A Court Of Shadow and Blood

☆ Cracked Foundations ☆

Azriel, sensing her warring emotions from somewhere far-off, tried to extricate himself from her white-knuckled grip. Eblis held on tighter and dragged him through the door of her room with a small growl.

"Why are you here of all places?" she whispered roughly, light searing her senses. Faelights in the house flickered on, as if sensing the commotion. "Why not the Estate? Or an actual healer?"

Azriel leaned heavily on her, a frown on his face. However, whatever he was going to say slipped away. Instead, "What was your nightmare?"

She nearly dropped him. "What?"

“You were terrified. I could hear you screaming, so I came.” 

She gulped, face tightening. She said, “I’m fine now. But you are not. What happened?”

Silence. Then:

"Your magic," he said doggedly, words nearly slurring. Worry wormed through her as he leaned his head over hers, nose almost touching her hair. He seemed to be speaking nonsense now, but Eblis couldn't find where he was bleeding from, only that there was a lot and it was coating her own skin. "Your magic broke through my own, Eblis. That's not possible. And I can hear it singing.

“Are you a Shadowsinger?”

She bit out a breath. Shadowsinger. Like him? She forced the thoughts away, instead trying to focus on forcing him out her door and down the stairway. She didn’t know where she was going to take him. She didn’t know where the Estate was. 

Azriel dug his heels in as Eblis tried to pull him down the stairs. "I won't make it down—leave me here. Go get one of the wraiths."

As if summoned, Cerridwen peeked from the bottom of the stairs. She gasped and leaped up the steps, easily taking Azriel from Eblis's arms. Nuala appeared instantly, taking Azriel's other side.

Cerridwen brushed his wing back as it suddenly relaxed over her, Nuala echoing the movement on her side. “Nuala, get the smelling salts.” The twin wraith nodded, and the former collapsed to the ground with the Spymaster in arm.

Eblis stumbled forward. “How can I help?”

“He’s fine. Just shocked.” Cerridwen ran a soft finger across Azriel’s eyelids and peeled them open from where they’d closed. “Come on, come on, come on. You need to wake up.” 

Nuala returned and waved something under the male’s nose. He suddenly gasped and inhaled, hazel eyes flaring open with pain. Eblis felt the echo of it in her chest, and she brushed the feeling away before it could consume her. 

Nuala set the salt aside and gathered Azriel under her arm again. “Winnow, Azriel. To the Estate,” she said, voice feather-soft and quiet despite what was happening.

“Eblis—”

Her heart lurched. “I’m fine. Azriel, go.” 

They disappeared, the shadows enveloping them. 

Eblis collapsed to her knees in the middle of the foyer, her stomach no longer swirling quite as much. She felt incredibly light all of a sudden without Azriel’s weight on her, and there was blood all over her hands and face and arms. Her clothes were soaked, and in a few places, she could’ve sworn there was dead skin stuck to her shirt. 

Eblis almost puked.

She couldn't get the image of Azriel out of her mind, let alone the fact that she'd actually held someone. Held him. But he is injured. She was still unsure of how or why. He was supposed to be in the Townhouse with her tonight.

And suddenly, she remembered the way he had avoided her gaze when he’d said that. He had lied to her. They didn’t trust her to know what he had gone and done.