and heartbeat as much as she could, but the images continued to come.

And then they stopped.

Maiven opened her eyes, panting for breath. The blood fell once again on the ground and her hair lowered on her shoulders.

"Fuck." The girl groaned

"Are you okay?" Rhysand asked

"Yes, yes. I'm fine" She answered, taking the hand that Azriel had holded out to help her stand. "It was fast. It happened in mere minutes. I couldn't see much, there was too much chaos" Maiven explained

"But" Rhysand said, eyeing the girl.

Her forehead creased into a frown as she continued to analyze those images

"They were not Illyrians, were they?" Rhys asked with clenched jaw

"I don't think so" Mai breathed out "But how I said, it wasn't very clear"

"Alright." Rhysand sighed "You did good. Winnow back"

Shadows curled around Azriel as the male continued to study the crimson-haired girl "Are you sure that you are all right?" He asked

"I'm fine, Az" Maiven answered, sending the shadowsinger a small smile.

She nodded her head to the three Illyrians one last time, before winnowing back to the Moonstone Palace.

✎

˗ˏˋ 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞 ˊˎ˗

Hello everyone! New chapter!

I really like this ngl. Her powers are fantastic lmao.

I thought of it like some sort of retrocognition (Visions of the past) but the blood is the connection. Idk how to explain it but I hope it was clear enough.

Thanks everyone for the 1k reads!!

Thank you for reading and if you'd like, please, let me know what you thought of this chapter with a comment and a star.

𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞!

– 𝐋𝐨𝐥𝐚 ☾