Dance of Shadows / Azriel x Oc

Chapter Ten

Asteria's pain filled cry awoke something in Azriel. 

He had been struggling against the thirteen males he fought, not being able to use his power, relying purely on his own skill. But when he heard her scream, he barely registered killing each one of them in a matter of seconds. She cried out again as Azriel plunged his blade in the last remaining male's neck. Without so much as taking a breath, he began to race over to her, a roaring in his ears, yelling at him to help her help her save her  save her kill whoever hurt her-

Someone winnowed in front of him. The male who had first appeared. 

Azriel did not hesitate to plunge his blade right through his heart, the males words echoing in his mind. We like to share any female we encounter. He had never felt anger like he did in that moment. He was almost sure it would kill him, burning him from the core of his blood stained heart.

Asteria screamed again, and the male laughed. "He will find her. And you will regret not killing her when he does." The male hissed, his voice weak yet wicked as he quickly bled out. Azriel's jaw clenched, resisting the urge to tear the male's head off.

"Who? Who is hunting her?" The male laughed once more, before falling forward, Azriel's blade keeping him from crashing to the ground. Azriel cursed, throwing his blade to the side. Asteria screamed again.

Azriel was kneeling at her side in an instant. He examined her, his breath coming to a stop as he did. Her eyes were shut tight, her face in an expression so pained it almost killed him. An arrow was deeply wedged in her abdomen. She was sweating, despite the harsh cold of the night. 

"Asteria," he breathed. The female didn't seem to hear him, continuing to moan in pain as she squirmed on the floor. "Shh, it's okay. Try to hold still." He soothed. Azriel grabbed Truth-Teller, which she had dropped. He cut the arrow in half, before pulling it out.

Asteria screamed again, the sound so filled with pure agony that Azriel flinched. He forced himself to lift her shirt, gasping at what he saw.

From the place where the arrow had been lodged in her flesh, black lines, looking like veins, were spreading through her, underneath her skin. Azriel grabbed the arrow he had just pulled out of her, examining its tip.

It was unlike anything he'd ever seen in the centuries he'd been alive. The arrow itself appeared normal, but the wisps of black and silver floating around it was undeniably not. He touched the tip with his finger.

An intense burning sprouted from where he'd touched the arrow with his skin, spreading up his arm. Azriel bit his tongue to keep from crying out.

He whipped his head back to Asteria, who was moaning and whimpering in pain. Azriel didn't even let himself consider what she must have been feeling, to have had that thing lodged in her when a small touch of it was like an ash arrow to the neck. He scooped her up into his arms, careful not to hurt her further, and urged his wings to shoot them into the sky.

Azriel almost passed out from the pain of his unhealed wings as he forced them to flap as hard as they possibly could. Azriel flew and flew and flew, and it might have been the hardest thing he had ever done, had Asteria's whimpers not been enough for him to block out every ounce of agony he felt, replacing it with a different kind of agony, one so intense that he wanted to rip the world to shreds, rip himself to shreds for letting her get hurt-

Asteria suddenly stilled, her soft cries dying down to small, fast breaths. 

She was dying.

"Come on Asteria. Please, please just hold on for a few more minutes..." Azriel hurried even more, flapping and flapping like he never had before, feeling her beginning to fade away through their bond-

HELP, RHYS, Azriel screamed with his mind, begging the mother that his friend could hear him. Azriel was nearing Velaris, but there were at least a few minutes until they reached the city, and Asteria didn't have a few minutes-

PLEASE, PLEASE RHYSAND! He begged. Asteria had begun to shiver violently, her skin far too cold.

A dark cloud appeared in the air, and Rhysand appeared among it, the portrait of confusion and worry. Azriel halted in the sky. Rhysand barely glanced at the sight before him, Azriel, grim faced, a worry like nothing he'd ever seen in his friend's eyes before, holding his sister in his arms, her face white as the snow that stuck to the ground, feeling the life fade from her body, before grabbing them both and winnowing them to the House of Wind. 

They appeared in the dining room a split second later, Asteria still in Azriel's arms. Rhys raised his hand and everything that was on the table instantly disappeared, a thick white sheet now covering the table. Azriel carefully set Asteria down atop it, who continued to tremble brutally.

"What the-" Cassian started from behind them. Rhysand whipped his head around.

"Get Madja." He demanded, his voice so commanding that Cassian didn't hesitate to sprint off and find the healer. Rhysand turned to Azriel, who was kneeling beside Asteria's head. "What the fuck happened." He didn't bother to soften his tone, letting his fear and rage show through it. Azriel only shook his head, handing something to Rhys, his eyes never leaving Asteria.

Rhysand took what Azriel had passed him; an arrow, sliced clean in half. The arrow she had no doubt been shot with. Rhysand studied it, noting the dark magic dancing around the arrowhead. Rhys raised his fingers to it.

"Don't touch it." Azriel whispered. Right then, Majda rushed into the room, Cassian behind her, utter shock on his face. and Mor trailed after him, confusion in her expression. Amren stepped in a moment later. The three of them of them gasped, their eyes wide as the took in the image of Asteria dying on the dining table, Azriel kneeling beside her. 

"What was she shot with?" Majda asked, wasting no time before she began examining the girl's stomach. She gasped as she saw the lines, like ink on paper, trailing from the wound. They were much longer than they'd been when Azriel had first noticed them, now nearing her chest.

Rhysand handed Majda the arrow. She examined it closely. "Rhysand, take her pain." She commanded, eyes still observing the half arrow. Rhys shook his head. "I-I can't. I can't get into her mind. I've been trying since we got here." 

Majda put down the arrow, gently placing a hand near Asteria's wound.

Her scream made everyone freeze.

It seemed that she had been woken, though Azriel was not sure it was for the better- instead of the terrifying absence of sound, now all Asteria seemed capable of doing was screaming. Tears slid down her face.

Mor clutched Cassian's arm, both of them unable to do anything but watch in horror. Rhysand fell to his knees, a strained sob escaping his lips.

Azriel held Asteria's hand. She gripped him so hard it hurt, but Azriel could not care less. His shadows stroked her face in a soothing manner, and her screaming calmed, turning into soft pained whimpers. 

"I do not know what it is. I... I don't know how to help her." Majda whispered. Azriel felt the room start spinning. "What do you mean you don't know how to help her?! Save her!" Rhysand yelled. 

Majda shook her head, holding out her hands to try to heal the girl. It was no use.

Azriel felt tears falling down his face, feeling her begin to fade away again through the bond.

Please, he urged her through their bond. Please don't let go. Please Asteria, I have so much to say to you, so much to do with you, you can't leave me. Please, please don't leave me.

Asteria stilled. She stopped making any sounds. She stopped shaking.

She was dead.

...

hey y'all sorry for not posting in a while lol I had like 239 tests and then blacked out on Saturday but I'm back hehe