In honor of the benevolent Kateslyn11 for spoiling me and writing me a fan fiction with her talent. 😂
You go, girl.
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I couldn't help but glance at Rowan's pale face as Aelin's words hung between us all. Aelin hadn't mentioned anything to me about the amulet constantly moving places—and by the pained look on her face, perhaps she hadn't ever intended to.
"You're telling me," Rowan said after a while, "that after Feyre uses all three of these wishes you owe her, you will be gone again?"
Aelin nodded once. "Yes."
Rowan rubbed at his face, and Aelin finally dared to glance at him. I suddenly felt an uncomfortable weight settle on my shoulders; if I used Aelin's three wishes, we could easily defeat Hybern and move on with our lives. If I instead wasted precious time to safely free her...we could lose that chance. But likewise...I made our friend a promise—to back out on that promise would be just as unsettling as the other alternative.
I caught Aelin's eye, hoping she would somehow pick up on the question burning in my mind, whether through magic or pure wit. I knew that Rowan's opinion on the situation would be particularly biased, but something told me that Aelin Galathynius would accept anything if it meant saving the greater population. My suspicions were deemed true when she shot me a look that said, we'll talk later.
I nodded, standing and signaling to the others to meet me outside. "I'm...not exactly sure how this works but..." I stuttered, removing the amulet from around my neck and placing it on the wooden coffee table. "You can keep this."
Aelin's turquoise and gold eyes were mixed with emotions as she responded quietly, "Thank you, Lady of Night, but I can only be out of the amulet for a period of time and can only be a few feet away from it—and since you're the carrier..."she handed the amulet back to me, and Rowan watched with a pained expression. "You must be the one who holds it."
I swallowed and nodded again. "I'll be right outside," I mumbled, wishing I could do more to help before shutting the door behind me.
- - - - - - - -
Aelin
"I can't believe that even after all this time, the gods still find a way to mess with our lives," Rowan retorted, shaking his head and standing. Aelin still didn't meet his eyes, afraid of what she might see in them. Instead, she kept her eyes on the floor, memorizing each crack and swirl in the wood.
She heard him sigh, silently making his way back over to her with that warrior's grace. The scent of pine and snow caressed as he knelt down to look up at her to force her to meet his gaze. "None of this is your fault," he whispered, gently grasping her hand as her throat closed up. "It's not your fault those bastards gave you this power; it is not your fault they locked you in that amulet all these millennia. You have given too much to think like that."
She remained silent, unsure of what to say as she stared at him. He rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb, staring right back at her with certainty and love. "All this time, I had never allowed myself to fully hope that maybe...just maybe there was a chance that you were alive, even though that's all I really wanted—you back. At first, I couldn't believe that after all we had endured together, we were still forced apart." He paused for a long moment, as if waiting for her reaction.
She took a deep breath and asked with her eyes, And now?
He gave her a small smile. Now, I still can't believe it; now, I know it will never happen again because you and I are both just too damn stubborn for that.
For the first time, she huffed a laugh at the words, mainly because they were true. He reached up with his other hand to brush back her hair, his expression soft—so soft she read the word there, not hidden or implied, but more like he was thinking it to himself. Fireheart.
Her heart swelled, but she still answered Buzzard.
He laughed softly, though silver lined his eyes as he tugged her into his embrace. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he leaned in to whisper in her ear, "I never want to lose you again."
She blinked back her tears as she whispered back, "I know."
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Holy shit I imagined that so feels-y I had to stop writing for a moment.
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"I better go," Aelin whispered to Rowan, whose grip tightened, as if afraid to let her go. Maybe he was.
"Too stubborn, remember?" She added, pulling back slightly. "To whatever end?"
He nodded, but his pine green eyes were starting to grow dull. "To whatever end."
She kissed him softly before pulling away, but immediately felt cold. His hand was still gripping hers, but she gave it a reassuring squeeze before letting go, glancing at him one last time. He stared at her, but didn't move after her as if to say, I trust you.
Territorial Fae Beast, she teased before walking out the door to face her prison once more.
- - - - - - - -
Feyre
Aelin emerged minutes later with a blank—too blank—face. She only nodded once at me before dissolving into that golden ball of light and vanishing back into her amulet. I put it back around my neck, taking my mate's hand and squeezing.
Cassian, Azriel, and Amren had already gone back to the House to finish their duties, but Mor and Rhys had stayed behind with me to wait for Aelin.
When we were back at the townhouse, Rhys conjured up a bottle of wine and three glasses. Mor poured one for each of us, sighing despite our supposed victory. We had acquired a competent force that could easily win this war for us, but yet...I removed the amulet from my neck and set it down in the middle of the table.
"We can't just use her and lock her away again," I announced after a while.
