A Court of Souls and Shadows

39. Azriel/Raven

AZRIEL

Raven was gone. They'd taken her, right in front of me, and there was nothing I could do. The battle was over, and we had won, but I had lost everything. I dragged my body through the cluttered battlefield, helping to tend to the wounded and set up camp, my head spinning. I'd already sent out my scouts in search of Hybern's base camp, but I was no closer to finding it than I had been for weeks. I was sure that was where the Hybern soldiers must have taken her. She was a much too valuable target. They wouldn't kill her, that much I was certain of, but I shuddered to think of what else they might do. 

I'd wanted to fly after her right away, but I had no idea where she had been taken. All there was left to do was to go through the motions until my scouts came back with any sort of useful information. The feeling of helplessness was crippling. The only way to keep myself sane was to form the detailed plan in my mind of what I would do once I found out where she was. And what I would do to the people who had captured her. I thought of all the various torture methods I would enact on her captors in vivid detail. And when even that couldn't distract my mind, I thought of the kiss we had shared on the battlefield. How she had kissed me back. How tightly she had held onto me. I held onto that memory just as tightly, telling myself over and over that I would get her back. That I would hold her like that again.

Rhysand, Mor and Amren had gone to meet with the other High Lords, to see if anyone knew anything about where Hybern's main camp may be, but I wasn't hopeful. If my scouts couldn't find it, no one could. I slumped into a chair inside of Feyre's tent, dropping my face into my hands. I was so, so tired. "We have to get her back," I rasped, breaking the heavy silence. Feyre crossed the tent to place her hand on my shoulder. "We will, Azriel. I promise," she said, giving my shoulder a comforting squeeze. I shut my eyes tightly and held onto the memory of Raven's embrace, her kiss, as the pain of her loss cut through me.

"I saw that army," Nesta said from across the tent. "It's size, who is in it. I saw it, and there is no chance of any of you getting into its heart."

Her words sank like a stone, and I lifted my head from my hands to glare at her. Nesta was still able to see visions of Hybern's army through her link to the Cauldron. Unlike Elain, her magic had been strong enough to resist the pull of the Cauldron, and she had been a useful asset in this war, but she was wrong about this. My shadows swirled around me as I held her gaze. 

"I'm getting her back," I said, my tone leaving no room for debate.

"Then you will die," Nesta replied, her grey eyes like molten steel.

I stared at her, my rage roiling in my gut and repeated, "I'm getting her back." Then, clenching my fists at my side, I stormed from the tent, before anyone tried to talk me out of it. 

* * * * * * *

RAVEN

Pain exploded across my wings as faebane-dipped arrows pierced them over and over again. I was falling, hurtling through the sky with no way to stop, my magic crippled, my wings burning. Everything was burning. The sensation the faebane caused was like acid, eating away at my wings slowly and painfully, and the burning... Gods, the burning... It was indescribable. I would much sooner take the lashings that had torn my back apart than endure this for a moment longer.

I fell into the waiting arms of the Hybern soldiers, the men crudely jostling my body along until they had me where they wanted me. I kicked and thrashed as four men held me between them, their fingers digging into my arms and legs. I hurled every foul curse word I knew at them, my body thrashing wildly under their tight hold.