Heart of Flame

《18》

Feyre

'There's a ship waiting for you in the harbor, go now.' Maeve said. 'I do not care how you find them, but you will not return here without them.' A knife sharp threat lay under the words.

I understood clear as day.

The words had bearly finished sounding before Tamlin tugged me out of the room, nodding once at Maeve. We walked quickly to our room, my pack sitting where I had left it that first night, almost completely untouched, Tamlin's as well.

Tamlin shouldered his own pack before handing my mine. And we wordlessly left the castle. I was glad for the silence, I didn't think that in my current state I could even speak. I was shocked, I had hoped that I would have more time to figure out a plan, anything. Luckily Tamlin must have read it in my face as he clasped my hand again.

We trecked back to the harbor, the journey much quicker with just the two of us.

~

We reached the shore of the continent that I had never set foot on, in less a then a week. I had a barely formed plan.

'Come, Feyre,' Tamlin sat in a small rowboat, waiting for me. I adjusted my pack and climbed down the rope ladder, swaying with my weight. Again I was silent, letting Tamlin row, his powerful shoulders straying as he pulled us through the water.

Finally, on stable land, I took in my surroundings, it was the very same beach that Maeve had whipped Aelin. The pale grasses swayed with the slite breeze.

And by some cruel twist of fate, we had landed mere meters from a dark shadow that marred the ground, the smell of blood and pain so strong. 'Tamlin,' I said, bearly more than a whisper. Raising my voice did not seem right, 'Over here' I pointed towards the dried blood. He came stalking over after he finished grounding the boat.

'That's Aelins blood isn't it?' he asked, walking towards it as if he was to touch it.

'Yes,' I answered.

'So where do I start?' Tamlin asked. I stifled a groan, he still believed that I was a fragile thing to be protected.

'where do we start,' I corrected, Tamlin looked as if to argue but I cut him off 'and I believe I can track the keys.'

'How then?' he ground out, suppressing the urge to shoot me down, make me yield to his wishes.

'With Aelin memories,' the wind ruffled his hair, blowing it across his confused face, 'I can use her memories of how those keys felt.' I clarified.

'Are you sure?' he asked, doubt ringing in his voice.

'Yes.'

There you go, enjoy :) <3