A Court of Dawn and Midnight

The Source

Rhysand stood at the entrance of the cave where the creatures came from. His hand was wrapped tightly around the hilt of his sword and his breaths were uneven as he attempted to focus.

But his mind was an abyss of thoughts that seemed to be screaming at him to get this over with.

He knew where the source of the creatures was located. And he had to end this.

So Rhys took a step forward, breathed in deeply, and walked into hell.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I can't be here."

"I can't be here."

Feyre's voice was quiet as she whispered those four words to herself.

She had been wandering in the forest since she left Tamlin's manor and it was dark now.

Night had crept up on her like an assassin's blade, and the chill in the air felt like the cold breath of her enemies on her neck.

She didn't know where she was, yet she wasn't worried about being lost.

She was worried that Tamlin would find her, and then she'd have to see him again. That thought made her sick.

How did her feelings change so suddenly? How did her love for him fade like the bright dawn into the depths of midnight.

It hurt like hell to know that those feelings, the feelings of pure bliss as she fell in love with Tamlin in the Spring Court, were forgotten.

She could hardly remember those days.

But then again, they were a lie.

And after the bliss of the Spring Court came crashing down on her, the reality of Under the Mountain hit her like the harshness of winter wind.

Her heart was cold now. And Tamlin couldn't understand why she was changed, yet he didn't realize that his very being was crumbling down into nothing.

Feyre yelped suddenly as her ankle twisted and she fell down onto the dirt earth beneath her.

"Dammit" she mumbled as she looked behind her and saw a tree root sticking out of the ground.

She laughed lightly to herself. Even mother earth wants to punish me for Under the Mountain.

Feyre struggled to her feet and winced as her weight shifted onto her ankle. She couldn't go back to the manor, she wouldn't go back to Tamlin weak and wounded.

So Feyre began limping forward, deeper and deeper into the blackening forest.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The High Lord's footsteps echoed off the stones of the cave as he descended deeper into the source of the creatures.

The first time Rhys was here seemed so long ago, but it had only been a few days since. And he had been following Feyre as she hung limp in a creature's arms, unconscious from his sleeping spell.

He had stayed in the forest when he set her against the tree that night. When the creature had stumbled up to her and taken her away, he had followed close behind. And the creature led Rhys here, to the cave which was also it's home.

He was far into the cave by now, and as the stone walls began to narrow, he knew that he was getting to the room where the mist formed into new spawns of creatures.

How did one even defeat mist? It seemed so idiotic, but he couldn't just kill every creature he saw, because an infinite number of them would reaper out of that curling and twisting mist.

So Rhys had no plan. He had no idea what he was going to do, and yet when he reached the room, he didn't hesitate to begin his slaughter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Dammit, dammit, dammit." Feyre was still limping across the leaves and fallen branches on the forest floor. She hadn't gotten far since her fall.

Her ankle throbbed as she continued forward. Where was she going? Feyre had no idea. Hopefully she would stumble across a lake or pond soon, anything that she could soak her swollen foot in.

Suddenly, the sound of a snapping twig behind her made Feyre twist around so fast that she lost her balance and fell yet again to the ground.

"How graceful," a familiar voice said.

Feyre looked up, only to find Lucien, one of the Autumn Court's High Fae, grinning down at her.

"What the hell are you doing here?" She asked.

"It's nice to see you too, Feyre." He reached his hand out for her but she batted it away.

"Did Tamlin send you here for me?" she scowled at him as he sighed and crossed his muscled arms over his broad chest.

"Of course he did." Lucien said.

"How did you find me."

Lucien laughed lightly, "how do you think? Tamlin is the one who taught me how to stalk prey."

Nausea rolled through Feyre at Lucien's words. She flipped her body so that she was on her knees and from that position, she stood up slowing, wincing at the pain in her ankle.

"You can tell Tamlin to go fuck himself."

Lucien looked taken aback, "you can't actually be that angry with him."

Feyre's temper began to heat her blood and she glared at the man in front of her.

"Oh, but I am."

"Stop, Feyre. You're playing games." He took a step towards her. "Let's go home."

She backed away from him, but Lucien was faster and so much stronger. He grabbed her wrist and tugged her towards him.

"Let's go, Feyre," he growled in her ear.

"Are you going to drag me back there against my own free will?"

"If that's what it takes," Lucien sneered.

Feyre's anger boiled within her and her breath quickened.

"I said no," she breathed.

But Lucien reached down to her legs and wrapped his arms around them, picking her up off the ground and into his chest.

Her skin felt hot, like there were flames raging just under the surface of her body.

"This is good for you," Lucien said and he began to walk in the direction of the manor. "You'll be glad to be back with Tamlin, you'll see."

And with those words, Feyre's anger exploded.

She closed her eyes tightly and screamed so loudly that her throat was rubbed raw and drips of blood snaked out of her ears. She felt her body drop down out of Lucien's arms and she collided with the ground.

But beyond her own screaming, Lucien was crying out in pain.

Feyre's eyes snapped open and landed on Lucien, writhing on the earth before her.

He was engolfed in flames.

"Lucien!" she screamed.

She rushed forward to him, crumpling down to her knees as he yelled out in pain.

What the hell?

Feyre reached out to him, not knowing what to do. But before her hand met the flames, a stabbing pain shot through Feyre's abdomen and as fast as a current, blood ran from the deep wound that had just appeared on her body.

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