Dance of Fate

Chapter Forty Three

Azriel supposed he deserved to be where he was. Deserved to be chained to a tree in the middle of a forest in the mortal realms, his own blood staining the freshly fallen snow.

The faerie cackled as it pushed the arrow deeper into his wing, its black, scaly skin stark against the white scenery. Azriel bit down on his tongue to stop from screaming. The faerie had been twisting and pulling the arrow for hours now, the small wound turning into a large gash that must have been larger than the palm of his hand. It also had some kind of poison, because Azriel could feel his senses slowing down, a dizziness settling over him.

"I would have expected a Spymaster to be more difficult to capture," the creature said, smirking at him with cruel delight. Azriel clenched his jaw with anger. Anger towards himself, because he really should have been more difficult to capture.

"What the hell do you want," he growled. The faerie only smiled wider, eyes gleaming.

"Not you, of course. Though you will be most entertaining to break. You're merely the bait." Azriel's heart stopped in his chest. The horrid creature laughed as fear surely filled his eyes. "How long do you think it will be until she comes to save you, hm? My king is sure that it will not take long. He says she will do anything to save you."

The faerie pushed the arrow in, the sound of his wing ripping too loud in his ears. Azriel screamed. "I suppose we will see." It hissed.

Dread crept up on Azriel. He prayed to every God he knew that she wouldn't take the bait.

Even though he knew it was no use.

...

I didn't bother waking anyone up. Didn't bother to tell anyone where I was going beyond a note that said I was releasing my power in the mountains. It would take too much time, and by what I had seen... I wasn't going to waste any.

I carefully snuck out of the bedroom, careful not to wake Mor and Feyre. Neither of them stirred as I gently shut the door.

A terrible sort of calm had settled over me. My movements were not desperate as I strapped on two daggers. As I began to reach for my magic, surge down into that endless labyrinth of power. Imagining how I would use it to break the bones in whoever was behind this, one by one. How I would fill their minds with their worst fears, until they begged me to end them.

I smiled at the thought, setting down the note. My smile vanished as I felt a presence enter the room.

"What are you doing?" Cassian asked, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. I slowly turned to look at him, his expression exhausted. As he beheld my face, that fatigue disappeared. His eyes widened, a hint of fear in them.

"I need you to trust me, Cassian." I said calmly. He stood up straight.

"I'm very inclined not to do so."

I tried not to scoff. "I'm serious. Don't tell anyone you saw me. When someone finds the note, act surprised." I explained carefully. Cassian assessed me for a moment, and I almost screamed at him for wasting my time.

"What happened?" He finally asked.

The leash I held on my temper snapped. I stomped over to him on silent feet. Cassian looked slightly terrified, but held his ground.

I grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, yanking him forward harshly. "I don't have time to explain this to you," I hissed, making sure to keep my voice quiet. Though it didn't make it any less menacing. Cassian's eyes were wide. I almost felt bad.

"I'll explain everything when I get back." I said more softly. "Just please, do what I told you."

Cassian sighed. "Fine. But if anything happens to you-"