Feyre
"How?" Aelin asked Manon everyone looking at the dot on the paper in shock.
They were there. That's where Dorian, Bryce and the others are.
Manon took a deep breath and said, "After the final battle, I may have poisoned Dorian, so I could get him unconscious, so I could tattoo a Wyrdmark behind his ear."
Everyone stared at Manon.
But no one was too upset that she poisoned her husband.
Not when it gave us their location.
"Home," Aelin murmured looking at the Wyrdmark that Manon had drawn with her blue blood.
Manon nodded.
"That's the same Wyrdmark Rowan tattooed on me to get me home," Aelin said quietly in shock.
Another nod.
"That symbol looks like the same language that Bryce's tattoo is written on," Hunt commented looking at it.
Aelin just looked at Hunt in confusion, "Bryce's has a tattoo written in Wyrdmarks?"
Hunt just shrugged, equally as confused.
But the format of that symbol as looked familiar.
"I think that language is also in The Book of Breathings," Feyre said as the realization hit her. Feyre could be mistaken, but it the symbol did seem oddly familiar.
Aelin's eyes narrowed on Feyre, "Huh."
Well that's....interesting.
Looks like this is a universal language or something.
"We have to go, now," Manon ordered, the tears that were on her face had dried up.
There was only rage and determination on her face now.
Feyre had a feeling that Manon's friends also were shocked to see her get emotional.
"He's under the mountain," Rhys observed quietly.
Where Amarathna kept everyone during her reign.
Where Feyre was forced to kill innocents and do those three trials.
Are you ok? Rhys asked, as he wrapped an arm around her.
That's.....that's where everything happened, Feyre murmured back.
You don't have to go. No one would blame you.
Feyre hesitated.
She really didn't want to go back there.
But she would go.
If Aelin's friends were there.
And since Bryce was there.
She wouldn't leave anyone trapped under there.
I'm going.
"How is that even possible?" Cassian asked. "No one goes there. It's been abandoned. Not a single High Lord has even tried to go there."
Because no one wants to go there. They too, were trapped.
"It's a massive facility carved into a mountain that no one dares go near, seems like a pretty good place to have a base to me," Amren stated.
Well with that kind of logic........
"I'm going with or without you people," Hunt growled.
Aelin's court seemed to huff in agreement.
Their friends were there.
And they weren't going to let Rhys or politics stop them.
"We'll go. I think I'm the only one who knows how to navigate there....well maybe Lucien too," Rhys stated his eyes glancing at Lucien.
Lucien's nod confirmed that he knew the way and that he would go.
Because Feyre sure as hell didn't.
She hardly saw the facility and hardly paid attention to where she was most of the time.
Her time spent under the mountain, was trying not to die.
Their inner circle looked towards Rhys and Feyre in question.
They knew exactly what kind of memories going back their might bring up for them.
And wouldn't argue with them if they said they wanted to stay.
You also don't have to go? Feyre told her mate.
We're getting them out, Rhys said. There was no doubt in his words. Only Lucien and I know the way. And even if I didn't I would want to go.
Cassian was the first to speak up from their inner circle, "You guys--"
"We're going," Rhys interrupted glancing towards Feyre. "We'll get them back."
"You don't--" Mor started, going to say the same thing as Cassian.
"We're going," Feyre said, both of them looking towards their family to tell them that it was ok.
Everyone else was paying very close attention the conversation.
"Is there something 'wrong' with the location," Aelin asked carefully.
Rhys let out a breath. "That's the place that I was....trapped, for nearly 50 years. My mate doesn't have much better memories of the place. There's a reason why it's abandoned and why no High Lord goes near it."
"We're going," Feyre told them all, before they could try to talk them out of it. "We'll get them out. No one deserves to left down there."
No one said anything, there were only some faint nods in gratitude. They must've been sending the whole "don't ask because we're not going to tell" message to them about why Rhys was down there for so long.
Mor was the first one to speak again. "So it's already been confirmed that they have shields around their location right?" Mor asked carefully.
Feyre knew that her entire inner circle would want to help.
"Yes," Rhys stated. "But hopefully I will be able to disable them. And we'll also have Feyre could also help take them down if needed."
"I can also help, if needed," Lorcan stated.
Aelin quickly clarified, "Like how I was blessed by Mala, the fire goddess, Lorcan was blessed by Hellas, our death god."
Shit, Aelin has really powerful friends.
"I'll stay because I know that you're going to want someone to be here," Amren stated, and she wasn't wrong.
Feyre looked to her two sisters. Elain was already most likely going to stay but Nesta....
"I'll stay," Nesta grumbled. "Someone needs to make sure that we don't get attacked by demons."
"I'll go get Azriel," Mor declared but Rhys quickly said, "Nope. I will." And then winnowed away.
Smooth..... Feyre sent down the bond.
Her father isn't a pretty sight, was all Rhys said.
"And is everybody else going?" Cassian asked.
No one disagreed.
So I guess we're going to have a big group.
Rhys and Azriel winnowed back in a couple of seconds later.
Azriel's face splattered in blood.
Everyone was staring at Azriel, and the blood that was his own that covered his hands.
"Is he alive?" Mor asked him, scanning him from head to toe.
Rhys said smoothly, "Assuming that he gets a healer immediately......yes."
Mor looked back at Azriel, who only shrugged.
"Rhys gave me full range....." Azriel defended, but didn't look the least bit sorry.
