The dome of fire was still burning as Cassian dealt with the defect Illyrians.
Phoenix stayed by Fallon's side, eyeing her carefully. The fire burned in her veins, but the power had drained her. She didn't even know where it'd come from.
The dome slowly rippled as Fallon took a step forward. But her body was so weak she collapsed onto her knees. Phoenix kneeled next to her, trying to pull her up, but the second his arms touched her skin he hissed and backed away, afraid she'd hurt him.
A tall, dark figure came closer and Fallon recognised his features, although they were laced with anger. She'd never seen Azriel's emotions show so clearly on his face.
"Rhys already knows and he'll be here soon," Azriel said, his voice strained as he looked at Phoenix next to her.
Fallon nodded a thank you to her friend for being by her side, but nevertheless she didn't feel an immense amount of gratitude towards him.
Yes, Phoenix had opposed the Second, he'd refused to cut her wings. And while Fallon understood he'd been shocked, she'd also expected for him to fight harder. She knew without a doubt that she'd have fought with everything she had until she'd get Phoenix free if he'd been in her place. But he hadn't and Fallon couldn't help but feel disappointed and hurt.
Phoenix didn't show any anger towards his fellow warriors as he kneeled by her, not even when they'd hurt her. Not like Azriel and Cassian who looked at the warriors with blazing eyes and bared teeth.
Fallon was still a bit dizzy when Rhys appeared a few moments later, just as Azriel'd promised.
At the sight of the High Lord, Phoenix bowed and found somewhere else to be. Fallon's heart broke a little more, although she wasn't sure she could blame him judging by the sight of Rhys. He was a wave of darkness, his powers rippling through the Camp.
At the feel of magic, Fallon's vision spun, and strong, firm arms were around her before she could fall on her face.
The air around her was suddenly more gentle, quiet - like it was shielding her.
"Fallon?" Rhys asked as the darkness neared and Azriel held her tighter.
"I- I don't know what happened," she could barely rasp the words, her throat burned so bad.
Rhys's expression looked stricken for a second, before a gentleness reached his eyes. He looked at Azriel, and Fallon could feel his shrug against her body.
Thankfully, Fallon didn't have to explain what'd happened here herself as Azriel and Rhys barely looked at each other before Rhys clasped his hands and stepped closer.
"You're burning up," Rhys said, his hand on Fallon's forehead. The coolness of it made her wince.
Rhys hissed quietly and she could see the light burn on Rhys's hand as he pulled back. Another hand was still pressed to her body, though. Fallon looked at where Azirel was holding her, his scarred arms burnt, but he'd made no indication she was hurting him. And when she tried to pull away, Azriel didn't let go until he helped her sit down.
Rhys was quiet for a while as he kept studying Fallon. None of this made any sense.
Azriel appeared at his side, the shadows around him rippling as he whispered something to the High Lord. Fallon could have tried to hear it with her Fae senses, but honestly, she was too exhausted to even care what they were whispering about.
As Azriel disappeared into the darkness, his face now brutally unreadable, Rhys spoke. "We're going home, and tomorrow," his voice determined, but laced with understanding felt like a gentle caress. "Tomorrow, we're going to figure out what happened."
Fallon could barely nod before someone held her hand and she was swept into the welcoming darkness.
---
The bright, warm sun shining over Velaris woke Fallon, who didn't know how she'd even gotten into her bed yesterday. But the light was bothering her enough that she got up. And when she moved, her whole body hurt. It felt as if her bones were made of lead. She slowly dragged herself out of bed and into the bathing room to find a bath already waiting for her.
Fallon didn't bother stifling a sigh as she lowered herself into the water. She closed her eyes, letting the movement of the water calm her mind. She was swimming through her dreams until a voice brought her back to reality.
It was Nuala and Cerridwen waiting by the door with clothes in their hands. Fallon stood up and realised the bath had gone cold. How long had she been in here?
On any other day Fallon would turn the maids away, but today she was thankful for their help. She didn't have to move an inch as they got her ready and then escorted her to the living room.
By the looks of it, it was already well past lunchtime when Fallon sat down on the sofa and a mountain of food appeared on the coffee table before her.
"I guessed you'd be hungry," Rhys appeared in his usual black tunic, lined with silver thread, although his expression looked tired. Like he'd been up all night researching last night's events.
Fallon reached for the plate filled with food as Rhys sat down on the chair opposite her.
"I have an idea," he said slowly as if unsure how she'd react. "And I'm hoping you'll allow it."
"Allow what?" Fallon said, gulping down food.
