unedited.
𝐜𝐡. 𝟖: 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐞 𝐠𝐨
"We have to go," Levi barged into my room using a tone that left no room for argument. It made me sit up straight immediately.
"What do you mean go? Go where?"
"Amarantha." Was all Levi said before leaving just as quickly as he had entered. I cursed under my breath, not entirely sure of what Levi wanted me to do, but starting to get ready anyway.
"Where's dad?" I questioned, raising my voice so that Levi could hear me from wherever he was in the house.
"Gone. Under the Mountain, maybe? I don't really know," Levi replied.
I cursed again, then decided to change out of the sweatpants and hoodie I had been living in for the past six days. Not that anyone would care what I was wearing but, assuming that Levi planned to march straight to Amarantha, I would much rather show up looking better than that carrot-headed bitch.
"I'm so badass," I hummed to myself, posing in the mirror, "Get on my level."
My brief obsession with all-black clothing five months ago had led to a manic shopping episode and my father being convinced that I was not psychologically well. He was probably right to think that. Regardless, my extensive collection of dark clothing paid off in moments like these. So I would say that my empty bank account was definitely worth it.
"If you're done talking to yourself, can we go?" Levi was leaning against my door frame (as usual), a well-crafted mask of boredom and aloofness across his expression.
Scary Levi Mode Activated, my inner monologue chimed.
"Let's go kick some fairy butt," I walked out into the hallway, clapping my brother on the back, "Look at us in our matching all-black outfits."
"Once again, the Soleil siblings are on top of the pyramid."
"You did not just make a Dance Moms reference."
• ☼ •
Levi and I arrived in Prythian after our fifth attempt. The two of us had decided to teleport to Pyrthian, unsuccessfully doing so four times. It wasn't until after I had accidentally visited four random countries, that Levi conveniently remembered the "shortcut" dad and he had created months ago.
Basically, Levi and dad made a portal.
But don't let Levi hear you call it that because, apparently, it's 'offensive' to call his 'hard work' something so 'cheesy' and 'disgusting.'
And dad thought I was the one who was not psychologically okay.
"You know, considering the circumstances, you would think that we would be moving a little bit faster."
"Eh, it's fine," Levi shrugged. The portal had spit us out on the brink of a forest, vaguely resembling the one near the Spring Court. Levi had taken one look around and then proceeded to march deeper into the woods. I, being the compliant and obedient younger sister that I am, followed him for about ten seconds before coming to a stop.
"Do you even know where you're going?" I planted my feet down, stubbornly refusing to take another step until I had some sort of proof that Levi knew where he was going. No sarcasm or terrible jokes of his could make up for the fact that my brother had absolutely no sense of direction.
"Of course, I know-" Levi paused, then looked around again, "-if we keep walking in this general direction we'll get to Under the Mountain."
"We'll get there soon or eventually?"
"No comment."
I groaned at his reply but jogged forwards to catch up with him anyway.
We walked in silence, the only interruptions being random birdlike creatures chirping, and the occasional growl from who knows what. Not knowing what was lurking in the woods was causing me to be slightly on edge. It didn't help that the trees towered over us, their long, dark shadows concealing whatever was living in the forest.
Admittedly, my feet would move a little quicker when I noticed the distance between Levi and I increasing as I did feel a little better standing closer to my older brother. Levi probably picked up on my nervousness but thankfully, chose not to comment on it, placing his hand on my shoulder instead.
As we continued to walk, the thick blanket of trees eventually dwindled, the dark, leafy rooftop replaced by a bright, blue sky. The absence of the canopy brought the welcome presence of a late afternoon sun and I basked in its warmth. My steps became less tentative thanks to the newfound abundance of light and I knew that Levi noticed when his grip on my shoulder loosened.
A little while later, I realized that he still hadn't removed his hand from my shoulder. I kept quiet about it, figuring that both of us could use the silent form of comfort.
Levi's pace quickened as we drew closer to Amarantha's lair-the close proximity of our destination apparent due to the stillness of the forest. It felt dead, or nearly that. Perhaps, everything was holding its breath.
I couldn't blame them.
Even the icy winds that brushed through the trees were silent. The only sound that echoed through the woods was thanks to both Levi and I-dead leaves crunching under our boots with every step.
The entrance that Levi had led us to was hidden by various, wildly-overgrown vines, their limbs overlapped and entwined with each other. One tendril, clawlike and thick with thorns, was extended out towards us.
I shivered.
"Ready?" Levi's voice was so quiet that I almost missed it.
