#fuck you cassian your acowar counterpart would be disappointed

[achaotichuman]

Cassian strikes me as the kind of guy who would physically overpower Nesta in order to cake her face at their wedding.

#anti cassian #anti acosf #this comes from me after unfortunately stumbling across a video of a man doing this exact thing #the uncanny look of glee and annoyance when his wife stalked off was strangely familiar yet i couldnt place from where #then the unnerving smile of a certain greasy haired fictional man with a victim complex slid into the crevices of my mind #fuck you cassian your acowar counterpart would be disappointed

[sarah-bae-maas]

A Court of Hearts and Darkness Chapter Twenty Five

It’s been over a century since the epic and bloody war against Hybern, but a new, unprecedented horror lies in wait to threaten everything the Inner Circle holds dear.

At a mere 17, it seems that the only one who can save them is the Heir to the Night Court, Feyre and Rhysand’s daughter Eleana, but as a creature so vile promises to kill everyone she loves, she must combat the urge to succumb to the darkness herself. The key to success lies hidden within her mate, the bastard born Kaden, who is as oblivious to the bond as her Court is oblivious to the war on the horizon.

With the help of her cousin and warrior Felix, the son of the famed Nesta and Cassian, they will try to save everything they hold dear, hopefully before the darkness takes them all.

(This fic was written pre-acowar, so please bear in mind there are some small differences but it can still hopefully be enjoyed!)

Okay so two things so be noted. Firstly, the fist section of this with Rhys? Yeah, that was meant to be at the end of 24 and I completely forgot to put it in. My bad. Two, for the first time EVER I listened to music as I wrote one of the scenes. For max. impact, when Felix’s POV kicks in, listen to this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9PXLTLuuSE as you go. 

Link on Ao3 Masterlist

1  2  3  4  5  6 7 8  9  10 11 12  13  14  15 16  17  18  19  20  21  22  23  24

***

-Chapter 25-

 Rhys swirled his drink with a spoon, enjoying watching the colours of his coffee mix together. He was waiting for Eleana to come home. Unsurprisingly, she had snuck out during the night to go be with her mate. He wasn’t not mad that she snuck out, not at all, he was disappointed. Not in her, but in himself, for making his daughter feel like she couldn’t just tell him that she wanted to go see her mate.

Soon enough though, he heard her quiet footsteps sneaking through the door, and very strangely, also the quiet whispers of his nephew and Kaden.

“Laya?” Rhys called to her as she was about to climb the stairs to her room. All three children turned to look at him, shocked looks in their faces.

“Father, what are you doing?”

Rhys stood, abandoning his drink on the table to approach the three younglings. “I think that question is better asked by me.”

After Eleana had revealed to everyone her history with Kaden, it had taken a while for his family to be calm enough to leave. Nesta and Cassian were especially upset. Here was this young man who had saved the life of their child, of their niece as well, and he had been living in squalor for the past year, an upgrade from the dungeon his family had kept him in. A man who had been unspeakably abused, and yet could still dance freely with the woman he loved. Cassian wanted to go straight to Kaden’s father, Azriel’s brother, and do to him what he’d wanted for years: kill the fucker. Nesta talked him down though, and said the death of that despicable man can only be granted by Kaden and Azriel, they deserved to pull the life from the already soulless male.

“It’s good we ran into you, actually.” Felix pushed in front of Eleana. His back was straight, hair strangely tidy, and clothes much more typical of fae than Illyrian – more composed, elegant. He was in diplomatic mode.

“Why is that?”

“Because we were convening so we could discuss a strategy to make you open the investigation into the creatures again.”  

Rhys raised his eyebrows, gesturing behind him for them to take a seat. “And why is that?”

The three young ones sat on the couch. Rhys sat across from them, hooking one leg on his knee with his hands resting in in his lap.

“Because it was stupid for you to stop in the first place,” Eleana muttered under her breath. Rhys knew he wasn’t supposed to hear it, so he didn’t bother responding.

“We have re-evaluated everything we gathered,” Kaden answered, “and we think that we have enough evidence to prove that something is going on. Having ourselves experienced what these creatures are like first-hand, a potential hull in activity seems more dangerous than if we could find newer sightings of them. The fact that they have suddenly stopped makes us think that something big is going to happen – if Az and Cassian hadn’t taken over from us when we gave you what we found, we would’ve realised much sooner and brought it to your attention.”

“It concerns us deeply,” Felix continued, “that we know, undoubtedly, that something sinister is happening in Prythian and that we have the opportunity to do something about it and we’re not.”

Rhys considered their words. He had poured over the files they had given him, over and over and over again. From a surface level, they did seem like they were related through the old children’s story book they had also provided. That’s where their evidence ended though. For the life of him, Rhys couldn’t validate everything they claimed. Some of the killings, definitely, but their link to the stories was often a stretch. The biggest hole in their tale was how much they claimed happened in Prythian’s sacred mountain. Rhys himself had gone, ready to destroy what had threatened his daughter, but there was nothing there they claimed to have seen. Absolutely nothing. The wards were the same, there were no tracks from animals, no inclination whatsoever that anyone or anything had been inside since it was originally sealed. With everything stacking against them, Rhys had decided that it wasn’t worth the resources to continue.

He did have an idea though.

“I’ll give you this,” he addressed Kaden directly. “You finish your trials, you pass, and when you come to Velaris you can lead the investigation. I’ll give you whatever you need, and you can do with these leads what you will.”

Kaden looked taken aback, and glanced at Felix and Eleana to gage their reactions.

“This would be under the supervision of Felix,” Rhys added.

Kaden looked relieved at that, and looked very intensely at Eleana. Another conversation Rhys wasn’t to be a part of, it seemed, but whatever they said led to Kaden looking at him and slowing nodding.

“You have yourself a deal, High Lord.”

_____

Eleana followed Kaden into his room, a sly smile on her face. He held her hand and was leading her forward, therefore he couldn’t predict her plans, but oh how she planned to say goodbye to him tonight.

