Rattle the Stars

Chapter 21 (Finale 1)

Part 1 of the finale! WOO!

The light was incredible; splintering and shattering across the field, filling Aelin's eyes with so much white she could barely see. This. This was incredible. This feeling filling her up, spilling out and out as her eyes laid upon Terrasen soil for the first time in weeks.

Months.

It felt like years.

Tamlin was roaring unintelligibly behind them, but she was too transfixed on the scene before her, euphoria draining out of her in waves. It was a battlefield. A terrible, awful, battlefield. She could see Yrene and Chaol, Dorian and Manon (;~;) All of them together, defending this beautiful city of theirs.

Gods- Orynth. She could hear shouting behind her, knifes sliding into her hands. Valg were in every corner. They were going to break down the doors to her city. People were beginning to look up, shouting at the rip in the world.

Aelin could see fae, humans, the Bane, the Khaganate navy and ruk. Helion was there, suddenly, behind her. "Well, I do have to say. Even if we need this army so badly here, you did quite well on your own in Erilea." She had no words.

It was terrifying. "It's too early," She interrupted. "We were supposed to have another hour. Amren was wrong--"

"Magic is one of the most unpredictable forces in any world. Even someone like her can be wrong. Rhys will figure this out. I can communicate with him freely. We will be fine."

"Fine. Because launching ourselves into a possible massacre is fine. Damn you, Helion."

The world was falling apart around her. Amren had appeared, and was shouting something to Tamlin; Morrigan had come with Rhys and several nasty-looking human queens; there were well-prepped soldiers flooding into the clearing; and dear gods they still had an outside force to deal with.

The possessed Illyrians. Her only hope was that the proud, righteous bastards would be harder to control than the average human fae. She couldn't stay still any longer.

Aelin turned to Tamlin. They needed more fae, more fighters. "I need your help!" She screamed. The field had gone deathly quiet- everyone was staring at each other. Erawan was nowhere to be seen-coward- but even the Valg had gone still. She wondered if it wasn't the great portal that had started the change, but instead the silver-eyed woman standing away down the clearing.

Chaol and Dorian were running towards her, confusion in their gazes, and her heart finally started beating again at seeing them safe and alive. But she had other things to deal with.

"Tamlin, listen," She would bring this man to his knees if she had to, if that's what it took. "We need your help."

The High Lord gazed at Aelin, chest heaving. Rhys had winnowed behind them with Helion, and they were all explaining, shouting over one another, and there were thousands of eyes on her, Prythian and Erilean alike.

"Fine! Yes, yes, I'll help you, summon my army, but I don't know how long it will take-"

Cassian cut him off, all brusque words. "It doesn't matter. That's enough." She marveled sometimes. Aelin had known these people for such a short amount of time, yet they were willing to do all of this.

Aelin was not going to stand here any longer. Lorcan and Elide were running towards them, and the young girl was grinning so wide it must have hurt. She must have been helping some sort of healers. A call sounded, and a sudden slam startled Aelin from her reverie.

It was a terrible thudding crash. Orynth's gates. Gods. Without another word, the tenuous hold on the battle snapped, and the worlds colliding crashed into motion, bringing her down to the battlefield with it.

She was the Queen of Terrasen, an assassin and orphan. She was no longer a fae gifted by Mala herself, no longer a harbinger of flame and smoke. They had come so far- but she had her old friends and new ones at her side, and if she had to die, she was going to go down swinging.

Poll for le readers: Soooo. I'm almost done with this- and, well, what do you guys, the readers, think of it?