Born into the cut-throat Autumn Court, Eris Vanserra had been surrounded by monsters his entire life and spent most of his time scheming for the crown his cruel father still possessed. His world is thrown into chaos when an unexpected source gets to...
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ASTRA
No one had come – not to save them or to hurt them.
They had endured three uneventful, long days. After the evening when Astra and Nyx were transported to a small island, Astra had spent that entire night perched on a slippery rock in a meditative state to try to find a weakness in the wards. There hadn't been one.
Astra had tried to untangle the spell work but to no avail. Nyx had tried numerous times throughout the night to fly above the island, but the air was heavy - unnaturally thick and likely laced with some sort of magic that prevented flying. It explained why there were no birds flying overhead or watching from the trees. It made for an eerie vibe that they couldn't escape.
The following morning as the sun rose over the ocean, she concluded that there must be a trigger. Triggers, she had learned from Helion, were like keys to unlock doors and they were almost always blood.
Nyx had been frustrated when she relayed this to him. We don't even know where we are. He had shouted at her, letting all his frustration spew from the fine lines of his frowning lips. Let alone who's blood might unlock these wards.
He had not been willing to give up their advantageous look-out position on the large rock for the rest of the day. By the second night, fatigue had taken over and he agreed that they could jump from rock to rock to make it to the beach area. They had taken turns sleeping on the cold, pebble-covered sand, though Astra suspected that Nyx's paranoia kept him up the entire time.
Food and water became a priority by the second afternoon. Nyx's survival skills that he had learned for the Blood Rite had kicked in when he determined that they needed to keep up their strength. They had first walked the perimeter of the island. It had taken them less than an hour, so they knew the surface area was small. It was surrounded by the cold ocean on all sides and the environment was far from tropical. The air was crisp during the day with the ocean breeze making it borderline chilly and at night it was near freezing, but building a fire was too risky. Fortunately, they were both wearing Illyrian leathers, and Nyx's wings wrapped around her as they huddled together kept them cocooned in warmth.
After scouring the rocky shores, Nyx led the way through the dingy trees that lay in the center of the island. The fact that there were trees, even trees that appeared to be dying, led them to hope for a freshwater source, rather than the possibility that the vegetation only survived on rainwater.
Hope was lost when all they found was a small pond. The water had looked wrong. It was stagnant and a murky-blue color, but gods they were so dehydrated. It constantly looked as if it were going to rain, but the clouds never opened to give them a taste. Had the Cauldron been in front of her filled with black, icy water, she would have shoved her entire face in.
By that point, Astra's mouth tasted like sand, and her body had become tired. Astra knew that Nyx had to be just as thirsty as her but after peering down at the water, he decided against the risk. His refusal brought Astra to tears, but his only response was that she needed to stop crying in order to preserve her body's water. Dehydration shifted his demeanor from playful and cocky to rude and bossy, but she tried her hardest not to start a fight with the only other living soul with her.
