A World Away

39. Adriata

Eve, Feyre and Mor winnowed into utter chaos. The tide of the water was almost red and soldiers fought valiantly. It took her breath away- so this was a battle.

People screamed and ran in every direction. Smoke clouded the sky along with Illyrian wings. Ships pushed and smacked against one another with brutal force. It was horror. Her heart clenched for the innocents caught in the crossfire.

"No one else has come," Mor murmured. "No other courts." A thunderous boom of dark power blasted into Hybern' fleet, scattering many ships- Rhysand' work, Eve guessed. "Rhys's power is either already nearly spent or ... they've got something working against it," Feyre said.

"Faebane?" Eve voiced.

"Hybern would be stupid not to use it."

"Mor?" Feyre asked. That is when Eve noticed how pale she had gotten. "I knew it was coming," she murmured. "Another war, at some point. I knew battles would come for this war. But ... I forgot how terrible it is. The sounds. The smells." Eve didn't know what to say to comfort her so she kept quiet and lend her ear instead.

"We're to go to the palace, soldiers have reached its northern side, and their defences are surrounded," Mor finally said. Eve nodded, readying her short swords. This was battle and she would show no mercy towards Hybern- especially after seeing the scene before her.

"We stick close- don't get out of sight," Mor said. "We don't go down a hall or stairwell without assessing first. If you can't bring yourself to make the kill," she added without a hint of judgment, "then shield me from behind."

"I can do it—the ... killing," Feyre rasped. Eve simply nodded- words were beyond her at the moment. "Don't stop, and don't linger. We press forward until I say we retreat. Leave the wounded to the healers." Pure command.

They winnowed into the castle. "They're barricading themselves into the upper levels," Mor observed as they landed midst Fae running pass them. "The lesser fae are trapped below then. With no aid. Bastards," Feyre breathed.

"This way," Mor said, jerking her chin toward the descending stairs. "They're three levels down, and climbing. Fifty of them." Eve readied her magic- this was it.

The first kill she took that day was of a soldier who didn't look much older than her. She didn't wonder about it- she moved with a singular motto in her mind- Protect and Defend.

Feyre and Mor took care of the other 4 soldiers present. They made their way towards the

They entered into a chamber full of innocents- and 8 soldiers. Eve made her way towards the one who had his sword raised at a female. With one swipe he was dead. Another parried at her- he had blood coating his hands and his smile was one of bloodlust. She let this one burn first.

After that, it became a whirlwind. A few kills in, she started using burst of her powers. Here and there, a soldier would tremble down, fire scathing their insides. Another soldier would lose a finger or a hand due to frostbites. When her magic failed, her sword readied itself. When her sword failed, her magic dealt the blow.

Eve did not observe or admire Feyre or Mor' fighting skills. She knew they were beside her and that was enough.

She stayed back when Feyre used her powers to create darkness. Eve could've easily used her fire but she didn't want to drain herself- Mor and Feyre were more than capable of handling this.

By the time they had cleared the palace' till its lowest levels, Eve had started panting. The metallic taste of blood in the air did not help her turning stomach. Still, she pushed it down and focused again on her powers as Mor winnowed them into the streets.

The street they landed on after god knows how long- the sun was scorching her blood tainted leather- were filled with few people. They all made their way in different directions. Eve went to where a soldier was fighting a female- who was putting up a small fight. The female tripped and fell to the ground as the soldier raised his sword- still not noticing Eve advancing on him. With one barrel of power, he was dead- out cold to the heart. Eve stumbled slightly but helped the female get up. "Thank you," she said hoarsely. Eve simply nodded- her voice had abandoned her long time ago.

She looked back to a now empty street to where Mor was shaking Feyre. Eyes widening, she ran to where they stood.

Suddenly, a dark power blasted and Eve fell to the ground. Rhysand, she thought. The female helped her up. Eve looked at Mor who gave her a grim nod- the battle was over, they had won. Eve released a breath, stumbling a bit.

"Hey, hey, you are alright, just focus on my voice," the female said. Eve nodded. Controlling and focusing her powers along with actual combat had drained her more than she had thought.

For the first time, she actually looked around. People had come out from hiding and blood coated the cobblestones. The expressionless faces of the soldiers as they decorated the streets made her want to vomit.

Mor waved her over to where she held Feyre as she vomited. "Should you ever need anything, I would be more than honoured to repay you- just look for Gerald's boutique." The female said as Eve moved away from her support. Eve gave her a weak nod and left.

Eve scrunched up and stared towards the sky as Feyre retched. Eve felt her own bile rise up but she kept it down- somehow. Mor was saying something but Eve didn't listen. She felt nothing- she had killed and saved people, had used her powers successfully, was alive with only a few scratches, bruises and one large slash that others had helped cover in the middle of the battle, on her collarbone.

"Eve, let's get you to the infirmary," Mor said softly. When she didn't reply, Mor slowly touched her back. Eve whirled- still on her reflexes but relaxed when she saw it was only Mor. "We need to get that wound checked." Eve nodded, letting Mor lead the way, a hand on her back to keep her from falling.

Mor winnowed Eve to the Illyrian camps where Cassian was before going back to her High Lady.

"Eve," Cassian said with relief. "Sit down," he told her. She did- her mind still blank. Cassian himself helped clean her wounds until Az came in- filled with weariness and exhaustion who didn't say a word except sigh in relief and took Cassian' place to tend her wounds.

"I don't feel anything. I killed and I protected. I am drained in all ways possible. But, my mind is blank." Eve finally said. Az looked at her. "It was the same for me first time."

"Does it get better?" Eve asked, staring into his eyes. Az didn't reply- just stared back, his eyes conveying the answer. Eve sighed, feeling herself tear up. "Can I hug you?"

Az nodded, "you don't need to ask me, you can." Even as Az said that, he knew she would always ask for his permission- and he loved her more for it. 

Two updates in a day cuz why not

Happy reading :)

XOXO,

the amazing author