Azriel was lurking in the shadow just beyond the rocky side of the lake, watching the scene unfold.
He felt his heart hammering in his chest, the pulse at his neck nearly falling out of his skin as he watched with tense focus, barely able to register anything other than Elain, gauging whether or not he should just fuck the whole mission over and winnow her away right this damn second.
But as he considered his options, he paused, watching Lucien slam up against an invisible wall. Vassa was stuck behind some sort of enchantment, still Koschei's prisoner. Fuck. He was going to have to wait this out a little more—see what hand the death God would play next.
Azriel dissolved further into mist, edging to a different part of the lake, trying to see how far the barrier between Vassa and Lucien went. Maybe he could come up from behind it? He winnowed to the opposite side of the lake, trying to see the boundaries of the shield, winnowing, dissolving, and traveling the entire perimeter of the lake. Where was the edge? Could he even get to Koschei? But no. In an instant, the sick realization hit him: there was no opening. There was no way to get her out and no way to strike Koschei. Vassa was tethered to the death god, the shield bound to his body, no doubt protecting his prize until he got what he was truly after: the Cauldron.
Shaking his head, Azriel returned to his original hiding spot, his shadows still pooling near Elain's ankles behind some rocks, undetectable to Koschei. He looked toward Elain then who was trembling next to Lucien, her hands wrapped around her waist as she balked at the being.
"Let her go." Lucien commanded, his voice laced with a surprising amount of confidence, despite the scene that was unfolding before him, his hands slammed up against invisible barrier, his knees sunken into the rocky sand as he wrenched his face up toward the enormous being.
"Interesting that a fae should care so much for a human woman." Koschei drawled, his voice ancient and slow, rasping against the raw wind blowing and powering across the lake. Small waves had begun to lap up against the shore, the wind picking up speed and drowning out the voices as Koschei's stare lingered on Lucien. "Going to such immense lengths to rescue her."
Lucien's eyes darkened as he glared toward the death God, his hands still flat against the barrier before he dropped his face to look at Vassa. "I'm going to get you out of here. I promise."
"Lucien... don't..." Vassa slid her hand down the barrier, tears still pouring from her eyes as she rasped the words.
"Silence." The death god commanded quietly, glancing down at Vassa who immediately stopped speaking, almost as if her mouth had been bound.
Koschei laughed then, drawing Lucien's attention back upwards. "You have not fulfilled your part of the bargain youngling." He drawled, his skull-like features filling with shadow as he glared toward the fireling. "Summon the cauldron and I will release her."
"Form the unbreakable vow." Lucien growled, ignoring the command and rising to his full height which was still heads shorter than the hulking death God towering above him. "Promise that you will release her to me."
"The unbreakable vow? Tat is an ancient magic little one. I'm surprised you are familiar with such nasty practices." The death God spoke with an accent Azriel was unfamiliar with... almost as if he had been carved from the earth itself, his hulking body looming over the faeries as his words lilted and twisted around them.
"Do it." Lucien snarled, his brows furrowed and heavy as he glared at Koschei, small flames licking the ground around his feet.
The creature smiled then, speaking in an unfamiliar tongue. It was dark and broken, throaty and foreign: an ancient language, Azriel mused. He felt his breathing hitch and quicken as he waited for the spell to take affect, Lucien standing so confidently before the impossibly powerful creature.
His shoulders thrown back, Vanserra simply glared toward the god as an eerie red streak of light wove from Koschei's mouth, crawling through the air until it landed on Vanserra, wrapping his head in red corded magic, slithering into his nose and ears, pooling into his mouth, weaving and winding as the fireling began backing away, a shocked expression swallowing his features beneath the red cord.
But as soon as it began, it was finished. The crimson glowing magic evaporated as Koschei finished speaking, the dark words echoing ominous and strange across the lake, the bond having been sealed.
"It is done." He looked past Lucien toward Elain then, his eyes growing dark as Azriel's wings flared. "Well... hello my pretty." He smiled, wicked and curious, leaning down to get a better look at Elain's face.
Elain, to her credit, threw her shoulders back and met the unearthly gaze of the being, her voice clear as bells. "I am here to summon the Cauldron."
"Why of course you are." Koschei purred, stepping closer to Elain, his arms thrown to his sides. "Who else should come to summon my gift other than a Daughter of the Cauldron."
Azriel's shadows began riling, hissing and piercing, begging to attack, but the Shadowsinger hushed them, adjusting instead toward the other side of the forest, getting a better view of Elain.
With Vassa still beside him, Koschei addressed Elain. "About twenty paces that way." He gestured with his hulking arm, pointing toward the shore.
