A Ballad of Flame & Shadow | Azriel

eight

"Azriel!"

Alexis screamed my name – screamed. And in five hundred and forty years, I haven't felt the kind of fear I did when I heard the panic in her voice.

I whipped around to face her, Truth-Teller in my hand, ready to fucking destroy whatever had made her so scared. But there was nothing there and she was moving, lunging for me – she was scared for me.

It's as if time and space itself slowed as her body came toward me, flying through the air. Her golden eyes were wide, pupils blown out. And her palms were extended to grab me, no – to push me. And a bone-chilling dread filled me when I glanced over her head and saw why.

Spears protruding from the ceiling. Rusted, sharp ends coming down, down, down. So fucking fast.

And it's only when her hands connect with my broad chest, damn near knocking the air from my lungs, do I realise – they would've killed me; they would have speared straight through me. And I knew, too fucking late, I knew what she was doing.

She was saving me.

"No!"

My roar blended with Bryce's ear-splitting scream as Alexis collided with me, the world tilting from the impact. The pain in my chest tightened and tightened as I fell backwards.

No, no, no –

My shadows skittered in panic, lunging for her. And at that moment, when the Mother seemed to slow everything, all I could do was desperately reach for her, fingers closing around her arms and yank her to my chest. I sent a blind blast of my power overhead.

It hit the stone and those spears. I heard something crack.

Not a second later, Nesta shot her silver flames forward like a lance, melting those deadly spears as they came down, inches from Alexis's legs. Not fast enough though – Alexis cried out, and the smell of metal and iron filled my senses as we crashed to the floor.

She was in my arms. She was alive.

"Alex, Oh Gods – "

"Don't Bryce!"

The world spins as my head collides with the stone, flashes of black and white dotting my vision as I blink. But Alexis is sprawled on my chest, groaning and trembling, and the smell of her blood gets stronger and stronger.

"Bryce, no!"

I hear Nesta's growl, hear the faint sound of a struggle piercing through the white noise fogging my brain. But I also hear the cracking. And I feel the stone shaking. And my eyes open just in time to see the ceiling crumble to pieces – falling upon us.

"Azriel!"

"ALEX–"

Before that first stone even nears her body, I turn. I don't even have to think about it.

Alexis cries out in pain as I flip us over, her back hitting the floor and slumping. I curl over her soft frame, scarred hands arching to shield her head, my large wings wrapping around her arms and legs while my body covers hers.

"Azriel, don't –" She tries to fight my hold, amber eyes wide with horror as she sees the stones break apart above my head. But I bore my strength to keep her still. And I bow my head, bracing myself.

I grunt, jolting with the impact of stone and debris as it rains down upon me. My shield and shadows buck under the power and weight of it, and my eyes clench from the cutting, slicing pieces that ricochet off my wings.

"Azriel – " Her voice breaks at the crashing and thundering of the stone as it falls apart, that careless blast of power I sent before destabilising the whole panel. I saw those lovely eyes well with desperate tears as I bore the full impact of the cave-in, her boding trembling each time the rubble hit me, and I groaned.