She was horribly nervous, making her stomach full of food roll and twist in a nauseating way, and it was all because tomorrow Kaden would be starting the Bloodrite. A situation where he would be called to fight the most savage of Illyrians, a barbaric place where she could never dare to help him. He would be the youngest by far. Felix was, back when he competed to earn his tattoos, but Felix had always been superior to his counterparts. He was only in his twenties, and yet he had helped wage wars, led the Elite, done unspeakable work for the High Lord, and all because of how immaculate his Bloodrite was. He never acknowledged it, but Felix was a prodigy. She had no idea what the world would have to throw at him to bring him down.

Kaden, although mighty in his own right, was no Felix. That was no detriment to him, there was no other Illyrian that compared to her cousin, but her cousin was the only other person to complete the trials so young.

And she worried for Kaden.

But was also very, very turned on at the ideas of him having Illyrian tattoos.

“Azriel and Morrigan are asleep,” he told her, unaware of the scheming going on in her head. She wanted to say goodbye, or see you later, in a way he would cherish while away – a way that would make him want to come home to her as soon as he could.

She pushed the door shut behind him, Kaden not turning at the sound. He shrugged off his jacket and threw it over a chair – if that’s what you could even call it. It was a wide circular chair that swivelled, like a little pod, filled with cushions. It was in front of his window, so that it could always be facing the sun. He had bought it for her, claiming she needed a better reading spot than his bed. Cassian and Nesta, not knowing what else to do, had given Kaden a large sum of money since finding out what he did for Thea. They gave it to him so he could buy, or build, a home so he could leave his tent. And although he tried to refuse, he ultimately couldn’t, but he also was content to stay where he was for the time being. So instead he spoiled his family and lover. And part of that included the chair he had gifted to her.

He raised his shirt over his head and discarded it on the floor, gazing at the moon through his window as he then undid his belt. Eleana approached him and wove her arms around him from behind, kissing the spot between his wings – one of the few places with full feeling left on his scarred back. He leant into her, and she rested her head on his shoulder.

“Are you going to stay tonight?” he whispered.

In answer, she grazed his neck with her teeth.

He hummed contently, and turned his face enough to kiss her head. “This everyone-knowing-about-our-relationship thing is real’ handy, you didn’t even have to sneak out tonight.”

She laughed lowly, and started running her hands down his chest. “You’re quite tall, aren’t you?” she asked innocently.

“Indeed I am.”

“And very strong.” Her hands squeezed his biceps as she said it.

He nodded his agreement. It was true, after all.

“Then fucking me against the wall really shouldn’t be a problem.”

His dick twitched at the words, especially when she accompanied them with a small bite to his pointed ears and hands that effortlessly undid the button on his pants.

“That can be arranged.” He twisted around and captured her in a kiss, her surprised hands settling around his waist. He let his tongue sweep into her mouth, letting her know that if he had his way with her his tongue could be a truly magical thing. Not that she didn’t know – he had made her moan with it plenty of times. He tilted her head back with his hand, bettering the angle so he could deepen the kiss. He wasn’t satisfied though, and moved his lips to her neck.

“You are… glorious,” she breathed.

“I’ll fuck you against the wall, rose, but first I want to see you.” He stepped away from her, a smirk on his face.

She backed up to, her expression matching his, and undid her dress so it could fall to the floor. She only had these scandalous, white lace panties beneath, and with eyesight as good as his he could see the small wetness gathered there. He did that – his greatest accomplishment to date.

She discarded those, too, and his length became hard at the sight of her toned body.

She stepped forward, but he upraised a hand in protest. “That’s not what I meant.”

She cocked her head.

He brushed a wave of magic against her, focusing on her two most sensitive areas. Her legs tightened together at the sensation, and he saw her nipples become raised and hard.

“I want to see you touch yourself.”

Her breath shuddered, and she bit her lip and nodded. She stalked to the bed, sashaying her hips in a way she knew he was weak for, and sat facing him, far enough back so she could prop her feet up and open her legs, exposing herself fully to him while still being close to its edge. She gave him a wicked smile, and said his name as she let her fingers ever so slightly touch her centre. Then she did it again, but this time she stroked her fingers down harder – there was no illusion now that her moan was genuine and full of pleasure.

Kaden finally removed all his clothing, and with no patience started stroking himself in time with her, devouring the vision of her pleasuring herself. Her breathing became laboured, as did his, and her eyes fluttered closed as the circular motions she was making on her sensitive centre became faster. With one hand, she idly brushed her fingers up her stomach, padding lightly over nipples before pinching them hard, then kneading her breast. She looked at Kaden through her eyelashes, and his knees shook. So much so that he kneeled down in front of her, peppering a kiss to her inner thigh as he did.

He stopped touching himself in favour of devouring her instead, his favourite pass time. He wrapped his arms around her legs and pulled her forward, eliciting a quiet oh! from Eleana.

“Are you close?” He raised himself up slightly to kiss the skin just below her navel.

She whimpered a yes, and in response he grabbed her hands away from her body and guided them instead to pull his hair. He was inches away from her, when her voice stopped him.

“I – I wanted to do this for you. To focus on you.” Her voice was an unfinished whine, the kind that only ever emitted from a female on the precipice of an orgasm. She propped herself up on her elbows to talk to him. As she looked at him, the way her lips parted and hips slightly moved, it made him think that just the sight of him between her legs made her nearly come.

As he spoke, a pressed a finger in a straight line down her middle. “There is nothing more satisfying to me than this. Than the noise you make when I’m inside you, the way you choke on your words when I use my tongue, how you scratch me and bite me to mark that I am yours.”

She shivered at his words and lied back down. “Then do your worst.”

He replaced his lone finger with his mouth.

She gasped deeply, her back arching and her hands going behind her head to fist the bed sheets. He smiled as he worked her tongue on her deliciously wet centre – she always did that when he tasted her, whatever she could grab a hold onto. Sheets, a headboard, a rug, the leg of his piano, the curtain of a dressing room, sometimes her breasts. If she didn’t have something to grasp, then she took longer to finish. And right before he did make her come, she would stretch her fingers then fist them – again and again – and then she’d scream or moan his name.

Just like she was now.

Kaden wondered how she would react if he was to tie her hands in a way where she couldn’t do that.

Her thighs tightened around his head, and with one final flick of his tongue she was done. He wasn’t though – she wanted something from him, and he was determined to give it to her, a parting gift before the Bloodrite.