Rhys nodded, tapping his fingers against the glass. "I agree. She didn't mention any other way to free her?"
I shook my head. "None that wouldn't lead to people dying."
Mor snorted and took a sip of her wine. "Typical—there's always a catch."
Rhys glanced at the amulet's ancient stag. "Maybe we could try asking her ourselves—she can come out as long as you allow her too, right?"
"I would let her come out whenever she wants," I corrected softly. I met his violet eyes. But I am not the judge of that.
He nodded his confirmation. "I bet Rowan is already trying to find something," he said. "He doesn't exactly seem like the type of male who would accept the fate thrown at him." Or his mate, was what he didn't say aloud.
We all stared at the amulet in silence, weighing our options. But if anything was for certain, there was no way in hell we were wasting all our wishes unless absolutely necessary—for now, we would do what we could to save our friend.
But we did not yet know that we would need those wishes sooner than we thought.
- - - - - - - -
I stayed up later that night to meet Nesta at the House after receiving word from Mor that my sister had requested my attention immediately. The two of us wasted no time, soon finding a pale version of my sister standing in the doorway to Elain's room. That was how I knew something was severely wrong with my sister.
"Elain?" I asked, rushing into the room to find her curled in the corner, her delicate frame shaking.
"So much darkness...darkness everywhere..." She was murmuring to herself with a shaking voice.
"Elain," Nesta demanded, something like fear on her beautiful face.
"Suffocating...it's suffocating..." Elain wept, ignoring her. "And a...light sings for freedom in the darkness...trapped...she's trapped...she screams but no one hears her..." Elain continued to sob. "It was...so horrible...all she wanted was to be free."
I had no idea what she was talking about. I turned to Mor in question. She only shrugged in return and apology.
"Elain, it was probably just a nightmare," I coaxed.
"No!" She shouted. "You can't just let her die—she'll die..."
The door slammed open again, and Azriel—not Lucien—was instantly there, sword in hand. "What happened?" he demanded, taking in Elain.
"I don't know," Nesta breathed. "She suddenly started screaming and talking in riddles."
"We have to save her," Elain pled to Azriel. "She is innocent!"
"Who is innocent?" Azriel asked softly.
"The light—the flaming heart," Elain tried.
Flaming heart. Why did those words seem familiar?
I thought back to the first time we had met Rowan. He had allowed us inside when I had said the word "Fireheart" because Aelin had told me to. I never realized...
"Elain? Where was the...flaming heart?" I questioned, and Nesta gave me an incredulous look.
Elain shook. "With them...with—with the darkness...the evil...she was the victim; not them!"
I swallowed and nodded. "Alright, Elain. Just...try to rest."
I turned to Azriel. "Is there any place we can find a herb or something that can help her get to sleep?"
Azriel thought for a moment. "There is a healer that lives close to the Rainbow that might be able to help."
I nodded in thanks and turned to Mor, but she was already grabbing my hand. "Way ahead of you," she said, then winnowing us to the city below.
But it wasn't a healer who greeted us.
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The moment we arrived, I knew something was wrong. Pain erupted in my arm, as if someone had pricked me with the blade of a knife. My magic suddenly became heavy—dormant. My hands were bound behind my back.
But when I saw them, I knew it had been a trap.
Hybern's Ravens—they had come back for us. Except this time...our hands were bound and magic depleted.
"Mor?" I asked the moment I saw their black eyes and feathered wings.
"Shit," was her only response as she tugged at her shackles. "Shit."
Rhys, I called down the bond, though I knew it was no use—the Ravens had somehow drugged us with faebane as we entered.
"I'll admit, you are not what we expected, Curse-breaker," one sneered. "Tell is the location of your bitch sister, and we shall set you free."
Lies. They dripped from his tone; his words. "Never," I spat back.
The Raven shrugged. "Fine by us." He nodded to companion, and I stiffened as they both forward and bound our ankles with another pair of shackles. The roar of the Sidra behind us suddenly became deafening as I realized what was happening.
"Feyre," Mor breathed, fear plain on her face—not fear for herself, but for me as well. She opened her mouth to say more, but we were both gagged before either of us could say another word.
"We sure as hell can't let you two go off and tattle now can we?" The first Raven asked, a sadistic smile creeping up on his face.
RHYS, I tried again, but there was a wall between us that I could not get through.
The Ravens pushed us backwards, closer and closer to the Sidra rushing relentlessly behind us.
I tried to access my magic again, but to no avail. From the strained look in Mor's eyes, I could tell she was trying to fight it as well.
It was in that moment it occurred to me: there was no way out of this one.
We were going to get swept away in those freezing currents. With our arms and legs bound.
It was my last thought before there was no more land beneath our feet as we were pushed into the churning Sidra.
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Kind of crappy but I'm tired. Please comment! I'll probs finish in one more part.