Shadows Whisper | | Azriel

27

Rhys and Azriel were both still in the room when Astryn woke up.

She couldn't make out a word of what they were saying—all she could focus on was the way her head was pounding and her body felt like it was on fire. She writhed around on the bed and let out a pained groan, pulling both Rhys and Azriel's attention to her.

"Astryn," Azriel spoke softly, eyebrows furrowed in concern. He set his hand on her arm but reeled back immediately—touching her burned his hand. "Astryn," he said again, this time more urgently.

It was then that he and Rhys both caught the overwhelming scent of her power, something so stifling and all-consuming.

"It hurts," Astryn whimpered to Azriel, looking to him in desperation, "it hurts."

"Just take a deep breath, okay?" Azriel told her gently, ignoring how his skin burned when he grabbed her hand and held it securely between his own. "It's okay, I promise."

She tried to do what he said, but she felt like she was choking on the air. Everything hurt as the remainder of her wounds healed in seconds and power that had been kept locked down her entire life finally ran free. She felt like she was being overtaken by it.

"Astryn," Rhys spoke up, taking a step closer, "just let it out, alright? Let it all out."

"Rhys—" Azriel practically hissed, his head snapping towards the High Lord.

"It needs to breathe," Rhys muttered gravelly, "you know I'm right."

Azriel's jaw clenched as he thought about all of the ways this could go wrong. Astryn could hurt herself. She could hurt herself and he hated the thought of her being hurt again. But Rhys was right. Her power had been on lockdown for her whole life—it needed to breathe before she stood any chance of learning to tame it.

"Azriel," Astryn muttered desperately, and Rhys felt a little pang of hurt in his chest. She wouldn't take his word on what to do here—she trusted Azriel more.

"It's okay, darling," Azriel assured her softly, "let it out."

Astryn didn't breathe for a couple seconds, and then she screamed.

The entire house shook—Rhys and Azriel were thrown backwards into the walls. Everyone in the house was knocked off their feet. Furniture toppled and anything hanging on the walls clattered to the floor.

A deathly stillness hung in the air for a few seconds. Rhys and Azriel had both been knocked out by how hard they had collided with the wall, and they both rushed to Astryn's bedside when they regained consciousness. Astryn was limp in the bed, her breathing shallow and slow. Her skin didn't feel like it was on fire anymore when Azriel touched her. She sighed at the feeling of his skin on hers.

She blinked slowly and tilted her head towards him when she finally managed to keep her eyes open.

"What happened?" she asked, sitting up shakily but not letting his hand leave hers.

"Does it still hurt?" Azriel questioned softly, eyes shining with concern. Astryn shook her head in response and he smiled. "You did good," he praised, quiet and gentle, "you did so good, Astryn."

She smiled weakly, but her attention shifted as she caught the scent of blood in the air. Her gaze drifted to the wall and there was a dent in it from where Rhys's head had hit it so violently, a spot of blood coating it.

"I hurt you," Astryn said it in a panic, "I'm so sorry—I didn't mean to—"

"It's okay, it okay," Rhys rushed to assure her, moving slightly closer. "It's already healing. I'm fine, I promise."

Astryn opened her mouth to speak again bjt was cut off by Cassian, Mor, and Amren coming in. Mor and Cassian both looked alarmed, while Amren appeared only mildly inconvenienced.

"What the fuck was that?" Cassian asked, eyes darting around the room as he registered the overwhelming power hanging in the air. The reality hit him and he laughed gleefully. "You knocked us all on our asses! That was amazing!"

"You made me drop my diamond," Amren said dryly, and Astryn shrunk back away from her intimidating stare.

"I'm sorry," she apologized meekly, suddenly gripping Azriel's hand.

"Play nice, Amren," Azriel practically growled, eyes narrowed. Amren let out an amused exhale but gave no other reaction.

"You damn near leveled the entire mountain," Cassian spoke the words like he thought it was a good thing. All it really did was scare Astryn. Did she really have that kind of power? Maybe they were right to keep her flooded with faebane.

"Cassian," Mor hissed, shooting him a glare. He took the cue and tampered down his excitement, realizing that Astryn wasn't nearly as excited by her power as he was.

Astryn felt overwhelmed by everyone looking at her and wished it would all go away. And so it did. She blinked, and suddenly she wasn't there anymore. Azriel's hold on her had caused him to winnow away with her.

Azriel recognized this place from the times the shadows had shoved their way into his brain to show him Astryn. It was the cave she had been kept in. The chains still laid broken where Rhys had left them after he tore them off of Astryn. The broken bits of the bars Rhys had snapped like twigs were scattered on the floor. It still reeked of faebane.

"What—how?" Astryn stammered, her voice full of fear as she took in her surroundings.

"You winnowed us here," Azriel informed her, eyebrows furrowed, "wards around the house are meant to prevent winnowing in and out but...apparently they failed."

"Why would I bring us here?" she muttered, seeming disturbed with herself.

"I don't know," he answered quietly, "let's just...I'll get us back home."

It was quiet for a moment before Astryn let out a shaky breath.

"Astryn," Azriel said softly, "come on, we should go."

Astryn only nodded. Azrie gently took her hand in his own and led her out.

Astryn didn't know why and she was ashamed to even have the thought, but things were so much easier in that cell. There was nothing but misery, but at least she didn't have to worry about hurting people with power that she didn't even understand.

She wanted freedom so badly, but she didn't know what she would even do with freedom.