Nightfully ;Azriel

38

They followed the troops throughout the night. But thankfully they didn't seem to be approaching the witch's village this time. Instead they were walking straight to the wall. Her fingers trembled, as she saw them. As she saw Amara and Juniper being dragged along, the small girl sagging against the older witch. But that wasn't what chilled her, walking in front, with a large cauldron being held by dozens of men, was the king of Hybern. 

He had that same cruel look as she remembered. She couldn't breathe, not as he ordered Amara to walk with him. "Today," he started with a smile like a wolf, "will be the day this wall will cease to exist." 

Amara sniffed. "This wall is ancient, older than you and I." her hands clenched around Juniper's shoulders. "How do you expect to destroy it." 

"A sacrifice."  he hummed as if it was a beautiful need. "All i need is a sacrifice." 

Then she felt it, the bird she sent out, someone intercepted it. She turned to Nora who stood on offence, her band of fighters waiting for the go. "Someone's stopped the message." 

Nora swore under her breath. "It should've almost passed the winter court, we were so close." 

Althea felt her hopes deflate. What were they meant to do now? They needed back up more than ever, if the wall was really falling that morning, what were they going to do. Her finger shook around the blade that Nora found and gave to her. Seeing the king of Hybern was bad enough but seeing the cauldron as well made her skin crawl. 
Mother, she so badly wanted that message to get to Rhysand and Feyre. Althea swallowed a lump in her throat as the King of Hybern set the cauldron near the wall. 

"Do what you said you can Amara." 

Amara raised her chin, her eyes locking with the king. "I said absurd claims when I was younger, King," she said mockingly, "I never said I will bring down the wall to stir war."

Althea's hands shook. "We need to do something." she muttered in a panic. 

Nora's fingers gripped around Althea's bicep. "the wall falling is not something we could prevent." she nodded towards Amara and a little Juniper who was hiding in the older witch's coat. "Our main objective is to grab both of them and get out of here." 

"Where will we go?" she whispered.

Nora went silent. "Wren is trying to replicate the travelling magic as we speak, sooner or later the lot of us will migrate to a different place, somewhere hidden once again." 

Althea still found it crazy, the way that the witches had been hiding in plain sight, at the edge of the spring court and Tamlin never once realised. she stilled her nerves, running between the trees to wait in a spot close to Juniper. 

"Move the girl." A soldier moved forward grabbing Juniper, dragging her kicking and screaming to the back of the lines. "You won't bring down the wall, Amara of the earth, I will." Her powers are subdued, Althea realised with a beating heart as some of the soldiers grabbed the arm of Amara bringing her before the cauldron. The cauldron hummed and Althea instantly felt sick, she felt the floor vibrate beneath her. "It craves a sacrifice, someone strong enough to bring down the wall, the witch it's chosen is not near you will suffice." 

The cauldron hummed to her and she bit her lip, stopping herself from walking into plain sight. Amara looked around one last time taking around the trees and once her eyes landed on Althea in the trees, a look of peacefulness slipped across her face. "This war has already been foretold, king. You will not win." 

The king hummed in amusement. "Throw her in." 

Althea slammed a hand over her mouth stopping a scream as the soldiers hauled Amara onto her back and into the cauldron almost instantly after his command. The cauldron shook as if it was satisfied with the power presented to it. And then all hell exploded. A light so bright lit up the clearing, giving away her position yet the king only looked at her in amusement he didn't make a move or command to subdue her. The light slammed into the invisible wall, one Althea had lived to her entire life. The ground shook as glowing blue cracks formed on the wall, like a shattered glass. She stumbled onto the clearing, the soldiers themselves so intrigued that little Juniper escaped their clutches and ran straight to her side.