Aelin
Aelin loved flying.
She loved the wind in her face, and the feeling of freedom.
She didn't however love the cold.
But Aelin didn't care, not when she was soaring past mountains. They had been flying all day, and were planning on stopping for the night.
Apparently, everyone was in Antica waiting for them.
Rowan included.
She was less than two days away from seeing Rowan.
The mere thought of that made her want to cry.
Aelin flew with Borte, while Feyre flew with Kendric. And a young female, by the name Iris, had the pleasure of flying with Connall.
Connall wasn't dead.
He never died.
Aelin was still shocked about that.
She saw Connall kill himself.
Fenrys did too.
And by now Fenrys had to have heard about Connall being alive.
Aelin truly didn't know how Fenrys would react to seeing his brother.
If he would scream or cry.
They landed on top of a mountain that night, and set up camp. They were eating dinner when Aelin heard it. Connall and Feyre did too, as they immediately perched to attention, and scanned the surrounding area.
They couldn't see much as it was the dead of night, there was only the fire in front of them, and the star light. Borte saw them drift a hand to their swords and asked, "What is it?"
Aelin said nothing at first, still searching the area for the power that she felt enter the area.
"Something's here," Aelin said quietly. She was standing, and had pulled out her sword. "Valg," Aelin murmured. At the sound of that everyone got to their feet and drew their weapons.
"There shouldn't be any Valg here. We banished them all," Aelin said, more to herself than anyone.
"The kharankui used to live in these mountains. If an army marches towards Orynth then clearly there are some kharankui got here somehow," Borte said quietly.
Aelin heart dropped at the word Orynth. Her heart pounded, she had forgotten that there was an attack coming on Orynth. She had been a prisoner for Maeve for more than two weeks, which meant that the kharankui .....
Aelin swore. "What is it?" Connall asked, eyes still scanning the snowy mountains.
"Feyre, ask Rhys what happened to the army marching on Orynth," Aelin asked harshly.
Feyre's face paled, as she too also realized that it had been more than two weeks. The kharankui should be upon the city by now.
Feyre waited 40 seconds before saying, "Nothing has happened. The kharankui stopped pushing forward about a week ago. They haven't moved since."
Aelin breathed a sigh of relief, before turning back her attention to the unknown threat.
"Should we go?" Feyre asked. Aelin said nothing and only continued to survey the area.
"Rowan is going to kill me if we don't," Borte commented. "We can go camp somewhere else. But we shouldn't stick around to see whatever is here."
Aelin turned her attention towards Borte and said, "They might know something about Maeve."
"We can't risk it," Kendric said. "Let's just get on the ruks and get out of here."
"We can handle them," Aelin growled.
Before Kendric could reply, Borte interrupted, "I have no doubt that we can. But it doesn't mean that we should. We don't know how many are out there."
Aelin was going to snap back when there was a loud sound. Suddenly a giant spider came running towards the camp.
A kharankui, Aelin thought to herself, before pulling out her magic. Another kharankui came running from the opposite side of camp.
Magic in the air raged, and everyone had weapons drawn.
One more kharankui came from opposite, making it so that they were surrounded by four spiders around the burning fire. They were massive, with their smooth black bodies.
"You are surrounded, surrender," one of them said.
Aelin only smiled, before she unleashed her magic. Perhaps she wasn't as powerful as she used to be, but the kharankui still feared fire.
Connall instantly went for one of the spiders, taking it on by himself. Before things went to out of hand, Feyre disintegrated one to ash.
Everyone--including the spiders--stopped and looked at her.
"How dare you kill one of us?" one of them hissed.
"You were going to kill us," Feyre snapped back.
"Lies, we would only kill you if you didn't cooperate. We were told to bring you to our queen," another hissed. Feyre's eyes met Aelin's and they were both thinking the same thing. Maeve.
"What do you know about Maeve?" Aelin barked.
"Only that you will soon be bowing before her," another one cackled.
Aelin didn't hesitate and lunged, aiming for the spider's legs, the element of surpise on her side. The spider was able to dodge, but she wasn't quick enough to avoid the blow to the head. The other spiders attacked at the sight of their dead sister.
The biggest spider amongst them went after Kendric. Kendric narrowly got out of the way from a death blow.
The spider didn't stop charging, as the spider slashed Kendric's abdominal, red blood spilling across the white snow.
Kendric cried out and fell to the ground.
Feyre screamed as the spider was about to make a killing blow, when Connall jumped in front of Kendric, he struck the kharankui leg, but not before receiving a blow to his leg.
Connall grunted from the pain, but still continued the offensive attack.
Borte fired an arrow with deadly accuracy, as it hit the spider's eye and it shrieked in pain.
But the spider didn't fall, and only continued it's attack against Connall.
Connall's leg slowed him down, but he was able to make a killing blow to the kharankui, to her heart.