When he stood and looked down at her, she was smiling happily, her hair spread around her and her hands tangled in it. He reached out a hand and helped pull her up into a sitting position, smiling back at her.

He hooked her arm around his neck and bent down, sliding his hands under her thighs and in one swift movement he picked her up. “Now about that wall…”

She looped her arms around his neck and legs around his waist. “Please,” she smirked.

He walked with her in his arms until she was pressed against the wall, not yet entering her. First, he lowered her slightly so they were perfectly aligned. Then he adjusted his tight grip on her thighs.

As he did this, her head rolled back in anticipation, her legs wrapping around him tighter just to feel some sort of friction.

Her breaths became short and sharp as he pushed his considerable length into her – it was the perfect angle to hit her in exactly the right spot. As he thrust into her, he also pushed her harder into the wall, slamming her into it in a way that would be impossible to do if she’d had her wings out.

More satisfying than having her in the first place was hearing her whimper his name as she grew towards another climax, her hands tightening on his shoulders and head thrown back, a perfect part in her lips. It was lucky the walls in his room were warded to be soundproof, as the exquisite noises Eleana was making were loud enough to wake the whole city.

Kaden leaned forward and pulled her bottom lip with his teeth. He had yet to bite her the way she sometimes did to him, and as he moved his hips in time with hers he thought he very might die if he did the Bloodrite without knowing what it was like. So as she gasped and went taut around him as he brought her to the edge and pushed her over it, he lowered his head and bit into the soft skin between her shoulder and neck.

She was like a candle sparking to flame, her skin aglow from his touch.

Kaden was different.

The moment he tasted her blood, he stopped. It was like he was incapable of moving – or not. Instead of finishing, he pushed away from her and to his knees, clutching his now pounding head in his hands. His brain felt like it had been stunned, his eyes shut as they were burning. He could hear muffled calls from Eleana, distantly felt her hands on his face, his back. Every scent was intensified, especially the smell of her skin and the moisture between her legs. He was sweating – hard – and the drops rolling down his back were the only thing he could immediately feel. When he did finally open his eyes, everything was hazy, like a film has been placed over his iris’. The only thing in focus was Eleana, who looked hysterical.

He saw her mouth moving with perfect clarity, saw it forming the shape of his name but could not hear her words. She ran from him then, throwing on one of his shirts and a pair of his shirts, intending to leave to get help.

But he grabbed her hand as she passed him and pulled her to him. He could hear her now, she was worried and confused, so he just held her. She held him back, as firmly as she could, one hand clutching around his torso and the other losing itself in his hair.

He didn’t know what was happening, or why. One moment, he had been in the throngs of passion, and now he felt like his heart was clawing his insides, desperate to escape the confines of his chest.

He didn’t know what was happening.

Eventually, he regained the strength that had been suddenly stolen from him and let Eleana guide him to his bed. She helped him lie and then slid in next to him, curling against his side.

She waited a few minutes for his body to become normal, then asked, “What just happened?”

He turned to his lady love, unprepared to answer. Honestly, he wasn’t sure what had happened, but he did feel the need to pull her closer to him, half across his chest with their faces across from each other. With her on top of him, he felt instantly better.

Her neck was bruised, and he could see the puncture marks he had made there. He reached up and pressed the area with a finger, testing to see how tender it was. When she didn’t grimace or flinch, he assumed it meant that his actions had been okay. He had never marked her the way she did him.

“Does it hurt?” he asked her.

She shook her head, propping herself up on her elbow so she could look down on him. “Are you seriously fretting about me right now when that just happened? Kaden, I’m worried. Should I go get Felix, a healer? It’s the night before the Bloodrite-”

He silenced her with a kiss, feeling monumentally better. “I don’t know what happened, but I’m fine now. It was like my body snapped, but it’s all okay now. But what about this?” He tucked her hair behind her ear then ran his hand down her neck, sending healing magic through the hurt. He may be content to let his marks heal on their own, but she never marked him in such obvious places. He was in a good place with the High Lord and Lady, and he could imagine how drastically that would change if they saw that on her neck.

His other hand wandered down her body, sliding underneath the shirt she was wearing so it could settle on her lower back. “Did you like it?” He accompanied his question with a kiss to the wound.

She shifted atop him. “Yes.”

The hand on her back went lower, underneath the shorts to grope her ass. Her breathing hitched, and he could tell she was becoming aroused again. “We shouldn’t,” she said. “Not after what just happened.”

“How did it feel?” He kissed her neck again.

She groaned, but in impatience. “No, Kaden. Let’s sleep. You need to be up bright and early.”

“I don’t know what I did,” he said gently.

“What you did?”

“To have a woman like you. To feel a love like this. I didn’t even know it possible, but here we are. I’m not scared of the Bloodrite, I’m scared of myself. I’m scared at how much I would do for you, at how much you mean to me. I… I couldn’t imagine a life without you in it. I love you, so much.”

Her expression became tender, and she rested her forehead on his. “When you bit me, I had never been so aroused in my life. Had never felt an orgasm so strongly.” Her words were whispered, as if the air around them was listening in and she only wanted him to hear. “Now sleep.” She patted his chest and snuggled into him.

____

 Kaden was silent as Felix strapped down his wings, binding them to his body and rendering them useless. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling, but at least he still had his arms.

He had said his goodbyes to everyone that morning, and he meant everyone. Felix’s whole family had shown up, all offering advice and luck. The High Lord had given him a firm hand shake and wished him the best, and Cassian had smothered him in a hug. Mor had very subtly and quietly shaken with fear, and Azriel affirmed that Kaden was ready and hugged him briefly. Eleana was last, and even though they had spent the whole night together he still held onto her tightly, and wiped away her tears of worry as she wept. He held her for a while, long enough for Felix to be the only one left once they were done. You were only allowed to have one person accompany you to the Bloodrite, and Kaden had chosen his best friend and commander. He didn’t realise that meant though that the whole Elite would meet him at the camp before the trials began, his whole team also giving advice and helpful anecdotes from their time in the Bloodrite. Kaden would be the last of the Elite to receive his tattoos.

And now he was here, one in a swarm of thousands of bloodthirsty Illyrians ready to prove themselves in the most brutal way.

The dust around them was swirling from all the feet shifting. Autumn may have come, but the base of the mountains had yet to lose the essence of summer.

