Heart of Flame

《2》

Aelin
~~~

It was so dark. The darkness encroached around her, suffocating her, smothering her.

Aelin's back screamed in agony, every inch of her did. Even her depleted magic cried out. Everywhere her body touched the cool iron of the coffin, it screamed. So much pain. Aelin made a silent promise to repay every second of agony that Maeve had caused her. When she got the chance she would rip Maeve to shreds.

Aelin prayed to the gods, who damned her to a sealed fate millennia before she was even born, she prayed that Rowan, her mate, husband, perhaps now even king, was safe. That Aedion and Lysandra and Elide and Terrasen was safe. That all she had set in motion would hold. Until... Until she didn't know what.

Before oblivion slowly claimed Aelin, she was rocked with the sudden violent urge to let blood still, to destroy. The feeling so strong only the iron mask that covered her mouth stopped her from screaming outright. Only the chains that bound her stopped her from thrashing and kicking and fighting even though exhaustion plagued her and her wounds bled and clotted and bled with every and any movement.

The feeling of oblivion slowly washed away her pain, her hate. Claiming her.

It was a long while before she awoke. Her unhealed wounds screaming in agony still.

What had woken her?

Suddenly at the foot of the iron casket, a crack of light appeared. Slowly it grew until it was a long thin line of blinding white light.

The lid, thrown off in a mighty stroke of darkness crashed to the ground. That same curve seeped into her bones, pulling her out of the god's damned box. Her torso and chest still uncovered her ravaged back in full veiw of the fae on board the ship as Maeve pulled her from the box and shoved her to the deck. The cool damp wood kissing her skin as she passed out again.