Fate by the Stars /// ACOTAR Series

Chapter 11: What.Just.Happened?

"Iyla? Iyla?" she heard Nesta's voice shouting her name. 

The young woman pulled herself up onto her elbows on a cold stone floor and looked to where the shouting had come from. Iyla saw that Nesta and Elain were sitting huddled together, soaking wet on the floor near her. She was shocked when she noticed the pointed ears that adorned the sides of her sisters' heads.

"I have a lot of questions," Iyla rumbled as she sat up further. She saw Jurian right away. He was standing next to the Cauldron that had apparently just spit her body onto the floor. "Did you try to cook me?" she asked, confused. Jurian looked so relieved she didn't know what to think and then he laughed.

"No, my lady. You've been Made by the Cauldron," a cruel voice behind her said. She turned around to see the King of Hybern smirking down at her. She was still wearing the shirt that Jurian had put her in this morning, but it was ripped and torn in multiple places from her incident with Lord Sieve. "You should probably get her a cloak if you plan to keep her as a pet, Jurian. I'm tempted to take her for myself."

She heard a low growl sound behind her opposite the king, and she whipped around to see Rhys, exactly where he had been the last time she had seen him. She looked back into those purple eyes she believed were the last things she was going to see.

Iyla felt it then. A tug within her chest that demanded she keep looking into his eyes. A tug that wanted her to fling herself into his arms. A tug that would enforce a stronger bond between them. She felt the need to be near him, to touch him, to heal him physically, and emotionally.

"Jurian, it looks as though you'll receive one gift by completing another," her thoughts were interrupted by the King. "Your whore has just bonded with the Night Lord you planned to kill today."

The king and everyone else turned their attention from Iyla to Feyre as the younger sister screamed out in an immense amount of pain. Iyla panicked. She didn't even know that Feyre was there. Voices and sounds were too much to her sensitive ears and she couldn't really comprehend what was happening around her.

Rhys had to watch Feyre as well to make sure their play went according to plan, but when he saw Iyla start to crawl to her sister, he subtly shook his head and winked.

Iyla understood that whatever was going on right now with Feyre had nothing to do with her, so she scooted closer to Nesta and Elain. The sisters grabbed Iyla and pulled her into a three way hug while Feyre sent out a bright bold wave of magic that hit them hard in the chest. Iyla overheard Feyre tell the King and Tamlin that Rhys had kept her under some kind of spell and that she wanted to go back to the Spring Court with him. Iyla had heard her sister lie enough times to know that she was lying right now, but she kept her mouth shut. She didn't understand what anyone was talking about, and her head hurt trying to catch up.

Iyla felt like she had enough to panic about right now. How did her sisters get here? How were they Fae? How were they going to get away from that mad man who laughed as he sat on the throne?

She nearly fell over as wave of magic supposedly broke the bond that required Feyre to spend one week a month in the Night Court for the rest of her life. When the light faded from the broken magic, Iyla saw Rhysand fall on the ground and she pulled away from her sisters trying to rush to his side, crawling on wobbling legs. She didn't understand why, but she knew she had to help him.

"Rhys? Rhysand," she shouted and collapsed when she finally made it to him. "Are you alright?" she asked, but he didn't answer her as he gathered her into his arms. He reached out and touched Cassian and Azriel and winnowed them out of the throne room.

Her body slammed into Rhysand's as they hit the hardwood floor of a foyer. Cassian and Azriel were laid out on the floor next to them. She tried to pull out of Rhys' arms, but he held her tighter. "You're alright?" he asked her.

"Yes, Rhys, of course. They aren't though, we need to help!" Iyla continued to squirm her way out of his arms.

Azriel pulled the bolt from his side, "Finally," he said and Iyla watched in awe as his wound began to heal immediately.

"What. Just. Happened?" she asked, but Rhys and Azriel were both grabbing Cassian and holding him up. A small dark haired female ran into the foyer from another room.

"Get Madja here, now," Rhys said to the female. "We're taking him upstairs. Iyla, follow us."

She didn't even question it and ran after them and up the stairs into a bedroom her legs wobbled like a newly born fawn so she leaned on the rail nearly the entire way. She watched as they laid the warrior face down onto the bed and she took in his ruined wings for the first time.

As she looked at them she felt a warmth in her hands and a small tug in her mind. "I can heal him," she said. Both conscious males turned to look at the petite blonde. "I can heal him," she said a little louder the second time.

"How?" Azriel asked her, but Rhysand just nodded and moved away so she could move closer.

"I don't know Azriel," she said, frowning. "I just know that I can." Iyla held out her right hand that was slightly glowing a golden color and let it hover over Cassian's left wing. The males were flabbergasted as the wing started to heal itself, almost completely. The process took about half a minute from beginning to end and although the wing was scarred, it was completely healed. Azriel moved away from the other side of the bed and ushered her around. She pulled her hand out over his right wing and healed it just as well as the left.

A gasp was heard in the doorway and two female fae stood there staring at the scene they had just witnessed. "She's been blessed by the Mother," the dark haired Fae said. She smiled at Iyla and held out her hand. Iyla's hand was still slightly glowing, but the Fae nodded and shook it anyway. "I'm Amren, I work with Rhysand and these buffoons," the fae introduced herself and shook Iyla's hand. She smiled when she felt the warmth of the magic.

"I am Iyla," the blonde introduced herself.

Amren smiled slyly at Rhys, "So glad to finally meet you, Iyla. I've heard much about you from Rhysand and Feyre. Even these two have mentioned you a few times," she motioned to Azriel who was still covered in his own and Cassian's blood, and to Cassian who happened to be waking up.

The warrior wiggled around on the bed, turning his head to see his healed wings. "What the fuck happened?" he asked.

"Sit up, brother. We have a lot to talk about," Rhys said. He made his way over to Iyla and grabbed her hand.

Iyla felt a wave of exhaustion and leaned into the arm Rhysand offered, without question. The male's voices began to fade and Iyla's vision began to tunnel. "I'm sorry," was the last thing she mumbled as she passed out in Rhys' arms. 

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A/N: Happy reading! Another short-ish chapter, but at least it's something, and it's lightly edited :)

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