The Whispers of Shadows - Azriel

47

Aurora shoved away from Eris as he wheezed on the ground, bloody and bruised. Her eyes fell on Beron as she walked toward the gate. He was furious, but she could see a glimmer of pride in his eyes as she approached. Aurora pushed through the gate and raised her sword, pressing the tip beneath his chin. Guards began rushing towards them but Beron lifted his hand. They fell silent, watched carefully. A bead of crimson formed on the metal blade.

"I've won. I refuse the throne. Let me go home," she snapped. Beron lifted a brow, and then his hand. He pushed the blade down and didn't since when it sliced down his throat. Aurora kept it raised, but didn't touched him.

"Make me a deal, daughter. You want to go home? Promise me that you will not attempt to claim High Lady." His grin was sickening.

"I already said that I-."

"No, I want a bargain. You try to claim the throne, your head is mine. Our bargain is that if you attempt to claim this Court, you will die at the border. Got it?" Beron snapped, the grin sliding from his face. Aurora clenched her jaw, holding out her free hand.

"Deal." Beron's teeth gleamed as he smiled, his hand enveloping hers and giving it a hard shake. Aurora felt her arm tingle, and she knew that bargain was marked on her skin. "Now take me home," Aurora ordered, dropping her hand and keeping the sword raised. Beron rolled his eyes then gripped her arm.

"Fine. But I do not want to see you in this Court again." When his hand tightened around her forearm, they were swarmed by shadows. Aurora's stomach twisted when they materialized again. They were on top of the mountain, the same place he had taken her from. The biting wind was enough to waken her senses, drive the adrenaline away. The pain in her thigh and face began to grow. "Goodbye, daughter," Beron sneered. Aurora pulled her arm from him, furrowing her brows. Why had he looked so-?

His foot drove into her stomach. Aurora lost her footing on the slick snow, tumbling backward. Her back hit a rock and a shout left her. Aurora tried to catch herself, but there was nothing other than snow, ice, and rock on the top of the mountain. Trees rushed past her as she fell, her sword tucked into her chest. Rocks slammed into her body, each one sending another scream out of her. Finally, her side slammed into a tree and stopped her descent.

Aurora couldn't catch her breath. She wheezed and grimaced as she tried to sit up. She knew there were broken bones, she felt the shift in them when she tried to move. Even with a powerful High Fae begging for her mercy, she felt weak. Aurora gasped out, trying to suck in some air. Her arms and legs shook violently as she pushed herself up, standing with her back against the tree. Bleary eyes lifted to the cliff she had just fell down, Beron nothing but a small dot at the top that vanished into wind and darkness. Aurora peered around the tree. She was nearly halfway down. All she'd have to do is make it down and she'd be on the outskirts of Velaris. Someone would find her before her injuries healed wrong.

Using the sword to dig into the ground, Aurora slid out from behind the tree. Her breaths came out in small ragged puffs. Rocks slid and tumbled past the snow that was scattered now, and down into the jagged boulders and trees. Her vision was spotty and she hardly felt it when her foot made contact with the ground. This was her last battle; not taking down Eris, but getting home alive.

A roar of pain came with each step, the sword acting as an anchor to the ground. She had made it to the halfway point when her boot, no traction left since it was melted onto the ground of the Autumn Court, slid on a boulder. Aurora yelped as she slipped, her side slamming into the rocks. Her body slid down the mountain for a few seconds, and she knew her leathers had come untucked from the burning sensation on her stomach and waist. Aurora gritted her teeth, no longer caring about the tears that cut through the blood on her cheeks, as she now climbed up. The sword had fallen, but it didn't slide with her.