Everyone turned their attention towards Aelin, where she was going head to head to the last spider.
Connall and Feyre rushed over there to help.
Connall and Aelin both struck against the spider, Feyre helping with her magic when she could. Connall might have been stronger than Aelin, but Aelin had speed on her side. In no time they took the spider, black blood covering them.
Feyre was already with Kendric when the others came running towards him. He would die from blood loss soon, if someone didn't heal him.
Feyre just started to heal him, when ten other spider's emerged from the darkness. Borte swore, filthy and low.
Feyre stopped her healing to see that they were surrounded.
The ruks were near by and they might be able to make it--if the spiders didn't make it to the ruks first.
"Feyre take Kendric and go," Aelin demanded as she readied her sword for battle. The spiders hissed and stalked closer to them, at the sight of their slain sisters.
"I will stay and help," Feyre said, in anger.
Aelin gritted her teeth. "Kendric is going to die otherwise, take him on a ruk and go. We'll find you later," she ordered, no sound of compromise in her voice.
Feyre looked like she was going to object, but she looked at Kendric.
He was going to die, if someone didn't heal and quick.
Feyre only nodded, as Connall quickly picked up Kendric, and winnowed them both onto the ruks.
The spiders, realizing what was happening, attacked. Feyre barely had time to get into the air, before spiders flooded the camp site.
"We will find each other," Feyre called out, before flying into the night sky.
Aelin went offensive as soon as she saw Feyre get into the air. With Feyre and Kendric gone, that left 4 against 10.
The odds weren't in their favor, but Aelin had beaten worse.
This time Borte didn't fail at killing one of the spiders, with one shot. Connall took on two spiders by himself, and even with his injured leg he was able to hold his own. Borte switched to using her sword, while Iris fired the shots.
Aelin slashed against the spider she was facing. They were bigger than a horse, and more horrifying than she remembered, but that didn't stop Aelin from causing their black blood to spill.
But there were too many of them, and one of them crept up on Aelin from the side.
Aelin cursed from the pain, as the spider cut deep into her right arm.
Aelin switched to using her left hand, which she was just as good with, thanks to Arobynn.
Iris screamed as Borte took a hit for her on her head.
Borte stumbled before quickly catching herself, and slamming her sword down on the spiders throat.
Blood spilled from a deep cut on Borte's face, going from her temple to her chin. The spiders were closing in on them, and they were getting pushed back closer to the bonfire.
Aelin had no intention of dying today, and was set on making sure that no one else died. Aelin let her fire rage, as she burned three of the spiders instantly to ash.
But Aelin had to be careful with how much she was using, as she knew that she needed to reserve some for injuries.
Borte screamed as her ruk took a hit from a different spider, Borte charging after her.
The ruk would survive, but suffered a nasty wound to the wing. The ruk would probably not be able to fly for some time.
Aelin swore, as she ran towards Borte, knowing that she would get herself killed for vengeance. Aelin prayed that Connall and Iris could handle the six spiders, while Aelin went after the screaming Borte.
She had an arrow knocked back, and fired towards the spider, who was going in for a second hit on her ruk, Acras.
The spider dodged, and was able to use Acras as cover, as Borte's own arrow, hit her Acras's wing.
Borte screamed at what she did, but did not stop her pursuit.
Shit.
Aelin saw the trap that the spider had laid out before Borte fell for it.
Aelin knew that cold hearted vengeance that Borte sought, but it was going to get himself killed because of it. Just as Aelin couldn't see the trap, when she sought our revenge for Sam.
Borte launched herself against the spider, but the spider dodged out of the way, siding stepping Borte.
Borte wasn't able to turn around quick enough, as the spider hit her back with her poisoned fangs. Borte cried out as she fell to the ground.
No, no, no.
Borte was going to die soon, if they didn't get the poison out of her blood stream. The spider didn't see Aelin, until her sword was already down upon her.
Black blood sprayed her face, as Aelin made a killing blow.
She turned to see Connall holding back the spiders, as Iris tried to shoot them down.
Connall was slowly being pushed back, and even Aelin knew that they were too many of them.
Borte lay beside her bleeding out, but Aelin would have to help her later, as she sprinted to Connall.
She was not going to let another Fae male die on her watch.
She was going to make sure that Fenrys would have the chance to see his brother.
Connall grunted, as he struggled to hold them off, Iris's arrows doing nothing.
Seeing this, Iris drew out her sword and ran up to Connall to help.
Aelin swore, as she knew that even the two of them wouldn't be able to handle the six spiders they faced.
Aelin was considering surrender, mostly because Borte was dying, when there was a ripple of darkness.
Aelin almost burst into tears, as dark haired Fae males launched themselves into battle.
A snow leopard, witch, and blond haired Fae amongst them.
Her eyes landed on a pair of pine green ones, as she smiled and went charging after the kharankui.
--------------------------