Acotar and Tog [Discontinued, Will be deleted]

One of Us

I almost didn’t believe this was all happening until I was standing there waiting for her to be led out. I could count the number of times I had seen Feyre on one hand and I had been hoping it would stay that way. If she didn’t turn up, it would mean she was safe. Some other poor soul would struggle out instead only to die at what I knew waited in the pit below me, but their loss would be nothing compared to what losing her would feel like.

Every death always meant something, but somehow when it came to Feyre, I was beginning to feel like I would tear the Heavens apart to keep her safe the way I had for Velaris, consequences be damned. I practically had.

Daily I lied to myself, denying she was here. The beautiful dreams of a girl I would have loved to know in another time and place would be all I had to keep me comfort from now on. It was easy to do since I’d already been denying her existence to myself from the day I scared Tamlin into sending her away. At least the fool had been smart enough to do that much. If only she had stayed away, had listened to Tamlin. We would all still be suffering, but she would be safe, a silent victory Amarantha could never get back.

Shadows impressed themselves along the walls of the torch lit hallways where Amarantha’s next victim would emerge. I half dared to pray it wouldn’t be Feyre, but then, there she was, stumbling forward unarmed and unbound among a sea of guards as she took in the scene before her.

The jeers were cruel, devoid of sympathy. The entire arena was unbearable. Amarantha rubbed Tamlin’s knee predatorily, a symbol of ownership I knew was driving Feyre nuts when she spotted it. The love she had in her eyes as she searched Tamlin’s face for a shared bond between sent my blood boiling with jealousy, though I had no right. It was too hard to stay out of her head and I didn’t care to anymore, not so long as these ridiculous trials went on. And to think she had no idea what was coming.

It was a mark of her humanity, how truly ignorant of the fae world she was to not even be able to guess at what manner of creature was waiting to snap at her from where she stood. Her simple appearance alone gave her away, the rags she wore and dirtied face already grown pale and feeble from days of rotting in Amarantha’s dark prison cells. It gnawed at every part of my heart that she would have to suffer this and worse when the trial was over, and suffer it she would because I was betting on her very humanity to save her. The room laughed and scoffed at Feyre for her human weaknesses even when most of they themselves would not survive the task at hand.

But I knew better. Feyre would survive this because she was human, because she still had enough sense about her to not let pride stand in the way of succeeding like the fae would. And for that reason alone, I would never bet against her.

As if somehow sensing my focus on her, Feyre caught my gaze and I tossed her my most confident, feline smile, equal parts amusement as part of the game I played and support for her she could not yet see. Little tendrils of darkness shuddered out of me the second her eyes darted away in annoyance.

“Well, Feyre,” Amarantha said smoothly. “Your first task is here. Let us see how deep that human affection of yours runs.” Pretty damn far, if my instincts were correct. “I took the liberty of learning a few things about you,” she continued. “It was only fair, you know. I think you’ll like this task. Go ahead. Look.”

The attor made way for Feyre to step to the brink of the pit and take in the trenches thick with mud and slime below her. But then almost as fast as he’d allowed her forward did the Attor push Feyre off the edge so that she was hurtling down. He grabbed her mid air in a wild jerk that set my stomach in knots and challenged my control over what was supposed to be a wickedly entertained face before letting her go at the pit’s base.

One day, that Attor and I would have more than words exchanged between us for that move alone.

“Rhysand tells me you’re a huntress,” Amarantha said and I could tell from Feyre’s mind that she was beginning to worry at what else I might have revealed. But then her focus shifted as Amarantha challenged her, “Hunt this.” She gave the command to open the pits of the gate, maliciously enjoying telling Feyre to run, which she promptly did at the first site of the Middengard Wyrm twisting its way toward her.