Eris:
Bronwynn raised his serrated blade to Nesta's throat, staring me down, he grumbled, "tell her Eris."
I shook my head, not understanding what there was possibly left to say at this point. He won. He will be given the throne, everything that comes with it. My life.
What more could he possibly want?
"Tell her or she dies."
Fuming, I pulled against the chains, "what is there to tell?" I swore as the chains burned farther into my skin. Fucking faebane.
Bronwynn's voice lowered, his eyes darting from me to her, "that she is your mate and he is yours."
"That's not true," Nesta argued, her icy glare struck his chest.
I could have sworn he flinched.
"But it is, beautiful, Nesta," Bronwynn rubbed his nose against her sickly pale skin, drifting towards her hair, "she smells like cinnamon and vanilla, doesn't she brother?"
Snarling, I attempted to charge for him again but unable to break through. My nails dug into my palms, blood dripping to the floor.
Bronwynn looked at his reflection in the silver blade, "Eris, now when was the first time you thought so?" he picked out the annoyance in his teeth as he waited.
"Cassian is her mate," I replied with venom—if only it would kill him.
"Liar, liar," he chimed, pushing his blade back into Nesta's neck.
Grinding my teeth, I felt my insides liquify. He would kill her, he would do it. "When I split her soul on the battlefield," I answered.
Bronwynn pushed the tip of the blade into her artery, daring me to test him, "it was before that and you know it."
"In the woods."
"Before that."
"Hybern's war."
Bronwynn's cat-like smile stretched, "yes, the war that gave you the knee injury." Nesta's body froze as she looked from him to me in disbelief. He continued, "faes can be so distracted when they pick up the scent of their mate for the first time."
I couldn't stare at her any longer, seeing her shattered reflection made it hurt even more. I had never truly admitted this to myself, I thought...I thought maybe there was a possibility. No, no. She had a mate—this was impossible.
A shatter of glass, shards strewing towards us. The jewels on the ceiling threatened to fall, one by one, as the bastard landed on his feet. Raising to his full height, his fiery wings expanded. Cassian glowered at me then Bronwynn, his hazel eyes didn't even shift to Nesta, only to the threats that lie in front of him.
"Ah, just in time Lord Commander," Bronwynn released a sinister expression as he clapped his hands, "I see you received my message."
Cassian charged forward, his siphons flaring, his sword unsheathed and at the ready. For once, I was relieved to see the bastard. He would save, Nesta—as he always did. Bronwynn stepped away from her, giving Cassian a full shot of his chest. Not saying a word, he stabbed his blade into Bronwynn's stomach.
Only to receive a laugh.
Confusion and absolute rage flourished across Cassian's face. He pulled out his blade, aiming higher towards my brother's heart. Over and over, Cassian stabbed into him but to no avail. Shaken with disbelief, Nesta and I glanced to each other then Bronwynn. The sick fuck who enjoyed pain so much.
He opened his white robes, unveiling the wounds that were already healing into thick scars. "Fool," Bronwynn chuckled, snapping his fingers. Faebane chains appeared and wrapped around Cassian, squeezing his body so tight until he dropped his sword. "As I was saying," my brother continued on his quest of torture, "you denied it, not thinking anything of it until you found the scent again in the woods. You followed it, not realizing you were tracking her." Taking his spot next to Nesta again, he raised his blade back to her throat.
Cassian roared, the chains rattled but he couldn't break them. He couldn't move, not even a step forward before he was down on his knees beside me. His gaze narrowed at Bronwynn then me. I didn't blame him, I would have looked the same.
"What is it that you smell?" Blood dripped beneath Bronwynn's blade.
Nesta's blood.
When neither Cassian nor myself answered, he asked again. This time the blade made a deeper incision.
"Spiced vanilla," Cassian growled, his voice jagged like the miles of rock under the mountain.
"Eris?"
I knew this was it, the buried truth would surface. "Magnolias," I whispered in defeat, my jaw clamping shut as a sharp pain tore through me. Peering up at Nesta, I saw her trembling stop if only for a moment...because I felt her fracture. I didn't bother to look at Cassian—I could feel his anger and confusion radiating off of him.
"The same smell from the battlefield. You didn't even think you would find her but as fate would have it, you did. You knew you had to take her prisoner or our savage brothers would have raped and murdered her in front of you. That already happened with Lys, but to watch your mate? Well that would have killed what little humanity you had left."
"Eris...?" she whimpered, holding back her transformation with every bit of energy she had left. Sweat and blood collided across her skin. Exchanging that knowing look, the same one when we were descending onto the Autumn battlefield.
Cassian attempted to move but hissed as the chains tightened around him again. I bit my tongue, unsure of what to do or say. Sinking back on my heels, I confessed, "I didn't know how it would be possible if you already had a mate." My mouth parted again but no words could escape me.
The stinging in my throat persisted; I was not her mate. I couldn't be. It was Cassian, even Rhysand had said so. He wouldn't have lied about that, not after everything he endured with Feyre and Tamlin. Then again, he's never forgiven me for what happened to Morrigan—none of them have.