“How are you feeling?” Felix questioned, inspecting Kaden’s binds.

“Kinky.”

“I’m being serious.”

Kaden laughed and patted Felix on the shoulder. “I’m feeling fine. If you and Azriel believe I’m ready then I’m ready. You’d never let me walk into a death trap.”

Felix, although being completely supportive, was still acting strange. Or not strange per se, but sad. Felix knew that once Kaden got his tattoos, that was it. He would still be an honorary member of the Elite, but that chapter of his life would be concluded when he moved to Velaris to restart the investigation and begin his training with the Inner Circle.

Kaden knew Felix couldn’t control what he was feeling – and he also knew he wanted no part in making him feel that way.

“It’s just a week – I can handle it. Do me a favour, though?”

“Whatever you want.”

“Would you move my stuff from the tent into my room? I don’t know whether I can be bothered doing it when this week is over or not.”

Felix nodded numbly. “I’ll give it all to Azriel during the week.”

“Why would you give it to Azriel?”

“Because I’m not overly keen on just waltzing into his house.”

“Felix, when this is over I plan on living with you.”

Felix’s eyes widened, and he gave Kaden an incredulous look. “Fuck off. I don’t need you moving in with me out of pity – I told you, I’ll sort my shit out.”

Kaden rolled his eyes and started stretching out his arms, getting used his restricted wings. “I’m not doing it out of pity you ass. I want to live with you.”

“Correct me if I’m wrong, and I’m not, but you’ve told me multiple times you will never move in with me, and have rejected me every time I’ve insisted. So you know what? Invitation rescinded. You can’t live with me.”

Kaden laughed lightly at the look on his friend’s face. “Training and living in Velaris sounds great on paper, but my whole life I’ve lived as an Illyrian. To suddenly shove that all away, to go from where I was to living in one of the most luxurious houses in the city, is too much too soon. I also don’t think I could get through it all if I didn’t have you right there ready to help me.”

Felix tapped him on the nose. “Eleana will be in Velaris. Are either of us under the illusion that she won’t leave the moment you do? Go to Velaris, Kaden. Be with Eleana, and live the life you always deserved and should’ve had.”

Horns started ringing, a signal that the warriors needed to start congregating around the entrances. Kaden huffed, he should’ve started this conversation earlier. He forgot how bloody stubborn Felix could be.

“I love Eleana, but I’m not ready to live on her doorstep. There’ll be days I stay with her, days I stay with Azriel, but I want to know I have a home still. Get my room ready, Felix. I’m not taking no for an answer.”

Kaden could tell his brother-in-arms was trying to supress a grin. “Alright.”

With that, they farewelled each other with a hug.

Kaden walked with his fellow Illyrians, all ready to run into the mountains as soon as the signal was given.

It was quite the sight.

Thousands of warriors alone were going into this entrance, Kaden a single bee in a thriving hive. They all blended together, him sticking out like a single sun flower in a field of lavender. You could see his blonde hair from anywhere, it was uncommon among the Illyrians as desertion – it rarely happened, and when it did it was notable.

The mountains themselves were just like any other, it was their insides that made them infamously sinister. The Bloodrite, held every five years, was always done here. Inside was kilometres of caverns and tunnels, all interconnected with the other mountains. Once they were inside, the entrances were sealed shut with magic provided by the High Lord. Somewhere around here High Lord Rhysand was patiently waiting to lock them inside. When the week was over, he would come back and signal to the people inside, who at this point had been living in darkness and without seasons or time for a week, that it was time to exit. Those who had lived through the ancient ceremony would be immediately given their tattoos, and those who died would be fished out within the next few days.

Kaden didn’t recognize anyone near him, and he refrained from making eye contact. The High Lord, Cassian, and Azriel had all warned him of the same thing.

You look different. There will be Illyrians who know your father and your brothers. You’re half fae. You’ll have a target on your back the moment you step foot into the mountains. Tread cautiously.

Kaden should be heeding their warnings, but as they were all herded into the entrance to the mountain there was only one place his mind went. He still had no idea what had happened to him last night. Well, he had one theory. But it was preposterous, and he would have to talk to Eleana about it.

Eleana.

His chest pinched at the thought of her. He laughed through his nose, garnering strange looks from the Illyrians around him. But it was too funny not to – it had only been a few hours and he already missed her more than anything. He was ridiculous.

In time with their heavy footsteps, drums started banging from all corners of the mountain, joining the already blasting horns.

It was time.

The beat got faster and faster, until all at once the entrances were open and the Illyrians hurtled inside.

Kaden sprinted, wanting to explore the caverns and find the best vantage point possible for the next seven days. He would not actively try to kill anyone, but if a situation arose where it was life or death? He would not hold back. You may not be allowed any magic in the mountains, but with his training he didn’t need any.

He was going to move in with Felix.

He was going to find his mother.

He was going to stop the creatures in Prythian.

He was going to prove his father and brothers wrong.

He was going to teach Eleana to dance. She was going to be so good that whenever she saw dancers on the streets she would no longer feel ashamed or scared to join them.

He was going to kill anyone that stood in the way of that vision.

He said those mantras in his head repeatedly as the entrances opened and Illyrians ran and shoved into the mountains. Let the games begin.

____

It did not take long for the Illyrians to disperse. It was mostly dark, but the occasional torch was hung on the wall, placed permanently there with magic. That did not stop Illyrians killing each other for them.

Kaden had quickly learnt to fear what eternal darkness could do to a man.

From the spot he had settled in, he often saw groups of Illyrians that had allied marching past, looking for either more team members or for opponents. Kaden had been sneaking along when he noticed some strange shadows forming on the top of the wall. Upon close inspection, he could see a small alcove had been either naturally made or dug out. It was the best spot he had cased yet, so he ran and jumped up the wall, grabbing onto its edge to pull himself up. It ended up being smaller than he thought, only tall enough for him to crouch and only big enough for one person. He could lay, though, which gave him a space where he could sleep.

It was also handy, as he could eavesdrop on anyone that came past. The majority of conversations so far had been mundane, but a few had been of interest.

A group of four had walked past, talking about how their only goal in the Bloodrite was to murder a member of their squadron who had been caught, and not punished for, preying on young women. A pair was planning on killing their cousin, so that they would inherit their frail uncles land. There were four men who looked ready to brutalise, speaking about killing anyone they saw.

