A Court of shadows and love

Chapter-16

The dynamics changed instantly as Xander felt solid ground behind his legs. It was him who was cradling a bleeding Azriel in his hand now. A short fae woman with chin length black hair cursed like a sailor on high. She crouched and touched Cassian's wings.
The first thing Xander felt was the heavy air filled with magic. There was magic so much magic all around him. And yet Azriel was bleeding. He looked at the short women as she healed Cassian with her magic. If Xander can feel her magic why can't he wield her magic?
Xander copied the woman's hand movements and rubbed his hands all over Azriel's chest. His hands glowed green as he kept rubbing Azriel's chest. Blood stopped flowing and the wound on his chest slowly begun to close up.
"Where is she?" The woman demanded. She was talking about his sister. Where is she? Where is his sister? Where is Feyre? Shouldn't she be escaped along with them? Is she with his sisters? Where are his sisters?
"Where are they?" He rasped. The woman's head snapped upto him. She regarded him as he continued to move his hands around Azriel.
"Get the book away from here" Rhysand tossed a package away. Xander peeled the arrow head embedded into Azriel's side. A fresh pool of blood flowed onto the carpet. Xander instinctively plunged his hand onto the puncture wound. A bright light flared and bones and tissues and muscles started mending itself around his fingers. He didn't look up as he listened to the conversation going on around him. His sister has sacrificed herself to save her family again. Tamlin abducted her once more.
"You promised," Xander spoke. His voice as cold as ice. He rose from his crouched position. Flesh formed instantly on the space his fingers were mere moments ago. He stalked straight towards Rhysand like a wolf ready to pounce on its prey. His eyes shined a brilliant gold as he kept walking towards Rhysand.
"You promised" he screamed. Rhysand fell to his knees as a blinding rage and anger flowed through his mind. His shield was shredded to pieces like it was made of paper. It was Xander. Xander tore through his shield like a hot knife cutting through butter. Rhys struggled to get out of his hold on his mind. A single misstep from Xander and Rhys mind would be shattered to pieces.
Amren watched as her high lord fell to his knees before a mere boy of 18. She stepped forward. "Don't you dare," he hissed in her direction. Amren froze as his golden eyes held her in place. Never in her life has she experienced this much amount of raw, unfiltered power. It was like the boy gripped the magic of world in his palm.
"You promised me you would take care of my family. Look around you Rhysand you can't even save your own brothers. They are at the brink of death. And I lost my sister again because of your half assed plan" he hissed. Rhys struggled to get free. Xander held him by his throat and pressed. Rhys couldn't breath. Rhys's breath hitched as he saw the glittering golden eyes. Something happened. Something changed when he went inside the cauldron. Whatever happened inside the cauldron gave him powers he could barely control.
Xander was brought back from his trance like state when he heard the sharp intake of Azriel's breath. The glowing of his eyes dimmed and returned to his normal grey eyes. He rushed to Azriel's side. His hands shook as they started glowing green with magic. Xander didn't know what was happening to him.
"Rhys," he cried. Something inside of Rhys snapped when he heard Xander's broken sob. Rhysand moved towards Xander and hugged his head to his chest. "I don't know how to stop it," he sobbed.
"Shh it's going to alright," Rhys soothed him. Rhys filtered through Xander's mind. Agony and pain was the only thing Rhys saw inside Xander's head. No wonder he was ready to kill him. Rhys filtered through his thoughts and made him sleep. He scooped him up in his arms right as Madja entered the town house with a row of healers on her heels.
Rhys took Xander to one of the rooms in the town house and put him on the bed. He waved his hands and the blood and grim on Xander were instantly gone. He smoothed his brown hair out of his face and caressed his cheeks. This little boy has gone through something no one has ever done in their life. He didn't know how he was going to help Xander. But he need to help him. During her time  in Velaris Feyre has talked more about her brother than any one. He will give all he has to help him pull through it.
"What just happened?" Amren asked him as her and Mor filled into his room. "He marched straight  to the cauldron. He killed the guards in his home before he was captured. He killed another guard with his iron bounds when the guard tried to push his twin into the cauldron. But that king made sure it happened. Then his another sister went in. He marched himself straight to the cauldron. He promised to kill the king and the mortal queens straight to their faces. When he came back it was like a raging sun on its full glory. He felt like rage, utter chaos. His mind was only filled with anger and despair and rage. Rage. Molten blinding rage that he is now. He tore through my mental shield like it was nothing. No one has done something like that ever" Rhys told her still looking at a sleeping Xander. He looked so peaceful like that.
"He held you by your throat. And his eyes were like....." Mor trailed off. Rhys nodded his head. She didn't have to complete her sentence. His eyes were imprinted in his mind. He would never forget that look.
"Whatever happened inside the cauldron changed him. We can't know anything till he wakes up" Rhys told them both. They all stood standing around his bed. He wondered if Nesta and Elain were same like him.
