A Court of Shadows and Stars; Azriel

IX

*Warning- triggering and mature themes are up ahead*

"Elain"

"Elain, wake up," I said, nudging the unconscious girl.

She softly fluttered her doe-like eyes open as she came to her senses. She frowned, looking around at our surroundings. We were currently seated and tied to poles across from one another in one of Hybern's war camps inside of a large tent. Six guards circled around us, like a predator watching its prey.

Groaning aloud, I felt a migraine growing and the metallic smell of blood filled my nostrils. Great. The past few hours were blurry, but I remembered Elain and I getting ambushed in her tent. I fought back, inflicting blows and receiving wounds myself, but the moment a soldier held up a blade to Elain's throat, I froze.

The tears that welled up and the pleading look in her eyes caused me to drop my weapons and surrender. 'God, I'm so stupid', I thought to myself. 'I should have done something, not let us get captured'.

I woke up just a few hours ago, watching the guards and trying to come up with an escape plan. So far, I've come up with nothing. This place is like a fortress.

Once Elain was fully awake and sitting upright, a guard came up to us.

"Good, you're both awake," he smiled cruelly. "Hybern assigned me the task of getting information out of you both. In whatever way I please."

I couldn't help the low growl that escaped my throat. His eyes creepily scanned Elain's body and then mine. Elain cringed as he gave her another happy grin, one that did not match his cold words.

And so, taking out his plethora of torture devices, he sent me one last smile before beginning his work.

*a camp somewhere north of the Winter Court*

{Azriel's PoV}

The duo of Archeron sister's sat with their heads in their hands inside of the tent. Neither spoke, nor moved.

Nesta had stolen something vital from the Cauldron, and so, the Cauldron took what was vital to her. And in the process, it also took what was vital to me.

"We'll get them back," Cassian rasped from beside me. Rhysand, Amren, and Mor we're informing the other High Lords of what had happened.

Nesta lowered her hands, lifted her head and glanced at him. Her eyes were sad and red-rimmed. "No, you will not."

She pointed to the map on the table. "I saw that army. I saw its size. There is no chance of any of you getting into that fortress."

Her face said it all. What the camp looked like, what Hybern planned to do to Lorelai and Elain, what he might already be doing-

Stopping those thoughts, I stepped out of the shadows.

"I'm getting them back."

The eldest Archeron sister slid her gaze to me and scoffed. "Then you will die."

Repeating myself, I leveled her with a rage glazing stare. "I'm going there, and getting them back. I'm getting her back."

I knew my chances. I stood a better chance than anyone, with my shadows. After a few moments of silence, Feyre met my wrathful stare.

"I'm going with you," she said.

I nodded, and like always, Cassian added his two-cents.

"You'll never get far enough into the camp," he warned. "It's a suicide mission."