"You listened to her family when they said she had a mate. Mere speculation on their parts. You further believed it when this bastard knew things more than the others. He did, but did you stop to think who else might have seen the same things? Maybe a certain Spymaster? Isn't that right, Nesta?" Bronwynn mimicked the shadowsinger's words, "I hate eating steak after a battle. It's what leaks out onto my plate, the blood—that's the hardest part."
What remaining blood in Nesta's face had drained. Her eyes widening in horror as the past floated from my brother's lips, "how can you do that? How do you know that?"
"It's a gift really, being a seer, watching all the pieces unfold even from a distance."
"That's not your only gift—" Cassian grunted as the chains burned into his flesh.
Bronwynn stroked Nesta's arm, his voice a mere whisper, "the ability to heal without light, the ability to see the future and the ability to burn as I see fit." Fire illuminated on his fingertips but as he pressed his flames into Nesta, he failed to cause any damage. "Seems you have a few tricks yourself, Gryphon."
He couldn't decide who he enjoyed watching fall apart more, me, her or Cassian. So, studying Nesta, he continued, "and then the most recent battle in the Autumn Court. You thought you felt the commander die, but it wasn't him. It was Eris. My lovesick brother then fought his way through the river of death to be with you again. Such a romantic." He inhaled, his sharp tongue at the ready as he eyed Cassian then me, "this is where everything becomes tangled—complicated. In order to save your life," he brushed his lips against her jawline, "his dying mate," Bronwynn whispered. "The fool who took too much of herself to save the commander. You stopped her, splitting her seed of power so that she would live and so would he. Not even the High Lord of the Night Court could do that."
The muscles in my chest tightened as I felt his words thrash through me. Glaring at my brother, I interrupted his story, "enough."
He scoffed, "did you even stop to think about how much it hurt to rip apart her power? How the agony was felt on both ends of the mating bond? The strings splitting, your hearts ripping—all to make your mate happy again." Bronwynn saw the puncture marks, ready to finish me off, "although the bond was nearly ruined, you still felt it. The remnants of it. Could you feel her heartbreak? Her anger and joy? You did, didn't you? How did it feel brother, when the bastard stole her maidenhood from you? When her pleasure surged down the frail string of your bond?"
My entire body shook, every muscle flexing, figuring its way out of my restraints. This wasn't just an attack on me—he wanted to hurt Nesta too. He wanted to hurt all of us.
His silver stained teeth glistened beneath the faelights, a classic sneer aimed for Cassian, "she was never mates with you, she was only finding the lost part of her power, her soul. The—"
"—you're lying," Cassian snarled, his skin blistering as he moved forward then wobbled towards me before catching himself. "He's lying," he muttered beneath his breath to Nesta, then to me.
Bronwynn rolled his eyes before resuming his plague of destruction, "the seed you tore in half to save them." Shifting his eyes from me to Nesta, he snickered at her ghostly complexion, "you wanted to believe that you felt the bond snap in place when the cauldron nearly blasted Cassian out of the sky. The pain, the ache—that absorbing fear and confusion. Foolish girl, that was Eris getting his knee ruptured by my arrow. That was him watching his men get obliterated as he laid in the medical tent helpless. That was him realizing his mate was on the same battlefield and could be dead before even exchanging a glance."
Nesta stared at him wildly, desperately not wanting to believe him.
So, of course, he continued, "you dreamed of Cassian before but once your soul was split, have you dreamed of him since?" Cassian unveiled his teeth, his eyes turning to slits—giving it all away. "But you did of Eris, didn't you?" Not waiting for anyone's reply, he revealed, "it's called draumtala, only few have the power to do it. Usually a power given by the death god himself."
Nesta's voice was barely audible, her intense stare piercing through me, "is it true?"
I felt my chest cave, my world crashing. "Nesta..." I faltered as she looked away. It wasn't true, he was only saying this to break me.
"Oh, don't look away now," he grabbed her chin, forcing her to see his deathly blow. "He's still trying to deny it, lying to himself so the pain doesn't cripple him. His Nesta, his mate belonging to another. Having a child with another." Bronwynn's fingers drifted down her back, threatening to go lower.
My voice went guttural, light racing towards my eyes, "get your hands off her."
"See," he shook his head, "so territorial." Releasing Nesta, he walked over to Cassian, crouching down in front of him. "How he manages to not rip you apart, I have no idea." Peering at me, he asked, "Eris? Does it just kill you to think of the bastard and her in bed? That every night she moans—screams—another's name?" Bronwynn's lips curved upwards as he retreated to Nesta. His lips pressing into her ear, his tongue flickering, "I hear Illyrians make quite the lovers. Would you agree?"
It felt like the air was sucked out of my lungs, like a giant boulder had crushed me. He knew exactly where to strike, every word stabbing into me. If he wasn't attacking her physically, it was mentally and emotionally.
Nesta's mouth remained shut as her eyes stared at the spot between her feet. I knew why she studied the ground; I could feel it.
I swallowed hard, hoping my voice wouldn't crack, "are you done?" I should have killed him when I had the chance. Fuck me, I had to be decent for once.
