afflicted

45

A/N: Buckle up, kids. This story is almost over and I'm in shambles over it. Thank you for your love. It means the world.

Callie dragged Azriel behind her, hearing the slap of her boots against the stone floor echoing through the empty space. They came back to the open space at the front of the building, nearly colliding with Eris as they skidded to a stop. He looked wild and panicked, a look she'd never seen on his face. She could tell he'd been crying, but he wasn't about to act like it.

    "It's a trap," Callie panted, and Eris scoffed.

    "Yeah, ya think?" He shook his head.

    "Where's Rhys?" Callie said, spinning wildly looking for the High Lord but seeing him nowhere. That wasn't good. That really wasn't good.

    Noise sounded from outside, and moments later, a very breathless Vera and surprisingly confident Nesta crashed through the doors. Callie's eyes widened. Vera gave her a big, cheesy grin, like she was smiling because Callie should have known her fearless best friend would never stay out of the action.

    "V," Eris sighed, and it was the most heartfelt sound Callie thought she'd ever heard. Before seconds could even pass, he had her wrapped in a bear hug, murmuring into her hair too low for Callie to make out his words.

    Vera hugged him tighter, burying her face in his chest. Seeing her friend so happy and so clearly loved was a bright and shining beacon of hope among all this endless, torturous darkness. They had to make it out of this. Vera deserved to live the life she'd fought for.

    "Sorry we're late," Nesta spoke. "She has anti-winnow wards all around this place. We had to winnow a ways out and come up on foot."

Anti-winnow wards. Especially not good. That meant they couldn't winnow out of here if things went south, which they were highly likely to.

    The ground beneath them rumbled, causing them all to throw each other wary glances and expressions of confusion. Rhys. They had to find Rhys. Callie grabbed Vera's hand, taking a deep breath and looking at her best friend before she marched them forward, opening the farthest door, kicking it open hard.

    There, sitting across the room at a small table was a dark-haired woman. She held a dainty teacup in her pale hand, her nails sharp black claws. She gave a sultry smile, turning toward the door with a look of amusement that said she'd been waiting for them here all along. The sight of Maeve made Callie's stomach turn, remembering when the woman had attempted to force a demonic, volatile creature into her body.

    "I was wondering how long it would take the lot of you to figure it out," Maeve smiled, sitting her teacup down onto the delicately ornate dish. "I mean you walked right into the trap. I tried to tell Leitch how it would be too simple to be effective, and yet I nearly killed two of your strongest without even scuffing my nails." She stood, and Callie spun, noticing the Valg soldiers lining the walls. In the corner she spotted Rhys, sitting in the floor unconscious, his face lacking any coloration. He looked dead. Callie gasped, lunging toward him, but froze when the Valg soldiers began to march forward. They stopped their steps as soon as she did, letting her know that if she made the wrong move, she was dead.

    "Yeah, I wouldn't do that if I were you," Maeve hissed apologetically.

    Callie watched as Maeve redirected her attention to the group of her friends, and...

    She stumbled. