Wildfire and Stars Eternal

Chapter 17: The Trick

She didn't know how she'd done it. One minute, she'd been dragging Mala out of the alley by her arm, and then Hellas pointed at Feyre... and she'd snapped. Some primal instinct took over, and she'd released Mala without a second thought. 

Before she knew what she'd done, she'd winnowed to the god, her sword an extension of her arm as she whirled it around to press to his throat. 

Hellas laughed now, the throaty sound rumbling in his chest underneath where her legs were cinched around his shoulders. "The coward arrives." He thrust an elbow into her gut, hard enough that her grip loosened. "The Galathynius line ends today!" He shoved her backward, and Aelin let out a sharp cry as her stomach swooped and her body began to fall. She twisted in the air, disappearing back into the fold and reappearing in front of Hellas, her flames a living entity as they raced down Feyre's sword. 

"I doubt that," She snarled, slashing him across the chest. Blood sprayed from the deep cut, and Hellas howled loudly, covering it with one hand and swinging his magic forward in a deadly arc, forcing her to let go of him. Before she could begin to fall again, she winnowed behind him and stabbed him between the shoulders, using him as an anchor in the sky. He bellowed in pain, arching backward. The tip of her sword peeked through his chest, glistening with dark red blood. 

A guttural groan erupted from his mouth. She twisted the blade, driving it deeper and causing a sickening noise to come from his bleeding chest. She leaned forward to press one hand to his shoulder, drawing the blade back out. 

"Why are you here?" She said, shoving the tip of the blade into his back. He laughed, the sound strained and rough. 

"You actually think you can defeat me that easily? I am a god." But as he finished the sentence, he coughed, blood dribbling from his lips. She'd hit something important inside. 

"Answer me," She snarled, digging the point in deeper. She knew that gods couldn't exactly die, at least to the best of her knowledge. But pain was a powerful influence. 

Hellas laughed again, and it came out in a rasp. Aelin gritted her teeth. She couldn't do this in the sky. He had the upper hand here. But winnowing another person, especially one big as him... she'd just have to try. 

Aelin fell backward into the fold, pulling him with her. The usual lightness she felt was replaced by a heavy weight, dragging her down and distracting her. She clenched her jaw tighter, focusing on reaching the ground. The stars subsided, the darkness rolled away, and suddenly she was back on the ground, Hellas kneeling in front of her. 

"Aelin!" She didn't dare look up when her name was called from two different directions. Rowan ran towards them from the left, Feyre from the right, Tessia and Rhys on her heels. Cassian and Azriel were right behind them, Azriel supported by Cassian.

"What the hell?" Feyre demanded. "You didn't tell me you could do... whatever that was!!" She gestured vaguely around Aelin, and the remnants of dark smoke around her.

"I told you it wasn't winnowing," Tessia said, raising an eyebrow. Hellas growled at her. 

"Foolish child. Leave the battle to the worthy," He said. 

"Rhysand," Aelin interrupted, swinging her blade around to press it to Hellas's neck, "Be a dear and go get the person in the alleyway on the left. Bring them somewhere, I don't care where, but make sure it's secure. And you-"  She pressed the blade tighter into Hellas's throat, drawing blood. "Show some respect. This child managed to wound a god." 

Tessia's pride just about gushed out of her smug smile as she crossed her arms, her bow now slung across her back. 

Mor's taking care of your... friend. Rhysand's voice filled Aelin's head. She gave him a barely perceptible nod.