A Court of Flame and Shadow (Azriel x eris)

Chapter 40: Azriel

This chapter might not make much sense if you haven't read a court of chaos and coral, but it wont take long for you to get up to speed. Just make sure to come back!

Azriel hadn't taken a breath since Amren had explained the curse. Since he had been told that his mate would explode with power unless Thesan performed an operation so difficult that if it went wrong it could kill them both.

Did her trust that Amren was telling him the truth? Yes. Did he trust Varian's research? Yes. Did he trust Thesan? Of course he did. He knew there was nothing to worry about, but he still kept his eyes pinched shut, rather than watch the High Lord of Dawn slowly move untold power between his mate and him.

He hadn't been thinking of himself, or anything at all other than Eris when he had volunteered his body to house the cursed power, whatever it may be.

Thesan had assured him he would be okay, and that Eris would be too. He whispered words of encouragement as he delivered the power Azriel felt rising in his veins, in his very heart. 

"Have you ever done this before?" Azriel rasped at around the one hour mark.

Thesan shook his head. "No, but I have done something similar before."

Azriel clenched his face, not in pain, but in shock, at the churning of power in his body. "Tell me about it."

A faint smile graced Thesans face. "It was a mother, and her son. The mother was dying, from an awful sickness. They came to the palace in the middle of the night, the son begging for my help. I was young, barely fifty, but I had been training since birth.

"I invited them inside. The son was a powerful Peregryn, and he had much magick to spare. I figured, if I could transfer some of his magick to her, she would have a chance at the survival. The sickness was draining her of power, you see, and that was the real danger."

"Did she live?" Azriel asked huskily.

Thesan glanced up at him. "She did. She still lives to this day, in this very palace."

Azriel gave him a curious look.

"Her sons name is Robin. That is how I met him." Thesan smiled widely, turning back to Eris, and looked up at the healers gathered, one of whom gave him a nod.

"Almost done, Azriel. You've done a great job."

Azriel tilted his head back, siphons illuminated as Thesan place the last blow of power into his system. He tore them open, just for a minute, to meet the High Lords eye.

"Will he... regain movement now?" 

Thesan nodded. "We will leave you alone with him." He gestured to his healers to open the blinds. "I will be back shortly, to make sure everything has gone properly. In the meantime, I will alert your friends of the outcome."

Azriel nodded, staring at the outline of his mate. Thesan gently squeezed his shoulder as he passed, a comforting "I told you so". 

Light splashed into the room, illuminating the High Lord of the Autumn Courts now twitching face. Eyelashes fluttered, lips moved as if wanting to talk.

In the empty room, the first sound that came out of Eris was a name, said slowly, as if he enjoyed each sound in it.

"Az..ri...el." His voice was a weak whisper coming from a parched throat. Azriel reached for the water jug kept beside the bed, to shocked to speak for a moment.

"Eris..." A tear tracked down his cheek. "Eris."

Eris opened his eyes fully, face splitting into a beam. He pushed himself up to sit, reaching out for Azriel.

"You don't have to sit up, my Eris." Azriel murmured, wrapping an arm around Eris's back to support him up.

"I am so sorry, my Eris."

Eris frowned, taking the glass from his hand. "For what?"

Azriel viciously wiped at his tears. "You, you only fought your father for me, you wouldn't have hurt if it weren't for me, you wouldn't have been stuck unmoving but awake for four days if it weren't for me." 

Eris smiled, pulling him onto the bed. "I would do it for four hundred more days for you, my love. Because we can finally be together, can't we?"

Azriel breathed deeply into his chest. "Yes, we can."