warning: mature content and torture
The next few hours flew by quickly and soon the full moon shone bright white over the starry sky of Velaris. After Az and I had finished our session, we had stayed in the room for a while and rested or had been busy with other things.
We were still lying on the bed when it occurred to me that today would be one of the days when we would experience a breakthrough, provided Ashbury told the truth. If he did, we would have a chance to save Velaris and the Night Court. I was very glad that Ashbury had talked; on the other hand, I wouldn't have known how we could have extracted information from him. He was the kind of man who would not betray a peep even in pain. But after all, Az was Az and he had been employed by Rhys as a shadow singer and spymaster for long decades, centuries even. He knew how to tease information out of anyone, intentionally or not. I stared over at him; my head propped up on my hand as I lay sideways naked on the bed. Az was lying next to me; however, he had slid down a little further to let his fingers run up and down my thighs. The light touch of his fingers made my skin tingle in that spot and brought out a warm feeling in my chest. He looked at me too, his hazel eyes deep and warm, his voice soft as he spoke to me.
'We should take a look at this map. It will soon be the time when the moon is at its highest.'
I sighed, but nodded in spite of it. I was reluctant to leave this room, because here I was safe, lying in the warm bed, together with my mate. I had no desire to save the world or even to get out of this feather-soft bed. But I knew we had to do it one way or another. We had no choice at all if we didn't want to risk the fate of Velaris. I stared at the wall for a brief moment before I felt Az move. He had bent over me all at once, his hands were on my hips and I sucked in his scent around me. Then his sensual lips were soft against mine, the kiss so sweet, almost tender, that it melted me. I gently wrapped my arms around his neck, burying my fingers in his black hair. He seduced me so easily that I would fall at his feet every time he so much as lifted a finger. His tongue brushed warmly over my lips, wetting them with saliva and I opened my lips for him, letting my tongue dance with his. I felt his strong body above me, his hard cock, which he fisted softly in his hand. I sucked in the air briefly so that it could fill my lungs before his lips were already on mine again and he brought me closer to him in his strong arms.
'How much time do we have before we have to hold the card under the moonlight?', I asked in a soft sigh as he pulled his cock through my folds. My heart thumped against my ribcage as Az took my breast in his other hand, squeezing it.
'Enough', he groaned out before pushing himself into me with a deep thrust. It took the air from me, sucked it out of my lungs, and I moaned into his mouth, which was soft on mine again. It was intimate, slow sex, but it made me gasp with every plunge Az made slowly and precisely, as if he wanted to savour every second, every minute his cock was inside me. I felt so full, incredibly stretched, yet he took me with ease, a deep passion I felt racing through our bond. I whimpered softly as he began to hit the place inside me that made me quiver and spread my legs wider. I lay in his arms, thrusting my pelvis towards his as he shoved into me, but his eyes were on me, his gaze full of love and longing and I felt how much that love for him filled me too. I pulled his face down to me so that his lips were connected to mine again in milliseconds and I wouldn't let go, wanting to feel him against me, united. I wanted to give him everything, all of me, he knew he could have me completely. I loved him so much it almost hurt in my chest. It whipped the longing and passion higher until the steady throbbing in my abdomen turned into more.
'Baby-' his voice was raspy, his breathing shallow and erratic as he pushed into me again and again, watching every facial movement of mine, absorbing it and internalising it so he could remember what I liked.
A whimper shot from my throat as his thumb settled on my clit and began to circle. Breathless moans filled the room, followed by hot passionate love pumping through me.
'Az-'
'I know, sweetheart. I know.'
He was close to his orgasm, as was I. It didn't take much longer for us to reach the top together and melt into each other and Az pumped his cum into me until I was full. His hard body lay on top of mine, his weight pushing me deeper into the mattress, but I enjoyed every contact of his skin on mine. His fingers combed through my sweaty hair, stroking it back with one hand, and I leaned towards his touch.
'I love you. So fucking much.'
'I love you more.'
There was amusement in his eyes and so much love that it wasn't just his weight that threatened to crush me. When he pulled his cock out of me and rested it on my stomach, I bit my lip. He smeared the rest of our cum on me before snuggling back in.