She obliged, stepping gingerly, balancing on the sharp rocks, her face twisted with anxiety as she walked the twenty paces before turning to face Koschei, her eyes filled with confusion. Azriel cursed under his breath, forcing himself to remain planted to the ground as he watched Elain standing alone on the shore with Koschei's full attention on her. But at that moment, Azriel watched as Vanserra came toward Elain, leaving Vassa beside Koschei to join the Seer, his stance protective and guarded as he glared again at the death God.
Azriel thanked the mother at that moment, for the first time in his life, that Lucien Vanserra was Elain's mate.
Ignoring Lucien, the death God called toward Elain, his commands echoing across the space between them as Vassa remained trembling at his side. "The Cauldron was your home my pretty. The womb passing you from one life to another," his timbering voice reverberated across the lake as Elain nodded, her mouth silenced in fear. "It is your Maker. Your Master. Envision the Cauldron and I will speak it forth. There is an ancient language that I share with the Cauldron, though it is yet a stranger to me. It will only come if you call it."
Elain nodded, her lips twisted into a stressed frown as she closed her eyes, Koschei's wide smile gleaming at her from across the space between them. "Excellent." He purred. "Remember its voice: its call... yes... just like that."
And as Elain closed her eyes, dropping her head, her hands pinched into tiny fists, the death god began speaking again, the same ancient language as before. It was lyrical, dark... unlike anything Azriel had ever heard before. The oily words twisted and wound their way around the rocks and the water all around them, Lucien watching in mute disbelief beside Elain as the water began to vibrate, storm clouds forming above the lake, rumbling thunder brewing within, blocking the hot noon sun from above. A dark green film began to fall from Koschei's mouth at that moment, releasing a wretched stench of rusted magic across the lake and shore, overpowering Azriel's senses.
He clenched his fists, his heart hammering and pounding in his ears, the scent nearly shaking his entire body as his muscles spasmed, everything within him screaming to go to Elain—to take her from the grasp of this evil creature. But as his shadows hissed, they confirmed what Azriel knew: as of right now, Koshei had no desire to damage Elain.
So the Shadowsinger waited.
And watched.
He watched as the filming green mist pooled at Koschei's feet, floating toward the space between Elain and the death God, billowing in the gusty wind until it grew thick and angry, swirling and pounding on the sand becoming darker and darker until a sharp crack rang out across the lake, echoing through the trees. The crack was followed by a sharp gust of wind, blowing out from every side of the dark green mist, causing Elain to stumble backward, nearly falling down as Lucien was knocked to the ground as well, Azriel grabbing onto a nearby pine branch to steady himself as the wind wracked against the tall forest.
Squinting and sputtering slightly from the knock to his lungs, Azriel drew his eyes back to the space where the green mist was now dissipating, revealing a dark looming object, black, angry, and spiteful, sitting between Koschei and Elain, resting between them.
The Cauldron.
"Wonderful." Koschei whispered, hissing the word with a dark smile as his eyes glittered toward the steaming pot, angry and fat on the shore.
"It's done!" Lucien bellowed, rising to his feet again and pointing angrily at the hulking god. "We did it. We fulfilled our part of the bargain. Now release her!" He all but screamed the words, his teeth bared as he gazed at Vassa, his desperation swallowing his expression.
A wicked smile on his inhuman face, Koschei leaned down and picked Vassa up, sweeping his spindly long arms beneath her knees and back, holding her to his bony chest. "I will uphold my vow." Lucien let out an audible sigh, his eyes trained on Ksochei's slow steps, the death God closing the distance between himself and Lucien and Elain, his gait hollow and creaking as he walked, Vassa whimpering in his arms as he walked, slowly across the shore.
But then, as he passed the Cauldron, Koschei paused, his eyes dragging toward Vassa's face as his hand came up to stroke her face, from her cheekbone to her chin, his eyes falling to the swirling dark waters of the Cauldron beyond her head.
"I will release her to you." Flashing a dark look toward Lucien, he let out a chuckling sneer. "But first, I have one thing I must do."
ﾟ☆: *.☽ ─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ─── ☽ .* :☆ﾟ
Elain let out a scream, staring in horror as Koschei stared at the Cauldron as Lucien's own shattered cry pierced the air. "No!"
But the death God ignored them, his eyes glittering as he gazed down at Vassa who was now kicking in his arms, writhing and trying to wrench her body away from him as he drew her tighter to himself, cradling the clawing woman to his chest as she sobbed and shrieked, her weak voice now unsilenced.
Lunging toward the Cauldron, Lucien let out a roar only to slam up against the invisible barrier, now expanding past the Cauldron, locking Elain and himself on the other side, unable to get to Vassa or Koschei.
"No!" Lucien had dropped to his knees, now begging, his panicked and hysterical voice strangled in sobs, "please! No! I'll do anything. Please. Please. Take me. Take me instead!" He raked his hands through his hair, his eyes flaring as he watched helplessly from the other side of the shield as Koschei closed in on the steaming Cauldron.
