A Court of Smoke and Shadows (An ACOTAR sequel fanfic)

Chapter 4 - the higher the climb the harder the fall

The weeks leading up to their planned trip to the Spring Court for Calanmai trickled by in a flow of nervous anticipation, muscle paralysing training with Cassian, and now, more intense flying lessons with Azriel.
Rhiannon toed a twig with the tip of her leather boot, her wings fully out and twitching with nerves under the Shadowsinger's steady gaze. She had thankfully managed to tame somewhat the raging blush that usually graced her high cheeks under his presence.
"Shall we begin?" He asked, his voice carried despite the strong breeze that buffeted them atop the cliff.
Rhiannon's stomach sank, he was not going to let her back out of this one. She dared a peek at the drop from the small overhang they were perched on, barely enough room to fit with both their wings. She had to crane her neck up to meet his gaze. "Do I have to?" She whimpered, hating herself for sounding so weak in front of Azriel of all people.
The corners of his lips tugged upwards in a small smile, and Rhiannon had to drag her stare to meet his hazel eyes which did little to calm her frantic heart. "Your mother had the same problem."
She raised her brows, "I find that difficult to believe."
"It is the fear of the fall that holds you back. From a boulder or from a cliff top the end result is the same." he counselled. Rhiannon levelled a skeptical look at him. His expression revealed nothing. She sighed and turned to face the cliff edge, gripping her hands into fists to stop them from shaking in sheer terror.
She concentrated on her breathing to steady her nerves and to calm her heart which threatened to leap from her mouth if she spoke.
"Focus on the skyline, not the ground." Azriel spoke from behind her. He was so close that the warmth of his breath tickled the sensitive membranes of her wings. She stared so hard at the faraway mountain top opposite them that her vision began to blur to distract her from the very inappropriate thoughts that ghosted past her mind.
Concentrate she scolded herself. Sky not ground, sky not ground she chanted repeatedly in her head until she found enough courage. Taking a deep breath in, Rhiannon leapt from the cliff edge, arms and black wings spread wide and her back arched as if she were going into a swan dive.
She heard a loud boom as Ariel took flight after her, his mighty wings propelling him infront of her in seconds. What was it that they said about Illyrians and their wingspan again?
Rhiannon blinked furiously and flapped her wings, feeling the resistance of the air pushing against the membranes. Slowly, she began to lift more in the air and travel forwards. Azriel hovered a few meters ahead, watching over like some guardian angel. More like angel of death she thought.
Her heart and panicked breathing had calmed to a steady rhythm now that she was gaining distance and height with each steady beat of her wings. She found her back muscles weren't ready to snap either. The weeks and months of intense core training with Cassian had finally paid off. Perhaps tonight she would be able to take a bath without asking Nuala or Cerridwen to help her undress. She still found that she was keeping her arms out for balance. Deep down she knew they did nothing and that balance was all in her wings and core, but she was not ready to dispel their psychological comfort yet.
She honed her senses to the dark, broad figure nearing her. She could smell his scent of mist and cedar in the swirling breeze around them that threatened to knock her from the sky. It propelled her forward, eyes gleaming with triumph as she gained on him. She told herself she could see a small quirk of a satisfied smile on his handsome face. Nearly there. Rhiannon stretched out an arm towards him, her fingers brushing a wisp of the cold shadows that he cast from his figure before he disappeared. Her eyes widened in surprise and she looked around in panic to find herself alone in the blue sky. That was enough to throw her concentration. Her right wing twinged in pain as a wind current caught it and tossed her aside. Mind numbing panic rose in her throat this high in the air and Rhiannon let loose a string of curses, with a fair few aimed at the Shadowsinger, rude enough to make even her brother blush. Her hands grappled with air as she strained to correct her position, wind screaming in her ears as she plummeted down towards the rocks.
Not again her mind shrieked with determination and she flapped ferociously, back muscles screaming with strain as she pushed down with her wings against the air to gain some lift. Little by little, she managed to slow her downward plummet to the sharp rocks scattered below. She was still high enough that she would not have any time to correct a mistake before she was impaled. Her wings trembled violently in exhaustion and Rhiannon bit back a frustrated cry. She had failed again. Her eyes stung with the threat of oncoming tears and she bit the inside of her cheek hard enough to draw blood.
A gentle pressure appeared behind her knees and back, supporting her weight. She sank into Azriel's arms, wrapping herself around his neck and dispelling her wings. The tension in her shoulders eased as the weight of her Illyrians wings disappeared.
She buried his face into the hard training leathers of his chest. "That was cruel." she sniffed, pinching his toned bicep in revenge. But she could never be mad at him, not truly anyway. It was her fault for getting distracted so easily. Her raging fear began to calm with each rattling breath she took as Azriel flew them back to Velaris. She closed her eyes and imagined she could feel the ghost of an apologetic kiss on the top of her head.
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I don't know about you guys but I wouldn't mind flying lessons with Az if it means getting flown back to Velaris in his arms at the end!
As always thank you for reading, I hope you guys like my take on future ACOTAR events. Vote and comment to see what happens!
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