The Heirs of the Night Court

64

The extra clothes Luna had stolen from the dead didn't help much against the raging storm.

She and Lennart were covered in blood, hiding under a bunch of dead trees that had fallen down long ago.

The cold was settling in her bones, freezing her blood. She was shaking uncontrollably. Lennart had his arms around her, just like his wings. They tried to keep each other warm, without any success.

"The storm will delay us," Luna said and looked between the dead branches at the storm. Some snow made its way inside their hole.

"It's inconvenient, but I do hope some fuckers get killed because of it," Lennart grumbled and shivered in the wind. "Do you think Nyx and Phoebe will be there?"

Luna wasn't sure. She didn't know if Nyx remembered what they once promised each other. But it was their best shot. From there, they could follow the path Nesta, Gwyn and Emerie had taken decades ago. The path her father, Rhysand and Cassian had taken.

"Perhaps," she answered, because she didn't have any more to say about it. "How long will this storm last?"

Lennart peeked between the trees and got hit in the face by snow. His face was swollen, bruised and bloody after the heavy combat they had been in.

No man was left alive. This Rite was about survival. That meant she killed it either got killed, like almost happened. And Luna rather killed the mysoginistic men than let them hunt her down.

Since she was the daughter of the 'bastard' son that had made it to the ultimate top, all of the men shared some deep rooted hate against her. Always had.

Now was their legal chance to rape, torture and eventually, kill her.

But only if she let them. She she wouldn't let them. She'd show them how cold and ruthless she could really be.

"Don't know," Lennart sighed. "I say we take three hours rest and then continue."

"What about the animals?" That meant they were going to walk at night. Luna didn't know what was better—staying here, risking they could be found and never find Phoebe and Nyx. Or moving, risking hungry beasts, brute Illyrians and merciless weather, possibly finding their friends.

"If we move through the night," Lennart started, "you can use your shadows to cover us. They're not forbidden, use them."

Luna nodded. The moment they hid in this hole she had been using them. Her shadows saved her once during the Blood Rite.

She hoped her shadows would save them again.

* * *

The night was so black and furious that even Luna could barely see.

Her shadows camouflaged her and Lennart as they sneaked through the forest, but she couldn't help the noise they made in the snow.

The footprints they left behind.

The storm was still going on, but less aggressive and merciless than before. It was possible to travel now.

She was shivering uncontrollably, her teeth clappering in the cold and she didn't feel her fingers nor toes.

A fire was too dangerous. It would be like screaming into the wilderness for others to kill them. Lennart was in front of her, leading the way as much as he could. He knew what they were looking for—it was just too dark to see any recognisable aspects.

The cracking snow underneath her booths was too loud, too dangerous. They couldn't stop. There was no place to hide.

"Damn the Cauldron," Lennart cursed. "I can't see a bloody thing."

"Just keep moving, Lennart," she whispered. There was no going back. They could only love forward.

Luna held her breath when she heard something move between the trees beside her. It was dark, but she swore she saw a shadow move. Maybe it was her own shadows, but she knew where they were.

And they weren't in between the trees.

Their silence made her uncomfortable. Her shadows always whispered, she was good at ignoring it when it wasn't very important. But now... she missed their voices, their information.

How they always warned her for possible danger.

Luna couldn't count on anything, except her own skills and instinct. Stalking through the forest, she knew they weren't alone.

"How far?" she asked Lennart, hoping he had some idea of their location and the distance they needed to pass.

He made a tsking sound. "Dunno. Can't really see out here. Maybe I —"

Before he could finish his sentence, Lennart screamed. Luna ran for him, even though she was nearly blind in the dark. She saw snatching claws reflecting in the moonlight and heard snarling of a beast.

Luna tried not to panic. Lennart already suffered some heavy injuries, she wasn't sure if he survived more severe ones.

Feeling around in the snow, she heard Lennart fight off whatever beast was trying to kill them.

Finally, she grabbed a branch. "Lennart!" she yelled, so the beast would go to her and leave her friend alone.

The shadow she had seen stalking around in the dark came forward, and before he could scratch her face open, Luna disappeared in the shadows herself.

For a few seconds, she was invisible.

That was enough time to push the branch with all her strength right into the eye of the beast. It roared and tried to hit her as he blindly swung around with its claws.

"Come on," Luna whispered in a hurried tone as she grabbed Lennart, masking them with her shadows in the night. She felt blood on her hands, and when she asked him about it, Luna wasn't sure if he was telling the truth or lying.

"We just need to get there as soon as we can," he managed to say. His steps weren't as strong as before. "Perhaps we reach it by morning."