"Let's do this."
• ☼ •
Amarantha's lair was almost reminiscent of a vampire's. Not that I had met a vampire (yet), but from what I had imagined, the two were nearly identical. Thanks to the absence of life and cheerful occupants, the entire place felt absolutely miserable.
Amarantha, I concluded, was not a gracious host.
Levi and I continued walking, rounding a corner when suddenly, the silence was interrupted by a roar of cheers. I flinched, the grip on my knife tightening as my eyes darted around our surroundings. Levi had moved slightly so that his body was now angled in front of mine. My gaze fell to his left wrist at a flash of silver that vanished quicker than it had appeared.
Silence stretched on, the cheers long gone before Levi finally deemed it safe to keep moving. I followed, flicking my wrist so that the knife was hidden away in my sleeve.
"You must be insane."
"Not nearly as much as you," Levi snarked, not surprised in the slightest by the newcomer's voice. I, on the other hand, nearly jumped, figuratively of course, out of my skin. The newcomer was shrouded in darkness which made it impossible to decipher who it could be. Not that I would be able to see them even if they were visible since Levi had firmly pushed me behind him.
"You've brought a friend?" The question was laced with carefully placed amusement.
"Sure," Levi's nonchalant answer was accompanied by a tightened grip around my wrist. I knew what that meant: stay quiet.
"Your lover?"
I silently gagged. The disgust from both Levi and I was palpable.
"No, thanks," I muttered. My eyes widened when I realized I had spoken and I slapped a hand over my mouth.
"You," the voice ground out, the rage laced with suspicion was enough for me to put a name to the newcomer.
"Nice to see you too, Batman."
A beat. Then, "You are the sole reason, the only cause, for all of the problems in my life," Levi deadpanned, completely ignoring the high lord in front of us.
"Why thank you, dear brother. I'm quite flattered," I shot back with my most obnoxiously posh accent.
"Are you going to introduce yourself?" Levi's question did not sound like a question at all and I groaned in annoyance when he nudged my side. Fine.
"Hello."
"Try again," Levi sighed, exasperation seeping into his tone.
"Sorry. Hi, I'm Briella but most people call me Bri. I want to apologize for probably freaking you at Tamlin's place. I promise I'm not evil so I won't expose you or something."
"You're a pain in my ass."
"But am I worse than carrot head?"
"Carrot head?" Rhysand questioned.
"Amarantha." Levi and I answered plainly.
Rhysand shed his shroud of darkness which, admittedly, made him look akin to some all-powerful supervillain. Levi snorted when he glanced down at me, probably drawing his amusement from the wide-eyed admiration I was displaying. The high lord glanced over at me and then tilted his head at Levi.
"She's been trying to figure out how to do that for the past three months," Levi explained, nudging me so that I would snap out of my shocked state.
So cool, I thought to myself.
"I assume you already know who I am?" Rhysand asked, pointing the question toward me. His tone was notably lighter, possibly due to the fact that I had openly displayed how cool I thought he was. I nodded, albeit rather shyly, in response. Levi sent me a tiny smile when he noticed me trying to inch behind him and gently pushed my side. I gratefully took that as permission to use him to hide. The embarrassment had taken over now that my brain had registered what I had just done. Literally gawking at the High Lord of the Night Court because he pulled off a cool party trick is so embarrassing.
Don't worry about it, Levi's voice sounded in my head. I leaned my head against his back silently saying 'thank you.'
"I am assuming you both heard the cheers?" The atmosphere returned to a serious one at Rhysand's question. Levi must have shown his acknowledgment as the high lord began to explain.
I tuned out, figuring Levi would fill me in later. I briefly heard 'Feyre' mentioned, as well as the word 'trials' and 'riddle,' all of which gave me context to what exactly had happened so far. If Feyre had beaten the Middengard Wyrm, that means that the lever task was next.
And Lucien would be facing possible death.
• ☼ •
I'm alive.
Happy New Year!
Thank you so so much for all the kind messages asking if I was alright. Life update: I'm currently in the process of auditioning for college!
I actually had the majority of this chapter written out and decided to just finish it and post it. Hope you all enjoyed it!
If you guys are still interested in this story I would be happy to keep writing it. Honestly, I lost my passion for this story because I didn't know which direction to take it in. I kinda just gave up and let it be. However, I just re-read it and I have some really fun ideas for what comes next.
Anyway, thank you for loving this story and Bri. The amount of support and love on this book is insane and I'm so grateful for all of you.
<3 x.