--
After getting dressed and cleaned up, we flew to the House of Winds. Az had apparently already told Rhys what we had found out, so the inner circle, with the map, was already waiting for us at the balcony. The map didn't seem to be open, but the moon was now reaching its peak in the night. When we arrived, Cassian grinned at us, but any other form of greeting was void, as Rhys had already spread out the map when we had landed on the balcony. Once again, I was surprised at the magic that existed in the Night Court and all of Prythian. For despite the fact that I had not believed Ashbury was telling the truth, it was true. We saw clearly and distinctly the locations of Keir's soldiers, along with occasional little notes about the number of soldiers or the abundance of weapons they possessed. And you could see that most of them were still in the Hewn City and everything was being prepared. That made me calmer than before, yet two groups had already advanced towards Velaris. And since Ashbury had said that these were only half of all the soldiers, we did not know how many were already much closer to our location. Nevertheless, it gave us intelligence on at least half a dozen locations which we now had to eliminate.
I looked at Rhys and Feyre, who were looking at each other piercingly. Apparently, they were having a conversation with each other by mind. They seemed to do that often, but I knew that Az and I behaved like that even in difficult situations. Like now.
I didn't think he was telling the truth. I said and looked at the map again to memorise the locations.
It seems you have really managed to use his weakness against him.
I am the spymaster. It would have been a disappointment and humiliation if I hadn't found out. Besides, it wasn't particularly difficult. He desired you, which made it very easy for me to find leverage. Not that you were ever leverage, but I found this new method- very interesting.
I could almost feel his grin as I turned and snuggled against his side. Almost at the same time, his arm went around my waist and pulled me closer to him.
I think I'll have to go on a search for a few days.
I looked up at him and searched his with my eyes.
We take out the troops as best we can. Rhys will probably call-in reinforcements from the Dawn and Day Court so we can finish the mission faster and reduce the risk of attack.
I'll come with you.
No, you're not. You stay here.
But-
No buts. The last time you implemented one of your great ideas on your own, you almost got killed. I'm not risking your safety again. You're staying. At least you can look after Velaris while I'm gone.
I frowned, but said nothing. Unfortunately, he was right and it was difficult for me to admit this fact. I desperately wanted to help, but I also knew that I might just be more trouble for the inner circle if I joined them. I quietly mumbled my agreement to Az, who now put both arms around my waist and rested his chin on my head. He hugged me closer, perhaps it was his way of saying thank you.
We all looked at Rhys, who collected himself for a moment before he began to speak.
'I will let Helion know and ask for reinforcements. Jenna, Nesta and Elain as well as Amren will stay here and protect the city as far as they can. I suspect that preparations for the attack are not yet ready for them to set out and attack within the next two days. So, if we take out the troops closest to Velaris today, nothing should happen. They will not expect a counter-attack. After that, we will go straight to Hewn City and take out the other troops.'
He looked at me, then at Amren and Nesta.
'You should keep an eye on the map. If another attack starts or new locations reveal themselves, pass them on to us. That way we can work more efficiently.'
Then he looked down at Mor, Cassian and Az.
'Get ready. We will start as soon as it is possible.'
The others nodded in grim muteness, then disappeared, one by one. I held Az by his hand before he could leave and disappear with nothing.
'Be careful. And come back to me alive!'
He pressed his lips gently to mine, as he had done a few minutes ago when we were intimately united. It still felt different.
'Not even a scratch', he replied, before kissing me again and then disappearing with the darkness.
--
It was a strange feeling to be separated from Az again. I had just come back from the Dawn Court and was looking forward to seeing him, when he disappeared again to save the Night Court. It still upset me not knowing if he was alright. I sat on the balcony with Nesta, the map spread out in front of us in the deep moonlight, showing us the locations where the bases were still intact. For the moment all was well, several locations were fading or disappearing and we assumed these were the bases where the inner circle was currently attacking, or had already left some damage. Huddled together, Nesta and I sat side by side on the couch that stood on the balcony, a blanket wrapping our shoulders as we continued to watch the action. It wouldn't be long before the sun rose on the horizon, according to which the map would most likely fade again and not show us all the new locations, along with the old ones, until next night. But so far everything had gone well.
Another two hours passed, during which we stared silently at the map, but by now Nesta had dozed off on my shoulder and I was getting tired too. After all, I had been on my feet since the day before and had not yet been able to give myself a break. I closed my eyes for a moment, but the bang that sounded from the city below made me jerk up.
'Shit-'
An explosion had burnt a hole in the coast at the edge of the city. I knew that only Rhys' protective spells kept the explosion from spreading to the city. I shook Nesta awake, who looked up in a daze. Her eyes widened when she saw the plume of smoke from the coast.
'Tell Cassian! Tell them to get back here. I'm looking for Amren.'
Another bang pierced the silence of the city and I flinched.
'Amren!', I shouted, but she was already on her way to us. 'We have to go to the city.'
