Nightfully ;Azriel

37

Althea didn't know what she expected but it wasn't a small platoon of men entering the covens border one by one. Her blood chilled as she thought of the women, the children that lived peacefully in that village. Some were just like her, they haven't experienced war, the bloodshed. She thought of little Juniper, of Wren. 

"We can't let any more enter." She said to Nora who was already ripping her dress apart so it fell to her knees. "I'll stop more men from entering, you get inside and help them."  

"We should've taken Azriel or Cassian." she said bluntly to Nora who gave her a glare, they needed more help, what were two witches going to do against hundreds of men.

if Nora agreed she didn't show it, instead she gave Althea a final nod as she leapt into action, instantly knocking dozens of men over, drowning them in a sea of red flames. Althea took a deep breath and pushed past some men who screamed in agony, who fell onto their knees as their skin turned to charcoal. She missed the village she really did but seeing it burn to ashes in front of her wasn't on her bucket list. 

She spotted the smoke first, then the men who barged into homes, dragging out women and their children into the open skies. her body went numb as she watched the destruction in front of her, as three different abilities were being used. As the earth opened beneath the soldiers swallowing them whole, as ice spears struck them in the chest but they just kept pouring in like waves against the ocean shore. Her hands shook as a spear was shoved into a defenceless old woman. Evil, that's what they were.

Althea called on the clouds, on the skies that hung over head. And with a deep breath she began calling down javelins of lightning, then the rain came, washing out the fires that were burning the homes. She called on the winds that started to push back the lines of the men who were advancing on them. But what she did next caught even her by surprise as the wind that pushed the men back started to form into something of pure power. Into horses made from wind and electricity, and as they lunged at the soldiers and at each hit they would disappear into smoke. 

Her hands shook as she held out her hands on either side of herself, she heard it all. Althea heard the sky echo with booming thunder as she willed it to her bidding, she felt the ground shake as she willed it to surround her and the men that stood ahead of her. She was at the very center, and just like when she first used her abilities her veins glowed with the power she was given but she felt no fear. And within the eye of the storm, she had been reborn into something of pure power and she would not yield. Not to the power and not to the forces that turned their attention to her. 

With each step they took she willed a spear of lightning to befall them. And in the moment she held her hands opposite each other, forming a sphere the size of a large glass ball. It was just as Nora said, in the moments of battle, ideas she never thought of will be thunk. She held he hands opposite each other and right in the centre, a spark appeared and second by second the sphere grew into a ball of pure electricity. 
Without a second thought, Althea held the sphere in front of her. She could see it much better now, pure electricity in her hands, sparks slithered up her arms like snakes do and in the eye of the storm she could feel her hair be blown around by the wind. Althea willed the sphere to push forward at the men who screamed for mercy, and just as the sphere of pure power hit them, lightning fell from above like the mother herself struck them. 

They fell one by one and as they did the storm seemed to settle, the clouds dispersed leaving behind a darkening sky. 

She looked around frantically trying to see if any soldiers were left but she felt empty, as if she used the last push of her abilities and now she needed to recharge. But thankfully, the soldiers have stopped pouring from the borders, instead Nora stood there with her arms on her hips a wide grin on her face.

Althea looked back at the witches who all had looks of relief on their faces. "Where's Amara?" She asked no one in particular. 

It was Wren who stepped forward. She approached Althea with hesitance and that was when she finally smiled, reassuring Wren that it was okay. She leapt forward devouring Althea in a huge hug. "You both came." she exclaimed in relief then her face morphed into something similar to pain. "They came for Amara, they've taken her."

She swallowed a lump in her throat. "And Juniper?" she asked hesitantly. "Where is she?" 

Wren seemed to pale, tears threatened to spill. "She was with Amara when it happened." her fingers trembled on Althea's shoulders. "They've taken her as well." 

Althea felt numb, they came too late anyways. She was tired yet she followed the rest as they all spread to collect any injured. Any fallen. 

It was a lot harder to work in a dress, it seemed all too heavy and at one point she was shooed into some random cottage to dress in somebody's clothing. They were a little big on her but she was able to move around much more freely. At the end they counted seven witches dead, over two dozens of them injured and many more scarred mentally. Some of the soldiers had taken advantage of some of the women. Her fingers twitched at her side, missing her daggers. Her reassurance. 

"You must return to the meeting." Wren said after the three of them huddled around the fire, watching as they burnt the bodies of the dead. There was no emotion in her voice nor face as she said this.

"It's probably too late now." Althea said stiffly. 

Nora grunted. "I said that we'll move our troops to the night court, some medical help but without Amara.." her sentence trailed off.

Amara was the most powerful witch out of them all without her there, nothing was going as planned. "We need help." she muttered.

"I suppose you want to call your little friends." 

Althea didn't know if they were friends but she nodded anyway, the question was how. Wren looked up as she thought of something. "Those horses you made, do you think you could make something similar. A bird even." 

She blinked as she thought of it. With determination she thought of what she could do. "I can." 

Nora blinked, before turning on her heels gesturing for her and Wren to follow. "Come, we must write a letter."

That's how she found herself writing a letter alongside Nora and Wren, she made it really simple, wrote it to Feyre and Rhysand asking if they could borrow a couple of helpers to help them, wrote about the attack, wrote the coordinates of the village with a please at the end. With that she held her hands ahead of her and closed her eyes, picturing an eagle, or something similar. once she opened her eyes a bird of wind sat perched on the wooden chair in front of her. A smile tugged on her lips and she pushed the letter within the chest of the bird and watched with wonder as it steadily floated.

With a strong flap of its wings, the bird disappeared into the sun setting sky almost instantly. "Hopefully help comes soon." she muttered to the other two witches who looked at the sky grimly.

At that happy note the doors flung open and the best news they had all night was delivered. 

"There's more troops approaching, from the spring court borders."