Crescent flame of the night

Chapter three

Prythian
Feyre couldn't help but laugh as she watched Mor bouncing Callum on her knee. It never got old seeing her baby boys joyous face as his aunt played with him.
He looked exactly like his father with is blue black curls and his shining violet eyes. The only difference was his nose, that looked like hers.
It hadn't taken as long as she had expected for Feyre to become pregnant. Just after a year of her and Rhys deciding they were ready to have a child, feyre had become a mother in waiting. Nothing made her happier than tonsee the joy on her family's faces as she told them the good news.
   Nesta has even given up her job of harassing full grown illyrians and making them cry, just so she could look after her younger sister. Even Elain was shocked by Nesta's sudden show of heart.
    The oldest of the Archeron sisters had started to become warmer towards everyone since her time spent in the Illyrian camps. Hell she even made it her life's work to show those pieces of shit who called themselves warriors some respect towards woman. And on top of all that her and Cassian were actually getting along for once, and had even started dating a year ago.
   There was no denying that things were finally starting to settle down in prythian. She just hoped things stayed this way and that things didn't go to shit again.
   She must have zoned out because the next thing she knew her mates voice was down the bond sounding the slightest bit worried. 
Feyre darling? Are you alright? You look troubled.
   Oh. Yeah. I'm fine Rhys. I'm just thinking of how peaceful everything is.
   I hear what you mean darling. I couldn't imagine life to be more perfect. We have a beautiful baby boy, Tamlin is trying his best to reconcile, Amren and Varien have their wedding coming up in a few months, Mor's got an amazing new girlfriend and my mate just happens to look delicious tonight. And would you look at that I'm feeling quite famished.
  At that comment feyre spat out her drink, sending a glare at the high lord of the night court. At the commotion the court of dreams look up from what they were doing to stare at their high lord and lady.
   "If you two are gonna get all horny please go outside and leave the rest of us in peace. We don't want to see you two eye fucking one another" Cassian said, with his usual arrogant demeanour. 
   "No swearing in front of the baby you overbearing males." Mor said exasperated.
   After composing herself and sending one more glare in Rhys's direction, feyre stood up and walked toward Mor and her son. "Come on Callum, it's time to put you to bed" and with that feyre scooped the tiny fae into her arms and walked down the hallway to the nursery.

~

"First off Cassian, if your gonna tell me off for being horny, you at least need to confront Amren and Varien about making out at every chance they get" at that rhys got a snarl from the silver eyed demon "and since when have you had a problem with eye fucking. It's not like you and Nesta don't do it all the time."
   "Hey, don't bring me into this bat boy" nesta snarled
   "Oh Im so sorry Nesta. Did I offend you by pointing out the obvious" Rhys said with enough sarcasm to rival even Cassian as Feyre walked back into the room.
   His mate just shook her head as she took her seat next to Rhys on the couch. "Save the rivalry for the game you bastards". And with that Elain walked over to the cabinet and grabbed out all the games.
   "First game is dare or shots" azriel said, to many grins from his friends. As Az placed a shot glass in front of everyone, Rhys lounged back against the couch and stared at his mate with so much love in his eyes, it could rival the brightness of a star.
I don't want anything to change Rhys
   He heard feyre say through the bond
   Everything is perfect and i just don't think I can take anything happening. We've already been through so much and I just don't want Callum to go through what we had to. You know nothing this good ever lasts, and I just can't handle knowing that this will only last for so long
   Feyre. Darling. Why are you getting so worked up about this? Is there anything I can do. Just tell me and I will help you.
   He continued to stare at his mate as she let out a sigh. It puzzled him to why his love was troubled by these things, when they had only just sorted things out in life so that everything ran smoothly.
I just.
   Another inward sigh
when I saw Callum sleeping it reminded me of why we named him that. And how when we first met on Calanmai everything was perfect and going well and then a few weeks later everything went to shit
   Rhys contemplated her words for a few seconds and saw that Varien had excused himself to go grab more wine from the cellar, before replying.
Feyre, I promise you that I will do everything in my power to make sure nothing bad ever happens to our son, and that he will not have to go through the same horrors that-
   But before he could finish what he was saying the blood curdling scream of an infant pierced the air.

~

   Vaughan hated what he was being forced to do. At least when he was under Maeve's rule, she had the decency to leave infants out of her scheming. Orcus was different though. He didn't care who he used and what age they were, as long as they served their purpose.
   Orcus didn't trust him to walk around freely and always kept him in wrist and ankle shackles. Vaughan was never allowed out of Orcus's sights, except for when on missions.
   All the life had gone out of the male after 5 years of slavery to the most vile beings he had ever come across. He was forced into the worst lifestyle that destroyed him day by day, and that's not to mention the horrific things he was forced to do for the parasite he was forced to serve.
For the first one and a half years Vaughan fought against Orcus's control but eventually gave in to submission. That had changed that morning, though, when he was told what he was to do. And just because of a stupid prophecy about a powerful fae child being able to defeat the valg king.
He fought the blood oath that compelled him to do The valg king's bidding the whole time he was in the foreign land. He deliberately tried to make as much commotion as he could so he would be caught and killed before he would be forced to do anything more. But to his agonising disappointment the child he was to steal away was sound asleep, only waking up as the wormhole had opened, and the blood oath was too strong to go against for too long, preventing him from delaying any longer.

~

Within seconds everyone in the river house was up on their feet and rushing to the nursery. As they rounded the corner they found an unconscious Varien lying in the hallway, with blood dripping down the side of his head from what looked to be an injury caused by the pommel of a small blade.
As amren let out a cry of fury at her fiancé's weakened state, feyre pushed her way to the nursery. When she stepped over the rooms threshold she let out a small whimpering sound, collapsing to her knees. She broke into hysterical sobs as the rest of her family care rushing in behind her.
She felt strong hands hauling her up off the ground and pulling her to their body. She wept into Rhysand's chest and kept repeating one phrase
"Callum. They took Callum"
The sobs kept coming, and there was nothing she could do to stop the tears from streaming down her face.
"Um guys" a Azriel said in a ragged, hoarse voice "you need to see this. Like right now"
Pulling herself together enough to be able to walk without collapsing, feyre walked over to where Azriel stood by the crib, with Rhys following behind. Feyre looked into the crib to where her son should have been lying and saw something that nocked what small amount of Breath she had left out of her.
She tumbled back into Rhys who gripped her as if she was the most fragile thing in the room, which come to think of it she probably was.
She looked around the room to all of her companions and saw that her sisters and Mor were all holding each other with fierce rivers of silent tears streaming from their eyes. She saw that Cassian was huddled in the shadows in the corner of the rooms, faint sobbing noises coming from his direction, and the look of utter heartbreak on Azriel and amren's faces. Lastly she looked to her mate to see that all the light in his eyes was gone and that he was on the edge of a total breakdown.
"Why is the book of breathings in Callum's crib" feyre asked, her voice barley above a whisper. No one answered her so she asked again, but louder this time and more of a command than a question.
The court of dreams all shook their heads and feyre could feel her sanity slowly slipping away. She just started at the awful book in her baby boys bed. As she stared, an osprey feather floated down through the air and landed on top of the book.
All of a sudden the air was sucked from the room and suddenly she was falling. The last thing she felt before everything was engulfed in darkness was Rhys's arms wrapping protectively around her.