Her grey eyes fixed on the horizon of the city, where scattered fires were gradually breaking out. She cursed in a language I didn't understand, but I realised that maybe I didn't want to. Then she nodded.
'I will go down.'
'We will come along!'
'No, girl. You will talk to Ashbury and Nesta will go towards the city with me. Elain will stay here.'
'And how am I supposed to talk to Ashbury? He's in the Hewn City!'
'Not anymore. He's in our dungeons, here in the House of Winds. Make him fucking talk and then you come down!'
With a snap of her fingers, a small light formed and floated down the corridor we were standing in.
'Follow the light, it will show you the way to the dungeons.'
I looked at Amren one last time and saw the rage in her eyes. She would tear to pieces anyone who so much as laid a finger on a resident of this city. I nodded, gave her one last frantic but grim grin, which she returned. Then, following the light, I disappeared into the corridor.
I didn't know how long I had been walking, but I had already lost my bearings. I had hardly believed that the House of the Winds was so big, but apparently it also had several hidden floors that I knew nothing about. The light led me deeper and deeper into the house, until soon the light was the only illuminated one I could follow. The air had become cooler, I could only faintly hear the explosions that followed, but with each new one I flinched. My fear increased immeasurably. Velaris was under attack, despite everything we had tried. However, this also increased my anger at Ashbury. He had lied about the timing of the attack and he would pay for it. When the light outside a chamber flickered on and then went out, I knew I had reached my destination.
Nevertheless, panic was spreading through me. It had only been yesterday since Az and I had pulled this whole stunt in front of him, but it didn't really make me any more confident that I could do it today without his support. After all, Ashbury was one of those men who had tortured and almost raped me. Fear paralysed me every time I thought back to that time. My hand trembled as I placed it around the doorknob and pressed. It opened, which I thought was strange at first, but then I noticed the slight tingle on my hand. The chamber was covered with spells, which apparently let me in but not Ashbury out. I sucked in a deep breath so that I could suppress my panic and entered. Ashbury looked worse than yesterday. Not just physically, but mentally. His head hung limply and for a brief moment I hoped he had fainted. However, my hopes were dashed by his ice-cold laugh. Shivers of fear coursed through me and I haphazardly pressed myself closer to the door. I did not want to be here. I wanted to leave again. I didn't want to be with this man in a chamber that reminded me so much of my own torture chamber. I swallowed. My hands were shaking much worse than ever before and I clawed convulsively at the doorknob.
'Well, look who we have here.'
His voice was brittle and I squeezed my eyes shut because I wanted to block out every memory that this voice conjured up. But I couldn't. They all came back, no one was here to distract me from them, to show me that this man in this chamber was completely helpless. At that moment he was my rapist. And nothing more. My knees trembled and I heaved myself up by the doorknob so that at least I wasn't whimpering in fear on the floor.
'Why are you here, little bird?'
His voice was interested and neutral, but when he looked at me, his eyes full of cold hatred and desire, I knew that this expression would haunt my dreams forever. My breathing became erratic. I wanted to get out of here. But I also had a task. And if I left now and came back later, Ashbury would know I was afraid of him. A fear he could exploit. And I would not let that happen.
I took deep breaths until my pounding heart calmed down a little and became aware again of the situation I was in. I had the advantage here, not him. Ashbury was chained, still weak and exhausted, while I had full combat experience and could move freely.
I stayed by the door as I spoke. I was not yet ready to come within an inch of him, but it had been a step forward that I had not immediately run helplessly out of the room.
'Velaris is under attack.' I said, trying to put as much authority as possible into my voice. Ashbury just laughed, but then contorted his face in pain.
'You lied.'
'Did I, little bird? I said the truth about the map.'
His gaze became more insistent as he slid it over me. I could almost feel his perverted thoughts and pressed myself closer to the door-
'Are you afraid of me, little bird?'
'No.' But my voice broke off quietly.
'Then come closer. Let me watch you. I want to see that fear consume your pretty face. Show me how you feel when you're near me.'
I knew it made him hot. The fear of others made him horny. And under no circumstances did I ever want to let something like that happen again. I stepped into the light that illuminated the chamber. I gathered all the emotions this man had on me and tried to suppress them. Velaris was under attack and if I didn't get better information soon about where and why, the fate of this city would be sealed. Anger spread and I took another step forward, pulling out the small dagger Az had given me that day.
