𝐀 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭 𝐎𝐟 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐬

Ch 23: The barrier

""It means, she's coming." I said, looking back into Rhysand's eyes"

Aelin POV
My heart was beating too fast, 'Elena can't be right'- the thought circulating in my head. She warned me, she told me that Rowan was under Maeve's control because of a demon collar, but I didn't believe her despite the fact that the emptiness of the mating bond was evidence. She was the one calling me, showing me a memory of what she gave me to indicate that she needed to talk but I didn't catch on. Sitting on that Piano stool, she had met me halfway, showing me what happened with Rowan, but I dismissed it as another hallucination because I didn't want to believe it.

"It means, she's coming" Gavriel said and my head finally stopped denying in shock. I looked up, at the Night Court and then my own. "Whoever told you that is right. We need to get back to the house. Now." I said, putting a stopper on my emotions and taking charge of a situation that I am the cause of. "No. First tell us what did you mean by she isn't from Prythian? She's clearly not human." asked Mor.

Before I could speak and tell her that now was not the time, Rhysand went rigid. I looked at him, and he stared right back. "She's here." he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Someone breached the barrier." He explained and turned on his heels, pulling Feyre with him and walked out.

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"fighting the winds towards the heart-warming smell of ash and fire."

Rowan POV
I had flown for a long time, not seeing anything in sight, but the smell growing stronger by the minute. Following the scent, had led me to an estranged mountain as if she had used her power there, but I quickly realised she wasn't there and continued finding her, trying to detect anything, and after flying for more than two hours, the scent had finally greeted me again. I could see the city now, a river flowing through it, people crowding the streets, happy and laughing. What Aelin had told me she hoped for Orynth.

I flew towards it, by wings flapping faster and my vision tunneling, but as soon as I reached near it, I flew into something which had me flying backwards. There was nothing there, even with my hawk eyes, which meant a magical barrier. My demon possessed body got up on two tiny unsteady claws and launched in the air for the flight back.

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"I nodded my head and stepped out in a daze, not looking at her once."

Aedion POV
Nothing had attacked in the last few weeks, the whole army camp plunged into the calm before the storm. Dorian and Manon had still not returned, looking to assemble a Crochan army but with apparently no success. Rowan had not returned either, which had turned me into a living, walking corpse. My mind unable to do anything besides worry for Aelin, and if she is alive or not.

I was sitting in my tent, my head resting in my hands in resignation, when someone came in through the flaps, out of breath, "King Dorian's here." he panted before stepping out, not even waiting for me to react. My feet were moving out the door the next second, a small amount of relief flooding through me.

I met Dorian in the infirmary, big wounds scarring his torso like some big bird had clawed him. His eyes were closed and his breaths were laboured, a healer sitting at his side tending to him. I walked to him and sat down on the other side, resting my hand on his to let him know I'm here. His eyes opened slowly, like opening them was too hard. "She has him. I went to Morath and got the third key. She was there, making a deal with Erawan." He explained, then closed his eyes, but before I could leave, trying to make sense of the new information, he caught my hand. "She has him Aedion. She has him." He said, before his eyes rolled back unconsciousness.

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Rowan POV
I landed next to Maeve, shifting before my feet hit the ground. The demon spoke, telling her about the city, the barrier, how Aelin was in there. She laughed after I finished. Laughed like she had never heard anything funnier, but my body stood rigid with no emotion, just a mindless puppet for her to use. "They really think they can stop me." she said after she stopped, her face still split into a smile.

She grabbed my hand, and closed her eyes, her magic penetrating my mind trying to see what I saw. She opened them a minute later and spread her other hand, the right one still holding onto mine, and extended it towards the armada now standing behind her, looking at her in anticipation. Shadows erupted from her hand and the scenery changed the next second.

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Aelin POV
We all followed Rhysand outside, who was walking towards the mountains surrounding the city, with long fast steps. It didn't take long to reach, but when I looked at what was happening, I wished it took longer. There, standing just outside the invisible barrier was Maeve, about a hundred soldiers behind her.

Standing beside her was Cairn, which had my face contorting with fury, but the man standing on the other side, the sight making me forget the sadistic fae.

Rowan.

With a collar around his neck. I knew this was coming, expecting and preparing for it, but all that vanished the second my eyes landed on him. Elide was standing pale beside me, and Fenrys rubbing against my feet trying to offer whatever comfort he can.

Maeve had a grin on her face, one that said that she knew she was winning. Darkness erupted from her body and hit the barrier, with full force. She said something inaudible and Rowan's magic joined hers.

It took less than five minutes for the barrier to fade away to nothing. Nothing separating Velaris from its doom. "You can come with me peacefully or else." Maeve said, gesturing towards the warriors beside her. I couldn't let this happen, I couldn't doom another city, couldn't ruin the lives of innocents who didn't need to suffer, and so I stepped forward, taking slow steps towards her.