DISCONTINUED A Court Of Blood And Night (Tog & ACOTAR crossover)

8 - Rowan

Damn, okay, so I am done trying to study Sarah's combat writing and am just going for it. Which means it's gonna suck. I apologize in advance (It's also a little short, but that's because this chapter and the previous one are to be merged).
Also, I was looking at the story and seeing the reads and comments and was hit with this realization like "Holy shit, this story is kinda popular," so thank you all to the moon and back for reading this story and having patience with my shitty updates (or lack thereof).
So yeah, y'all can breathe because here is another chapter!
- Isabella

I'm sorry, Aelin. Please forgive me for this. Rowan wasn't sure why he was thinking such things when he had every intention of winning this fight. Maybe it was experience whispering in his mind that there was a one-in-a-billion chance that he would come out of this alive. Maybe it was something else. Either way, Rowan hoped that if his death did come, she'd know he had tried to save her and forgive him for this foolish, foolish deal.

He met Erawan's eyes and felt a chill run down his spine. Those golden eyes were the color of death and suffering, and Rowan was not about to let those eyes be the last thing he ever saw.

Despite the fact that Rowan had spent centuries fighting alongside Lorcan and the others, nothing could have prepared him to fight Erawan. Not truly. Sure, he was taught how to fight against strong magic, and fight any mental intrusions, but he'd never had to fight the King of the Vlag or anything strong enough to compare.

The first of the darkness lashed out like a whip, but on impact felt like a blunt object, slamming into his abdomen hard enough that he staggered back, off-balance. He barely had time to consider retaliation before Erawan's magic struck again, this time a blow to the head that sent his ears ringing and vision blurring like a whirlpool.

As the Valg King paused to gather another wave of that darkness, Rowan retaliated with a stream of ice daggers, their sharp tips gleaming in the dim light. One caught the King's arm, and he let out an inhuman snarl as he ripped it out. Those eyes flicked up to meet Rowan's again, and there was pure malice in those golden orbs as a larger, heavier wave of darkness came.

Most fights were like an odd dance with pain and suffering and possibly death. But the longer they fought-- never with fists, but with magic-- Rowan realized this wasn't like those other fights. This was just brutality and blood and exhaustion.

He didn't realize he'd been knocked to the ground until he was struggling to sit up, ears screaming and vision blanking. He was bleeding, he realized, looking at his clothes, soaked with red. Then the pain came, like white-hot fire lancing through his veins, and his vision blurred further.

Magic. Magic wasn't going to save him. But blades and fists... That might do something. Be more effective than this pointless effort.

Rowan blinked away the blur in his vision and fought against the pain and stood up. He reached for his sword, which he'd kept strapped to his body, and unsheathed the blade.

Erawan tilted his head in a predatorial motion, eyes flicking from him, to the weapon, and back. That arrogance flickered in his eyes again. Do you really think you can beat me with only a sword? He seemed to be saying.

It was worth a try.

Rowan took a deep breath. I will win this, he promised himself, Aelin, Terrasen, and everything in between. Then he struck.

Ho-ly shit. It took forever to summon the courage to write this piece. Updates should continue at a faster rate. Hopefully. I can't guarantee anything.
Sneak peek into next chapter!

"There was another growl, and this time, someone joined her. A woman surveyed us, unimpressed. Her eyes stopped on the male-- Rowan-- and she raised an eyebrow. 'A sorry state for such an illustrious warrior,' she said scathingly... She glared at the wildcat beside her with hostility, and it bared horrifyingly large teeth at her, licking its gums as if it wanted to tear into the woman's throat.

Apparently we weren't the only ones with some issues."