Ashbury watched my every move, sucking in my figure like a hungry man, as if I was his meal. I felt sick. But I tried not to let it show. An idea flashed through my mind, disgusting and yet-
Maybe he would talk when I started to inflict the pain on him that not even Az would dare to do. It would certainly hurt his masculine pride to do such a thing to another man, but after all, I was a woman. And I knew I wouldn't feel a single bit of remorse if I did. To approach Ashbury so closely, however, caused an inner turmoil within me. Still, I had to do it, to jump over my shadow. Just this once, because then he would talk, and if he didn't, then at least I had tried and could have closure with him.
I took another step towards him.
'Why did you lie? What do you gain from Velaris being attacked?'
But Ashbury was silent as the grave, his hot glowing eyes resting on my curves. My stomach tightened and fear spread through me. Why was I still afraid of him when I had the advantage? Why did I feel like the prey and he was the hunter?
One step after the other, I slowly walked towards him, struggling to keep my composure. My whole body rebelled at even being so close to him, it was wrong and it disgusted me.
When I stood in front of him, he looked up at me. I saw the desire in it, but he didn't know what I was up to. I was not an open book.
I knelt down in front of him, which only made me panic even more, because if he freed himself now, he would have the advantage and be able to force me to do things I didn't want to. My fingers were shaking so much that when I undid the button on his trousers, it took me far too long.
Ashbury's eyes grew wide, he grinned broadly.
'Do you want to seduce me with your mouth? And demand information in return? I didn't think you'd go that far, little bird.'
But I heard the excitement, the approval in his voice. It disgusted me, but at the same time it filled me with joy to see that he thought I would do exactly what he imagined. It brought me almost real, genuine happiness to know that I would not be exercising his imaginings but mine and it drove away the panic in my limbs. He would never expect it and that was exactly what would make him talk. I pulled his zip down and Ashbury even lifted his pelvis a little to help me pull his pants down. God, he was stupid. But he wanted me, so much so that he thought he could bend me over Velaris fate and make me do exactly what he had always wanted. It disgusted me so much that I tore off his trousers, boxers and all, with one tug.
And his cock disgusted me even more. But I grinned as I reached for the little dagger. His cock was already stiff, it was getting honestly pathetic to see this man getting horny on me. It only increased my anger.
'Last chance Ashbury. Tell me what the attack on Velaris is supposed to do and I might spare you.'
He was too stupid to understand what I meant by this threat, his head already in a trance in which I would put my lips around his cock and suck it. Too late he noticed the dagger. And then he became completely silent when I put the dagger around his cock.
I grinned as Ashbury turned pale. Oh, it would be a bloody pleasure for me to sabre that part of him until there was nothing left. He seemed to notice and became very restless all at once.
'You can't do that!' He shouted as I dragged the sharp blade along the side of his cock and blood oozed from it. I laughed softly. His hiss could be heard in the room as he rattled his chains.
'Tell me why. Then I'll stop.'
I would not stop. But he didn't know that.
His breathing became loud and panicky as I made the cut on his cock from top to bottom. And then I took the foreskin under my knife. He knew what was coming and almost screamed for help, but no one would come. He was suddenly so helpless. It made me feel safer.
I pulled his foreskin off his cock with the knife, his screaming was music to my ears. It sounded so panicked, so fucking painful, that I almost stopped. I had never tortured anyone before, actually had no idea how such a thing went, but one thing I knew too well. In my time as a prostitute, all the men had done was admire their own gorgeousness, as if that was what made them tick. And they took, simply because they had a cock, the privilege of shoving it everywhere. And in the Hewn City, although it had brought me my money, I had hated it. These attitudes of men who thought they were worth more, stronger, bigger, better than us. It was disgusting.
Just like this man in front of me. I focused my anger and pulled his foreskin further down. Glowing red flesh emerged from underneath and blood poured down over my palms. Yet somewhere I enjoyed it and it disturbed me a little. But after all, Ashbury was also my torturer and rapist, so perhaps that could explain the stirrings of emotion inside me that were now surfacing for the first time in my life.
'Stop it! Stop it- I'll tell you! I'll tell you anything, just-just stop it!' Ashbury shouted and I almost smirked. It hadn't even taken him two minutes to break. But at least he hadn't expected anyone to mess with his gem.
I pressed the flat cool side of the dagger against his shaft, so far there was no danger. At least he thought so.
'We wanted to attack Velaris to weaken the High Lord. He built all this on his own, we wanted to take away any foundation, to destroy his life. We hate him because he appointed this woman as High Lady. He should suffer! He must! He's gone soft, he's forgotten how to rule properly. The Night Court will never be the same if the High Lord is still alive. That's why we're taking everything he cares about away from him. Let him show strength again, or let him die. Velaris is one point of attack. The other will become his little High Lady.'