It was going to be an interesting week.

____

Three days passed non-eventfully, but Kaden had no doubt the stories about the Bloodrite were not exaggerated or over-dramatized. He would explore during what he thought were the days, and crept back to his crevice to sleep at night. So far, the most valuable place he had found was a natural water reserve an hour away. The first thing he’d done was drink deeply, and then he’d used it to make mud to smear over his blonde hair, making it less obvious when he was hiding. He had made very subtle tracks as he explored, so that he could find his way back if need be. If anyone else saw them, they were easily explained away as rodent tracks. He had made some in random directions as well, and could tell the difference between the decoys and actual ones by the distance between the would-be toes.

He’d scarcely eaten, but what he had had been rodents he’d cooked over the torches or insects. It wasn’t a meal worthy of Velaris, but it would do for now. It made him miss Felix’s cooking, but then he remembered he would soon be able to have it every day, and his feelings eased.

At this moment, he was in his crevice lying on his stomach, looking down at the cavern below him. He dipped his head back though when he heard scuffling, lest someone see him. With his now dark hair, he wouldn’t be as visible to those below unless they looked for him, but few people were scanning the ceilings the way they should be. Especially in the foreboding darkness.

He squinted to see who was below, and although he could hear lumbering, dragging footsteps, he could not see anyone. There was a twinge in his stomach though at the sound, a familiar dread he couldn’t quite put his finger on. And then he heard a slight echo in the distance, a strange clicking.

He ever so slightly scooted back in his crevice, flying rather than fighting whatever group of Illyrians were on their way, and buckled down for the night.

He had been in and out of a fitful sleep when he heard haggard breathing from below. Curiosity getting the better of him, he looked over to see a half-dead male dragging himself along the ground, covered in blood.

Kaden could hear no other noise, so, against his better judgement and at the wrath he would inevitably incur from Felix, he swiftly crept down to help the fellow solider. Another piece of advice he hadn’t asked for was to help no one. He had been assured that he had no allies, but Kaden was not one to let the innocent die.

He approached the man, his haggard breaths only hitching from the amount of pain he was in. At hearing Kaden’s footsteps, he looked up, and Kaden’s stomach turned as he saw the man was missing one eye – it had obviously been gouged out recently.

“What happened to you?” Kaden asked as he bent to his knees.

The man, probably only a decade or two older than Kaden, was too weak to reply, and slumped on the ground. From closer, Kaden could see he had other injuries. His back had been savagely clawed, and segments of his wings were shredded. And his foot was… gone. From the looks of the ankle left behind, it was forcefully pulled off.

What Illyrian, no matter the agenda, could do such a thing?

Kaden tried to heal the man, but his magic had been cut off. High Lord Rhysand had made sure all magic became obsolete with the closing of the entrances. So instead, he used the binding from the male’s wings to tie the wounds as best he could to slow the bleeding.

He was silent as he worked, but the male wasn’t. He was desperately trying to say something, but no words were making their way from his mouth, just pained moans. Kaden, gently, told the man to be quiet and preserve his strength.

It quickly became clear that there was nothing Kaden could do. Try as he might, and as much as he hated himself for it, this man was going to die. Kaden thought he was ready for the possibility of witnessing death while in these mountains – he had come to discover he was not.

“Sir?” he addressed the man.

He got a humpf in response.

“There is nothing I can do for you, and with so many days left…” Kaden stopped his thought. He breathed a shuddered breath, and offered him mercy. “Would you like me to kill you?”

The man may be weak, but he still had steal in his glassy eyes. With what was likely his only remaining strength, he nodded, but first said, “No… Illyrian… don’t… west t-tunnels.”

A warning of some sort.

“Okay.” Kaden hands shook as he held the hand of the Illyrian, and started reciting ancient Illyrian prayers, meant to send the man’s soul peacefully to the Other Side. Whether Kaden believed in the words or not, the man seemed relieved to be hearing them. And as Kaden said the final verse, and his hands moved from the male’s hands to his throat, his final words were punctuated with the sound of the male’s neck snapping.

Kaden forgot to ask his name.

He moved the body some ways away. He would return for it when it was time to leave, but for now the last thing he needed was a rotting corpse. Kaden felt sick from the experience, and mulled the male’s warning over in his head countless times. What he gathered was that whatever Illyrian had attacked him was residing in the tunnels to the west. But at this point, Kaden didn’t actually know what direction was west. There were ways to tell, he knew from Azriel’s story of his Bloodrite, but all he had was the story, not instructions on how to do what Azriel did. He honestly had no idea how Azriel managed not only to navigate this place, but to find his brothers while doing so.

Felix would’ve been able to figure it out.

He drew patterns in the fine, loose rocks that covered his crevice, thinking of the family he was returning to.

More than anything, he wanted to return to his – wanted to return to Eleana. To speak with her, and lay with her. Not with any intentions, just to close his eyes and feel the heat of her skin and drown in her scent.

He was a water wraith, and she was a priceless jewel he couldn’t stop until he had.

Kaden did not want to be like the dead Illyrian he just shoved in a corner somewhere.

_____

Day six, and it was eerily quiet.

No Illyrians had come past, no rats or insects. Kaden had to abandon his crevice because he had to go so far to hunt. Occasionally, he heard screams echoing through the rocky tunnels around him, but that was to be expected. He welcomed the violence if it meant he wasn’t alone. But never did he run into another soldier. Or should he say live solider? There were bodies littered everywhere.

His stomach had not stopped churning since he’d heard the bizarre thumping and clicking of the group of Illyrians that likely killed the nameless male, and at this point, as Kaden ventured deeper into the mountains, he hoped to run into more people.

And he didn’t.

When he should have.

The beads of sweat that ran down his back were not from heat or exertion. They were from nerves. He didn’t know if he had genuine reason to be afraid or if the darkness was consuming him and turning him mad, but either way his body was rigid and ready to defend.

Only one more day. Or was it? It was hard to tell the time in a place like this.

Torches that were once lit were now extinguished. Sometimes, Kaden would go hours with nothing but his fingers running along the walls to guide him.

He was washing.

