A Court Of Shadow and Blood

☆ Heartbeat ☆

"Hah," she huffed, staring down at her chest. Those bloody prints from her fingers were suffused with the rest of her blood. The sword stuck straight through her chest.

"That was for my Goddess," someone breathed behind her. Anastasia. She cursed mentally through the pain. The blade was withdrawn from her chest, and she fell to her knees right next to the Queen's lifeless body. "And this," Anastasia said, sword raising above her head, "is for me."

Her body froze. Eblis coughed on her own blood as the female's dark eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she collapsed to the hard floor as well. The people were silent with shock around them.

Requeza was at her side in seconds, a hand on the blood pouring profusely from her heart. Just like Imillion, she thought, remembering the way the Peregryn had died

"Spymaster, stick with me."

Stay with me, Imillion. It's alright.

Be strong, my child. It'll be fine.

Her own words echoed in her head. She was dying, she could feel it. It was draining from her fingertips. The people crowded around her, hovering, distorting her vision. A panicked whisper spread through the halls, until the world went absolutely silent.

"Spymaster!"

Eblis went blank.

***

Azriel alighted on the ground, his sword swinging through the rib cage of another faebane-bearing faerie. The person gurgled, collapsing.

He was tired, and was tempted to join the male on the ground for a long nap.

When he turned back to the skies, his chest bobbing with his heavy breaths, he found a group of attors diving for him. His magic pulsed out weakly, hindering them but not stopping as they raised their vambraces and broke through his shields. Their swords raised, aiming for him.

Unexpectedly, their wings flared out at the last second, halting their nose-dive. He recognized the maneuver, and he simply watched as the bloodlust in their eyes shifted to something like fear. Azriel looked behind himself, finding nothing, and when he turned back to the attors, they were flying away.

Them, and every other soldier on the battlefield.

His heart stuttered with relief. Eblis had done it in the knick of time.

Despite his weariness, hope filled his chest, and he took flight to sweep among the scattered and confused Illyrian forces in the sky. He corralled them with his mind, and Cassian, doing the same but with his words, met him in the center.

They grinned at each other, the strain of battle unraveling from them.

The male's red siphons pulsed dully, his scaled black armor tipped with blood much as he was. There was a moment of shared relief. "She did it."

"She did it," he echoed, and he laughed, clasping arms with his brother.

Cassian pulled his lank, dark hair back into a bun from where it had fallen out, their wings beating amongst the sky. Illyrians began the dive towards the foot soldiers, landing smoothly though many limped or held injuries together.

Cassian nodded his head, down towards the rallying power of night. "Let's talk to the others." He'd scarcely had a chance to talk to them since he'd arrived-besides explaining what had happened with Eblis-before the fighting had begun. He dipped his chin in agreement, and froze.

Power unfurled in his chest, the silence that had settled there cracking open immediately. Bitter night and collapsing darkness filled his lungs, his chest, with the full might of his mate's strength returning to her.