𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟖

"𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦 "

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

𝐅𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤

╰┈˚ · ° .  IT HAD ALL HAPPENED SO FAST,  the death, the blood— I could still feel it on my hands, on my skin. What did those men wanted from? Money? I had none.

I couldn't see the village anymore, the world had warped— only the male. Black hair that even the sun couldn't lighten, ears pointed, fair skin almost translucent.

As soon as our feet touched the ground, when I was sure that I wasn't going to disappear into the nothingness, I tried to get away from the male with the still unknown name. Even with all my strengths, his hold was too tight on me, I was sure that bruises were going to bloom soon there as dark as his hair.

"What do you want from me?" I asked, voice quivering with undeniable fear.

The male calmness was even more scary to witness. He used my arm to drag me with him, "You owe me a life debt and you won't be of any use to me like this. You are weak."

"I am not weak." I try to master all the bravery that I had left— which was not much at that moment. My limbs shaking with fear, my bottom lips quivering as I tried to hold back my tears.

"Yes. Yes you are. But not for long, I'm sure. You will make a great assassin one day, little creature."

It was then that my fight was lost. The first tear fell from my eye, streaming slowly down my cheek.

I wanted to go back to the village with my father and my sisters.

The male didn't falter a step even while dragging me with him. It was only when I removed my gaze from him that I finally saw the structure looming in front of us.

The shape resembles the one of an old temple where times ago, humans used to go to pray to the gods. I had seen art of similar buildings before, but even with the lavish design, there was something here that made my skin crawl.

"What is this?" I asked.

"Your new home." The black-haired male answered unbothered to cover the harsh reality with any empathy.

Dread morphed into my features— I did not want to accept that.

"NO!" I yelled, trashing in the fae's hold, "NO! NO!" I screamed over and over again. But my words had no effect as two people were there— they opened the heavy looking double doors taking me from the fae's arms.

They were dressed in black leathers and dark fabrics with just their eyes and forehead visible. Weapons attached to their clothes, a sword to their side and many knives visible to the eyes. They were human, like me.

My yells echoed through the structure, I was hoping that someone would hear me— save me— but as we arrived at the lower levels of The Temple, my screams were not the only ones to be heard.

Many echoed around the dark cavernous hallway barely lit by few touches, row and rows of cells locked by an iron door.

Someone— another person— opened one of those doors, and unceremoniously, I was thrown inside.

"Please." I sobbed, "I want to go home."

The black haired fae crouched in front of me not bothered in the slightest by my continuous tears, "You already are, my little creature." He said, before walking out of the room and closing the door behind him.

The cell was cold and dark and the only sound was my heavy sobs. Not even the other screams I could hear anymore. "Please!" I yelled, banging my fists on the iron door, "Please! Let me out!!" I cried, "Let me out!"

They never came. In the darkness of that cell, I remained there for an entire week. Without a drop of water or a bite of food and with just my own clothes to keep me warm in that cold and humid room.

But I survived, and when that door opened again, the first layers of heart were chipped away.

──── ⋅⋅•☽⟡☾•⋅⋅ ────

╰┈˚ · ° .  Beads of sweat clung to my crimson hair. Another night, another nightmare.

More than a week had passed since we arrived once again in the Spring Court. The Tithe came and went, and thanks the Cauldron, my presence was not obligatory. Most likely my absence was preferred.

I sat up on the bed, mind fogged by unpleasant memories. From underneath my pillow I slid out the haunting knife. I took the weapon in my right hand and with a quick slash of the blade, drops of blood collected on my skin as a cut appeared in the center of the palm.

"You owe me a life debt now, my little creature." Braken's words echoed in my mind. The one that he had told me all those years ago when he saved my life in the forest. When he cutted my palm with the same knife, making the same cut—- that time, tho, it sealed my faith. Now the wound closed just seconds after it was made, leaving no scar behind, just the stains of the blood and a restless mind.

──── ⋅⋅•☽⟡☾•⋅⋅ ────

╰┈˚ · ° .  Morning came bringing the light through the open curtains, at that time, I was already more than awake. I had refrained from leaving my living quarters until well into the first hours of the afternoon, only when my stomach rumbled in need of food.

I had to refrain from doing an aggravated eye roll at the way the guards stationed around the house straightened their posture, hands twitching ready to grip their sword.

I walked with the only intention of going to the kitchens, knowing well that the staff had already more than enough food prepared at all times of the day. I had no want to see any of the other people living in the manor— Tamlin, even less Ianthe her incessant questions and manipulative eyes.

I was walking through the many corridors of the manor, nose twitching at the always present scent of flowers, when I stopped in my tracks. I had just passed before Tamlin's personal studio— nothing but debris remained of the room. Paint splattered on the walls with a kaleidoscope of colors, pieces of wood from the broken furniture littered the ground alongside shattered glass and destroyed items. A group of faeries, with lithe limbs, graceful features and hair braided with multiple flowers—maids working on the grounds of the manor— already filled the room with brooms and rags.

It wasn't the faeries, or even the mess that had alerted me— no, it was the sudden scent that lingered in the room. Anger, so much anger that had almost completely overshadowed the fear that stung my nostrils with its acidic notes.

My fist clenched alongside my jaw, my fingers twitching for a weapon— the irony wasn't lost on me, it was the same movement the guards would make whenever I would pass by.

I took a breath, followed closed by another one.

