A Court of Shadows and Chaos (Azriel fanfic)

Chapter 20

Morana's pov (6 years ago)

The air was thick with the scent of moss and damp earth as I lay on the cold ground. My wrists were free but limp. I shook, my body trembling with a mix of fear and exhaustion, dreading the moment when they would return to resume their sadistic games. I was alone. And no one was here. I blinked, barely able to see past the water in my eyes. Everything hurt. Everything was pain. But I had to survive. I had barely lived my life. It sucked, but it still was my life. I was still breathing. And that was all that that mattered. I closed my eyes, trying to shut out the memories of their taunts and the searing pain. In the stillness of the forest, a whisper echoed in my ears. My name.

Morana

Morana

Morana

No, not my name. But the one they had called me. I sat up, scanning the surroundings, but there was no one in sight. The whisper came again, a gentle breeze carrying the sound through the air.

Morana

I was alone. They weren't here. This was my chance. To go home, to go to my family, to be free. I wasted no time. Panic surged through me as I scrambled to my feet and fled through the dense foliage of the forest. The forest seemed to close in around me, stars dancing in the moonlight as I sprinted, my breaths coming in ragged gasps. Suddenly, I heard distant voices growing louder with each second. The Fae. No. No. No. Desperation guided my steps, leading me to a hidden cave, shrouded in vines, where I could seek refuge from them.

I pressed my back against the cool, damp walls of the cave, trying to control my breathing. The echoes of the Fae men's calls filled the air, and I held my breath, praying they wouldn't find me. As the moments stretched on, a strange sensation tugged at me, urging me to explore the cave further.

Come. Morana.

I tread cautiously into the darkness, the narrow passage leading me deeper into the earth. The air grew colder, and an unseen force seemed to guide my steps. Whispers echoed through the cavern, calling my name. The darkness seemed alive, swirling around me like a mysterious dance.

My heart raced as I reached a small chamber, dimly illuminated by an otherworldly glow. A pond, reflecting the glimmering light of a starlit wonder, lay before me. The whispers grew louder, beckoning me to the water's edge. Confusion and curiosity warred within me as I hesitated, the uncertainty of the situation gripping my soul.

A luminescent, gentle hand reached out to me, beckoning me. I took it and let the water swallow me whole. The water was frigid. Not the harshness of winter chill, or even the burn of solid ice, but something colder. Deeper. The cold of the voids between stars, the cold of a world before light. I found myself ensnared in a liquid embrace, the dark depths swallowing me whole. Panic gripped my chest as I struggled against the unseen force pulling me downward. My limbs thrashed, seeking an escape from the suffocating grasp of the water.

Amidst the murky darkness, a faint glow flickered in the distance, beckoning me with a mesmerizing allure. It was veiled in shadow, I couldn't make out more than a gleam of age-worn bone. As I drew closer, the glow transformed into a brilliant scarlet, casting an ethereal radiance that cut through the oppressive gloom. The age-worn bone was wrapped around its edges. Its vibrant hue pulsed with an inner fire, a beacon of warmth in the cold embrace of the water. The mesmerizing allure of the scarlet stone drew me in, and, with a trembling hand, I reached out to it.

The moment my fingertips brushed against the smooth surface, a surge of light erupted from the stone, a blinding brilliance that consumed the aquatic surroundings. Every inch of my being burned with an intensity that surpassed comprehension. The water itself seemed to vibrate with the energy coursing through it, creating an otherworldly spectacle. It was as if the universe itself had wrapped around me. The searing heat penetrated my skin, and for a heartbeat, I was suspended in a realm between agony and ecstasy. The light bore into me, seeping through every pore as if igniting a dormant fire within the core of my existence.

As the intensity of the light reached its zenith, a profound calm settled over me. The burning sensation mellowed into a warm embrace, a fusion of energies that left me feeling...different.

Something grabbed me, pulling me to the surface. "Run all you want sunshine, we will always find you." No. Fuck no. The Fae man gripped my hair, making me yelp. "I told you running isn't nice. Then why did you do it? Hmm?" Tears streamed down my face, as his pull on my hair strengthened. He pursed his lips, as his companions entered. "I suppose we will have to teach you some manners."

No. Not again.

Weak and disoriented, I was seized and dragged back into the harsh reality of captivity. As they pulled me away, I whispered, "Stop," but they remained oblivious to my feeble command. Again I whispered, "Stop." But they didn't hear me. No one ever did.

Desperation fueled my voice, and I screamed the word. With a roar that resonated with the intensity of a bright scarlet, a wave of power emanated from me. It was a radiant and destructive symphony. The soldiers crumpled to the ground, their forms contorted in pain. Silence settled over the cave, broken only by my ragged breaths and the echoes of my cries.

I staggered towards the opening, determined to escape the clutches of this nightmarish place. Yet, as I caught my reflection in the water, horror clawed at me. The reflection revealed arched ears, and elongated canines, a testament to the irreversible transformation that had befallen me. "No. No. This can't be happening." I ran towards the opening, my sobs mingling with the desperation that fueled my flight.

The first light of dawn painted the sky, casting an ethereal glow upon the trees. The woods, once my sanctuary, now harboured my worst nightmare. Sobs wracked my body as I forced myself to place one foot after the other. I was one of them. I was a Fae. I approached the clearing, my footsteps muffled by the soft earth beneath my feet. I paused right before the clearing, looking for any indication he was here today. A boy stood there, clad in brown pants and a white tunic, skillfully wielding an axe, chopping wood.

I loosed a shuddering breath, and a small, whimpering noise came out of me. And then I was sprinting down the clearing, flying as though the winds themselves ushered me. I knew I couldn't go home. Knew I couldn't face my family like this. Instead, I ran towards him, the one who was there for me when no one else was. The one who knew me knew my heart. The one who had loved me, thorns and all. He turned to face me, his chestnut eyes locking onto mine.

"Lyla?" 

But I didn't give him a chance to say anything else as I flung myself onto Ivor Hale.