Kaden retraced his steps to the springs he’d found. In his lonesome, he decided it wasn’t a terrible idea to bathe, to scrub the grit off him. Eleana would be there to welcome him once he came out, and he wanted to be in a state where he could take her instantly. Or, he would wait until he got his tattoos, and then winnow her away to let her have her way with him.

She would likely take control, and he loved it when she did. Loved it when she clawed his chest as she rode him.

He didn’t usually think about her this often, but since their last night together, she had been a constant in his thoughts. Not that she wasn’t usually – there just used to be moments where he wasn’t all-consumed by her, but they weren’t nearly as fun.

But he was digressing.

The water came up to his hips, and he dipped down to wash his face and scrub his hair. So far, the Bloodrite had not been what he’d expected. He had seen some atrocities, but had not faced the ones Azriel and Felix were convinced he would. He snorted, he wasn’t as important as they thought he was. Azriel’s Bloodrite had been as bloody as it was because of his relationship with the future High Lord and with the most powerful Illyrian in an age. Felix’s because he had something to prove, and there were a lot of elders out there who didn’t like the fact that there was another Cassian in their midst, and from a family with already infinite power too. Felix had won their respect, but he fought tooth and nail to do so.

As he was getting rid of the last traces of dirt from his skin, his ears perked up at the sound of someone coming. And not someone from the sounds of it, but multiple people.

He turned towards the arched entrance to the water room, and watched as a group of ten, maybe more, sprinted past without even looking in his direction.

But that’s not what’s peculiar.

It doesn’t matter that they ran past him, but to run past water?

They were fleeing from something.

Kaden got out of the water, shaking off and jogging in the direction the other Illyrians ran. A group of so many bolting was not a good sign, and he didn’t want to stick around to see what might have made them all so fearful.

He could hear their footsteps and indiscernible voices, and see them in the light of the intermittent torches. He sped up slightly so that as he ran he might be able to understand what they were frantically saying.

“What the fuck was that?” someone hissed.

“I don’t know – fuck, I’ve never seen something like that in my life. And Pauly, fuck. He didn’t stand a chance.”

Kaden heard a cracked sob, wondering if this Pauly was the attacker or the victim.

“Monsters like that shouldn’t fucking exist. And Jamie, he just died. I watched at he was torn in half by nothing. There was nothing there.”  

Kaden’s heart started racing, and not because he was running. He thought for two seconds, weighing the cost of what he was about to do.

He did it, despite his reservations.

He called out to the group, shouting to get their attention. It worked, and they skidded to a halt, all bracing themselves for an attack they were sure was going to come.

One male stepped forward, the oldest by the looks of it, and scanned Kaden up and down. “What do you want?” he sneered.

Kaden raised his arms non-threateningly. “I just need to know what you saw back there.”

The clicking. The sinking feeling in his stomach. The lack of life. The warning not to go to the west.

No Illyrian.

That is what the nameless man said to him.

Meaning, it had not been an Illyrian that had hurt him.

That was three days ago, and Kaden no longer thought it a coincidence that in that time all traces of life disappeared.

“Why should we tell you?” the male spat. “I know who you are, what you are. I should kill you now and get the reward your brothers are so generously offering.”

Kaden nodded. “You could do that.” He swallowed hard. It shouldn’t surprise him that his brothers would pay for his death even after all this time – it’s not like they could accomplish it on their own. Felix and Azriel were right to lose sleep over him. “But if I suspect correctly, and what you tell me is that there are creatures back there, things that shouldn’t exist, that defy possibility and reason, then I might be our only shot out of here.”

The male’s breathing was laboured. “Follow us, it’s not safe here.”

____

 They ran for hours, and only stopped because half of them were injured and could no longer continue. Kaden sat with them, waiting for the most opportune time to hit them with questions.

He didn’t have to ask.

“There was something off from the get-go. We were meant to meet up with a team from the west mountains, but they never got here,” the male from before explained. He was sitting with his legs crossed with his head in his hands. “We didn’t think anything of it, just bypassed the meeting point and went more their way. We could tell by the colour and texture of the rock that we had made it to a new mountain range, and we soon started to worry for our comrades. Bodies were turning up everywhere, more than we had been warned there would be.”

Another male came to sit by them, two feet shorter than Kaden and a long braid down his back. “They weren’t just dead either. Some of them were gaunt in a way I had never seen before, and others were arranged ornamentally. At my camp, I was an apprentice embalmer and I have never in all my days seen bodies that looked like that.”

“Although we all felt trepidation at the thought of continuing, we thought maybe it was just some test being thrown our way. We continued on, and that’s when we were attacked.”

Kaden furrowed his eyebrows. “What was it – or what did it look like?”

“There were three things, we think,” the braid said. “I swear there was something there doing unspeakable things that we couldn’t see. The other two… one was small, maybe the size of a dog, but it was scaly, and rather than walking it hopped on two legs. It’s knees though, they bent the wrong way, and its mouth was like – was like a Venus Fly Trap. Its tail was long and thick like a python, and just as deadly as the rows of teeth it had. The other thing, I – I could’ve sworn that before it killed Pauly it did something else, in his head. He was yelling bloody murder to things that weren’t there – that couldn’t possibly be there.”

Kaden’s chest constricted, and he held his breath so as not to alarm the others of his terror.

It was Felix that had first presented the idea that maybe the reason why the creatures had become dormant, and why Azriel and Rhys couldn’t find them, was that whatever was creating them was lying low, gathering strength for a large-scale attack rather than sequential small ones.

Kaden believed his brother to be correct. And it seemed that the creatures were here, now, locked in this mountain with them.

And from the sounds of it…

Another Impeath.

Another Colloden.

Cauldron knew what else.

“We need to get the fuck out of here,” Kaden told them. “I’m familiar with these creatures, and no one in these mountains stands a chance. We’re mice in a snake den.”

“How are you familiar with them?” braid asked.

“You said you know who I am, then you would know I’m a member of the Elite. Felix Warbringer is also a close confidant of mine, and the Heir Eleana is my – is the greatest love I’ve ever known. Anything they know I know. We will die here if we don’t leave.”

