𝐂𝐎𝐒𝐌𝐈𝐂 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 ! [ rhysand ]

𝐱𝐱𝐢. love and lust !

𝐂 𝐎 𝐒 𝐌 𝐈 𝐂   𝐋 𝐎 𝐕 𝐄   !

𝙲 𝙷 𝙰 𝙿 𝚃 𝙴 𝚁   𝚃 𝚆 𝙴 𝙽 𝚃 𝚈   𝙾 𝙽 𝙴   !

( 𝔩𝔬𝔳𝔢 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔩𝔲𝔰𝔱 ! )

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ ⬩❖⬩ ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

          𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐀𝐒𝐊 𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐃.

Ana found herself in another cavern⎯smaller than the throne room, but large enough to perhaps be some sort of old entertaining space. It had no decorations, save for its gilded walls, and no furniture; the queen herself only sat on a carved wooden chair, Tamlin standing beside her. 

Ana stood beside Rhys once more, the two of them within the rest of the crowd, lucky enough to be at the edge to see everything that occurred. Though, Ana wouldn't consider herself lucky. Especially as Feyre was led into the room by the Attor.

"Well, Feyre, your second trial has come." Amarantha sounded so smug⎯so certain that Feyre's death hovered nearby. She crossed her arms and propped her chin on a hand. "Have you solved my riddle yet?"

Feyre made no move to speak.

"Too bad," she said with moue. "But I'm feeling generous tonight." The Attor chuckled, and several faeries behind Feyre gave hissing laughs of their own. "How about a little practice?"

Ana stiffened. Now she knew why Amarantha had been so smug. This task wasn't about the physical challenges, but the mental. Fuck.

"Begin," Amarantha snapped.

The ground shuddered. The floor beneath Feyre began sinking, lowering her into a large, rectangular pit. Some faeries cackled, but Ana remained silent as she kept her eyes on Feyre, who was looking at Tamlin. Every muscle in her body was tensed in anticipation and worry, and even Rhys's presence behind her wasn't enough to make her calm down.

Three of the walls were made of smooth, shining stone⎯too polished and flat for Feyre to climb. The other wall wasn't a wall, but an iron gate splitting the chamber in two, and through it⎯

"Lucien," Feyre said.

Indeed, Lucien lay chained to the center of the floor on the other side of the chamber, his remaining russet eye so wide that it was surrounded with white. The metal one spun as if it was set wild. His scar shone against his pale skin. Amarantha was playing dirty.

There were no doors, no way for Feyre to reach him except to climb the gate between them. It had such thick, wide holes that she could probably climb and slip through to his side, but she didn't dare move.