His voice was hard and full of pain, yet raging hatred blazed in his eyes as he looked at me. I put the dagger with the sharp side against his shaft and pressed lightly so that blood flowed. Ashbury growled but kept talking.
'I told you about the map because it only shows the other locations tonight, locations that are much closer to Velaris than those of Hewn City. You should never have seen them, because by then we would have long since reduced Velaris to rubble. We have planned this goal for far too long for me to entrust it to your little shadowsinger. Today is the day of the attack and we have hidden in the caves and alcoves around the city. It won't be long before we go on full attack.'
By now I had made contact with Az and he had overheard everything. I just hoped he would make it to Rhys in time and explain. At least it seemed that the scale of the whole thing was much bigger than I had thought.
'How many troops are here?'
Ashbury was silent.
'How many?' I asked and again pulled down the foreskin on the other side of his cock. Asbury cried out in despair, but he didn't share the answer with me. I grinned, I had other ideas with his cock. All at once I hacked into one of his scrotums with the tip of the dagger. Ashbury jerked and screamed like a banshee as I twisted the knife in it briefly and then pulled it out again. After all, I didn't want him to faint.
'There are 3,000 of us in total. Half are in Hewn City and the other half are here.'
Again, I passed the information on to Az. He knew what to do with it.
'How many bases are they spread over?'
'On six', he whimpered out as I clenched his balls in my hand.
The Day Court is here with Helion. Thesan too, they have sent reinforcements. We have already found and destroyed three of the bases around Velaris. We are looking for the other three.
Thank god. Good luck.
It reassured me that they had already located so many of the bases and that there were only three more to eliminate. I looked up at Ashbury again. His eyes were wet with tears, snot was running from his nose. I gave him a smile. He just growled at me.
'Why did the other half of the fighters stay in Hewn City?'
'We didn't think anyone would find out what we were planning. It was supposed to be quick and smooth.'
'You said you were going to attack the High Lady. How did you plan to do that?'
He was silent. But I was able to change that quickly with my dagger. After I had pierced his second testicle, he spoke.
'A mercenary team of three was supposed to break into the House of Winds and kill her. But she has disappeared, along with the High Lord.'
My eyes grew wide - Nesta and Amren were no longer there, so they were in no danger. I was in the dungeons, no one would look here if they wanted to look for the High Lady. Not even I knew about the dungeons, until today, so it was unlikely that they even knew of their existence.
But Elain-
I hastily checked Ashbury's chains again and put the dagger back into the sheath on my thigh. Then I ran out of the dungeon, up and up to the living quarters where I had last seen Elain.
Do you have Elain with you?
The urgency in my voice made Az stop.
She's not on our team. I'll ask Rhys.
It was not long before Az reported back.
She is not with him either. Why?
There are three mercenaries in the House of Winds who were supposed to take out Feyre. But she has gone with Rhys. And Nesta and Amren are in town to help. That leaves me, but I was in the dungeons and-
Elain.
I'm looking for her!
Jenna-
Don't tell me not to. She's in danger, when can you get here?
Rhys's team has finished with the other base. I'll let him know.
I didn't have time to answer Az when a dagger flew at me. I barely managed to duck and dodge it in time, but a small trail of blood ran along my cheek. I took cover behind one of the sofas and unsheathed my own dagger. Then I looked around briefly for the attacker. He was hidden behind one of the corners of the living room, but I had already spotted him. I had to act wisely, I knew I couldn't fight them all at once, so it was good to take out the first mercenary here. After all, until now only he knew that there was another person in the House of Winds. Light-footed, I moved to the other end of the sofa so that I had an oblique view of the man. He was still scanning the room, his gaze resting on the side of the sofa from which I had just moved away. It was now or never. I jumped out from the side of the sofa and ran towards the mercenary. But he too reacted quickly and sensed my movement, so he ducked inches from under my dagger and crashed into the wall. I cursed softly and hoped the others wouldn't hear the commotion and rush to the guy's aid. My hands were still slippery wet from Ashbury's blood and after a moment's consideration I wiped them across my opponent's face. I knew it wouldn't really cloud his vision, but it gave me crucial seconds when he was off balance. My dagger went past his outstretched hand and shot into his jugular. He immediately went down and did not move when I pulled the dagger out. I pushed him into the nearest room so that he would not be discovered by the others. Then they would know that another person was here and my advantage would be gone.
