Chapter Text
Cold. The floor was just too cold. She groaned, trying to rise from the floor. Her arms buckled and shook as she pushed herself upright. Head hung; she was beginning to lose hope again. The first rays of moonlight began to shine into her small cell, that small window – barely larger than her hand - being her only opening to the outside world. Suddenly, there was a flash of light. She shuffled towards the window to peer out to see what it could have caused it.
Her eyes widened as a small glowing orb fell into her cell, the moment it came in contact with the floor, a flower bloomed. Beautiful wouldn’t be able to describe its beauty – the flower was white, looking almost iridescent, petals fully open as it shone in the moonlight. As she observed closer, she realised that the flower was indeed shining, but it was also glowing, a soft blue glow that swirled in the flower. Majestical, she concluded that the flower looked majestical.
Bowl, water, flower, drink.
A voice said. Startled, she was too shocked by everything to think of anything. The voice was feminine, gentle and sounded so right that she did not think twice of questioning anything.
Bowl, water, flower, drink.
It repeated. Her eye caught the wooden bowl in the corner of her cell that was empty before, was now filled with what seemed to be clean water. Understanding, she reached for the bowl and carefully placed it in front of her now crossed legs. Gripping the stem of the flower she pulled it out from the ground, carefully using her nails to slice the stem off.
Bowl, water, flower, drink.
Her hands shook as she slowly placed the flower into the bowl. The water started to glow that soft blue light, water swirling itself as it looked like tiny iridescent glitter was being stirred. She thought it looked a lot like liquid moonstone. Cupping the bowl between her hands, she brought it up to her lips and drank.
The liquid was cold, cold and burning at the same time, cold but scorching hot-
She gasped choking as her vision started to blur, and her head became light. Struggling, she got up, wobbling on her feet as she tried to breathe. Tried to just get air into her system. Her heart began pounding, head filling with what could only be described as a mind-numbing cold. Suffocating, she was suffocating and she was going to die if she didn’t breathe, but she couldn’t no matter how hard she tried. She couldn’t breathe. Her heart began to feel like it was beating out of her chest, that sense of dread crashing down onto her as she felt her face begin to turn purple. She was going to die. Her vision went fully black as she felt her body give out, falling to the floor of the cell.
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Laughter sounded as the inner circle danced together on the biggest balcony in the house of wind. Starfall might have been officially concluded a few hours ago, but that certainly didn’t mean that they couldn’t drag out the celebration for themselves longer. The sun was starting to rise over the horizon when they finally decided to stop dancing, with a snap of his fingers, Rhysand summoned a large table onto the balcony and motioned for everyone else to take a seat.
“Nesta is too good at this, my limbs are so stiff that I could swear they would shatter.” Cassian groaned as he took a seat. His mate just laughed from beside him, teasingly commenting on how he definitely needed more dancing lessons.
“I think we all knew you paled in comparison to her dancing skills ever since that night in the court of nightmares when she danced with Eris.” Mor snickered, the expression on Cassian’s face turning into a cringe as he remembered the events of that night. The table laughed at that, loud and joyous.
“Rhys, the wards.” Azriel said, deep voice alarmed. The laughter died almost immediately as they looked towards the shadowsinger and high lord. Shock appeared on Rhysand’s face as he too realised, that the wards around Velaris and the house of wind were broken. His shock became fear, worry and anger all at once as he shot up from his seat. “The wards are broken.”
“What?” Amren snapped, “That is impossible I strengthened and checked them myself just a week ago.”
“We have to secure the city, now.”
A loud booming sound sounded above the house of wind. “Get down!” Cassian shouted as the sky turned into a bright flash of white light so bright it was as if a second sun had appeared right above Velaris. The light disappeared as quickly as it appeared, and as the inner circle looked up, they saw a figure falling from the sky.
Azriel immediately shot into the sky from the balcony, flying straight at the falling figure and catching them in his arms. As he looked down to see who he was holding in his hands, the face that he saw almost made his heart stop in his chest. For it was not someone who seemed to be attacking Velaris, but a female. A familiar female.
Rhys.
I have fixed the wards, they’re secure now.
Rhys.
Azriel said, again. For it was not the voice of his spymaster holding a potential suspect, Rhysand realised, but the voice of his brother telling him that something was horribly wrong.
Landing on the balcony, he held the figure close to his chest as the inner circle crowded around him. Rhysand saw the hair first. Hair that seemed to be the colour of a raven’s feathers, a black so dark it seemed blue. Then the scent hit him like a slap to the face. By the gawking looks of Cassian and Morrigan. It seemed as if he was not the only one that made the connection. Heart in his throat he looked from the figure in Azriel’s arms to his eyes.
“Who is she?” Feyre voiced the question everyone else was asking.
“Azriel…” Rhysand’s voice came out gravelly and shaky, eyes blown wide as he stepped closer.
The spymaster just nodded, eyes showing that he was just as equally shocked, as he gently used his shadows to brush away the hair covering the figure’s face. Feyre eyes widened as she too realised who it was.
Rhysand’s sister.
Not dead. Alive. Alive and breathing.
HIs sister was alive and breathing.
The high lord collapsed to his knees and wept.