A Court of Fear and Longing

Chapter 29

A/N Comment if you think you know who Mor's lover is! It's someone you already know. 

The armies marched on to their inevitable battle- the battle to end a war. They were only days away now. 

Rhysand and Feyre commanded the Prythian armies, knowing Aelin was only holding onto sanity by a thread. 

Cassian and Fenrys faithfully followed the fire-queen, becoming close friends because of this. They had both helped Aelin through difficult times. 

Amren was her usual terrifying self. Every night, when the tents were set up, there was an obvious distance between her tent and the soldiers of the armies. 

Mor was unusually cheery- even for her usual self. No one could figure it out, though when asked, she simply said it was important to have some optimism to keep going.

Rowan wouldn't leave his mate's side. He only allowed their court to come near Aelin. 

Aelin was not ok. She didn't try to lie to herself anymore. Fear of the realistic nightmares had brought on the insomnia, and it was impossible to sit still for minutes, even as the bags under her eyes grew. Her skin was pale, though she was under the sun all day. She was uncontrollably cold, and only keeping a steady fire in her hand warmed her. She had one now, as they continued the march to Orynth. 

"I'm fine, Rowan. I think you need to go fly for a while, though. Scout ahead with Lysandra and Dorian." Aelin could see in his eyes, her mate wanted to argue with her, but he instead shifted and flew ahead to the two constantly changing birds. 

That's when she felt the stir in her magic. Something was happening in Orynth her powers wished to show her. She obliged and her conscious transferred from her body to a lamp on the city walls of Orynth. 

The first time had been unexpected, then weird sensation taking Aelin by surprise. She had been training with the fire after most of the camp had gone to sleep, controlling the flames. She felt a jolt, and the sensation of being freer than before. She couldn't see, but instead got the sense of vibrations in the ground and air, the taste too. Shew could feel her body, tell it what to do, but she was in a different place. 

Aelin felt this now. Felt the vibrations in the ground- soldiers everywhere. Yelling from the air. The taste of fear, sweat, and a fading hope. Far away, Thousands of beating wings. The Ironteeth had come to destroy the last stand of light. To snuff out a fire before it became too wild. But there was another reason she had been brought here. From the north, thirteen sets of wings beat. Very close. 

Aelin tasted the salt of tears. Felt the delicate voice of one she knew. Lysandra. There were vibrations of bows being drawn. The fools would shoot their saviors out of the sky. But a voice stopped them. 

"HOLD FIRE," The voice commanded. The other side of her coin. The calm to her insanity. Aedion. A general truly deserving of Terrasen's army. 

The thud as thirteen large beasts landed on the wall. 

But Aelin was disgusted to feel the voice of Darrow. She tuned him out, not caring to hear what he had to say. 

"We have no master," Manon Blackbeak said, and it was a queen's voice she spoke with. "We came to honor a friend." 

They came to honor a promise made to her. You wanted a queen ready to take on her duties, Darrow? Well, here you are. Four armies with more on the way. Find someone more ready than that. She thought, drawing her consciousness away from the fire as the flapping of countless cloaks made it sputter. 

..........

A day later, when Morath recovers from the surprise of Crochans still existing and also in the middle of the battle: