"Don't fight." I begged, making eye contact with each of them. "Please don't fight."
"Too late for that, Feyre."
Just as the words left his lips, I felt a sharp pain shoot through my head and I collapsed to the ground.
____________________________________
A loud ringing noise echoed through my head as I regained consciousness. The damp smell of earth filled my senses as I clutched at the loose dirt beneath me, dragging my nails deep into the ground in a desperate attempt to relieve the throbbing pain spearing through my skull.
"W- What?" I groaned. My eyes slowly squeezed open to pure darkness, my power emanating a protective cloud around me.
"Ugh," my fingers passed over a tender spot at the back of my skull, pulling back I felt warm liquid smeared across my fingers, most likely blood.
The ringing in my eyes slowly dissipated as I painfully brought myself up to my feet, only to be replaced by the throbbing pain becoming even more excruciating. The darkness slowly soaked back into me, allowing me to see the open field of the camp through my blurry sight.
Where is everyone?
As if in response, a loud boom rumbled through the mountains and I quietly groaned at the searing ache that ran through my head. Two winged forms soared through the sky at an unimaginable speed, black flames flickering in their wake. One pulled back and struck the other on the jaw, sending them plummeting down only to swoop back up last minute. I caught the eye of the one stable in the air, worry drenching their features as he scanned me up and down.
Feyre, are you alright? Are you okay? Are you hurt? Is the baby safe? Are you-
My mind was attacked with an onslaught of hurried questions through our mental bond, each one filled with agitation.
I couldn't get to you. You were knocked unconscious, I couldn't reach you. I- I couldn't save you-
His words were cut short as the other figure dove towards him, lashing out with dark shards of magic. Rhys held his arms up as he formed a wall of shadows to block the hit. I stared up painfully as I shielded my eyes from the glare of the sun that hung high in between the clouds, dizziness clouded my mind as I struggled to focus on the commotion above me. All I saw was hands clasping around Rhys' throat before a shield of shadows encased them both in a dark tomb.
The field suddenly became deathly quiet as I gazed up at the large shadowed sphere hanging midair high in the sky. Groups of Illyrian soldiers stalked out of the protection of the camp, confusion etched into their expressions as they, too, stared up at their High Lords in curiosity.
"Cassian! Azriel!" I growled out, flipping my hair around in a snap of my neck as I scanned the area. I spotted the three of them a fair distance away. Cassian's arms were pinned behind his back as both the younger Cassian and Azriel stood close behind him, each roughly gripping his wrists pinned in place.
"Let go, now!" At the authority dripping from my voice, the two both let go and retreated a few steps away. They both new better than to challenge their High Lady, with or without knowing her fully. My glare softened as Cassian regained his footing and limped over towards me, once he reached me he stop at my side.
"They will kill each other, Feyre." Cassians voice seemed to be huskier, filled with an emotion I could quite pick out as he looked up into the sky. "He will never stop, neither will."
I tore my sight away from the dark flashing sphere in the sky to notice the raw emotions swirling within his eyes. Cassian believed that this was the last time he was ever going to see his beloved friend again. "He will not die, Cas-"
A large explosion bursted through the dome above, putting on full display the dark creatures prowling within. The beast that is usually hidden deep within Rhys sliced its powerful taloned wings through the air, slashing out at an identical monster that flew above. The dark creature shimmered in the light, capturing shards of sun in the black scales coating his body.
It was a thing of nightmares. Unlike any Fae or human. The fierce beast can only compare to one that lived in the black black pits hidden away from day, only to emerge at the dark of the night, feasting upon innocent prey. A deep roar split through the silence surrounding us, screeching like one of a thousand desperate screams bleeding together into one.
Burning eyes locked on mine, it's eyes rimmed in black with a vivid circle of violet in the centre, reflecting on the soul that was hidden within. A roar was the only warning before a large taloned foot clawed through the air, piercing deep into its chest. Blood the colour of coal tore from beneath the skin, splattering across the two fierce predators. The battle raged on, the magic they wielded in their animal form became unimaginably stronger.
The two beasts collided at a force that shook the earth, sinking their claws into any soft tissue espoused. A roar of pain rumbled from the two figures as they tore each other apart, below on the grassy earth, I could see the dirt stain black in their blood.
I took a step forward, lifting my wings high as I steadied myself for lift off. Before I could push of the floor, a hand reached out and latched onto my shoulder and gently tugged me back.
"Feyre, they will kill you in that havoc. Stay away, there is nothing you can do." Cassian stood beside me, his brows furrowed in agitation and his eyes pleading. "Please. I don't want to loose you too."
My body twitched as my mate let out another roar. I couldn't do this, I couldn't just sit and wait. I need to do something.
I ripped out of his grasp and before he could reach out once more, I was in the air and speeding towards the murderous duel. My wings ached from not being used in such a long time, with every flap a sting jolted through my muscle, making me hiss in pain. I fought through the stiffness of my wings and sped through the air.
Ahead of me the battle raged, I watched as shards of darkness speared across the sky. The dangerous blow hit home and imbedded into a flying beasts thigh, another attack tore towards the injured animal and I silently pleaded that they could avoid it in time. To my hopes, it dived to the side, narrowly missing the fatal attack. My breath caught as the blow speared through the air and headed straight towards me.
I quickly dipped my wings and swerved, letting the darkness shoot past me. I tried to ignore the explosion from below, the screams of pain as it demolished a large unsuspecting camp tent.
I rose to the height of my mates, hovering straight in front as my wings flapped to keep upright. Darkness began to cloud around them as they continued to fight, obscuring my view of them. This is going to hurt, I thought as I flew straight into the exploding feud of darkness, power and scales. My only thought being of the face of my mate, smiling and carefree.
Their magic hit me first as I came closed to the darkness, wave upon wave of the dark power rolled across me. It's felt crushing, like being stuck in a monstrous tsunami. Constantly being sucked under, all the air in your lungs being pushed out, feeling as though your being slowly ripped apart. The first wave hit me like a truck, propelling me backwards in my fight to cover distance. The second one caught me off guard as I tried to regain balance, the impact leaving me breathless and unstable. I was ready for the third, I beat my wings hard and fought onwards, only being sent a small distance backwards. I entered the black, one after another, I slowly fell into a rhythm.
Push. Wave. Steady. Push.
Push. Wave. Steady. Push.
The darkness receded enough for me to make out the two blurred figures ahead. Coiling up all the magic I had within me, I lashed out towards them. In a gust of searing winds and a flash of blinding light, I distracted the two and separated them in enough time to allow me to solidify the air between them in a single command. The air condensed and built an impenetrable and clear barrier, blocking their path if they chose to strike once more. I acted quickly as I forced tendrils of water to uncoil from my body, reaching out and wrapping firmly around both my mates wings and appendages before they could react.
Their weight dropped as they lost the lift their wings were giving them, dragging me heavily down. Before we could fall, I formed a platform of solid air beneath us and dropped us carefully down. A gust of wind sent the smokey haze around us up into the sky, leaving us bare to the shining sun above. The blood coating both my mates bodies glistened in the light as their gazed tore holes through me.
Stop this, now!
The only response I got was two identical growls, each seething to rip out of my hold and slice the others throat. The dark figures towered over me, the muscle under their skin rippling as a silent reminder of their unimaginable strength, both looked up at me with the same fiery gaze. The only indication of my mates other than their eyes was the sole reason they hadn't broken free from my hold, even through I knew they easily could.
"This fighting will only cause death, for both of you. Do you really want our children to grow up without a father?"
The one on the left struggled against me as it tried to lift its wings while snapping out at the other. I tightened the tendrils of magic around him, restraining him once more. I glanced to the right to see the other once frightening animal hanging it's head low, bowing in submission to me. It looked up and the sparkling violet eyes of my mate stared back at me. With a nod, he transformed. My magical restraints retracted as bones began to snap and shrink, slowly turning back to its original size as a Fae body formed from the darkness.
Soon enough, Rhys stood before me. The Illyrian battle leathers he wore had deep gashes in the fabric and I could see multiple cuts and bruises scattered across his skin and wings. There was one large injury on his thigh, the wound bleeding heavily. He wore several bloodied blades, wrapped securely around his waist.
At a growl, Rhysand began transforming as well. Watching intently, Rhys walked towards me, hissing in pain as he walked with a slight limp. Once he came close enough, he wrapped an arm protectively around my waist before Rhysand appeared, stepping out of the gloom.
"Feyre, don't leave," He said fiercely, but I could hear a slight edge to his voice. "Stay."
"She isn't staying," Rhys spat from beside me. Earning a low growl from the man that stood before us. Their eyes stared daggers into each other, neither flinching or yielding.
"Stop it both of you!" I snapped, lightly shoving Rhys as both tore their gazed to me. "Can you please start acting live civilized High Lords and stop trying to rip each others heads off?"
Rhysand huffed and crossed his arms over his chest, "I wouldn't have the drive to mutilate him if he wasn't trying to take what is mine."
"And I wouldn't have the urge to choke the life out of you if you'd just stop acting so immature and coincided," Rhys growled, unwrapping his arm from my waist and taking a defensive stance in front of me. They both lunged, unsheathing blades as they swung.
"SHE IS MINE!" One roared, reeling back to lodge a powerful blow.
"AND SHE WILL BE YOURS, BUT IN THE FUTURE!" Rhys yelled, blocking an attack, "YOU CANNOT KEEP HER FROM HER OWN TIMELINE. SHE SAID SHE WANTS TO LEAVE, SO SHE WILL LEAVE. SHE IS MY MATE, SHE IS CARRYING MY CHILD AND I WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO KEEP HER HERE AGAINST HER WILL!" He panted out between swings and blocks, finally landing one hard into his stomach. Rhysand quickly regained his footing and swung again, their battle grew in violence and dark scales slowly began spreading across their skin, their animals fighting to break free once more.
Suddenly, a rush of warm liquids seeped into my pants, soaking through my crotch. Strong kicks jolted from within me as the baby became suddenly active. Realisation dawned on me as my legs gave way and I dropped, completely loosing focus on my magic and keeping floor stable as it disappeared beneath our feet. All three of us fell through the air, but only two of us reacted in time and beat their wings to keep them from going down.
I screamed as the ground suddenly became increasingly closer. My hair whipped at my face as I plummeted through the open skies.
"Rhys!" I called out, hoping he would hear.
"Help, my water broke!"