Elain let out another protest as she felt Azriel arrive beside her, still in shadow form, his attempts at piercing the shield as useless as Lucien's, his magic slamming up against the shield, dissolving upon impact. She felt a sheet of tears and terror release, her body frozen into stunned shock as she reached toward Lucien's shoulder, his knees now buried in the wet sand as he clutched his hands to his blanched face, the tears and sobs wracking from his broken chest as he croaked.
She watched in horror as Vassa went limp in Koschei's arms, her sobbing gasps for air swallowing her whole as she gave up her fight, sinking into a despairing lifelessness within his arms, squeezing her eyes shut as she cried silently.
"The pretty little flower girl will no longer be the most beautiful faerie I've laid eyes on in my twenty thousand years. Because today, my precious Vassa, I will make you my queen. And you will live with me forever." He cooed toward the broken woman, his sickly smile completely oblivious to the screaming Lucien and piercing shadow desperately trying to stop the death God.
His eyes trained on the woman's face, Koschei raised her above the Cauldron. "And to think I almost let you have your freedom! That is how much I have loved you. But after seeing how stunning a Made-fae can be..." His eyes flashed then to Elain who had also given up the fight, watching in pained terror, her body dropped to the sand beside Lucien's, her hand on his shoulder as he sobbed, unable to draw his eyes away from the brutal scene. "I just cannot pass up the opportunity to have you forever my dear."
Vassa began screaming again, finding her voice as she began kicking and writhing as Koschei raised her body up higher above the water. "Lucien! HELP ME! No! Please! No! I don't want this! No!"
Scrambling to his feet, his entire body slammed up against the invisible shield again, Lucien pounded his flaming fists into the barrier, his voice now hoarse as he locked eyes with Vassa, fire surrounding his feet on the ground, the flames pounding from his hands, his hair, and nearly every part of him as he punched against the glass.
"Let us add to the kin of the Cauldron this day. Offering my most prized gift." Smiling darkly, Koschei gazed at Vassa one last time before his arms fell out from beneath her, dropping her kicking body as Lucien pounded the shield with fire, his entire body now glowing and flaming as he screamed.
"NOOO!" His cry echoed across the silent lake as Vassa fell, screaming as well until her body disappeared within the cauldron, slamming into the steaming water, her voice drowned out by the murky depths.
Throwing back his head, Elain watched as Lucien roared, his entire body of flames now glowing bright white, incandescent beams of light bursting from every part of him. She squinted her eyes, the light almost blinding her vision as Lucien's kneeling form exploded, his arms thrown to the side as his fists balled up, white hot magic detonating from his eye sockets and mouth, his roar shaking the trees and very ground beneath them.
She stumbled backward, reaching for Azriel who had since materialized out of his shadow form, his arms and wings wrapping around her protectively as they braced themselves against Lucien's magic which was now splitting the ground before and behind him, the earth cracking and pulling apart as his roar continued to bellow across the Lake. Elain pulled away, tucking her face into Azriel's chest until it was over, Lucien now fallen to a heap in the ground. The flames that had begun to clung to the outer edge of Koschei's barrier began to travel across the sand, spreading and twirling toward the dark Cauldron.
Had they passed the barrier?
Koschei's eyes still glued to the Cauldron, Elain reached a hand forward, expecting to touch the shield, her other arm still wrapped around Azriel's waist. But instead of slamming up against an invisible barrier, she felt her hand glide through the air. "It's broken." She whispered.
And without another pause, Azriel rallied beside her, launching like an arrow toward Koschei, flying with Truth Teller wielded in his hand, powering toward the death God who had not yet noticed his protective shield was down. The Shadowsinger flew straight toward Koschei who noticed the attack a moment too late, his eyes exploding with shock at the sight of the winged hand of the High Lord of the Night Court hurtling toward him, Truth Teller flashing in the hot sun, aimed straight for his neck.
Elain was altogether unable to tear her eyes away as she stared in shock as Azriel launched toward Koschei in a flash, one moment lunging toward the death God and the next, kneeling on the sandy shore behind him, his hands on Truth Teller. His chest heaved as he kneeled, his hands still white-knuckled around his blade as the death god's head tumbled down from his body, splattering onto the rocky ground in a sick thud, landing directly beside the Shadowsinger.
Beheaded.
Azriel had beheaded the death God in a single strike.
Elain blinked, her stomach feeling nauseous as she took in the scene. The body timbered and wavered before crashing to the ground in a stinking heap, dissolving into the sand beside the Cauldron.
And without another thought, Elain launched forward, running toward Azriel as Lucien roused beside her as well, running into a sprint, lunging for the Cauldron, his hands reaching and striking at the steaming bubbling water. But the moment before he could scoop his hands into the murky water, Elain grabbed his arms, stilling the sobbing fireling.