"Not yet," he moved to the center, to stand between our silent mother, the Illyrian bastard, Nesta and myself. "You get to choose who lives and who dies." He threw the silver blade at my knees, not bothering to release me. If he did, I would gut him without a second thought. From everything he said that broke her to every unwarranted touch.
"You will have the throne, what more do you want?"
"I want you to suffer, has that not been made clear? What better way than to make you choose. If you don't, Nesta and our mother will die."
"You would kill our own mother?" I spat, shocked that he would do it. Even Aedin and Egan wouldn't have.
Bronwynn didn't blink when I asked, instead his shoulders sunk, "no, I'm not killing anyone. You are." He reached into his cloak, retrieving a dented golden ball. Bronwynn headed up the stairs to sit on his throne, unable to undo the damage to the Vanserra crown. As he sat down, he threw the ball up and caught it with his other hand, "those are your choices. Mother or your mate."
"I will not," I snapped, pulling against the chains again as I heard the tiniest of cracks.
He scooted to the edge of his seat, veins pulsating out of his neck as he yelled, "you will not fight me and you will not choose who lives, then they will both die!"
The blade at my knees vibrated against the stone floor before flying through the air. Too fast for Bronwynn to stop it from his seat on the dais.
Mother cried out. The silver handle glinting from the faelights above. Her eyes drifted down, studying the steel feather in her chest.
I watched her fall in slow motion, my entire body detonating with fury, "NO!" I roared. An intense, white light raced through the room, forcing every chain to disintegrate. I raced to my mother's side, feeling my world crashing. "Mother," I cried, falling to my knees, I pried off the cloth from her mouth.
Crimson gushed out of her wound, she was going to die if I didn't get her help. I pressed my hand into her chest, talons sinking back into my flesh. Her scarred hand covered mine to stop me from pulling out the blade.
"There's no time for that," she said, tears forming out of the corner of her eyes.
"Please," I sobbed, "please let me help you." I reached for the blade again, golden light spreading to my palms. I would fix this, I could fix her.
She pushed my hand away as her voice shook with pain, the embers within fading, "protect them."
My voice barely a whisper, "mother..."
Her strained breathing stopped, her empty eyes beholding mine.
"Mother..." I begged, pulling her into me, "...no, no." The world continued spinning as the tears flooded down my face. I couldn't keep my eyes off her lifeless body, praying to whatever gods there were to bring her back.
She didn't come back though.
No light returned, no fire burned.
"Mother..."
Nesta:
"Eris...?" I whimpered, not realizing my feet had moved for me, directing me to his side. He dropped his head onto my protruding stomach, his tears soaking what remained of my dress.
Wrapping a hand around his neck while my other dug into his auburn hair, I could feel his flames reaching towards me. Despite all this, he wanted to comfort me. In the worst moment of his life, he still wanted to take care of me. Of, of...
Looking up to the jeweled ceiling, I tried not to cry but it was no use. Amber flowed freely, droplets falling onto Eris. I held him tighter against me, unable to process everything that had happened since my arrival tonight.
I felt it then, a turn and twist in my heart. A frail connection but a connection none the less. Eris pulled away from me, gently releasing his mother to the floor. It wasn't anger that filled me to my core, it was much worse—much, much more frightening.
Eris stood up, words that were meant for Cassian and him alone, "get them out of here."
I stepped forward, ready to go after him but a hand gripped my forearm. Turning to face Cassian, I felt Bronwynn's words attack and dismantle every bit of love that was once shared between us.
Cassian shook his head, his grip tightening, "we're going home." His voice sounded like a beast, low and grating—a growl if you will.
"We can't leave—"
"—we're going home."
Eris:
My brother sat on my throne, still and in shock. Winnowing to him, I grabbed him by his neck and brought him to the graves of our father and brothers. My skin made the shadow world hiss and snarl. The monsters lurking in between realms had ran the brighter and hotter I glowed.
Smacking Bronwynn's head against father's statue, I cried. He brought destruction to my court. He brought harm to Nesta. He killed our mother.
Bronwynn clutched my wrists, the flesh on his hands began to melt away. Instead of choking for air, he was choking with laughter. Releasing my hold just enough to hear his last words, he said, "you're no son of Autumn."
Igniting into my beast form, Bronwynn's face mangled with fear. My claws sunk into his skin, my fangs sliding out with ease as my power poured out of me. A flood of pure white light; I watched as I burned him away until he was nothing—not even ash.
Collapsing to the ground, I heard the clanking of armor behind me. "My lord," she called to me, racing to my side.
My talons, my fangs, my flames, my light—all sunk back into the marrow of my bones and the blood of my veins. "Cindra..." I grunted as she flipped me over.
Taking a better look, I noticed she was covered in ash and tears and scarlet stains. Her hands and jaw shaking, her necklace out of it's safekeeping. She cried out, "he's gone, my lord. He's—he's gone." Cindra fell into my arms as she continued sobbing, her crimson sword dropping to the ground beside us.
I knew she wasn't talking about Bronwynn. I knew that no male but one could end her like this. Holding her to me, I stared up at the stars. At the gods-damn stars that watched the string of tragedies but never did a damn thing about them.
I cursed the stars.
I cursed them all.