"How are the sisters?" He asked Mor. "They are at the house of wind. They refuse to let anyone near them.  Elain didn't speak to anyone. And Nesta was something" Mor sighed as she rubbed her temples. "Did you feel anything around both of them?" Amren asked her.
"I did" it was Rhysand who spoke up. "When Nesta came out of the cauldron I felt it. She felt like death. But nothing like Xander. He felt like everything. He felt like the essence of life in the world. It feels like he can rip that essence of life with a single thought if he wants to. But Nesta felt like pure death. Elain didn't feel like anything" he explained.
"What of his eyes?" Mor asked them. She couldn't shake the feel of Xander's eyes. It was not the same eyes of the boy who flirted with her and made her blush. He felt like a whole new person. "Eyes represents power girl," Amren told her. Her own silver eyes swirled. "But when he heard Azriel it was like something inside him clicked," Amren pondered out loud.
"It's.....they...its" Rhys stammered in his sentence. He sighed. "They are mates."
Mor sucked in a breath sharply. "That explained why Az behaved like that," she wondered.
"Behaved how?" Amren asked them both. "When Xander went into the cauldron Azriel howled in pain. It was like he was feeling what Xander was feeling. He crawled across the floor to him when blood flowed like a river from his chest," Mor explained to Amren.
"This is something none of us has ever seen or heard of. Dumping mortal people into the cauldron and making them immortal. And them climbing the pit of the cauldron with power beyond measure. This is a nightmare," Amren barked. Xander stirred at the sudden noise.
"Get out," he ordered her. "We can talk about it later once he wakes up. No one asks him anything about what happened inside the cauldron, we will wait for him to open up to us. Now get out before you wake him up," Rhys growled. Amren and Mor shared a look and filled out of the room Xander was in.
The first thing Xander noticed was the smooth mattress he was laying. It felt like he was floating on the clouds. His limbs and body felt like someone just dropped a mountain on him. He cried as he sat up and clutched his neck.
A hand cradled him and told him to just breath deeply. Blood roared in his ears. He rolled around and vomited everything inside of him. His throat felt like a dry dessert. Some one was rubbing his back and telling him that it's going to be ok. He desperately wanted to believe them.
When the roaring in his ears subdued he heard Rhys's voice. "You're safe," Rhys kept repeating the same sentence over and over again. He sobbed loudly as his broken memories came together. Rhys's hands rubbed soothing circles on his back. He cried his heart out till there were no more tears to shed.
He finally looked up at Rhysand's face. His violet eyes were glossed over like he was holding his own tears back. Rhys smoothed out his hair and caressed his cheeks.
"I am sorry," he breathed his voice hoarse. His throat burned as he struggled to breath. Rhys waved his hands and a pitcher of cold water was resting on his hands. He fed the water slowly to him. Xander gulped the cold water and it soothed his aching throat.
Rhys finally let him go when Xander managed to sit on his own on the end of bed. "I am sorry," he said again. His voice more clear now. "What are your sorry for Xan?" Rhys asked him. "The things I said. I didn't mean any of it. I didn't know why I said those things. But I didn't mean any of it,"  he sobbed. Gods, he was ashamed of the things he said. It makes him want to roll up again and vomit. Rhys crouched in front of him. He hooked his fingers under Xander's chin and lifted his head up. "I know Xan. I know" Rhys told him. Rhysand was shocked to hear the tenderness in his own voice. Xander closed his eyes and a single tear leaked from his eye. He sat there for a minute and controlled his breathing.
"How long has it been?" Xander asked Rhysand. Sun was shining brightly on the open balcony. "A day and a half" Rhys told him. "My sisters? Are they ok?" He asked Rhys. His heart thumped as he waited for Rhys's answer. "They all are ok. They all are." He breathed a shy of relief.
"And Feyre?"
"She told me she was alright."
Xander nodded his head.
"And Az?"
"He is ok too. You healed most of him. Madja just looked over your healing and he is sleeping off the poison. You saved his life," Rhys told him. Xander looked down at his hands. He can still feel the heaviness of magic around him.
"I don't know how I did it," he whispered. "Don't think about it Xan," Rhys told him. Xander nodded his head. "I need to wash," he told him. He felt dirty. He felt like all the filth of world was on him.
"The bathroom is through there. Do you need me to come with you?" Rhys asked him. Xander looked at the bathroom and back at Rhys. "No. I think I can manage," he whispered. Rhys nodded his head. "I will wait here for you," Rhys told him and helped him up. Xander's feet wobbled as he stood on his unsteady legs. He slowly walked to the bathroom and stepped inside. He didn't lock the door behind him. He left it slightly open.