There was a beat of silence. “So the rumours are true,” the original male sniggered, “the Heir has fallen into bed with another half-breed, a bastard at that. Alright then, Kaden, but no matter what you say we have another day before the Bloodrite is over. How do you propose we live that long? Because I saw what those monsters are capable of, and no one will survive the night.”

“We get us and everyone else the fuck out of here early.”

Braid scoffed. “Fuck off. There’s no way to open it from the inside.”

Kaden frowned. “Oh, there’s a way.”

As Kaden mulled over how to get out, the group rested. He had been right in his previous estimate, it was a group of ten, most injured and all exhausted. So exhausted, that when he’d asked who was going to be a lookout, they said it was pointless, and they should all just sleep while they could. The training in Kaden was affronted, and so he stayed awake to watch for anything suspicious.

His eyes started to droop, so he rubbed his hands on his face to try and wake up. He yawned loudly, and in the back of his mind wondered why he was so tired. Even after the run, he should still be right to go. He was so exhausted that his vision had started to become wavy and fogged, and his eyelids so heavy that he could barely keep his eyes open.

What the fuck was happening?

He tried to stand, but stumbled when he did.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw things slithering up to him and the others. His heart raced in alarm, but before he had the chance to call out, the creatures, four of the dog sized things that had been described to him before, pounced on two sleeping Illyrians – killing them instantly. Their jaws opened impossibly wide, snapping down and tearing flesh from bone, feasting on their vulnerable targets.

The others awoke, but with no weapons and with so many incapacitated, half of them were dead before their eyes opened.

Kaden looked on in shock at the slaughter in front of him, and did that only the he could possibly think of. Not just to save himself, but the thousands of Illyrians that will die if they remain in these mountains.

_____

 Felix leant against the doorframe, watching as Eleana and Rhys participated in a very intense game of cards.

“You’re done for old man, just let go,” Eleana goaded.

“Oh young one, how little you know.”

Eleana laughed and looked to Felix, winking at him before going back to her game.

She had been especially happy lately, and although Felix knew she was still fearful of the outcome of the Bloodrite, she at least knew Kaden was alive. Magic barred in the mountains or not, nothing could stop the tether between mates.

Tomorrow he would have his friend home, and they would be able to celebrate through the night. Eleana, being the busy body she was, knew Kaden had decided to reside with him for the foreseeable future, and had already invaded his home to decorate and re-vamp Kaden’s will-be bedroom. She also ordered Felix to start learning how to cook in quantities of three, because she was going to be over. A lot.

Felix was watching her smile at her father, happy that she was so content, when her face fell.

She flinched back as if someone was yelling at her, and her eyes widened in panic.

“Laya?” Rhys leaned forward. “Butterfly? What is it?”

“Oh my – Fuck. Shit.” She whipped her head to Felix, her cousin tensing and coming to her side. “Kaden, he – the creatures, they’re there. They’re killing all the Illyrians.”

Felix swallowed hard, hands shaking at her rested them on her shoulders.

“The creatures are where, Eleana?” Rhys asked for clarification.

“They moved mountains, Father. When you sealed the soldiers in for the Bloodrite, you sealed them in too. It’s a massacre.” She stood, her gaze unfocused and darting around. She started pacing around the room, pulling on her hair and biting her lips.

“Eleana.��� Rhys followed her and grabbed her wrists, stopping her from pulling out her hair. “Tell me everything. Now.”

Felix was petrified on two fronts: his best friend was trapped with things that could easily kill him, and his uncle might not believe it.

“He – he’s there, and they were attacked, and the creatures are everywhere. They have to get out of the mountains.” She looked to Felix. “There’s another Colloden. But without his magic, he can’t see it. Oh rutting Gods.” She bowed her head. “What can we do? Father, please believe me, believe us. You have to help.” She looked up at him then, her eyes centred on him. “Let me show you.”

Felix stood aghast as Eleana let Rhys riffle through her mind to see what Kaden was showing her. His uncles face paled, and he saw his throat bob as it hit him how truly dire the situation was.

“Felix, get Cassian to prepare the war lords. We’re opening the mountains, now. As for you, prepare the legions to help evacuate the mountains. The Bloodrite is officially over.”

“As you wish.” Felix nodded and turned on his heels to winnow to his father, but Eleana’s scared voice halted him.

“What can I do, Father?”

“Nothing,” was Rhys’ strained response. “Under no circumstances are you to enter the mountains.”

“But Father!”

“I said no. You can come with me, and help me take down the wards and kill any creature that tries to exit with the Illyrians – that’s all.”

“But Kaden – I have to find him.”

Rhys brought his daughter into his arms. He looked pained for words, understanding Eleana’s need to rescue her mate but also not wanting to put her in any danger.

Before Rhys could suggest a solution, Felix interjected. “I’ll get him, Laya, don’t worry. I know how to navigate that place like it’s my back yard.”

The two sets of purplish eyes landed on him.

“Thank you,” gasped Eleana.

“You’ll need backup,” stated Rhys.

Felix shook his head at both of them. “Stay safe, Laya, don’t do anything reckless. And I think I’m better off going on my own. The less people to look after the quicker I’ll be.” He spun to leave, and said over his shoulder as he left, “tell me when the wards are down. I’ll be waiting.”

_____

 Felix waited at the door to enter the mountains, receiving constant updates from Eleana. He was surrounded by war lords in a frenzy, anxious to get their soldiers out of such an unnecessarily dangerous situation. There would be very limited people entering the mountains. Once the doors were open and magic was functional again, Rhys, Feyre and Eleana will send out vast messages to any survivors, guiding them out and making sure they actually leave. They would all be assured that they, even though leaving early, had successfully completed the Bloodrite.  

Besides Felix, there were three other squadrons entering, all special operations in reconnaissance. One would be tasked with observing and gathering information on the creatures, and both others main objectives was to capture any creatures live to bring them out and study. Both teams had about fifty, and Felix knew, as did they, that those numbers would likely be halved from a threat of this size. But that was part of being Illyrian. They knew the risk going in.

Felix closed his eyes and let the turmoil around him fade away, letting the killing calm bring his body to a heightened buzz. His senses went into overdrive: he could hear the blood thrumming through the veins of the people around him, could feel every thread of his clothing being pressed to his skin and the weight of his weapons pulling him to earth, could taste the bitterness in the air, and could smell the metallic scent of blood as he neared the entrance.

