𝐀 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭 𝐎𝐟 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐬

Ch 47: Stalling

"on the other side of the cauldron grinning like a fiend, stood Maeve."

Aelin POV

My blood went cold at the sound of her voice, her dark figure standing there. My power was lost and the only advantage I had in this situation was that Maeve didn't know that. "What do we do?" Feyre asked in my head and the only thing stopping me from balking was sheer terror. I needed to figure something out that would send Feyre out of here, until she could bring help. I needed Dorian to do what I was supposed to and until that moment where he can, no one could know the queen of the wildfire was no more. "I need you winnow out of here. Get Dorian. Right now." I replied, the talking in the head thing still new. She didn't need to be told twice as she promptly disappeared, Maeve sending an irritated look to the now empty space. "That was foolish of her. Doesn't she know you're terrified of being alone with me?" she taunted in that sing-song voice as if she was all too happy with the facts, as I suppose she was. I chose to not respond to her, because she wasn't wrong and I didn't want to give her the satisfaction of being miffed by those words.

"If you're waiting for that Amren, she won't be coming anytime soon." she said, a wicked grin taking over her face, "she was never planning to actually give you the spell to stop Hybern, you see. All ancient beings are selfish, I suppose. Betrayed you the first chance she got at going back to her true world." she said, taking out her knife from somewhere in her dress and resting the tip of her middle finger on the knife's head. A drop of blood escaped her skin, and she removed the knife, lifting her finger in front of her face and staring at her fake red blood like it was the most fascinating thing in the world. "It's really a wonder you know, how you didn't manage to figure it out before, no one did, not even Brannon." her face looking like she was truly disappointed with the fae race in general as she took a step forward, resting her bloody hand on the cauldron, something I subconciously noted down.

I let my mind drift off into someplace else as a possibly fatal plan came into my mind. Rowan would never let me out of his sight if he heard what I had just thought, and Rhys would possibly join him along with Aedion. I shuddered at the thought. No one could know then.

I had closed the wyrdgate meaning-making portals should be impossible, unless- I used the cauldron. Feyre's blood was already in it, dripped into it before Maeve arrived, thank the wyrd, which meant that there was a chance that the cauldron could work in my favor. I just had to combine the two ancient powers of two ancient worlds. I needed a distraction though, which meant that I needed to stall till Dorian gets here.

"Brannon knew, he's the one who told me. He was bound by some ancient law to not tell me or my companions, but he knew." I lied. I could see Maeve's ever-present grin falter for a moment before it was back up again. "That's a lie." she drawled, inching closer to me, her dagger in her hand pointing towards me. "You only found out because of Rowan." she declared in a tone of finality. She was speaking the truth, but she didn't need to know that. "You really think you can defeat me?" she said before I could bait her any further. "There are no gods left to watch, I'm afraid. And there are no gods left to help you now, Aelin Galathynius. You made sure of that." she said, inching closer with every word until she was only an arm's length away.

Letting that arrogant assassin I was when I first met her show, I gave her a lopsided grin, "I am a god." before I lunged at her, Goldryn in my hands as it collided with her knife.

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"there was nothing human in his eyes."

Rhysand POV

Annoyed with the constant attacks from the Illyrians, Erawen waved his other hand in a way of dismissal, and black tendrils shot out of him, wrapping themselves around my warrior's throats. "Isn't it honorable? Dying along with the man you serve?" he asked, his face remaining expressionless throughout the whole ordeal. My vision was getting blurry now, as my brain was denied its oxygen, and with the last ounce of strength I had left in me, I called Rowan through a mind link, a simple desperate word- "help".

The last thing I saw before my eyes closed, my body bordering on losing its consciousness because of the lack of air, was Rowan appear with Fenrys beside him, and attacking Erawen.

My head lolled ahead, my body this close from shutting down when air flooded into me, and I gasped to take in as much as I possibly could. Rowan was lying on the ground, a vicious cut along his torso telling me that he wasn't the reason why I was alive. Slowly, and full of anticipation, I looked to where Erawen was previously standing. There, her gown soaked in black and a sword in her hands stood Feyre, panting like she had just exerted herself, which she had. Dorian stood next to her, looking worried, "he's not going to stay that way for long but he is weak at the moment. Get the healers to finish him off." he ordered and I was too tired to be arrogant about that. All I could think about was the fact that Aelin wasn't with Feyre and Erawen had told me to greet her in death. "Where's Aelin?" I asked, my breathing getting labored again at what my sister's absence implied. "Maeve intercepted us up there, Aelin told me to come here and bring Dorian." she said, "But I felt you dying through the mating bond so I came here, to rescue you." she said in between breaths. "You left her there!?" Fenrys screeched who was previously kneeling beside Rowan.

"Take me to her. She can't be alone with Maeve." he said frantically, running to Feyre who nodded. "I'm coming too" I announced as I walked to grab Feyre's hand.

I looked at Rowan's incapacitated figure, but before I could say anything Fenrys did, "Rowan you're injured and you're also Aelin's biggest weakness. We can't take you with us." he said, apology clearly written on his face. Feyre didn't wait for Rowan's protests and just winnowed us away to the cauldron- smart girl- but I could distantly hear Rowan's screams of outrage as darkness enveloped us and took us away.