Two Worlds

Chapter 29 - Feyre

 "So we have to kill him," I mused, though it was much easier said than done. "How did you do it last time?"

Aelin sighed, looking over at Lysandra, who cleared her throat. "A quick slit of the throat and he was choking on his own blood," she said. She and Aelin exchanged a glance, and I got the feeling that there was more to the story that they hadn't shared.

Cassian raised an eyebrow while Aelin plowed ahead. "Obviously that won't work again. Last time there were... extreme circumstances. He didn't expect it, and certainly not from Lysandra. This time, though, he'll be more prepared. We need to take him by surprise."

"Exactly," Aedion said. "And we could start by—"

Amren stumbled loudly backward, nearly falling over. We all whirled to her, but she was straightening up, clearing her throat. "Continue," she said.

Mor shot her an incredulous look. "Are you alright?" she asked. Amren rolled her eyes.

"Of course," she said, though I realized that her face seemed paler than usual.

We all turned back to Aedion, but I kept glancing at Amren from out of the corner of my eye. Her face was bored, uninterested as he talked. But I could have sworn something like fear had flashed in her eyes the second after the incident.

"We'll have to cut off his head," Dorian said thoughtfully, and I turned my attention back to the conversation, but not before shooting Amren one last concerned look.

I felt her glare even as Lysandra said, "Obviously," but chose to ignore it. Lysandra continued, "But to do that we'll have to get close to him, which may prove to be difficult."

"It'll definitely be harder than last time," Fenrys said. "We'll need to find some way to distract him long enough for someone to get in the killing blow."

Rowan pursed his lips. He and Aelin shared a look, and then she nodded; it was small, barely discernible, but a nod nonetheless. He leaned forward. "I'll do it." We all looked incredulously at him. He continued, "I'll be the distraction."

Mor looked as if she were about to protest, but before she could, Lorcan cocked his head, a smug smile growing on his face. "It'll be interesting to see how the King of Assassins fares against the King of Terrasen."

"Former King of Assassins," Aelin said, almost absentmindedly. She seemed lost in thought, staring at no particular spot on the ground.

I met Rhys's eyes, and suddenly I felt exhausted. How long had we been fighting tooth and nail? How long had we been away from Velaris, from home? And how much longer would the fighting continue?

I shot the last question down the bond, not entirely sure if I wanted to hear the answer. Rhys's face showed no sign of having received my message, and for a moment I thought it hadn't worked. But then—

Not much longer, I hope.

He sounded as tired as I felt. As I studied his face, I saw dark circles under his dimmer-than-usual eyes. His shoulders were ever-so-slightly slumped, too, as if it were an effort to stand straight. Cassian and Azriel, I noticed, looked about the same. Maybe the explosion had drained them more than they were letting on. I started to say something.

It's not fair.

I shot a concerned look to Rhys.

It's not fair, he sent down the bond again. It's not fair that we have to keep fighting. It's not fair that we have to risk our lives again and again and again for this world. Once or twice—that was my limit. Not—not this. Not this relentless, continuous fighting and worrying and all-around misery that has plagued this continent, this realm for centuries.