Rhysand
They were eating dinner when Rhysand heard Feyre's scream down the bond.
He shot to his feet, everyone staring at him in confusion.
Help them, Feyre pleaded, sending their location to him, through the bond. They wouldn't survive otherwise.
They were over a hundred miles away, but Rhys would do what it took to winnow to them. Even if it meant draining all of his magic to do it.
"What is it?" Mor demanded, as magic in the room roared.
"Come here quick," Rhys said to no one in particular.
His inner circle was instantly to their feet, knowing what was to come.
Rhys sent the location to Mor, knowing that she was also extremely powerful at winnowing. Mor nodded her head understanding at what she needed to do.
"What's going on?" Rowan demanded.
Rhys looked him in the eye. "They're in trouble. Come here quick, Mor and I will take us there." Rowan didn't need to be here anymore before sprinting towards Rhys--Lysandra, Aedion, Manon, and Dorian following him.
Nesyrn and Sartaq were utterly confused at what was going on, but Rhys didn't have time to explain. Mor took Cassian, Azriel, Fenrys, and Dorian. While Rhys took Lysandra, Rowan, Aedion, and Manon. Rhys only glanced at Mor, before they both winnowed everyone away.
Rhys never had to try so hard to winnow before.
Granted they were traveling with a big group, but it was like he was trying to walk through mud, to get where he wanted to go.
Rhys gritted his teeth, as he unleashed his magic, forcing himself to get to the mountain to where they were. Rhys divided deeper into his magic, he needed--had to--get to Feyre.
At last they arrived at their destination, as Rhys tried to catch his breath.
Mor winnowed in seconds after, with sweat also pouring down her face.
It took one look at the massive spiders that Connall and another woman were facing Rhys to grab his sword, and run towards them.
Everyone else doing the same, with Lysandra shifting into a ghost leopard.
Rhys made a mental note that he did not see Feyre there, and that Aelin was running away from a bloodied woman on the ground, towards the spider. But he would think of Feyre later, as he faced off one of the massive spiders.
Rhys did not quite know what to think of the sleek, black thing in front of him. Bodies of the other spider's laid around the campsite, with black and red blood staining the stone.
Rhys was freezing, as he just came from a rather warm climate, but didn't care. He slashed his sword against the spider, hitting her leg, shrieks filling the air.
Rhys dodged as the spider swiped for his arm, and he was able to slam the sword on her neck.
Rhys turned to see that the other spiders were finished off by the rest of them, and also saw Aelin sprinting back to the bloodied woman. Red blood stained her surrounding snow, and Rhys knew that she had been hit bad.
Rhys did not see Feyre there, but could scent that she was here recently.
The fact that Aelin wasn't panicking reassured him slightly, but he still reached out to her through the mating bond. Feyre. Are you there? Where are you?
I'm here, don't worry I am fine. Feyre responded back. Kendric was injured badly, and we had to get him away so I could heal him. He wouldn't be able to fly for a little while, we are on some nearby mountain peak. Is everyone alright? She was close then, as Rhys didn't have to wait to hear a response.
We need to regroup, I will come for you, and this Kendric. Cassian or Azriel can come too, and we'll bring him back to camp. A woman that I don't know is severely injured, but they others are healing her, Rhys responded back.
Rhys got Feyre's location from her, and motioned for Azriel to come to him. Azriel was examining the dead bodies of the spiders, as if he was determining what was the most effective way to kill them.
Azriel walked over to him, and Rhys took one last look at the bloodied campsite. There were giant bird like animals with saddles on them-- ruks.
There were only two of them, one of them being covered and blood, and having an arrow coming out of it's right wing. They were beautiful animals, but Rhys could admire them later, he had to find his mate.
Rhys created his wings as he told Azriel, "Feyre and another man are on a nearby mountain top. The man was injured, so Feyre had to get him somewhere, where she could heal him."
Azriel only nodded, and the two of them shot into the air.
Fenrys
Fenrys was helping heal Borte, along with Rowan, and Connall.
His brother.
His brother was right next time.
Living and breathing.
He truly wasn't dead.
Fenrys wanted to hug him right then and there, but there was a dying woman in front of him.
One who suffered an almost a near fatal blow to the back, and had poison in her blood.
It took the three males combine power to remove the poison, along with healing her back and face.
The cuts were deep enough that they would both leave scars. One of them ran from her temple to chin, that would probably never fully go away.
And then there was Aelin.
Who insisted that she was fine, despite having a very bloodied arm. She refused for anyone to help heal her, until Borte was helped first.
There were 14 dead spiders, littered across the camp site.
They had lit an extra couple of fires to help light up the area. They had nearly died during the ambush. And two of them were gravely injured.
Fenrys didn't want to think about what would've happened if they didn't show up.
Once Borte was healed and resting--after she demanded that someone heal her ruk, Fenrys saw Connall heal his own leg.
He had suffered a nasty wound to his calf, one that would likely leave a mark.
Fenrys eyes met his own. And tears started to fall down Connall's face.
Fenrys went in for a big hug with his brother, and himself also began to cry. "I am so.. So sorry for everything," Connall told Fenrys, as they let go.
They were identical in every way besides their hair color.
"You have nothing to be sorry for," Fenrys said back calmly.
And he meant it. Fenrys would do anything for his brother, even if it meant that Connall would hate him for the rest of his life.
