A Court of Stars and Fire | ACOTAR Fanfic

Chapter 27 - Nyssa

✧ Nyssa's POV ✧

When I stepped into Bryaxis' darkness, I felt the world consumed around me. All light slowly vanished as I went further down.

I stopped moving once I felt the railing end, hesitant. The floor transitioned from the smooth marble of the curving stairs to a tiled geometric design of different types of marble. Bryaxis wasn't as powerful as me, but I was in his domain. My guard was down, and his omnipresence didn't help ease my mind.

"Why did you slow? Come, further, in the middle, so no one hears," Bryaxis' voice sounded irritated at my uncertainty. "I promise I won't bite."

"Oh, I'm sure you won't," I responded as I let go of the railing, gliding forward. The faint shadows of the bookshelves disappeared as I was completely engulfed in the darkness. "I bite back."

Bryaxis' deep voice chuckled heavily as I walked forward, my eyes searching for anything in the void that surrounded me. I lit a small orb of silver light in my hand to combat the absence of light. Bryaxis hissed.

"Put it out. I like the darkness better." I sighed irritably as I closed my fist, the light vanishing.

"It would be helpful to know where I was going. Staring into darkness is not the most interesting thing."

"When you stare long enough, the darkness stares back." I blinked as two spheres of light materialized a few feet away from me, floating on the air a few feet above my head. I quickly realized they were eyes - glowing, ice blue eyes, with a slitted pupil in the center of each.

The eyes of his brother, the Bone Carver. An old god, now gone.

"Come. Stand in the center. I can shield against eavesdroppers from here." I took a few steps forward, spotting the faint gleam of a moonstone star embedded into the ground in the center of a medallion.

"Who's trying to listen?" I asked him. My magic nor my own shadows picked up on any intruders.

"Who do you think?" Bryaxis asked back, sarcastically. "Your mate. Thanks for telling me, by the way."

"How in the gods was I supposed to tell you?" I asked him, crossing my arms as I stared into the piercing eyes that floated above me. "I only found out, like, practically yesterday. And I haven't seen you in a good few thousand years."

"I like him better." My heartbeat faltered at the words. Two stars appeared out of the darkness, glimmering next to Bryaxis' eyes before they disappeared. Nyx and Aphelios. "There is hope with him."

"There will be no hope unless you tell me what I need to know." Bryaxis rolled his eyes at that. "What?"

"No, 'Hello, friend. How have the thousands of years been, trapped in a library tower?'"

I narrowed my eyes. "Now is not the time."

"Yes, you are running quite short on time..." Bryaxis murmured, his eyes drifting off to the side. They floated around as the darkness seemed to coil around me, like a serpent. He paused to my right, looking at me with disinterest. "I suppose you care to ask for the Ring."

"I suppose you want to make a deal," I countered, and a deep snort of laughter rang in my ears.

"Perhaps. But please, do tell me your request first. I am absolutely dying to know."

I closed my eyes to even my breathing out. Not only was Bryaxis getting on my nerves, but a wave of anxiousness rolled in my stomach as I hoped my worst suspicions wouldn't be confirmed.