A Court of Death || ACOTAR

75

Astryn had skipped out in training, but she did join Feyre and Nesta on their trip to the library in the House of Wind—not the area she typically frequented with Nesta, but instead an area with less fiction and things more useful for the coming war.

Nesta kept eyeing Astryn with apprehension, like she was waiting for her to lash out over their last interaction. The angry outburst never came.

Astryn half listened to the conversation Nesta and Feyre were having. The conversation was cut short when they felt a ripple—a shift in the world around them.

"What is that?" Nesta asked, voice barely above a whisper.

Feyre responded with one word—a command.

"Run."

All three of them sprinted through the library, Feyre urging Nesta to go fast as darkness threatened to descend upon them. And it was then that two High Fae males emerged from the darkness and blew a cloud of faebane dust at them, locking away their magic. Astryn felt the familiar tug of panic as she identified the males as being from Hybern. They grinned wildly. It was Nesta they spoke to, and Astryn didn't hear a word of it—everything muffled and distant. She shoved Nesta behind herself.

"You will not touch her," Astryn didn't recognize the sound of her own voice.

"Oh, how the King will reward us for bringing him the thief, the High Lady, and his favorite whore," one of the males mocked, "the way he raged when you were taken...he will get his vengeance. And I wonder..." the male tried to peek at Nesta, "will your King of the Dead be able to stop him this time after she stole so much death power from the Cauldron? Perhaps my King will wait to return the power to the Cauldron until after he punishes you as he sees fit."

"Your King will not lay a hand on her," Feyre snapped, "on any of us. You made a grave mistake coming here. To my house. And I hope
It rips you to bloody ribbons."

And then all three of them were running, down and down and down into the heart of the library. Hybern's ravens taunted them as they ran, and Astryn shut out the sounds of the voices. Shut out anything other than an intense focus on all three of them escaping.

"Go," Astryn heard Feyre urging her after she sent Nesta running towards the only source of light, the only way back up from here without having to turn back. "Go with her, I'll hold them off."

"No," Astryn argued as she registered Feyre's plan. She nodded towards the stacks of books, and Feyre did not try to convince her anymore to leave. Together, they toppled the heavy stack, and it knocked over the next, and the next, and the next—sealing off the escape route, ensuring Nesta's safety and trapping themselves.

They ran again and kept running until they found that creature that resides in the deep, dark heart of the library.

"Please," Feyre whispered, "please help us."

Hybern's ravens called out something but it did not register in Astryn's mind, just a jumble of sounds.

"The High Lady, the first in history," a soft voice mused quietly, "and the monster charmer, friend of Death. Is that who you are?"

"Yes," they both said at once.

"Please," Astryn murmured as the ravens neared, "please."

"What shall you give me?" the voice inquired, a dangerous, disastrous question.

"What is your price?" Astryn pressed urgently.

"Company," the voice purred, "your company, monster charmer. Tell me of life."

"It's a bargain," Astryn agreed to it without hesitation.

"Shall I send them to Death now?"

"Please."

"Both of you, close your eyes."

They squeezed their eyes shut, and screams filled the space around them. Astryn did not know why she did not keep her eyes closed, why she felt the overwhelming urge to look, but she opened her eyes. She opened her eyes, and she looked at the face of nightmares, looked at fear incarnate.

She stared at the creature, and it seemed to stare back at her even as it tormented Hybern's ravens.

"This is usually the part where you scream and run in terror," it said, sounding curious.

"I'm not afraid," she mumbled, watching it move.

"Monster charmer indeed."

And then Cassian was there.

"Don't look," he said hoarsely, "don't look."

And Astryn knew Feyre hadn't. Cassian led Feyre out, Astryn following alongside with one last glance over her shoulder.

"I look forward to our chats, monster charmer."

"As do I," she whispered, almost smiling.

Rhys and Azriel arrived as they made it further away from the creature, radiating power and fury. And fear—fear that eased when they saw them relatively unscathed.

"Get them out," Rhys growled the order at Azriel and Cassian. Azriel opened his arms for her, and she stepped into them. Cassian took Feyre, and then Nesta when they reached where she was waiting.

"You looked," Azriel muttered, "you looked at it."

"You looked?" Feyre echoed, eyes wide in shocked.

"I wanted to see," Astryn replied with a shrug.

"You should have kept your eyes shut," Cassian snapped, and Astryn knew it wasn't her he was truly angry at right now. "Do you even realize...you shouldn't have looked, Astryn."

"I know," she conceded, "I don't know why I did it."

"It called you monster charmer," Feyre muttered, looking at her curiously.

"Death called me that too," Astryn told her, "I suppose it makes enough sense."

Nesta stared at Feyre, and then at Astryn as the pair spoke to each other. And she did not understand why they stayed back to ensure her safe escape. Feyre...they were sisters, so there was at least that explanation even if Nesta didn't think she could ever deserve that kind of sacrifice from her youngest sister. It didn't make sense. Astryn's actions made even less sense. Astryn, more than Feyre or even Nesta herself, knew precisely what she was risking by not running, by choosing to stay and make sure Nesta got out safely.

As if she could sense the direction of the eldest Archeron sister's thoughts, Astryn looked at Nesta and offered a smile, offered a truce.