"But I do. I resented you when you first swore the blood oath. But you were only trying to protect me," Connall choked out. "I am so sorry for everything."
"I blame you for nothing," Fenrys told him as he hugged his brother once more. He was exactly as he remembered him as. Fenrys only prayed that this wasn't a dream.
"That face really does look better with blond hair," Aelin smirked from a few feet away, staring at the two twins.
Connall only frowned. "So I have been told."
Fenrys looked at Aelin guilt in his eyes.
"I am so sorry Aelin. I am so sorry for letting her take you again. What you must have faced...I am just so sorry that you had to go through that again," Fenrys pleaded to Aelin,
"I don't blame you. I don't blame anyone here. She tricked us, and we all fell for it. But I got out, and I am ok. She even let me keep the scars this time," Aelin said, trying to bring humor to the air.
Fenrys face only paled. He blinked three times at her, and she blinked once back.
That was all the reassurance he needed.
"Where the hell is Dorian?" Manon bellowed, as she stormed next to Aelin.
"Over here," Dorian yelled as he stood nearby Lysandra, several yards away.
"What's the point of having raw magic, if you can't heat the rutting area. Aelin and Feyre have an excuse, cause they were just fighting 14 fucking demons. But you do not," Manon yelled at him.
Dorian only sighed, and in a matter of seconds the surrounding areas were warm.
"Much better," Manon snapped, as she stalked off to who's nowhere.
"Aren't they married?" Connall asked. Aelin nodded and said, "They really do win, cutest couple of the year award," Aelin said back with a smile.
"Thank you for saving Aelin," Fenrys told his brother, Rowan echoing him from afar.
"Long live the queen," Connal replied back. His eyes didn't leave from Fenrys, as if he too were in shock to see him there. "Once I heard how Maeve faked my death, I searched the world for you. And I never stopped searching, even as I also hunted for Maeve." Fenrys only gave him another hug back.
"Wait, so you're telling me that it was easier to find a demon queen, who spent most of her time in another world. Than it was to find a blood sworn member of Aelin's court," Aedion asked.
"Way to ruin the touching moment asshole," Aelin sneered back. "But in all seriousness. It's not like Fenrys was some big secret. Even Borte knew who Fenrys was when she first met him."
Connall only frowned, but then said. "You two look so similar."
"We're cousins," Aedion responded.
But Connall only gave a faint nod, before narrowing his eyes on Aedion once more.
"Gavriel was also my father," Aedion clarified, his voice cracking a bit.
Gavriel's death had a big impact on all of them, but especially Aedion.
He longed for the father that he never got to know. And regretted every decision about the way that he treated him. Connall's eyes widened at the realization of that's who Aedion looked like.
"I heard what happened, I am sorry. I wish that I was there fighting alongside him," Connall said, his voice full of sorrow.
Silence fell over the campsite until Aelin snapped, "Where is the buzzard?"
"Who?" Connall asked.
"Rowan," Fenrys clarified.
Connall only gave a faint nod, before pointing over to where Iris was.
Rowan was healing a wound on her arm. Once he was finished he turned his head towards Aelin, and smiled.
He started walking towards Aelin, but they were several yards away and Fenrys got tired of the slow motion reunion.
Fenrys winnowed himself to Rowan.
Taking Rowan by surprise, he grabbed the king, and winnowed to Aelin. Rowan took a step back in shock, and whipped him around to see that Fenrys was already next Connall.
"You're welcome," he called to the couple.
Rowan responded by giving him a vulgar gesture, as Fenrys chuckled.
Rowan
Rowan didn't want to wait to kiss Aelin.
Not like how he did last time.
And neither did Aelin, as she put her arms around Rowan's neck and kissed him hard.
He pulled back and whispered in her ear, "I am so sorry. I-"
"I am not going to tell everyone individually that's it's not their fucking fault. It's not yours either. I am ok, I got out," Aelin responded back, before kissing him again.
He looked at Aelin in her beautiful eyes.
His mate was captured, tortured, by Maeve twice.
Twice he wasn't there with her when she was taken.
And he made a vow that it would never be a third.
"I love you," Rowan told Aelin in her ear, as they held each other.
"Who doesn't," Aelin said with a smirk, as she kissed him again.
"A lot of people, actually," Rowan murmured, with a smile.
"Buzzard," Aelin said back.
"If you ever want to talk about it--," Rowan started.
"I will, with you. But later. We need to move locations," Aelin responded.
Rowan only kissed her again, before turning his attention towards the flying males. He would always be there for his mate, until the day he died.
He wouldn't push her about any of it. Aelin could come to him, when she was ready.
Rhys and Azriel returned, with Feyre and another man. Feyre was riding a ruk, while Azriel flew with the unconscious man in his arms, Rhys flying in beside them.
How Feyre knew how to ride the ruk, Rowan didn't know.
According to his mate, Aelin had ordered Feyre to flee with Kendric, so Feyre could heal him once ten other kharankui showed up.
And somehow, Mor and Rhys were able to winnow those impossible distances in their world.
Rowan saw how Rhys was out of breath once they arrived here, but that didn't stop him from going after the spiders.
They probably weren't going to winnowing in a while, at least not until Rhys and Mor had a chance to rest.
"Where to next?" Mor asked everyone.
Aedion replied, "Back to Antica, and then to Hybern. So we can finally finish off this son of a bitch."
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Everrryyythingggg willll be explaiinneedddddd