𝐀 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭 𝐎𝐟 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐬

Ch 20: The Bone Carver

Rhysand POV

I was standing in front of the mountain gate, trying to get my feet to move, but they stayed where they were as if saying 'you're not ready for this information.' After a minute, I took in a deep breath and slowly opened the gates.

The interior was dark as always, not an inkling of light entering the prison. I stepped through the magical barrier that I had placed so long ago, a huge bone dangling from my fingers. I wormed my way through the labyrinth that is the prison and stopped right in front of the slate panel behind which, was imprisoned the bone carver. "If it isn't the High Lord himself." A voice drawled from beyond the stone. I sighed and placed my hand on the rock, my magic unlocking the gate on its own accord.
"What brings you here?" The carver asked with a smirk that said 'I already know' but I was in too much emotional turmoil right now for his drama. "Is she lying? She's lying isn't she?" I asked with poorly hidden distress laced in my voice. The Bone Carver chuckled and looked down at his hands. "It wasn't your mother's fault. The gods were playing with her." he said, taking out the dirt from his nails like this was a conversation he had had in his head a million times. "What does that even mean!" I shouted at him, my patience wearing thin.

"She's your sister High Lord, screaming won't change that" he stated simply, all expression vanishing from his face as he lifted his head to meet my gaze. He outstretched his hand, asking for his bone no doubt and I moved forward and dropped it into his hands, but before I could move back the bone carver dropped the bone and lunged forward grabbing onto my collar and slamming my chin against the bars. "She's coming. She's coming. She'll destroy everything." he said with an emotion I had never heard in his voice....panic. I freed myself from his grip and a hitched breath escaped my lips, looking at his previously hidden bloodshot eyes on the body of silver haired fae with a tattoo covering half his face. I stared at him for a minute, trying to decide if I have ever seen that fae before. "He'll lead her here." he said, his voice barely above a whisper before bending down and grabbing his bone, and going back into his little dark corner.

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Aelin POV

Lying alone in my room, only a white unconcious wolf laying on my feet, my mind wandered back to the room with Helion when I had found about everything with my mother and my previously unexplainable nausea. The baby bump was visible by now, I don't know how I had managed to dismiss it. I should be mad at Fenrys for not telling me, his logic for doing so completely escaping me, but staying mad at someone after you accidentally burnt their feet off was hard. Helion had told me about the wings, the one's my mother passed on to Rhysand, which had me wondering why I didn't have them, but I had after all taken more after my father, except the blonde hair and Ashryver eyes.

A small whine brought me out of the daze and I looked down to find a still half-unconcious wolf trying to look at me, but failing because he was in too much pain. I was suddenly sitting next to him, petting his head. "I forgive you. For not telling me." I said while continuing to stroke the wolf. His whining instantly stopped and his eyes looked into mine and I could see the guilt and relief shining in contrast in them. He closed his eyes and his body began to slightly glow, but I stopped him, placing my hand on his eyes, "Don't. It will hurt more, fae skin is more sensitive." I said, stopping him from becoming a writhing mess, he slumped back and his body stopped glowing. He moved a little to rest his head on my lap and closed his eyes again, too tired with the effort of all that I suppose.

I continued stroking him while my thoughts circled back to Rowan, and the emptiness that I felt when I searched for the bond looking for comfort. The void sent chills down my back but I was helpless here. Lorcan and Gavriel no doubt had smelled my pregnancy by now and told Elide, but their silence on the subject was not something I expected. They were all in the rooms they had gotten from Feyre resting until they could all meet for dinner and discuss everything that was going wrong, which was a lot, to be honest. Kaltain had stayed silent the whole time, not uttering a word since our reunion, which almost made me forget she was there. But she had a purpose here, something told me, and she had a lot of questions to answer.

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Rowan POV

I was being forced to sit back and watch while my hands sliced a knife along a helpless little healer's throat who apparently helped heal Aelin's wounds after sessions. I would have thanked her had I been in control but the demon would push me right back inside every time I tried to come out. I wasn't trying anyways, I needs that strength in that final moment when Aelin would be in front of me, commanding me to fight the demon.

"Come on Rowan, we have some more killing to do." she drawled, stepping over the now dead demi-fae's body, and walking towards the edge of the forest. Her still calling me Rowan was a cheap form of mockery, just showing me how I had vowed to never bow to her again and yet here I was. She would pay for everything, Aelin, me, Fenrys.

We walked passed the border, every far we passed talking at my figure following her because everyone knew of the woman who threatened to burn the city down for him. The demon inside me kept following Maeve, not even acknowledging the looks, but Maeve- she had a smirk on her face that clearly showed that had won.

We walked at a steady speed until Maeve's feet suddenly stopped. She turned towards me at a painstakingly slow speed and looked me over, like a lion does it's prey. "Go back to the city and assemble the army on standby. Meet me back here with the troops." she started, command oozing out of the statement. She turned back, facing the forest ahead once again, "we have a stubborn little bitch to threaten." she said, more like speaking to herself. My body turned away from Maeve and started back the way we came.