He looked at the mirror on the wall behind the sink. His eyes were same grey right now. Not gold. His cheek bones and jawline seemed more sharper than before. His ears. Gods his ears were pointed. He touched his ears and shivered at the odd sensation. Tears pooled in his eyes. He wiped his eyes furiously. He refused to cry anymore. He turned around and beheld the bath tub before him. It was huge and made up of black stone. At any other time he would have enjoyed a long bath in the tub. But right now he was afraid.
"Rhys."
He called softly. "Yes Xander?" Rhys asked through the open doorway. "There is no shower head in here. I don't want a bath. I need a shower," he pointed to the tub. Rhys understood why. Xander was afraid of going inside water. Because of what happened.
Rhys snapped his finger and a shower area materialised where the bath tub was. Xander gave him a small smile and stepped into the shower stall. He peeled of the pant he was wearing and tossed it out. He turned on the hot shower as the water washed away everything. He let him feel everything for the first time since he woke up. He was disoriented. He didn't know what was happening to him. He could hear Rhysand's heartbeat and squeaking of sea gulls and crashing of waves. He could hear children laughing on the streets and vendors selling goods. He tuned them all. He just concentrated on Rhys's heart beat. He forced his heart to match Rhys's own. Xander relaxed.
The agony and rage was still swimming inside of his head. He can't let it out. He can't allow something like that happen again. He closed his eyes and imagined a golden trunk in his head. He stuffed all of his rage and pain and agony and sorrow inside it. He slammed the trunk close and locked the box. He hid the key just under the trunk. So that he can let it loose when the time comes. He opened his eyes and turned off the shower. He stepped out and dried himself with a towel. He tied the towel around his waist and stepped out.
Rhysand was sitting in the chair near the fireplace and looking out of the window. "I picked out some clothes for you. They are in the closet. Get dressed. You can come and eat with us or I can bring food here. Whatever you want is fine," he told Xander. Xander contemplated on what to do. Did he want to go out? Of course he want to. Was he ready to go out? No he wasn't. He would never be ready to do that. But he can try. "I would like to come with you," he told Rhysand.
"Get dressed, I will wait outside for you," Rhys nodded his head. Xander went into the closet and looked around all the dresses Rhys had brought for him. Dresses ranged from suits to boxers lined the top shelves of the closet and variety of shoes and slippers lined the bottom shelf. Xander chose a simple black t shirt and a black pant and paired it with black slippers. Right before he slipped the t shirt he caught site of his back on the closet mirror. He shook his head and got ready.
Rhys was waiting outside his room. He joined Rhys and walked to the dining room. Mor and the woman with short hair was already waiting there. She was small. Smaller than Elain. Her eyes, gods her eyes remanded him of his own golden ones when he lost control the other day.
"Amren meet Xander, Xander meet Amren my second in command" Rhys introduced them. "Nice to meet you lady Amren," Xander greeted her and kissed her hand. Rhys raised his eyebrows in amusement as Amren beheld the boy before him. "Told you he is a charmer," Mor laughed. He flashed her a forced grin. "How are you Mor?" He asked her. Mor blinked. "I am fine. You look well," she said after a minute. "I took a shower," he shrugged his shoulders.
His stomach grumbled. "Let's eat," Rhys said and took a seat. Xander took a seat next to him with Mor on his other side and Amren sat opposite to him.
Cassian staggered into the room his wings band aided heavily. He groaned as he sat himself upright. Azriel wasn't there. Xander looked at the door Cassian just came and waited for Azriel to come any time. But he didn't. "Where is Az?" He asked them in general. Mor, Amren and Rhys shared a look. "He is still sleeping," Cass grunted. Xander's face fell in disappointment.
Xander flicked the peas of his plate and only ate the meat. His mouth instantly watered at the delicious taste of food. But he couldn't eat more than a few bites. His stomach rolled in coils and he just pushed around the food in his plate.
"I need you to train me" he told Rhys as he pushed his plate away. Rhys looked at him. "I need you to train me to do what I did that day. More efficiently" he explained. "Are you sure?" Rhys asked him. He nodded his head. "The king can't only be killed with daggers. I need everything I can have," he told them non chalantly. Cassian swore when he heard that. Mor choked on the piece of food she was chewing. Amren raised her eyebrows.He looked down at his plate. The fork he was holding snapped in half as he tightened his grip. "We can start tomorrow" Rhys told him. The rage he kept under lock and key rattled the trunk. Demanding to be let out. Xander closed his eyes and breathed deeply. Shoving the rage back inside. He opened his eyes and tried to breath through his nose. The rage and anger thumped against the hood of the trunk. His eyes shined golden as he tried to control his breath.
"Do you want to go and see Azriel?" Rhys asked him when he saw Xander's eyes changing colour. In a blink his eye colour changed. He looked up at Rhysand. "I would like that," he told him. His voice void of emotion.
Xander followed Rhys out of the dining room and the other members of the inner circle shared a look. Mor and Amren explained everything to Cassian. Cassian's face drained of colour when he heard what happened. This is going to be a one long process.....