31. Screaming Instincts
The artwork above is not mine.
•༻☾☽༺•
Rhys and Mor winnowed them to the Spring Court half an hour later. Night had fallen, making it difficult to see anything. Seren's heart raced uncontrollably. She was caught in a tide of anger and fear. She knew the others shared her feelings. Truth-Teller was a heavy weight against her thigh.
If he needed it and left it with me...Seren gripped Mor's arm tightly. No, I can't think that way. She adjusted a few straps on her leathers. Mor had dug them up for her. Seren hadn't bothered looking them over.
They reached the Spring Court and landed in a grassy meadow. "Cassian and I will search overhead," Rhys said. "You three stick together and look around down here. If you see Tamlin, winnow out of there and show me your location."
Mor and Seren nodded. Amren merely narrowed her eyes. Wings grew from Rhys' back. He jumped into the air with Cassian close behind. Amren started walking towards a forested area. "What exactly did you see?" She asked.
Seren lifted her hand and lit her flames. "I saw blood and shredded wings. I saw Azriel's hand." Seren gripped Truth-Teller's hilt. "I scented the blood. It was his. He was in a clearing surrounded by trees."
Amren and Mor exchanged glances, but said nothing more. Seren lifted her gaze. She couldn't see Cassian or Rhys. The shadow on her arm began to tremble, drawing her attention back down. It pulled her towards the west.
Seren looked into the trees, but saw nothing. "The shadow is pulling me this way."
"Then let it lead," Amren said. "It knows where its master is."
Amren and Mor fell in step behind her. Seren quickened her pace, letting the shadow pull her around. The trees began to thin out. She inhaled deeply. There was no scent of blood or Azriel. The shadow stopped pulling. She waited for it to move again.
"Where is he?" Mor murmured.
Seren continued through the thin forest. A clearing was just up ahead. The shadow tugged again, urging her forward. She leaped over bushes and fallen branches. Mor and Amren began to run after her.
"Seren, slow down!" Amren hissed.
She couldn't, not as she picked up the familiar tang of blood that filled the air. Seren tumbled into the clearing, letting her flames light the area. A dark form lay on the ground close by. There was a small glow near it. Her flame. She gasped and raced to his side.
Seren dropped down beside Azriel, ignoring the blood that now stained her leathers. His eyes were closed and his breaths were shallow. Mor and Amren reached her. Mor crouched down, her hand hovering just above his mangled wings.
Seren formed a flaming hand in her mind and sought out Rhys. He was quick to answer. We found him, she said. She let an image of the clearing pass into his mind.
We'll be there as soon as possible, Rhys promised. He closed his shields once more.
She turned her attention back to Azriel. His shadows floated around him, not as lively as they should have been. She shook him by the shoulder. He groaned, but didn't wake.
Mor and Amren straightened suddenly. Seren heard it too. A low growl coming from the trees behind them. She turned in time to see a massive beast, bigger than her father's most prized stallion, emerge from the woods. She saw blood glisten on his fangs and talons.
"Let's go." Mor reached for them.
Tamlin attacked. Amren and Mor dove away, weapons appearing in their hands. Tamlin slammed a paw into them. They went flying towards the trees. He rounded, green eyes fixed on Azriel.
Seren bent over him, flames erupting from her body. They covered her and Azriel, crackling with fury. Tamlin drew closer, unbothered by the flames. Seren's lips curled into a snarl.
As though awakened by her flames, Azriel's shadows began to grow. The shadows and flames wove themselves together, forming a protective barrier over Seren and Azriel. She slipped Truth-Teller into her hand as Tamlin came closer.
Azriel shifted, his shallow breaths quickening. "These are my flames," Seren whispered. "They will not hurt you. It's me. These are my flames. These are the flames that don't scare you." She rested her hand against his cheek. His breathing evened out.
She looked up again. Tamlin was still circling them. He reached a paw towards her. Flames and shadows lashed out, searing the fur off his paw. Tamlin howled with pain and stumbled back.
I need to get us out of here, Seren thought. But I can't winnow without knowing where Mor and Amren are. I'm not leaving them here.
Tamlin inched closer again. Seren kept herself bent over Azriel, her every instinct screaming at her to protect him. Shadows and flames rose to meet Tamlin's next attack. He clawed at them. Where he swiped, they attacked. The smell of burning fur filled the air. Tamlin began to limp gradually, from the burns on his paws.
"These are my flames," Seren continued to whisper. "They will not hurt you."
Wings beat overhead. Rhys and Cassian stormed into the clearing, swords drawn. "You've really let yourself go, Tamlin," Rhys growled. "I have to wonder if you mistook my Shadowsinger for me."
Cassian backed towards Seren and Azriel. Flames and shadows rose, blocking him from them. "Seren, it's me," he said.