"Miss. Archeron— sorry, Maiven." One of the fairies gasped suddenly, "I did not see you there." The faeries would pass for the most part unobserved, this group was the one that worked as cleaners, hidden in plain sight. I had no idea how they achieved that since the iridescent shimmer that their skin reflected would not be easy to make anyone pass unobserved.

"Are you searching for the High Lord?" Another one questioned, lilac hair braided away from her delicate face with multiple lavender flowers twined through them. Their graceful and elegant features such a high contrast from the milky white claws from fingernails that looked as sharp as knives and the two rows of sharp teeth that they all possessed. Once I had been told that all five faeries were sisters— even with the different colored hair, they were very much identical.

"No." I replied much less cold that I would be with anyone else here in the Spring court. The sisters would rarely talk. They much preferred their own company, but they had never uttered a word or exchanged looks of superiority and arrogance or fear in my presence. That made me quite like them. I didn't feel like they were keeping me at arm's distance seeing me as a monster. "Do you perhaps know where my sister may be?"

"I'm sure she is in her chambers." Another one replied this time, her cornflower colored hair braided with that exact flower.

"Thank you." I said, "Be sure to be careful with glass, please."

"Oh, no need to worry." The coral hair of this fairy shone like the sun at sunset, "We will be fine, no need to worry."

I offered the sun girl a title of my head, my lips twitching slightly upwards at her contagious smile. "I'll see you later."

"Miss. Archeron." The faerie that had the hair the color of a pastel mint green, I knew was the eldest. She had stood up from the ground where she was picking up the pieces of wood, "Yes, she was here."

There was something else that I liked about them— their loyalty wasn't for the Spring Court. The two bracelets on each wrist spoke louder than their words. A gift.

"Thank you." I will not forget it.

My steps were loud as I climbed back up the stairs, it didn't take long for me to arrive before my sisters' room— mine just before hers.

I raised my fist, two knocks echoed through the hallways.

"Come in." Arrived the answer, the voice like a wisp of what once my sister's had been.

I barged into the room, the anger rising in my chest as well fear. I knew that even if after the alteration she'd have wounds, now none of them would be left from the fasten healing of High Fae, still, I trailed my eyes down her figure— thin enough for her collarbones to be shown unhealthily, the dress, a pastel pink color that once had been perfect on her, now dwarfing her body with much more excessive fabric. Her eyes were sunken, deep bags showed underneath them, even her hair had lost that shine that was natural for fae.

"What happened?" Feyre asked, she stood up, leaving the pretense of a perfect lady after just a few seconds of keeping her back as straight as a board, "What are you looking at?" She seemed defensive, not that I would fault her, I hadn't been the most discrete. Since no wounds showed, I used my sense of smell. I had discovered that finding the scent of blood was much easier for me then other fae, it was an instinct to search for the source of my power. There was no blood to be smelled.

"Why don't you tell me what happened?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at her as she let out a frustrated sigh.

"I don't know what you are talking about." She dismissed me with a wave of her hand, feeling tiredness showing in her red rimmed eyes that made my heart twitch in my chest.

After a second of stalling I exhaled a breath, "You know well what I am talking about, Feyre."

"I don't."

"His study." I stated watching carefully how she widened her eyes before lowering them to her hands as she fidgeted anxiously with her fingers, "And I know that you were there."

"What do you want me to say?" Feyre sighed, so many emotions in a single movement. "I do not know what to tell you."

"Did he hurt you?"

"No." She took a moment to sit down on the armchair in the little parlor living room space before the fireplace. " I did something..."

"You did something? What does that mean?" I lowered my brows confused by her words as I followed after her.

"We were fighting. He was angry and he was shouting, the next thing that I know, everything flew away and... I created a physical shield. Nothing touched me."

I brought my hands to my face, this was good and bad at the same time. "You could have been hurt, Feyre, do you understand that? It's clear that he has a problem in managing his anger. You need to learn how to use your powers, how to defend yourself."

"Tamlin doesn't want me to." Was her answer.

It made my blood boil. She needed no one to tell her what to do, they were her powers. The fact that she followed his every whim irritated me to no end. She followed his every command, all because she loves him.

"Fuck what he wants." I said, controlled anger seeping through my words as I spoke through clenched teeth. "What do you want?"

"What I want is to not to fight with you." She said, for a second leaving behind the meek girl that she had become before it came back. Her eyes sunken even more, "Just go, Maiven."

"Feyre..."

"Please." She had moved her gaze to the side, her own not meeting mine anymore.

"It's your life Feyre. Don't forget that." I cleared my voice as it thickened with emotions. I walked away then, hoovering just at the threshold of her door for a split second to look back at her, "I'm sorry that I do not know how to help you." 

✎

˗ˏˋ 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞 ˊˎ˗

Hello everyone!

I felt very inspired while writing this chapter, I hope I could transmit that with my writing!!

Ngl, the end of this chapter is very heartbreaking, and this is not even the worst that is going to happen.

But rest assured, everything will become more clear.

I love my girls Feyre and Maiven but they need to work (both of them) on their traumas, and we need a bit of character development! You'll see!!

Anyways, thank you for reading this chapter, I'll see you on Tuesday!

˚ · ° . 𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐞 . ° · ˚

𝐓𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲

𝐓𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲

𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞!

– 𝐋𝐨𝐥𝐚 ☾