Cursebreaker and Fireheart

Chapter 35: The Cauldron

Aelin felt like she was going to faint. Or possibly throw something. Preferably at Deanna. 

"What about the other gods? Where are they?" She dared to ask. 

"Only Hellas is here. The others are home." Mala replied, letting her hand fall back to the ground. Aelin eyed the strange blue chains holding her. Mala no longer looked like a goddess. She looked... mortal. 

"Why did Deanna take your magic?" But she already knew the answer. 

"For helping you. You were supposed to die that day, Aelin. Deanna believes your end of the bargain remains unfilled. She's seeking justice." 

Feyre laid a hand on Aelin's arm. "Aelin, we need to leave before Deanna comes back." 

"Or Hellas shows up," Rowan growled. 

"Mala, what is Deanna going to do to Prythian?" Aelin pushed, her grip on Goldryn tightening further. 

"In changing the Cauldron's adhesive to this world, she changed its nature as well," Mala murmured. "Rather than the familiar powers of this world's Fae, it now runs on the life of a goddess. It's so unknown... but Deanna needed the most powerful magic in this world, and she needed it in her own hands.

"That's why the Suriel you spoke to could not see the future, Feyre Archeron." Mala looked over at Feyre, whose eyes were narrowed. "Deanna used the power she'd stolen from the Cauldron to hide all aspects of her plans from you. She only told Aelin to further her suffering. I doubt the thought that Aelin would World-Walk occurred to her."

"What is Deanna planning, Mala?" Aelin repeated, an edge of panic creeping into her voice. They'd known Deanna had control of the Cauldron. They'd known something was wrong with it. But for Deanna to have taken away Mala's powers, and used them to replace Feyre's in the Cauldron... it was a new level of insane vengeance to rise to. 

"I know as much as you, Aelin Galathynius," Mala said, meeting Aelin's eyes again. "All I know is that she-" She pointed at Feyre without looking- "Has something to do with it." 

"Aelin." Feyre hissed, tugging on the queen's arm. "We need to go. Something's wrong." 

Aelin tore her gaze away from Mala and looked over at Feyre. "What?"

Feyre pointed at the Cauldron. "Something's wrong." She repeated. "We need to-" 

A flash of light interrupted her, and before she'd even realized what had happened Aelin's feet had left the ground. She felt herself slam into the stone wall, her back making a loud crack as it made contact. She felt herself falling to the ground, and subconsciously her body tried to break her fall. Her hand hit the ground with a sickening snap, and pain exploded from her wrist. 

Aelin gritted her teeth against the pain and used her other hand, which by some miracle was still clenched around Goldryn's hilt, to prop herself up. She blew some stray hairs out of her face and looked around. 

The entire Night Court, Drakon, Kallias, and Tarquin all lay in similar positions to her own, crumpled in various broken heaps around the walls of the circular room. Mala was exactly where she'd been before, still staring right at Aelin. 

"She knows you're here," Mala said, her voice carrying to Aelin. "Leave, now, while you still can." 

Aelin glanced to her left when a loud groan rocked through the room and saw Rhysand flipping himself onto his side, coughing. "What happened?" 

Aelin scrambled to her feet, sheathing Goldryn one-handed and stumbling to the High Lord's side. "Deanna knows we're here. I think she used the Cauldron to try and stop us. We need to get out of here, right now!" She grabbed his arm, pulling him to his feet.