A Court of Death || ACOTAR

24

"He's gone," Cassian roared, pacing the around the living room at the townhouse, "he's fucking gone! How could he do this—fuck! We need to find a way to get to him. Whatever's going on, he needs help. We need to find a way to get to him."

"We can't leave," Mor mumbled dejectedly, "you felt the same thing we did. You know what happens if we leave."

"How can he expect us to just sit here? For how long? How long until he can get away?" Cassian ranted, shoving his hand back through his hair, "she can't have him! She can't!"

"There's nothing we can do," Amren said gravely, "he made sure of that."

"And what about Astryn? Whatever is going on is all of Prythian! We just leave her out to dry too?" Cassian shot back, not missing the way Azriel flinched at the sound of her name. No one had said it in centuries now.

"She's the one who decided to leave," Mor shot back, "she made her bed. There's nothing we can do for her and I'm a lot less concerned about her than I am about Rhys."

"She left because of us," Azriel reminded her, his voice low and venomous, "you'd do well to remember that."

"I'm not having this argument with you. My concern is on Rhys and Velaris. Not her," Mor replied firmly, "and there's nothing we can do for Rhys right now. He wanted us to keep Velaris safe so that's what we'll do."

Mor stormed out after that and Amren followed short after, seeming ready to rip someone to shreds.

"You have to—Az, you have to reach out to her through the bond," Cassian urged once they were alone, "I don't know if you can even still do that after so long apart...send a fucking shadow if you have to to tell her. Someone needs to warn her. This probably hasn't hit the Middle yet since Amarantha's not stupid enough to try to conquer that territory but she needs to know and be prepared for what might happen."

"The bond is too weak," Azriel murmured, "I sent a shadow already." As if on cue, a shadow slithered in and went to Azriel. Cassian watched as Azriel visibly reacted to whatever the shadow was whispering to him. He went stiff and pale, fear striking through his eyes. "I told her everything, I told her about Rhys. She's going there to try to get him out. She's going there alone. She can't—no. She'll die. No. Why is she going? She fucking hates us. She can't do this."

Cassian only stared wide eyed, a million different horrible possibilities running through his mind. Azriel let out a trembling breath, eyes glassy with tears and blood drained from his face.

"She won't die," Cassian muttered, the words tasting like poison, "the kind of power she has...people don't kill that. They leash it. They...fuck, Az, this is bad."

Azriel shook his head furiously, denying the truth in those words. It was all too easy to remember how Astryn had first come to them, so tiny and starved and terrified after years in chains. That couldn't happen again. Not after she had worked so hard to recover, not after she had gone off on her own and carved a life out for herself.

"Rhys won't let that happen," Azriel said it because he needed to believe it, "him and—him and her. With both of them there, they can win."

"Rhys threw the last of his power into protecting us," Cassian reminded him, "he has nothing left right now. And she...she won't fight if it kills him. There's too much leverage. He's there, Helion's there. Threatening them...Amarantha already won."

"No," Azriel denied, "no. She...there's a chance."

"A chance," Cassian agreed quietly, because he had to have some ounce of faith in the possibility that this could all end well. Well and soon. "Maybe...maybe she can end this before it gets any worse."