Quietly I crept further back to Elain's room, hoping to find her unharmed. But this hope was dashed when I found the door broken open. Elain was tied to the chair, the two mercenaries guarding her. She looked unharmed, but her aura radiated panic and fear. When she saw me, she began to fidget and I became annoyed-
If I had had a chance to get in unnoticed and free her, it was no longer usable because of the commotion Elain was now creating. The heads of the mercenaries whirled towards the doorway, but I had pressed myself against the wall out of sight, hardly daring to breathe.
'You better come out and show yourself, or the little one here will suffer instead of you.'
Elain's whimpering filled the room and I stepped away from the wall and to the doorway. One of the mercenaries held a knife to Elain's throat, her eyes were wide open.
I raised both my hands in the air, a sign of peace.
'I can lead you to Ashbury', I blurted out. I had to stall somehow until Rhys got here. He would look for Elain and free her. So, when that happened, I had to get the mercenaries far away from them. Apparently, the offer seemed to work. After all, Ashbury was the head of this organisation, along with Keir and a few other respected men of the Hewn City. If they could get him back, they might still have a chance of rebelling against the High Lord and High Lady.
'He's in the dungeons. I can take you there if you leave her alone. You just have to come with me.'
Their looks became suspicious, but I couldn't blame them. My offer was already quite incendiary. But I just needed time, time in which Elain could free herself with Rhys's help. And I would give it to them now.
'What if you lead us into a trap?'
'Well - there are two of you and only one of me.'
I threw the dagger on the ground in front of them.
'And I'm unarmed. You have the advantage. Besides, if you have Ashbury, you can knock me out very easily and just come back here. But I have another idea. I would like to propose a trade- you get Ashbury and get out of here and Elain stays safe and sound. One life for another, so to speak.'
I shrugged my shoulders.
'What have you got to lose?'
That seemed to remind them why they were here in the first place. They wanted to kill the High Lady and overthrow the High Lord. They had already turned against the Night Court and now saw a chance to enact their plan again. They knew they had already given up everything. And that was exactly what finally made them follow me. They probably also still assumed that their third friend, who lay hidden in a chamber of the house, could simply get back to Elain and take her into custody again as leverage. They really had nothing to lose if they thought that way. They both walked behind me, a dagger at my back, but I had no intention of letting that stop me. The way to the dungeons was long and dark, but unfortunately these were also trained killers. They were light on their feet and cautious, which certainly wouldn't make it any easier for me. I planned to lock them in one of the empty dungeons, but how I was going to succeed was still written in the stars. Until now, I was frantically trying to think of a plan in which I would not die. Az was right. Most of the time my plans were very risky and involved only a small chance of coming out unharmed. Still- I had to try. We descended deeper into the dungeon corridors and the air grew cooler. If I was going to act, it had to be now. I stopped next to a dungeon that I hoped was empty. Ashbury's dungeon was a good distance further back. I pointed to the door.
'He's in here.'
I walked towards the door and put my hand on the knob. Again, I felt the tingle of magic flowing through me, then the door opened. I entered and the mercenaries followed me inside the chamber. What they did not realise was that I was still standing at the door, my hand clenched around the doorknob. The mercenaries had made the mistake of going further into the room than I had. But what I had not expected either was that it was occupied. An ominous hiss sounded and grew louder. The mercenaries were already in the middle of the chamber, but they quickly sprang into action. They seemed to have noticed that Ashbury was not in here and came in quickly in my direction. But it came as a shock when one of them was thrown backwards. I did not know what damned chamber I had led them into, but it did not seem to be a good one. But I acted quickly. The other of them threw the dagger in my direction, a last attempt to stop me from closing the door behind me. But the dagger hit its target. I cried out, let go of the door, but the next moment I grabbed the doorknob again and rammed the door back into the lock with all my might. The only thing was that it didn't close. Panic spread through me, because I had automatically assumed that the door would magically close again. The mercenary pulled on the door and it almost slid open again a little. I braced my feet against the wall and pulled with all my might so that it fell back into the lock. And prayed. Then it became quiet, the resistance on the door decreased, but that didn't make me any less panicky. After all, there was something in that chamber that was feasting on the mercenaries.
'Goddamn house, please seal this dungeon with magic or any powers you possess and then I'll honestly owe you one, please, please, please.'
The ruttle on the door returned, stronger than before. I shriked in suprise, with how much power this thing in the chamber pulled at the door.
It was pure coincidence that the door actually closed seconds later, because just when I thought the house had heard me, Rhys came around the corner. With a wave of his hand, the door closed and a magical click was heard.
