Thrones of Fire and Darkness

Chapter Ten

Alright, here we go! Chapter 10, and Aelin and Lysandra are finally in Prythian!

Mor looked at me questioningly. I shrugged helplessly. How was I supposed to know? Then my friend turned away to see the red-gold haired girl starting to run in the direction of the power source. Mor barked a warning, alarmed, but Evangeline was already running, picking up speed, sprinting through the trees and dodging obstacles. It was almost as if the roots and rocks moved out of the way for her as she bolted through the forest like a doe. Mor and I exchanged glances, wide-eyed at her speed, and then raced after her.

It seemed like we ran for hours, but I later realized it had barely been a few minutes. Even with my enhanced senses, I couldn't catch up to the girl in front of me, so I yelled for Mor to follow her. Mor picked up her pace and ran ahead, casting one last worried glance back at me. I waved my hand in dismissal and urged my legs faster.

Mor was now close to the girl, who kept getting faster and faster, running and running as if Death itself were on her heels. I didn't know what Wyrdmarks were, or what she was running to, but I trusted the girl's instincts. Gritting my teeth, I winnowed closer, and closer. It was risky, at this speed, in this closely wooded forest. I could very well slam into a tree if I wasn't careful, but I managed to catch up. Evangeline was slowing, Mor decreasing her speed behind, and I could hear a broken sob coming from the girl in front of me as she put on one last burst of speed, taking us into a clearing.

She stopped dead, her eyes wide with either fear or wonder. We slowed to a halt beside her, gazing at the contents of the clearing. I wasn't sure where to look first; at the giant, multi-colored portal in the sky that was steadily closing, a rip in our world; or at the two women standing in the center of the clearing.

They were undoubtedly the ones from my dream and Elain's vision. One was High Fae, with blue eyes and tanned skin. Her slightly pointed ears poked out from beneath her curtain of golden hair. As she bared her teeth at me and Mor, we could see that her canines were slightly longer and pointed. Some characteristic of their Fae?

She was wearing a black suit of some sort, a sword sheathed at her waist- the ruby in the pommel smoldering with some inner fire. The sword was already half-drawn, and as I watched, she pulled it free. Mor, snarling quietly, did the same with her own blades, and made to approach the females, but I stopped her with a hand to the side. I was already taking in the second woman.

This one seemed human, with rounded ears and no sign of the elongated canines that the other possessed. She was truly beautiful, with long, dark tresses of hair, full curves, and golden skin. Her emerald eyes were wide and fixed on the girl in front of us, whose breath was coming in heaving pants. Evangeline's citrine eyes were filled with tears, and I watched as a few slipped free. "Evangeline," the green-eyed female breathed. Evangeline sobbed once. "Lysandra," she whispered back.

All of a sudden, Mor tensed, shifting her attention from the golden-haired female to Lysandra. For a minute, I wondered why; then I remembered what Evangeline had said: a woman named Lysandra had given those scars to her. So were these females friends or foes?

Evangeline made to go to the females, but Mor stepped in front of her, a dagger in her hand, her eyes narrowed at the two. "Who are you?" I moved to stand beside her, blocking Evangeline from going to them, subtly setting up an invisible shield of hard air. The blonde female shot back, "We could ask the same to you." Mor raised an eyebrow, and the female smirked. "You're not the only ones with questions." Her companion was silent, her eyes still fixed on the girl behind us. A single tear slipped down her face, and the sight of it obviously snapped something in Evangeline.

She pushed past us, sending a bit of golden magic to tear through my shields. It cracked and cleaved immediately. I staggered back, shocked, but Mor tracked the girl's movements. Evangeline made no move to draw a blade, only ran for the black-haired woman. The woman knelt, spreading her arms as Evangeline barreled into them so hard that they both rocked. The girl was crying, and Lysandra held her tightly, pulling back to study her face. "You're alright," she breathed in wonder. "You're here." Evangeline only sobbed harder, burying her face in Lysandra's shoulder.
The blonde, who had been studying Evangeline, no doubt looking for wounds or signs of harm, smiled. It was genuine, and I relaxed. They mean her no harm, Mor. Stop looking so tense. Mor shot me an incredulous glance but sheathed her weapons, and we both returned our gazes to the reunion before us.