He stood with his arms crossed, patiently waiting to save his brother.

When Eleana gave him the signal he could go in, he was like a hurricane of fire.

Felix was aware that there were creatures that he would not be able to see, and as a preventative measure, he wrapped himself in his vibrant red and orange flames that the Cauldron had gifted his half fae ass, coded so that no fae or Illyrian could be licked by its heat.

As Felix walked into the darkness, the shadows convulsing at the light, he unhinged himself. The power he usually kept at check was now unveiled and at its full capacity. His killing power was sent like a pulse through the caverns, sweeping the area for any sign of life – attacking anything unsavoury or savage.

He was like an untamed beast in a maze filled with demons – let’s see who wins.

As he walked, he noticed a staggering amount of bodies to the west. Figuring Kaden had common sense, he headed east. Every hundred metres or so, Felix would bellow Kaden’s name. He knew his friend was alive, and he also knew that Kaden would be looking for him. They would meet somewhere in the middle, and then Felix could help him escape this damned place.

Felix felt like a fool as he prowled deeper into the mountains.

He should have predicted that this would happen. These creatures, and whatever was creating them, always resided in rocky, cavernous areas. The Impeath that had nearly killed him was Under the Mountain, the Colloden that had taken and toyed with Eleana was in a cave, the stampede that Eleana was nearly trampled by were all Under the Mountain too.

He knew, he fucking knew, that whatever phenomenon this was wasn’t over and that they should be expecting a larger scale attack soon. And he didn’t even fucking consider that the Bloodrite would be the perfect opportunity to strike the Illyrians – a group that had been largely targeted before.

If something happened to Kaden, he would never forgive himself.

He started to run, his flames still whipping around him like a shield, and Felix was sickened by the amount of death around him. The creatures had thoroughly scoured the mountains and at every twist and turn Felix was confronted with the ravaged corpses of Illyrians. He had seen hundreds at this point, and it just made him scream louder for his friend.

Sometimes he would pass people who were alive and running for dear life. They may have their magic back, but without weapons or siphons the killing power was a risky game to play in such confined quarters. He would shout at them where to go, and having usually recognized him, they swiftly did as he asked.

Felix had foregone is siphons today. He knew in a mood like this he would just shatter them.

He rounded another corner, slowing down. Up ahead and to his left he could hear water trickling, and if he knew Kaden, then Kaden would have been here throughout the week. On the ground, he could see where a group of people had very quickly run in this direction, and small puddles – at least one of those people had been bathing when they’d decided to make a hasty retreat.  

He followed those footsteps at a much faster rate than he had been going before, conscious of how long it had been since Kaden had called for Eleana’s aid through their mate bond.

“KADEN,” he shouted again, his voice becoming hoarse.

He burst out another wave of his killing power, and halted in his tracks when after the blow he heard a symphony of whines and cries.

And not from any person.

He slowed down, unstrapping the sword from his back.

He had wounded whatever lied ahead, but they were not dead. With his feet dragging in the dirt, he braced himself for whatever was to come. He let his fire dull slightly, still aflame so that there was light cast, but not so full in case he lost control in this fight.

Then he heard them.

Clicking and clawing they were a catastrophe coveting calamity. He felt water drip from the ceiling on his face, and he wiped it away with a sneer.

And then he saw them.

Unimaginable, innumerable monsters all intent on him.

From all around him, pressing in on him like a fist constricting a throat, there was creature after creature, teeth snapping and growling as they saw him.

One lunged.

He brought his sword down in a hard stroke, the metal slicing into the thing’s scaly flesh, causing it to make a high-pitched screech. He pulled his sword out, kicking its dying body away from him while simultaneously pulling a throwing knife from his boot and aiming it at his next target. It struck true, but that was only two down in what could have been a hundred. As Felix pivoted around, he was overwhelmed in the swarm of creatures coming for him. With a hand raised, he sent his fire at its highest capacity towards everything to his left. The smell of burning flesh filled his lungs, but Felix did not let it distract him – nor did he let his flames whither. More droplets landed on him, and he let them run down his face as he grimaced. Staying in the same spot, he focused on the creatures to his back. Breathing shaky and nervous, Felix wondered how he was going to get out of this one.

Prayed that even if he didn’t, Kaden would. He hadn’t heard from Eleana in over an hour, and Mother he wished he could speak to her. Speak to his father, ask, beg, him for help.

At every turn, there was something new. Creatures his worst nightmares couldn’t have conjured. He blasted power to his right, his Illyrian magic burning through the flesh of the monsters the way his flames did. The way they came at him meant that he was always in the same spot, but forever turning to defend himself from a new threat. And those goddamned water droplets only served as a distraction.

Felix furiously burst his power out of him, using all he had every time he did. And he was succeeding, he killed tens every time.

But they just kept surging to him, wave after wave after wave. With an intent he had never seen in an animal. A twisted purpose he had only seen from the most brutal of killers. This wasn’t hunting for survival, they were killing for sport.

The well that was his power was being emptied ever so slightly every time he threw out a wave of power – whether it be the killing or fire.

Slash after slash, Felix put down every demon that came at him – every despicable creation. He no longer had doubt – these creatures had been made for this. To destroy.

His fire surged again, this time as a ring around him that pressed out then up then in, singeing whatever was in its way. The creatures practically glowed in its light, their skin turning rancid as he burned through them.

But those fucking water droplets.

Felix, as trained as he was, as skilled as he was, looked up and away from his enemies.

And fell to his knees.

Not because he had been struck, but because it was not water cascading down onto him. It was blood.

Stabbed into the roof, held there by swords through the chest, the rope that was meant to be binding his wings stringing him up, was Kaden.

Did you know that when you die your eyes don’t close?

Kaden’s black eyes, lifeless as they were, stared through Felix like the blackness between the spirts on Starfall.

Felix, as trained as he was, skilled as he was, acclaimed as he was, intelligent as he was, as driven as he was, looked for too long.

Long claws stabbed through his back and out his sternum, piercing his heart. Felix choked on his own blood, his eyes never leaving Kaden’s, not even as his life drained from his body.

#acohad #acotar #acomaf #acowar #fanfiction #a court of hearts and darkness #feysand #nessian #moriel #elucien