A Court of Light and Darkness

Thirty: Freesia

Okay first of all thank y'all so much for 10k reads!!
I have a lot planned for the next couple chapters and am so excited for y'all to read them!
This story is coming close to ending but don't worry I'll make the ending satisfying for y'all!
Much love, Faith xx

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Freesia didn't know how she did it, but she had gotten through. If only for a few seconds, she had pushed Celeste aside and gotten to Azriel. So why couldn't she do it now? Why couldn't she stop what was happening before her?

She was screaming at herself to get through, to do something. Azriel's life was at stake and she couldn't do anything about it. She was terrified.

Azriel laid motionless on the ground, unconscious from the powder Meg at thrown into his face. Cal had dropped his old body and taken the sentry's one instead to get them free. That's who walked up to them now, with Ezra at his side.

"Are you okay?" Cal asked, placing his hand on Freesia's shoulder.

"I'm fine, Cal." Celeste replied, offering a small smile for the male. Ezra stayed quiet, his eyes still watchful of Celeste as they all turned towards the shadow-singer still laying on the ground.

Freesia was thrown off from the sudden warmth Celeste had towards Cal. But she had also been surprised to hear about why Celeste was doing everything she did. It made since, in a twisted way, but Freesia understood. If someone had been the cause of Azriel's death, she would be blinded with rage and revenge as well.

Celeste didn't say anything to what Freesia was thinking, even though she new Celeste knew what she thought. But as Celeste walked up to Azriel, kicking his side to see if he would flinch, the understanding in Freesia winked out and burned into hot rage.

If she touched him one more time, she was going to bring this entire building down on theirs heads, no matter the cost. That blatant rage scared Freesia, it scared Celeste too, and she backed away from Azriel's body.

"We'll just leave him here." Celeste ordered, turning towards the door, "He'll be out long enough for us to do what we planned and get out."

They all made their way to the door leading to stairs that took them up to a hallway. They wandered the halls, listening for anyone or anything that could lead them to who they wanted to see.

After around five minutes they started to hear voices. People conversing, almost arguing but not quite. Freesia recognized the voices immediately. Knew who stood in the room not far from where Celeste stood.

"It's been too long. Should we go check on him?" Mor spoke, an annoyance in her tone that Freesia had gotten used to hearing. Especially when she was with Rhys.

"Give him a few more minutes. I cant imagine what this is doing to him." Rhys replied, exhaling deeply. He sounded tired. Stressed.

"It was like- like she wasn't even there." Freesia knew it was Lucien who said this, his voice cracking as if he was on the verge of tears. It cracked Freesia's heart wide open, making her curse at Celeste for what seemed to be the hundredth time that day.

Celeste ignored Freesia, instead making a signal to her friends for them to move into the room. And once they moved around the door frame and into the room, Freesia's heart sank to the floor.

Because who she saw, standing beside Rhysand, her hand wrapped in his fingers, was Feyre. But it wasn't just her being there that made her scream in fury. It was the way Feyre's hand came up to her stomach in a protective stance as she beheld the group enter the room.

Freesia could tell. With the look in Feyre's eyes and the protective hand cupping her lower stomach. She was pregnant.

"I would think twice about doing anything to us, High Lord." Celeste chirped. "We have your Shadowsinger." She smirked at Rhysand as he lowered his hand, bringing his body in front of Feyre's to block her completely from view.

"Where is he?" He spoke, his voice more of a snarl then words. "Don't worry your pretty head about it." She answered, picking at her nails as if she were invincible.

Her gaze caught Mor's as she scanned the room. And what she found was a battle between sorrow and hatred burning in her eyes. Celeste had to look away quickly as Freesia's heart cracked even more.

Rhys and Feyre stood in front of the desk, Lucien standing in front of the fireplace and Mor by the wall across from him.

Ezra, Cal, and Meg were flanking Celeste, watching the others for any movement that would hurt them.

"Well this will be quick, hopefully." Celeste smiled brightly at the High Lord, "Just a simple exchange." Celeste started walking around the room, pacing through the space as she talked, "I wanted to kill you all. Thought it would be a fair price to pay for what you've done to me, to us." She jesters towards the two males still standing by the door.

"But then I got to thinking. Why would I kill you all, for you to meet again in the after life?" She scuffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "So then I thought, no I'll just kill one of them. Someone really important to them. And then leave the rest to live on without them." Celeste said this like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"That was going to be the High Lady. But, as far as I can tell by the way you have your hand over your stomach, you're pregnant. And I may be evil, but not that evil." Celeste laughed, shaking her head as everyone stared at her in horror.

"So I'll just have to kill you." She says, staring straight at Rhysand. A glint of fury glazed over his eyes as he stared back at Celeste. "So, your High Lord in exchange for the Spymaster." Celeste made her way back to Cal, Ezra, and Meg.

"You. I've seen you before. In Cassian's mind." Rhysand was looking at Meg as he spoke, making her glare back at him. "You're Freesia's cousin. Her family. Why would you do this to her?" The disgust in his voice was enough to make Meg shake with anger.

Meg seemed to hesitate for a moment, looking to Celeste before stepping up to stand beside her."My father and brothers died in an explosion during the war." Her voice shook with anger as she stepped towards Rhysand, "An explosion that your precious General escaped just in time to watch his soldiers die. Watch them burn." An angery, hot tear rolled down Meg's cheek but she swiped it away before it hit her chin.

Freesia knew what she talked about. Had heard the story of when Nesta had called for Cassian, knowing that the Cauldron would strike right where he fought. And as Cassian flew into the sky, in a panic to get to Nesta, the explosion hit right where he once stood. A pang of sorrow hit Freesia as she thought about all the families that had lost their loved ones in that war, including Meg.

Rhys was speechless for a second, his eyes full of sorrow but his face stayed cold and calm. "I am sorry for your loss." He finally said, "But you killing me will not bring back your Father and Brothers." His voice was gentle as he spoke, "I know what it is like to lose your loved ones, your family, but it will only eat at you if you let it."

"Don't-" Meg yelled, her voice breaking, "Don't you dare think for one second that you know how I feel!" Freesia was surprised Celeste let this go on for this long, but she seemed to be enjoying the show as Meg stomped up to the High Lord, shoving her face up to his. Mor and Lucien tensed, their hands palming their weapons.

"We will kill you." She whispered, tears streaming down her face, "And then I will kill Nesta and Cassian." She turned at that, making her way behind Ezra and leaning against the wall.

"Well then." Celeste clasps her hands together, stepping forward. "Now that that's out of the way, let's get to the good part." She smirks at Rhys as he still stands protectively in front of his mate. Freesia could tell Feyre was conflicted about stepping in front of him, wanting to protect her mate but also thinking of her growing child.

But before Feyre could make the decision to step out from behind Rhys, Celeste closes her eyes in concentration, burrowing down into Freesia's untouched and unmastered power.

And when she opens her eyes once more, the creature from the Illyrian camp, the one that almost killed Azriel, was standing next to her, a smirk that matched Celeste's on its face.