CARDIGAN, acotar ¹

chapter forty one

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CHAPTER FORTY ONE

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THE GRATE LOWERED — and suddenly halted.

warm, smoke-heavy air kissed her cheeks, as death's coldest whisper screeched in her ear, begging her to take back her choice, to let it claim her. carson's hands shook as she kept herself flat against the stone ground, waiting for the impact, for it all to crash down and burn. love. the answer had to be love.

the burden on her shoulders dropped when the metal grates began ascending, further and further up toward the ceiling.

love. the answer had indeed been love.

and it scared her. less than death hovering, but still greatly.

her hands wouldn't stop shaking as she raised herself, her chest heaving as she brought in greedy mouthfuls of fresh air filling the chamber. the iron bars separating her from feyre lowered into the floor, almost reluctantly.

carson wasted no time racing out of there, heading right for her sister. feyre collapsed against her as soon as she reached her side.

"i couldn't — i couldn't ...  " feyre kept repeating, but her words failed her.

she just shook her head and threw her arms around feyre. she had never been so grateful for fate, the gods, even the dark mother as it had kept them alive.

lucien was offering up some kind of prayer, kissing the ground again and again. had she not been treading on death's doorstep, carson would have made fun of him for it. but she couldn't face any other emotion other than fear as the floor beneath them rose. she kept feyre tucked under her arm, still shaking.

as the platform rose, she felt amarantha's glare burn right through her. unwillingly, she felt her head drop to avoid it.

but then a gentle, soothing flame coursed through her veins, her heartlines, and she heard eris's cold voice through the haze of her fear.

you do not yield.

still, she kept her stare fixed on her shoes. that flame burned brighter — not to hurt her, but to guide her. like a ray thrusted amongst a void of darkness.

don't bow your head to her, carson. don't give her that glory.

the ground at last stopped moving and with eris's voice as a steeling anchor in her head, she looked up at amarantha. when she did so, it was with a glare she thought her twin would be proud to see.

beneath her arm, feyre, too, stood, and she wondered if eris had said something to her as well. nevertheless, both sisters rose, refusing to give amarantha the satisfaction.

and together, they turned to the door. the crowd parted around them as they were escorted out, but then amarantha's dark voice pierced the silence.

"carson," she mused. "a moment, please."

feyre stopped, turning back to glance at her with uncertainty gleaming in her night blue eyes. but carson squeezed her hand before letting go to turn on her heel to face the wretched high queen of prythian.