A Court of Love and Hate

Chapter 6

He felt as if he was falling. Falling and spiraling through a dark hole, an abyss. Nyx opened his eyes to find himself surrounded by blurs of time and space.

Here and there he'd see a forest of trees, a range of mountains, he thought he was even able to see fae.

Ahead of him, he could see the shape of Evalin, falling through worlds. She was god-like in her fall. With grace, her hair was swirling around her face, reflecting light itself. Nyx was sure he did not look as good.

He was catching up to her. He didn't know how, but suddenly he was three feet behind her. Two. One. But he wasn't speeding up. Evalin was slowing her descent through worlds. Nyx was suddenly terrified that he wasn't going to stop. He was going to be stuck falling through worlds. He needed to slow down. He did not know how.

Just as he was about to pass his mate, he grabbed onto her, slowing his descent, but she cried out in pain and he knew he should've let himself keep falling.

Suddenly they were rolling. Evalin over Nyx over Evalin over Nyx.

Nyx felt a burning pain in his elbow, then his forehead, then his precious, fragile wings.

And then all motion stopped.

Nyx peeked open an eye to find himself surrounded by a barren stretch of land. Rocks and dust marked no signs of life. He turned to his left to see his golden mate on the ground, unresponsive.

"Evalin?" he shot up, ignoring the pain in his wings and rushed to her side. "Evalin, please be okay."

Once he reached her, he felt to his knees, disregarding the sting of the rocks against his torn up knees.

He grabbed her neck and lifted her head. Her eyes opened wide and she gasped in a breath.

"Nyx!" she grabbed his arms, gulping down air. "Nyx, you followed me."

It was most definitely a statement and not a question, but he answered her anyway. "Yes I did. I couldn't let you go without knowing if I'd see you again."

Evalin broke her eyes from his and looked at their surroundings. She let out a sigh.

"Well you're lucky. We've ended up in my world and somehow you weren't able to cleft me."

"Cleft?" Nyx did not know the world.

"When you're traveling through worlds, if you run into someone or something, you can get caught between two worlds; stuck between them. It's extremely rare and extremely painful. I've heard stories of those who have managed to completely tear their whole arm, from the shoulder to the wrist." she explained, patiently.

"Princess, I'm really sorry. I don't know why I decided to follow you, it just kind of happened. And then you started slowing down and I was still speeding up, so I grabbed you as I was passing you."

"It's okay Nyx. I'm not angry, just a little stunned if I'm being honest. If you had gotten stuck falling, I don't even want to know–"

"EVALIN! Ev, is that you?"

Evalin whipped her stunning head to her left, where standing ten yards away was a tall, lanky woman. She had black hair and beside her was the most horrifying creature Nyx had ever seen.

It looked like an engorged lizard. It was no shorter than fifteen feet tall, covered in glistening black scales. Its eyes promised death as its chest rumbled in what was assumedly a growl. Nyx reached his arm across his mate's body in a protective stance.

The woman lifted a spear, prepared to throw it. It was aimed directly at Nyx.

Let. Her. Try, he thought.

"Wait, Asterin stop," Evalin stepped around Nyx's protective stance and threw her arms down in a steadying manner. "Everything is okay, I trust him, I trust you, we're all friends."

The black-haired woman slowly dropped her arm. Evalin made eye contact with Nyx and he nodded. They were in her territory now.

Evalin turned towards the girl before rushing to her, the girl following her stead. They met in between in a bone-crushing hug.

Nyx started towards them, the beast opposite him doing the same. When he made it to her side, he heard the other girl, Asterin, clearly.

"We thought whatever happened to Fenrys happened to you and we were so worried, Ev. I was terrified I'd never see you again!"

There were clearly tears coating the girl's voice, and Nyx was immediately soothed. If Asterin would cry at the thought of losing Evalin, he believed she could be trusted.

Evalin pulled away and put her hands on Asterin's cheeks, wiping at the tears. "I'm okay, I promise. I just got stuck for a while."

When both the girls were reassured and calmed, Evalin stepped back until her arm was grazing Nyx's, which did not go unnoticed by Asterin.

"Asterin, I'd like for you to meet my new friend, Nyx. Nyx," she turned her beautiful green gaze to his. "This is my cousin, Asterin."

Nyx directed his attention to the girl and dipped his chin, "It's a pleasure."

She merely blinked and Nyx's thoughts wandered to the uncle Evalin claimed to have. Maybe this was his daughter.

"The beast I saw you glaring at behind me is Narene, my wyvern."

Nyx slowly turned his head to the monster, "You keep that as a pet?"

"Something like that." Asterin reached her arm back and the wyvern nuzzled her hand.

Together, the three and the beast made their way to an area completely occupied by tents, more wyverns, and an endless amount of women.

Asterin led the way through the camp, Evalin following her with Nyx trailing behind, looking like a bewildered child as he looked at anything and everything as he passed.

He jogged up to Evalin's side, whispering in her ear, "What is this place?"

"It's the witches' camp," she whispered back, her pine green eyes rising to meet his. "This is where my aunt lives."

"Did you say witch–"

Before he could finish, a staggeringly beautiful woman on a wyvern landed in front of them. She had long silver hair and glowing golden eyes.

She jumped off of her mount and without even pausing, made her way to the group. She was terrifying and commanded respect. Her cloak suggesting she was in fact the one in charge.

"Evalin."

"Manon." Evalin had the good grace to look downward as the woman spoke to her.

"Where the rutting hell have you been?" The woman called Manon pushed her hand hard against Evalin's right shoulder.

When she winced, Nyx growled in the general direction of the witch who had the audacity to put her hands on his mate.

"And why, the rutting hell, do you have this man-child with you?"

Evalin looked up and then back at Nyx, her eyes pleading with him. Stay silent!

"I was walking through worlds again and this time I discovered fae, the same as us! Well," she mused. "Me. As I made a portal, Nyx followed me through."

At that, Manon's eyes sharpened immediately onto the young male, glaring violently enough to make him shiver.

"Don't worry though! He's a friend. He saved me and him and his family took me in as I was healing. We can trust him."

"Haven't you learned, girl? Trust no one. Come, we're going to Terrasen."