"For me to look into your mind," Rhys said after smiling faintly at Fallon's appetite. If anyone could relate, it was him. The hunger after using up his powers had always been unmatched.
But Fallon froze mid-bite. "What?" She'd known about the High Lord's ability to break minds - but to look inside hers ...The thought of it alone made her shudder.
"I might see things you don't remember, things that could help us find out about your sudden powers."
Fallon had almost forgotten yesterday's events. If someone told her it was all a dream, she would have believed them. But this was her reality now. And as much as she didn't want to resurface her memories, she also needed to find out what this was.
"I would only look at the vital memories," Rhys assured her as she looked up at him.
This was what had to be done, Fallon nodded.
Rhys met her eyes and a second later the food before her disappeared.
Oh, this is happening now?
Fallon must have lowered her guard enough that Rhys heard her thoughts because he said, "The sooner the better."
The thought of the great power the High Lord possessed was beyond comprehension and Fallon only felt a caress of talons before she opened her mind to him.
---
"Vivienne, come here," Fallon's mother, Liath, beckoned her to come closer.
"Yes, mom?" Fallon neared her mother's bed, looking at the ground.
She refused to face her mother lying on the bed, unable to do anything else.
Although no one ever voiced it, Fallon knew - despite her young age - that her mother would soon die. She'd just never imagined it would be from an illness and not on the battlefield. And this way was somehow worse.
"My lovely Vivienne," Liath's voice was a harsh whisper and Fallon tried not to think about how sweet and gentle it used to be.
Fallon kneeled next to her mother who struggled to touch her cheek.
"Do you know why we named you Vivienne ?" Liath's tone was thick with memories of her husband, Talos.
Fallon, too, thought of her father - the Illyrian warrior who'd loved and supported her immensely. She swallowed down the pain of his absence and listened to her mother.
"It means life, my dear," Liath's eyes were starting to water. "And I don't want you to stop living just because I'll be gone." Liath caressed Fallon's cheek, "Your father and I believed you were born to make it over every obstacle thrown your way," a tear finally escaped her eye, "you were born a fighter thanks to your father."
"And having me as your mother has only hardened your life and I'm sorry for that," tears started pouring from Liath's ember eyes. "Life will be more challenging because of your Fae heritage," Liath gently touched Fallon's pointed ear, "that's why I'm giving you something to make it a bit easier."
Fallon's tear-filled eyes widened at the small jewelry box before her.
"Promise me," Liath's eyes were blazing with low fire, "you will never take this off."
Fallon accepted the small box from her mother's hands and opened it. Inside was a golden-brown bracelet with small golden stones engraved in it.
"This," Liath put the bracelet around Fallon's left wrist, "will hide your ears - the one sign showing you are different."
Liath closed her eyes as if debating wether to reveal more. She'd managed to hide her daughter's true identity for all these years, but her powers could no longer protect her.
"There is fire in you, Vivienne, such fire that you cannot even imagine," Liath took Fallon's hand in hers, "and for right now, that fire has to be contained." She glanced at the bracelet on her daughter's wrist and in that moment decided to spare her a childhood of fear.
Fear that she might burn something, that she might hurt someone and Liath used the last drop of her dying powers to add another layer of protection on the bracelet. It would absorb any of the power radiating off Fallon into those gold crystals. Now Liath could only hope her daughter would listen to her and not take off the bracelet.
---
Fallon hadn't noticed the tears falling down her cheeks as she stared back at those violet eyes that had just seen one of the most painful moments of her life.
A soft clank broke the silence when Rhys dropped her bracelet on the coffee table, or rather what was left of it. The golden crystals must have burst with all the power they'd absorbed over the years when it finally broke through.
"Your mother was Autumn Court?" Rhys asked after having given Fallon a few moments to regain herself.
"I didn't know," Fallon's tone was utterly defeated. And that was exactly how she felt. Betrayed, lied to and speechless.
"That explains the fire," Rhys mumbled more to himself than anyone else. "But to keep your powers contained for so long ..." he trailed off, studying the bracelet, "your mother must have been incredibly powerful."
If she truly had been, Fallon didn't know. Because her mother had never told her. She'd never trusted her enough to share her family history and her linage with her. Her already broken heart cracked once more.
Fallon must have looked particularly distressed because Rhys spoke with the most gentle and caressing tone she'd ever heard, "Fallon, all of this is in the past and what matters now is you learning to use the gift, learning to master it."
She finally looked up as Rhys stood before her, "What if it won't work again?"
"The crystals alone were filled with so much of it that it almost destroyed the Camp," he winked at her before walking out, a darkness already surrounding him.