DISCONTINUED A Court Of Blood And Night (Tog & ACOTAR crossover)

21 - Manon

Oh my god this picture is so cool! ^^^
Updating a little early because I'm celebrating my mom's birthday tomorrow by going to the coast! Which would be awesome except the Oregon coast is cold. Always.

And I'm absolutely terrified of the ocean.

Save me...

Manon Blackbeak had met her match, and she wasn't sure what to make of it.

From the moment she'd entered the castle grounds days before, she'd felt the dark-haired female's otherworldly presence, and something inside her, long dormant, had recoiled.

That interested her. Witches didn't have a natural, universal fear. But when she talked with her Thirteen that night, every single one of them admitted that they felt it, too. Even Asterin had sounded subdued when she spoke of it.

So it made the witch wonder. What in the world was this creature, and why was it so terrifying to her and the others?

Meeting Amren's silver gaze that first time had been worse than an arrow through her shoulder. Not right. Nothing about the female settled with Manon.

And, if their faces were indication of anything, Amren's presence unsettled everyone here.

But... Predator. Amren had said witches once had a predator, natural as they came. Something had been at the top of the food chain, higher than the heart-eating witches Manon had grown up knowing.

Was Amren such a creature? If she was, she hadn't gone hunting for a long, long time. Long enough that, while Manon certainly couldn't kill her, she could definitely hold her off.

She supposed it was a good thing that she and Amren were on the same side.

Amren didn't have iron nails, or sharp teeth, or any sort of weapon. Then again, she didn't need any. It was unsettling, the way she fought. Despite Manon's attempts to trick her-- feinting, looking away as if she could see something behind her, and even using subtle bits of magic to confuse her-- Amren saw through it all.

The next punch Amren threw was fast and brutal. Despite the fact that Manon dodged it, she could hear the wind her first stirring as it flew past her ear. That punch, had it hit her, would've knocked out her teeth.

Amren's outstretched arm gave Manon the perfect excuse to sink those iron teeth into the skin, tasting her blood again as Amren let out an enraged and pained sound.

The blood on her tongue tasted like the cold, snowy mountains farther west, some of which she'd been taught to avoid. Was it possible that Amren came from those very mountains? What life was there besides a few starving wolves?

Amren recoiled, ripping her arm away from Manon, face twisted in anger. But before the fight could go any further, someone grabbed Manon and pulled her back, hands slipping slightly because of the blood on her skin.

The High Lord was doing the same to Amren, looking for all the world like a male who'd rather jump off a cliff into a pile of angry, venomous snakes.

Manon glared heatedly at the Fae holding her back-- Gavriel-- but did not fight him. In the months she'd traveled with the warrior, she'd gained some respect toward him, and she wasn't going to bite his head off for stopping them from killing each other.

Rowan simply nodded at Manon and Amren, those pine green eyes a little wider than normal, his tan skin pale and greenish. She gave him a fierce grin just to see how he'd react, but he simply crossed his arms and stared back.

She'd noticed it lately, the sense of purpose he'd seemed to gain back. Without that purpose, Rowan was lost, a wanderer. But now he'd seemed, just barely, to come back into that warrior that had jumped in front of his Queen to save her from a lethal blow, courtesy of Asterin.

And it was at that moment that Manon realized Rowan was up to something.

The rest of the fighting, oddly enough, passed by in a blur of motion. Typically, Manon would've savored the blood and violence, but she was too caught up in wondering what, exactly, was Rowan planning to actually care.

When the group dispersed, Manon caught up with Rowan. "What are you planning?" She demanded, causing him to halt.

The male looked tired, but determined. "I'm getting my wife back. I've been planning with Aedion fot a while." He glanced at her, and she kept her expression neutral. She hadn't expected him to give her information so easily.

"I want you to help me," Rowan continued, beginning to walk again, and Manon realized why he'd given her that information. He'd planned to. "You knew things about Maeve's position that nobody else knew. Perhaps you could find her location, along with the others that I send."

Manon said quietly, "The Thirteen should be enough to track down your Queen, Rowan. Don't expect us to play nice with whomever else you send." There was a bite in her voice, and Rowan cringed at the corner of her eye.

But he didn't give in to her wishes, either. "Manon, while I respect the Thirteen's ability, I'd rather send as many as I can to track her. Not too many-- just two or three extra."

"Who?" She demanded, blood-covered hands curling into fists. Insult-- an insult to send more. Her Thirteen was more capable than any of the others here!

"First," Rowan said, not oblivious to her anger but willing to ignore it, "I want to send that Azriel. He could melt into shadows like it was nothing, and he can..." He hesitated, searching for the right words. "He can... travel the way Fenrys could. That could be extremely helpful."

"He doesn't know the world," Manon protested.

"So we teach him," Rowan snapped back. "We teach those who we send. Maps, books, rules-- whatever we need to get them caught up." He lowered his voice. "You can't deny that he and his power would be useful, Manon."

Moments away. She was moments away from ripping his throat out--

"Winnowing," a quiet voice said. "We call that travel 'winnowing.'"

Manon turned, still glaring, to see Azriel himself staring at them, arms folded over his chest. She kept her glare on him, but Azriel stared back, unaffected. "I've been on the wrong side of Amren's anger too many times to be frightened by you." Not an insult-- just fact.

So Manon turned her glare on Rowan again. "Is that all?" She asked icily, and his pine-green eyes narrowed.

"I want to send Amren and Galan as well. Amren for obvious reasons, and Galan is her family and a good warrior."

"If you want family and a good warrior, why not send Aedion, or yourself?" Manon asked, cocking her head, and purred, "Unless these months have made you a coward?"

He didn't even bristle. "No. Aedion, Ansel, Lysandra, and the Courts will be going the opposite direction with me. Someone will be bound to find her."

"Who?" It wasn't Manon who spoke.

They'd forgotten that Azriel didn't know, already. "The imprisoned female," Rowan answered. "She's been missing for months. If we don't find her soon, things could go downhill."

The answer satisfied the male enough for him to depart with a quick nod.

"You take Azriel," Manon finally said. "I have no use for him. Besides, I have my Shadows, remember?" There was a bite to her voice. Edda and Briar would do just fine without him.

Rowan met her gaze and gave her a long, hard stare. After a few heartbeats, he nodded. "Okay, I'll take Azriel, then. We leave in a few days, so gather your Thirteen and those traveling with you and make sure they're prepared."

Manon nodded curtly and departed.