"I don't care. Back up." She wouldn't let anyone near them until Tamlin was gone.
"Where are Amren and Mor?"
"Somewhere in the forest. Tamlin knocked them away before Mor could winnow us to safety."
"I'll find them." Cassian sprinted into the trees.
Rhys continued to circle Tamlin. "How is he?" He called over his shoulder.
"Not good." Seren's voice caught as she looked over Azriel's wings. "Tamlin got his back too. I can't tell if he has any chest wounds. I don't want to turn him over in case it hurts his wings more."
Rhys sheathed his sword and backed up a few paces. "We just wanted to help, Tamlin."
Tamlin growled, still holding one paw off the ground. The undergrowth rustled as Cassian reappeared with Amren and Mor. "Seren, you have to let me near you so we can leave," Mor said softly.
Seren swallowed, not taking her eyes off Tamlin. "The flames won't hurt you."
Mor drew closer and reached through the flames and shadows. She rested a hand on Seren's shoulder. Wind roared in her ears and they left the clearing far behind.
•༻☾☽༺•
They landed before the river house. Feyre, Elain, and Nesta came racing outside. Another unfamiliar woman was with them. Mor held up a hand, stopping them. "Seren."
Seren closed her eyes briefly. The flames died away. The shadows returned to Azriel. She heard three more people land close by. Rhys, Cassian, and Amren were back.
"Ser." Elain took her by the arm and pulled her back. Seren forced herself to comply, even as her instincts told her to stay with Azriel. Rhys and Cassian lifted him cautiously. The unfamiliar woman waved them into the house. "That's Madja. She'll take care of him."
"Come." Feyre joined them. "You need to eat something."
"No, she needs to hit something. Otherwise, she's liable to burn the house down," Cassian argued.
"Take her to the old clearing," Rhys said. "It's still warded."
Seren let Cassian pick her up. They flew away from the river house and she hated it. She hated that she didn't know what was happening to him.
Anger burned within her stomach. Anger towards Rhys, for sending him. Anger towards Tamlin, for attacking him. Anger towards Azriel, for being attacked. Mostly, she felt anger towards herself. She was angry that she hadn't been there to help him.
By the time they landed in the old clearing, Seren was itching to burn. Cassian's red siphons glowed and he nodded. She launched herself at him, each blow growing hotter and hotter. Cassian threw out taunts, goading her into burning. She would thank him for it later. Right now, she was half tempted to melt his face off. Cassian's shield covered him entirely as she gave in and burned.
•༻☾☽༺•
Azriel jumped awake with a scream. Rhys and Mor grabbed his arms and pushed him down again. Pain lanced through his wings as Madja carefully healed them. His arm already felt better, thanks to his accelerated Illyrian healing.
"What happened?" His tongue felt thick in his mouth.
"Tamlin found you. How did that happen?" Rhys demanded. "By the Cauldron, Az."
"He was hunting me. I tried to get away but it was too late," Az grumbled.
"You're lucky you're not dead."
"And you're lucky that Seren knew something was wrong," Feyre added. She was standing at the other side of the room with Elain.
"What do you mean?"
"She saw your wings," Rhys explained. "And your hand, and she smelled your blood."
"My shields must have fallen," Azriel replied. "She saw through my eyes." He closed his eyes as Madja continued to work. These are my flames. They will not hurt you. These are the flames that don't scare you. She didn't even know why fire scared him sometimes. She didn't know, and yet she remembered. "Where is she?"
"With Cassian in the old clearing."
"Why?"
"Why do you think?" Rhys waited and Azriel didn't reply. "She's burning off steam. She wouldn't let Cassian near you in the Spring Court. She barely let Mor get close enough to bring the two of you back home. We couldn't let her in here, so Cassian took her to the clearing."
She burns, the shadows sang excitedly. She burns and she burned. We danced with the flames. Lady of Ashes. The Shadow's Flame.
"She had better not hurt my mate," Nesta snapped. Azriel couldn't see her from the angle he was laying. He guessed Amren would be there too.
"She won't," he replied. Azriel winced as Madja knit together another section of his wings. "She'll burn herself out again. Someone tell him not to touch her immediately after she does."
Rhys narrowed his eyes. Azriel knew he was speaking to Cassian now. He bit back a yelp of pain as Madja healed the last bit of tattered wings. "There. Clean yourself up and rest a few days. I'll check in periodically," she said.
Rhys and Mor let go of his arms. Azriel sat up cautiously. Soreness lingered in his limbs, but no sharp pain. "I'll get him to his room," Rhys said. "I think there's something we need to talk about."
Azriel nodded. Rhys slipped an arm beneath his and pulled him up. They staggered out of the room and headed over to the stairs. Azriel glanced out a window as they passed by. The sun was rising, casting a soft light over the Night Court. In the distance, he thought he could see smoke curling up from one of the mountains.
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