Made of Fire and Shadows (ToG and ACoTaR Crossover)

Chapter 11

Fenrys

'Aelin. Wasn't. Dead.' The words echoed around my head like a constant drum beat.

She was alive.

I knew what I had to do. I needed to get to Rowan as fast as possible, only the gods knew what he was planning to do.

"Shit," I said under my breath after the room had been vacated, of all things living that is.
I knew what happened to Rowan after Lyria died, and she wasn't even his real mate.

I got rid of the guard's body first, then approached the iron coffin. My eyes met hers, the once bright turquoise and gold reduced to dull blue and murky yellow. It took all my will power to lift her out of the coffin. She was far too light and I could feel her ribs against my chest. A single tear rolled down my face but I didn't care. Even though I knew this body was not the real Aelin it still broke my heart seeing her like this. Broken.

I needed to tell Rowan that she was still alive, after all, I knew that if I were her mate I wouldn't want to live in the world where she was dead.

I exited her cell, walking down to the end of the dungeons first floor corridor. I opened the door to the final cell in the row and walked inside. I placed Aelin's body on the floor carefully. I walked back to collect the broken body of the dead guard and placed him beside my friend.

I took one of the torches from the corridor and stood in the doorway. I sent a silent prayer to the gods as I touched the torch to the guards shirt. I left the torch in the cell and quickly exited through the door, closing it behind me.

I repeated the prayer as I lent my head against the cell door, 'Please protect her. Wherever you are, wherever she is... Please, just protect her. You owe her that much.'

I took a deep breath as I straightened up and walked back down the corridor. I took one last look at the iron coffin before heading in the direction of Maeve's bedchambers.