Made of Fire and Shadows (ToG and ACoTaR Crossover)

Chapter 12

Aelin

'Shit,' I thought to myself.

'What the fuck is happening...'

Golden flames swirled around me, covering me from head to toe. Every few seconds a pulse of light would erupted from me, sending a rolling wave of hot air towards the rest of Rhysand's court. I was vaguely aware of them shouting, but couldn't quite make out what they were saying over the roaring silence in my ears. My whole focus was on the male in front of me, Azriel.

The Illyrian male's hazel eyes were fixed on mine, a mix of wonder and confusion swirling inside them. I could feel two different parts of him battling. His common sense, telling him to eliminate the threat to his court, and his heart, telling him nothing else mattered apart from the girl in front of him.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, I felt a presence enter my mind.

'By the cauldron Az! Of course she's not a Fire-Bringer. They haven't existed since Beron Vanserra wiped them out, and that was centuries ago! What the hell are you saying?!'

I squeezed my eyes shut and pressed my hands on either side of my head, there was no way in hell this male had just spoken to me telepathically.

'What the fuck is happening?!' I thought for a second time in the past few minutes.

'I have absolutely no idea.'

The shock of receiving a response knocked me out of my daze. I became aware of Rhysand standing protectively in front of his court, holding his hand out to Azriel, a worried look in his eyes. I looked down at my body again, only to realise that I couldn't even see it. The golden flames had risen again, engulfing me and Azriel completely.

Panic surged through my entire being, my eyes turning wild as I looked at him.

'Don't worry, I'm fine, you just need to get this under control.' He said, or thought.

His voice had a calming effect, I felt the flames lower a bit.

'This has never happened before, I can normally control it perfectly fine.' I thought more to myself than said to him.

I racked my brain for any plausible reason for me to lose control, only one came to mind.

'Shit!' I thought as I came to the conclusion.

'What? What's wrong?'

'You said, or thought, something about a Fire-Bringer?' I asked him carefully.

'Yes... why?' He said, not hiding his confusion in the way he said it.

'I think I know what's happening to me, I'll tell you soon but the others need to hear it too.'

'Ok, but first I think you should get this, whatever this is, under control.' He told me, gesturing to the flames surrounding us. It was still so peculiar, hearing him say things without moving his mouth.

'Agreed, just give me a minute.'
I looked at Azriel once more before closing my eyes again and letting go of his hand. My power surged again, apparently he not only unleashed the power, but kept it grounded too. I concentrated on my well of power, forcing the fire back into my soul.

When the flames began to diminish I opened my eyes and looked at Azriel, not sure what to do next.

'Can you still hear me?'I asked him.

'Yes, I can. Well done by the way, that was quite a spectacular display,' he replied, a smirk making itself known on his face. I was disappointed, though, when it fell almost immediately afterwards, it had made him look awfully handsome.

'How do we explain this?' He asked. I could tell he was worried just by the tone of his voice, but the deep frown did make it more noticeable.

'I'll just have to tell them the truth.'