A Court of Dawn and Midnight

The Return

Flesh tearing, bones crushing, lives ending.

Feyre twisted the dagger's blade as it pierced through the creature's skull. It screamed an agonizing, painful scream. And then, it was dead.

The weight of the creature slammed into Feyre as it slumped onto her. She wheezed and struggled for breath as she ripped out the dagger. Cold, blackish blood leaked out of the creature and onto Feyre's chest.

The blood had an odd smell to it. And as it rolled down her skin and through her tunic, Feyre thought that the blood smelled like death. She shivered as the chilling blood ran past her breasts.

She gagged and pushed the creature until it's lifeless body rolled off of her. Stumbling to her feet, Feyre almost fell over. Her head was spinning and her vision blurred for a second.

Breathing heavily, Feyre shut her eyes tightly and waited for the wave of nausea to pass. But it didn't and suddenly, she saw that cell. The one that she had been kept in Under the Mountain like an animal. And she was back, she was back with Amarantha.

That bitch. 

She never seemed to leave Feyre's thoughts. And her ruthless voice and precious looks haunted Feyre almost every day. And even though Tamlin had slaughtered Amarantha Under the Mountain, a part of Feyre had been murdered by that cruel woman.

She didn't want to think about that. Because if Feyre acknowledged the fact that a part of her had died Under the Mountain, then Amarantha had won.

So, Feyre forced her eyes open. She shook her head and looked around at her surroundings.

It was pure chaos.

Children screaming, windows breaking, glass flying. Homes on fire, smoke curling in the air and catching in Feyre's hair and throat.

She gagged and gripped her dagger, mentally preparing herself for what she was about to do.

Amarantha had killed without remorse. Death meant nothing to her and when she took a life, she did not mourn.

Feyre wanted to be the opposite of Amarantha. But as she stabbed her dagger into creature after creature, she felt oddly satisfied.

She didn't hear or see or feel anything as she went on. Grabbing a creature, stabbing it from behind, and letting it's body fall onto the stones beneath her feet.

She was empty.

And she had been empty for awhile. When she was with Tamlin after everything had happened, she had been cold. And when they made love, the passion had faded long ago. She had been empty. And she escaped to the gallery to paint, but it never helped.

Because she couldn't pick up a brush without wanting to paint Rhysand's eyes. And when she tried, it wasn't good enough. So she avoided painting. And she avoided the emptiness and coldness that had seeped into her bones. 

But Rhys-

She didn't want to think about the heat that she had felt when she was with him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Feyre was halfway through stabbing a creature when a flash of black caught her eye.

The flash had come from a few houses down from where Feyre was. She tried to see the source of the black, but her vision was blocked by a creature as it jumped in front of her.