A Court of Curse and Roses; acotar

𝖂𝖆𝖗; 𝖕𝖆𝖗𝖙 𝖙𝖜𝖔

War; continued.

The earth shudders beneath my feet as I land.

I do not think. Do not dare waste time catching my breath. I give in to the animalistic power that roars inside of me.

I launch myself at the seraphim male. 

Roaring fills my ears as I grip him by his arm and throw him - far off of the hill we are standing on. His white wings disappear as he tumbles away with a snarl.

Shifting my attention to the dark - honey-skinned female behind me, I simply bare my teeth and she freezes. Her sword lowers slowly as she frowns at me. Her dark eyes are confounded as they narrow at my familiar white wings.

"You're seraphim," she murmurs. Her voice is smooth and rolling. She has an aged accent, similar to the seraphim male.

I do not respond to the slim, human-looking girl, and instead, I turn around. A whimper escapes my lips. Jurian. I run to him.

Jurian kneels in the dirt, his head is lowered. His armour has been shredded and barely clings to his bloodied body but his chest still rises as he looks up at me. His dark eyes fill with emotion as he lifts a shaky, weak finger.

"Persephone, " his voice is a croak, "Behind you,"

I spin around just as a force hits me from behind. My face hits the rocky ground and I taste blood as I feel someone lean toward me. Their boot presses me down as they whisper, "Stay out of this child, this is an ancient score that needs settling,"

I scream into the dirt as I throw my wings out, hitting the force off of my back. I hurl myself into the air as I turn towards the person - the seraphim male. He shakes his head at me, a stiff warning before he turns and stalks back towards Jurian. He pauses before him and raises his sword once more.

"Your excuses mean nothing to us Jurian," he spits, "You will die on your knees, as pathetic as you have always been. Your death will be retribution for the pain you have caused Miryam."

Jurian tries to open his lips, and tries to speak, but the only noise that leaves his mouth is a soft murmur, the last effort plea for mercy. The seraphim male does not care as he raises his sword high into the air, ready to strike the killing blow. I scream as I drop to the ground and run to them, but I am too far away, too slow to stop it.

The sword lowers.

I throw out my hands, mustering any of my lingering power, but I stop as another figure flings their body between the seraphim and Jurian. The female, in Night Court armour, is Morrigan. She shouts a command and the seraphim lowers his sword as he listens to her.

They speak quietly and hurriedly. Her voice is gentle but urgent as she pleads with them for a resolution. I rush around them and to Jurian. I gather his bloody body in my arms. Cradling him to my chest, I extend my wings.

An ancient, stony voice stops me before I can fly into the air.

"By saving him, you betray your own kind," the seraphim male says as I turn to him. His expression is stony handsome and unkind as he tilts his head towards my wings, "You are no seraphim. You are the enemy. And I will deal with both of you once this war is over."

I swallow back the pain I feel as his words hit me, the first fae of my kind that I have met, and extend my wings to their full length. I raise my head.

"So be it," I say before I launch myself and Jurian into the air.

I scan the battlefield for safety, for a place to hide Jurian, and find a clear spot on the rocky mountain face. Jurian whimpers as I adjust him in my arms and fly towards the clearing. His face is pulled together in pain but he still manages to smile at me.

"Stay here," I say to him as we reach the clearing. I place him against a tree, "I'll be back soon,"

Jurian grumbles but leans his head against the tree trunk. His eyes drift shut.

I walk to the edge of the mountain and look down on the battlefield. Many still fight, swords clashing in the light, but Hyberns forces have dwindled into the mere hundreds. And out on the sea, his ships are ablaze, nothing but burning remnants of what they once were. We have won the war.

A smile tugs at the corners of my lips. I begin to turn toward Jurian when a haunting scream tears across the field. A female cry, so raw that it brings shivers to my skin. There is a tug deep inside me and I can not help it as I fly towards the sound.

I hover above another clearing. The scene below me is haunting. Rhysands body, lifeless before a screaming Feyre, is sprawled out on the ground. And around them is every High Lord, palms out above the fallen High Lord, as they look down with solemn faces. Only one High Lord is missing - Tamlin.

I drop behind them.

They do not look at me as I move towards Feyre. The tug in my chest pulls me closer until I stand above her. She turns towards me with a snarl but her eyes soften as realization replaces the hate on her face. She keeps one hand on her mate's chest as she reaches out and grabs my hand, pulling me closer.

"Please," Feyre whimpers, her face twisted into pure agony, "Please help him,"

I take a step closer but hesitate. "Why should I help you?" I bare my teeth, "Your beloved Night Court took everything from me,"

Feyre's eyes soften, tears dripping from them, and her voice is a gasp as she says, "I'm sorry Persephone. I'm truly sorry for the pain you have suffered but please, please help me,"

I want to tear my hand from hers and fly back to Jurian. I want to find Tamlin and escape from this war and these people. However, as Feyre pleads at my feet, I can not help but feel sorry for her.

Finally, I slowly nod, "What can I do?"

Feyre's eyes light up as she says, "Give him a kernel of your power, you are a High Lady, you can do it, "

The High Lords look at me, curiosity and confusion in their eyes, as I kneel beside Feyre. I shut my eyes and focus, pleading with my power for something to give, something to help. Despite the hatred I have for the Night Court, the heartbreak in Feyre's eyes is a pain I have suffered through. Despite the unpaid debts, I open my palm and drop a kernel of my power onto Rhysands chest.

I step back as Feyre grips onto her mate, screaming desperate pleas to the cauldron.

I extend out my wings, ready to fly back to Jurian and find Tamlin when I feel someone watching me. I look up and my eyes meet Cassians.

"Thank you," Cassian mouths. His face, although bloody, is calm. There is no hate in his eyes.

I give the man who broke my heart a remnant of a smile, all I can manage before I launch myself into the air. My healing heart is aching for the two men I love.