"It's too late. Lucien, we must wait for the cauldron to release her." She whispered the words somberly, her hand stroking his arm reassuringly as she glanced toward Azriel who was inspecting the dead Koschei.
But it was as if Elain's voice did not exist to him, Lucien's only focus the dark water as his hands gripping the edge of the Cauldron.
Elain scanned the surface as well, Vassa's body nowhere to be seen. You would not have even known she had been dropped moments ago, the sheet of black water resting on top was as still as ice. "Where is she?!? She should be out by now!" Lucien's voice was cracking and breaking, his eyes flaring and narrowing as tears poured and dripped into the Cauldron beneath them.
Elain tugged on his shoulder, trying to pull him back, to get him to unhand the ancient artifact. "Please, Lucien, please. It's dangerous— we need to get back. You don't understand! The Cauldron... it's not a friend... just come, please." She pleaded with him, pulling him with all her might, her hands running down his arm until she reached his hand, yanking on his hand as he began to relent, his body crumpling against her, his head thrown to her stomach as the sobs began wracking his breath, his chest rising and falling.
Lowering into a kneel, her skirts pooling around her, Elain held Lucien to her chest, her eyes beginning to fill with hot tears as well as he wailed, repeating only one word over and over. "Vassa... Vassa... nooo. Vassa." His body was a lifeless heap, all his weight broken on the ground, his head heaved against her, altogether collapsed on her lap.
Stroking his read hair as she shook her head, Elain tried to comfort him as her eyes flashed toward Azriel, but then she heard a familiar creaking sound. Startled Elain glanced up to the Cauldron, realizing that it had begun to tip over, pouring forward in the opposite direction from where Elain held Lucien in the sand. "Lucien... Lucien, look." she whispered, trying to rouse the fireling as the enormous pot swung to the side, depositing a soaking and sputtering heap onto the rocky ground.
Vassa.
Lucien sprang to life then, lunging toward the lifeless body, gathering her into his arms, rocking and cradling her head and repeating her name over and over. "Vassa, Vassa, Vassa." She stirred, choking on the water and shivering on the packed sand. Her limbs were elongated, stretching out from the hems of her fighting leathers, now tight on her chest, her face sharpened and enhanced, her skin now flawless as she struggled to get a breath.
Another Daughter of the Cauldron.
Elain watched as Vassa opened her eyes, drawing her hand to Lucien's cheek, stroking it with his thumb. "Thank you. I'm okay." She croaked the words as Lucien let out another sob, tugging her further into his chest, her new fae ears peeking through her bright red hair which was now falling behind her shoulder blades, swinging and shining in the hot sun.
Pointed fae ears...
Shining red hair...
Elain took a startled breath, her heart racing as she wheeled around, her eyes scanning toward the shore, desperately searching for Azriel, just in time to see a dark shadow burst at the edge of the shore, blue siphons glowing from within the darkness.
"I searched the lake but I can't find the other prisoners—" Azriel shook his head, walking forward from the billowing shadows before he paused, his brows furrowing as his eyes widened in shock.
"Azriel?" Elain called to him, stepping through the thick sand, her face twisted with worry. "What is it? What's wrong?" She began rushing toward him then, her feet catching and stumbling on the sand and rocks, vaguely aware of the sobbing Lucien and Vassa locked in an embrace behind her.
But as she neared the Shadowsinger, she paused as well, his wet eyes burrowing into hers, darting across her face, bewildered shock roiling from his posture as his low voice rasped out the words she never thought she would hear again in her fae-made life: "I think—I think you're my mate."
Mate?
Elain turned around, confused, searching for who he was talking to, her heart thundering within her chest as a nauseous feeling began to swell in her stomach.
But as she turned back toward Azriel, she felt something within her crackle and then snap, detonating within her shocked and tender heart. Closing her eyes, she clutched her chest as she gasped for breath, falling to her knees in the sand, her mind racing and her pulse pounding as she felt the weight of the magic swallow her, the strands and fibers within her entire being searching and snapping, clutching and weaving, the weight of the Cauldron and the Mother and every good and perfect thing bearing down upon her.
And she knew.
It was him.
It would always be him.
It HAD always BEEN him.
He had come for her. He had seen her. He had chosen her, he had loved her, and he was her mate.
Elain felt the tears begin to fall again as she stumbled up from her kneel toward Azriel who was still frozen in shock, his eyes beginning to well as he watched her come toward him, "Elain, you're my mate—" he repeated again, opening his arms and striding into her embrace, lifting her from the sandy shore and twirling her in the air as she began to laugh, the emotion and tears and shock swallowing her entire being as she swung in his arms, her head thrown back to the skies.
Her visions were right.
Azriel was mated.
To Elain.
"We're mates."