Lysandra mumbled, "I guess we shouldn't get on your bad side."
A smile tugged on Feyre's lips at the sound of that.
No, you shouldn't.
Bryce
"Your brother is Erawan."
The woman smiled. "And Bryce, here, knows my other brother, Matnx, as Micah."
Bryce went still.
"And my other brother, Orcus, also changed his name to Hybern, and had come to this world to conquer it. Kind of funny that all of them failed," the woman stated.
Micah wasn't an Archangel. But whoever this person's sister. My god. What in the actual hell.
"And does this make you a Valg Queen?" Dorian asked smoothly, as if his head was clear for once. Or maybe he was stalling his inevitable demise.
"So talkative all of the sudden. I heard that you stopped talking once you got your magic back, unless you had to," the queen mused. At Dorian's silence she just said, "But, once they died, yes, I became a Valg Queen. And since Aelin killed my sister in law, then there is no else to take the throne," the woman stated simply.
"And I guess conquering worlds runs in the family?" Dorian asked.
Another smile. "I suppose it does, doesn't it? Although my brothers mostly saw conquering worlds as a competition. To show off the new land they gained and their victories. Maeve on the other hand.....well she came to your world to escape Ocrus. And I honestly don't blame her. It's also kind of funny that Erawan ended up in the same world as her, they both died during the same battle at the hands of your friends."
Micah was a Valg King. Oh my god. I killed a fucking Valg King.
"Let me guess, you want to bring all of your Valg friends over to this world and conquer it," Dorian said simply.
I am 90% sure that he has spoken more right now, than he has in the past four days.
Her sly smile only deepend. "I would like you to help Ms. Quinlan open a portal to my world, and 'bring my Valg friends' over, yes."
Fuck
Bryce said quickly, "That isn't possible. First off, I don't even know how to use The Horn. Second off, if you're trying to bring over a ton of armies or something, I'm not that powerful."
This is not going to end well.
"Well it's a good thing that we have Dorian that can replicate your starborn magic, and help you wield The Horn, right? Originally, we were going to need The Book of Breathings to hold the portal open as long as it would be needed, but it seems that we forgot that you would also regain your magic back when Aelin did. Which was a fortunate thing for us, because then we didn't have to deal with stealing the book from Rhysand's friends," the woman mused.
Is that why there were so many Ilken inside the city? Amren had The Book of Breathings, so maybe they were searching for that too, along with me.
"My magic doesn't work like that," Dorian said simply. "It took me weeks to learn how to shift, and lots of practice before I could do anything major."
The woman purred, "Well I hope you're a fast learner."
Fuckkkkk. They want us to open a portal to whatever hell they come from.
"And in case I didn't make this very clear. There is currently a shield around myself, Lord Westfall, and any other guard in those rooms. A shield that you wouldn't be able to break. Along with a shield around this entire facility, so don't even try to send a message for help, or do anything other than what you are told. And once those shackles come off do not release an ounce of your magic, save it for the portal," the female ordered. "And in the scenario that your actions lead to Lord Westfall's death, do remind that if he dies then his wife dies. And that there are several children, and more of your friends, waiting back in Orynth."
"I don't know how to control The Horn," Bryce growled. "I don't know how to make the fucking portal or how to even use The Horn. I also don't how to control what world it goes to."
And that was plain truth. She had no idea how to use The Horn,
"In terms of world, its the one you consider Hel, some of the demons from that world visited a year ago. And in terms of how to use The Horn, that's fine. We have some Synth on standby in case it's needed to jog your memory," the Valg Queen purred.
Bryce's face paled. And the queen saw it.
"Would you like to start out with the Synth, or would you rather try it on your own first?" the Valg asked with a smile.
Fuck, so those were Valg that came through those portals a year ago.
And Synth.....
I would rather take my chances by just trying to open the portal on my own. Synth was what killed Danicka and the rest of the Pack of Devils. It's what nearly killed me.
"No Synth," Bryce said flatly. The queen smiled, expecting that answer.
It would probably be too much of a risk anyway for her, as she needed Bryce alive.
"Shall we begin?" the Queen asked with a sly smile.
Oh my god. This is actually happening. I'm going to open a portal to let them take over this world.
Both of them didn't respond, so the Valg Queen took that as a yes.
As if they were never there the shackles around Bryce's wrists disappeared, along with Dorian's.
The guard's grip on their arm remained strong, as Bryce rubbed her wrists.
Bryce could swear that she saw relief wash over Dorian's wrist. But he didn't release his magic, and made no motion to do so.
He still has to keep it under control. Even if he doesn't have iron containing him. He still can't release it, or risk his friend dying.
But there was still relief on his face with he shackles off, even if he hadn't released it.
Bryce knew that Dorian was considering killing them all now. But his eyes glanced behind him to the knife pressed to Chaol's throat.
He's going to do it. Help me open the portal. He wouldn't let his friend die.
And Chaol knew it too, because he growled, "Don't do it."
Dorian turned his head at the sound of this, or as much as he could with the guard still gripping Bryce and Dorian.
Chaol saw the message in Dorian's eyes. I'm sorry.
Dorian just looked at Bryce, and they locked eyes.
"Ready?" he asked her, absolute pain on his face.
He didn't want to do this. But he would. He would open the portal if it meant that his friend had a shot of living.
Bryce knew that the Valg Queen was grinning at them, but remained silent as Bryce breathed, "Yes."
It was a total lie, but it didn't stop Bryce from diving into her magic.
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