A Court of Light and Embers

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Ruhn's eyebrows contracted as he snorted. "Oh, really?"

At that moment, a large burst of grey smoke flew into the room, slipping through the cracks of the door and into the prison. Aelin reached into the lining of her bodice, quickly fixing her gas mask over the bottom half of her face as Ruhn's face turned furious, holding his tux up over his nose.

"You fucking bitch-" He growled as he slumped to his knees.

Aelin tutted as a figure appeared behind him. "I don't think you're in any position right now to be talking like that," she said casually, her voice raspy and crackly behind the mask. He snarled at his own words being used against him, but didn't have a chance to respond before Feyre's heeled foot came down on his head.

He slumped to the ground, unconscious, as Feyre unlocked Aelin's cell with a swipe of her card. Aelin quickly left the dank cell, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "Everything going well on your end?"

Feyre nodded, her own mask allowing clean oxygen to flow to her lungs. "Easy."

Aelin smirked. "Let's go meet up with Bryce, then."

The two females hurried out of the prison, passing knocked-out guards and Fae, as well as some unidentifiable beings that belonged in a story book.

Heading back up to the main foyer, Aelin and Feyre ran straight into Bryce and Hunt. Dark smoke still hung in the air all around them, like an ominous black cloud. "All good?" Bryce asked.

"Yes," Feyre said. "Any problems?"

Bryce shook her head. "Nothing yet, but I haven't seen my f- the Autumn King." Aelin could tell by the little crease between her brows that that particular fact didn't sit well with her.

"Doesn't matter," Feyre said. "Let's just go to the treasure vault and get the hell out of here."

"Oh, and Bryce?" Aelin said casually. Bryce looked at her over her shoulder. "You're brother's an ass."

She rolled her eyes. "Tell me something I don't know."

Biting back a smile, Feyre and Aelin ran after Hunt and Bryce, who lead the way to the treasure vault. It was on the very bottom floors of the villa, hidden to watchful eyes. The way there was full of hidden doors, hallways and key card-locked entrances.

Finally, they reached the ground floor. Despite being hidden deep underground, it was decorated just as lavishly as the rest of the villa. The smoke was beginning to fade, Aelin noticed with slight anxiety.

Bryce swore as she checked something on her wrist. "We only have ten minutes before people start to wake up. We need to work quickly."

The large vault door was before them, looming with a pretentious air. Sniffing delicately, Aelin wrinkled her nose when she realised it was iron.

Bryce swore again as she inspected the small pad on the wall. "Fuck."

"What?" Aelin asked quickly, her gut flipping.

"Its an eye scanner. It scans the eye of whoever is trying to enter, and if it doesn't matter the Autumn Kings, then the security alarms go off."

"Leave that to me," Feyre said. "Do you have a picture of the Autumn King?"

Frowning, Bryce clicked on her phone, and turned it to face Feyre. She studied the haughty looking man for a second, before shape-shifting her left eye to be an exact replica of his. Following Bryce's instructions, she pressed the magic eye to the scanner.

There was a beep, and then-

"Welcome, Autumn King," a female voice said, the vault lock spinning open. Grinning, they hurried inside.

"Hurry," Bryce hissed. "We don't have long."

Aelin and Feyre nodded at each other, sprinting towards the walls. The shelves were lined with expensive and incredible looking weapons, jewellery and artefacts. Aelin could have spent a life time staring at it all. But she had a job to do.

Her eyes darted across the wall, searching for anything that caught her interest. A diadem, a cup, a sword, a necklace...

Hello, fire-blessed. Hello, curse-breaker. Looking for me?

Aelin paused, Feyre jolting as she heard the voice, too. Bryce and Hunt merely looked confused. "What are you doing?" Hunt growled, but Aelin shushed him with a finger. His face grew livid, but Bryce put a hand on his arm.

I can help you. Set me free from my bindings.

Feyre looked over at Aelin with wide eyes. Nodding, then slowly began to inch towards the back of the room, where the strange voice seemed to be coming from. "What do you want in return?" Aelin asked quietly. Everything came with a price. Something she knew all too well.

I want nothing but to be used. I've sat down here for centuries, let to rot, knowing that I have a bigger purpose. To help worlds. I've waited a long time for this, Your Majesty.

Feyre pushed aside an embellished box to reveal a pure-black jar, beautiful flames patterned in golden around the edges. A massive diamond sat on the lid.

Let me help you.

Aelin cautiously picked up the jar. It was so small it fit in the palm of her hand.

"That's it," Feyre breathed. "Now, lets get out of here."

"I don't thin you'll be leaving anytime soon," a snarky voice said, dripping in poison.

Aelin and Feyre whirled, and found Hunt and Bryce bound and gagged, help up by a whole troop of guards. They were both giving them a hell of a fight, but the overwhelming number of them was too much.

And, in between his daughter and the angel, stood the Autumn King.