I sank to my knees in relief and hissed when I noticed the knife anchored in my stomach. A lump formed in my throat and I struggled to swallow it back down. But then Rhys was there. His hands were around my shoulders as he looked at me encouragingly.
'Do you have Elain-'
'Yeah, she told me what you were up to. Apparently, I came just in time.'
His ironic remark made me laugh despite the miserable situation. But immediately afterwards I doubled over and coughed up.
'Ouch-'
Less than two seconds later Azriel was there, kneeling beside Rhys and pulling me against him. It made the pain flare briefly and I hissed through clenched teeth.
'Jen-'
'Knife', I said only as the pain flared up again.
But Az had understood, as he always did. He pulled it out and pressed his hand on the wound so that he restricted the blood flow.
'Did you manage to stop them?' I asked with a gasp as Az lifted me into his arms.
'Yes, we found all six locations. With the help of Helion and Thesan, it went faster than expected. Tomorrow we will visit the other sites in Hewn City', Rhys said grimly as we climbed the stairs.
I nodded weakly, the loss of blood making everything a little dizzy. But within seconds we had disappeared from the dungeons and entered the brightly lit House of Winds. Madja was already waiting. Az gently laid me down on the couch and Madja went to work while Az held my hand. She stitched the wound and with each puncture in my skin I squeezed Az's hand harder. I squinted my eyes and exhaled with a gasp as Madja pulled the stitches together. She then put a bandage around my waist where the wound was. Groaning in pain, I straightened up on the sofa and let myself sink back into the cushions in a sitting position.
The rest of the inner circle came into the room. Elain ran to my side and hugged me fiercely, pressing on my wound and I could only conceal my groan with difficulty.
'Thank you', she whispered out and let go of me before settling down in the chair next to me. I smiled at her. Az was at my side as always and slid as close as he could to me. He looked a little exhausted, but he seemed unharmed and nuzzled up to my touch as I put my hand to his cheek. He closed his eyes for a moment and I smiled gently.
Once everyone was in the room, alive and unharmed, Rhys began to speak. Thesan and Helion were also present.
'We have taken out all the bases around Velaris and those that were visible on the map this night. Tonight, we will check again to see how many rebel troops are on their way. The city was only destroyed on the outer edge, with no serious injuries or casualties. So far so good. However, we must remain vigilant. I had not expected an attack, so now we have to be even more careful. But for the moment it seems safe.'
He nodded encouragingly at us. The mood had become lighter, despite what had happened.
I ran my hand through my hair when I felt Cassian's gaze on me.
'What have you been doing ?' He wanted to know and his gaze lingered on my blood-encrusted hands. I smiled grimly.
'I paid a nice visit to Ashbury. Reminds me that we hadn't even finished.' Amren grinned at me from across the room.
I heaved myself up from the sofa, but Az's hand held me tight.
'Stay here and rest. I can do that.'
I sighed, but shook my head.
'After all, he lied to you. And I think I've found a way to make him tell the truth. I just want to make sure we can take out all the troops.'
Azriel's brow furrowed as if he didn't like the idea.
'You can come downstairs and wait outside the door, it won't take long.'
'How is it that he talks to you and lies to the famous shadow singer?' Cassian asked with a brotherly grin, his gaze lingering amusingly on Az.
'Come downstairs with me', I said and grinned. 'Then you'll see why.'
--
The bottom line was that Az, Cassian and Rhys came downstairs with me in case something happened. Among others, Rhys still wanted to talk to Ashbury, but before that I was allowed to soften him up a bit. My side throbbed wildly with pain, but a cold silence crept into my head as I made my way back into the dungeons.
'By the way, there are still two guys in one of the dungeons. If they're not already dead, they should at least be greeted by the cruel shadow singer', I grinned up at Az, who just shook his head and pushed me further forward.
'I think the cruel shadow singer had better say hello to you', he murmured, and a blush came over my face. But I couldn't hide the smile that formed.
But then we were back in front of Ashbury's dungeon. And now it was time to find out whether this attack was really the only and last one. I took a deep breath and unsheathed my dagger, which Az had given back to me earlier. Then I went into the room. The others didn't follow me for now, they would join me later. I didn't want them to see Ashbury, I suspected he would say less in their presence.
When he saw me, he blanched and began to fidget and plead. But it would do him no good.
'So, my big one', I whispered to him.
'I only have two more questions for you. If you answer them, everything will go very quickly. If you don't, I'm afraid you already know what will happen.'
Ashbury gasped, most likely still from the pain of earlier, his cock looked really disgusting, like a peeled banana. But Ashbury just nodded.
