A court of Night and Fire

Hunger games vibes

Ash POV

My head is pounding. My eyes snap open. I'm lying in the middle of the woods. Sitting up, I see unconscious Illyrians surrounding me, wings bound. Everything hits me at once. The blood rite. Asterin and Nyx. Our plan. I didn't have my wings out when they drugged me and I can't call on them. I stand up and quickly scan the faces of all the Illyrians. Unsurprisingly, neither Asterin or Nyx are here. I go over the plan in my head and look up to the sky. It's morning and the sun has just risen above the tree level. Taking my bearings briefly, I begin to move. Last night, the three of us came up with a plan. 

I move as quickly and as silently as possible through the trees. The other Illyrians would wake up soon. I think my mother's power meant that I woke up slightly early. It's almost midday when I see the first male. He's stalking through the trees, looking around. He's not from Windhaven and I can tell from his stance he's the kind who kill first and ask questions later. We made an agreement last night, to spare as many lives as possible. And whilst I could certainly beat the male, it wouldn't be without risk to myself and could be avoided. We didn't have healing powers. The slightest cut could kill you if you weren't careful.

The male catches sight of me and stalked towards me. Oh shit. Well, I tried. I step out from the tree I had hidden behind to face him. He recognises me for who I am, either due to the resemblance to my father, or because he's seen me before. He attacks me with full force, grinning. I dodge it and we launch into a fight. He's big and well built, one hit in the wrong place could kill me or knock me out cold. I remember what Asterin told me when I asked how she beat my father. Our greatest strength is often our biggest weakness. I remember my father once saying something similar. The male is larger than me, so I use that to my advantage. 

I manage to catch him off balance and in the moment it takes him to recover, I slam his head into the nearest tree, knocking him out cold. I stand there over his unconscious body, panting and bleeding from a small cut on my temple. Ordinarily it would heal instantly but without my healing powers, it will have to heal naturally. I'd only knocked him out, but if he was unconscious my nightfall, then he was dead. The creatures in these woods at night would eat him alive. I left him there. As cruel as it was, my own survival as well as Asterin's and Nyx's could potentially rely on the plan we formed. The plan relied on speed, and getting to each other as fast as possible. 

I broke into a jog, winding through the trees as quietly as possible. I ran all day, not stopping to eat, only to drink from a stream. Only the thought of my two companions out here alone kept me moving. The trees began to thin out just as dusk fell. I could see the open plain before me. All the Illyrians who'd been dumped near here were already making their way towards Ramiel through the forest. I'd seen quite a few and had managed to keep out of sight to avoid any repeats of earlier. I broke through the tree line and slowed to a walk, panting and scanning around. A bird call sounded and I nearly fell to my knees with relief, Nyx was alive. 

The bird call was a signal we'd come up with between the three of us. I whistled out the counter signal and a moment later Nyx appeared, running up and hugging me tightly. "you're alive!" he whispered. I chuckled, still panting from the run to get here. "yes" I said. Nyx released me and we stared at each other for a moment, both of us thinking the same thing. We'd come up with a plan, basing it on the fact we were most likely to be split up across the three points that the Illyrians were left at. The next stage of the plan was for Nyx and I to meet Asterin at the designated location. Provided ,of course, we get there without dying. 

I nodded to Nyx and we set off down the sloping plain. It was a longer route, but a much safer one, given the things that lurked in the forest. As we switch between walking and Jogging, I tell Nyx about my encounter with the male and we run over the plan together. Neither of us want to address the question we're both thinking. When we reach the rendezvous point, will Asterin be there? The person left at the third location had the most risky journey. She will. She has to be. Besides, Asterin is too clever to die.