A Court of Wind and Song

22: Break

Azriel

At first glance, the House of Wind seemed normal as ever.

Soft glowing lights in the night, an air of calm as the cold wind shifted the curtains, all red rock and polished marble.

But there was something else, something alive and watching, some kind of ancient eye trained on us, a buzzing down the stone hallways, piercing into the back of my head.

And Nesta, lifted up off her bed, floating in the air, completely wreathed in silver flame.

Screaming. The kind of screams a person would make as if they were being torn to pieces.

Cassian, standing there in only undershorts and one lone siphon glowing on his hand, gripping a dagger. Rhys, who looked like for the first time in his life he was afraid of another's magic. And Leur, half in shock and half trying to determine what to do.

Nesta writhed, that silver flame cloaking her like a blanket, body arching. Hands ripping at the nightdress she wore, the fire absolutely destroying everything in its path. But not with heat.

This was something else.

This fire was cold. Freezing, like that area beyond death, that lifeless void where I had been nothing but a soul.

"Holy gods." I managed.

Pure terror poured from her mouth, and I could have sworn that something snapped in Cassian's eyes.

"Fuck it." Leur hissed, jumping up on the bed. One singular touch to Nesta's hand sent a wave of pain down the bond, as if her body, her very blood, rejected it. It did not deter my mate. Leur ripped the bandage I had placed on her hand off, using it to wrap her fingertips as she reached for Nesta again.

It burned away into nothing in an instant.

"Nesta!" Cassian screamed, Rhys holding him back now, "It's a dream!"

My mate, who had never feared Nesta's power. My mate, who had never been afraid of that first bite of pain. My mate, the only one of all of us who would not back away from the fires of death.

She knew death, just as well as I did.

A glowing force appeared in her hand, golden light shining off the pristine blade. And the force that gripped Nesta, the force that was wreathing her in this fire and causing her to sob in pain, nearly flinched away from that light.

Death and light.

I jumped up on the other side of the bed without a second thought. Leur took one look at me, and then tossed the blade to me.

The second it hit my hand, it glowed with something else.

Something that was not gold.

Now didn't seem like the time for a training session?

"Funnel your light into it, Az." Leur called, "Give me the other end."

Over Nesta's floating body, we held both ends of that sword. Leur pouring gold into one side, and me pouring silver into the other.

I didn't question any of it, I just closed my eyes and did as she asked. I could have sworn that the very metal of the Apenati changed color beyond that light that emanated from it, could have sworn that something inside of me shifted at the raw power in my hand.

Gold on one side, silver on the other, and in the middle- whatever Nesta was. Leur gritted her teeth and growled out, "Let her go, you vile fucking thing."

I closed my eyes and focused, pushed everything I had left into that blade. Something inside of me fused with it as I did, some kind of tug on my blood, a burning of the star shaped scar on my chest.