'Was this the only planned attack on the High Lady and Velaris? Or do we have to be prepared for renewed attacks?'
Ashbury shook his head in exhaustion.
'We had planned it so that it would work. We didn't expect you to get the map and foil our plans. It was planned as a single assassination. Then it was to be over. We would have overthrown the throne and usurped it. Apparently, that's not going to work now.'
I nodded with satisfaction.
'What will become of the other half of the soldiers? What should they do?'
'They were the reserve in case something went wrong. We were going to storm Hewn City as soon as they sent the message that the High Lady had fallen. Since that didn't happen, and I assume you destroyed all the bases, no one will send the message that will lead to them taking the Hewn City. Keir is dead, so there was unrest in our ranks anyway. He was our leader, but he was also stupid and stingy. That's why he became careless. And that's why he's dead now.'
Again, I nodded.
'Thank you for your support', I whispered and bent over him. I memorised one last time the face of the man who had used and tortured me. The short blond hair, the sharp chin, the cruel mouth. The blue, dull eyes, the scar that stretched across his face. I would probably always remember him. But he was now nothing more than a man of the past.
I took a deep breath and quietly took his flaccid cock in my hand. And then I cut it off his body in one long movement.
Ashbury's screams filled the room, so plaintive and painful that I took a step back, cock in hand, dripping blood. But he would never again do to a woman what he had done to me. He would never again push that thing into any woman, use it as a way of power. He would never rape a woman again. I was going to make sure he suffered the same way all women had suffered before.
Again, I memorised his features, but this time distorted by relentless pain. And then I stuffed his cock into his mouth. Shoved it so deep that Ashbury choked on it and gagged and could barely breathe and I kept shoving it, over and over into his mouth so he would know what it felt like, know what he had done to all the women. He should feel it, he should fucking suffer, choke on it!
Hate filled every pore of my body and I loathed this man who begged, who had tears flowing from his eyes. And yet I did not want to be like him. And I realised that I could become like him. At that very moment.
I pulled his cock out of his mouth and let it fall to the floor.
'I hope it felt good when you raped the women. Because for every single one of them it was pure horror. I hope you die thinking that you have harmed innocent women and that you will burn in hell for it.'
And for a brief moment I detected something like remorse on his face. The emotion had disappeared too quickly before I could decipher it. Then his old façade came back. One filled with pain, a voice with harted and trembling agony.
'You little whore! You are so fucking pathetic-'
But I was already turning around.
'Farewell. I hope we never see each other again.'
Then I opened the door and joined Rhys, Cassian and Az.
--
It took a moment, but as I turned the corner of the door, a wave of nausea overcame me. And I threw up lengthwise on the floor of the laneway.
I coughed and spat the rest of my food onto the stone corridor before looking at the others.
'Jesus fuck, I'll never do that again', I said, bracing myself against the wall, which was cool against my palm.
Cassian stared wide-eyed at me from the open door that showed Ashbury. I understood his shock. After all, I had cut Ashbury's cock off. Even Az looked a little disturbed as he absently ran his hand through my hair. But then he grinned. Rhys just stared at the cock lying on the floor before regaining his composure.
'There will be no more attacks. At least that is what he said. I assume that he meant it.'
'You cut off his dick!' Cassian squeaked distraughtly. I nodded in disgust. It was nothing to be proud of, but I wanted to do it. Had to do it. That thing had done harm to too many women in the Hewn City.
'Holy shit-'
'That's really disgusting', Rhys remarked, nodding in agreement to Cassian.
'It won't happen again-'
'Az, you should really watch out, not that you wake up one day without a dick.'
'No, I think she loves him far too much for that.'
I punched him in the side.
'You better stop annoying me, Cass. I found a new method to scare you with.' I murmered and Cassian took a step away from me, looking at me with a mix of fear and amusement. I knew he wouldn't stop to tease me, but maybe, at some points i could reduce it to a certain level.
'Thanks for softening him up', Rhys said. 'I guess I'll have to have a word with him. After all, he wanted to attack my love.'
We all knew he wouldn't get out of that dungeon alive for this. As Rhys disappeared behind the door, Az, Cassian and I went upstairs to join the others. It was safe for the moment and I lulled myself into thinking it would stay that way.
Tomorrow we would attack the other Hewn City bases so that the rebellion that Keir had planned, was nipped in the bud once and for all.
But enough had already happened for today. And as I lay down later, freshly washed, in the sheets next to Az, I hoped for a future that was peaceful. For all of us.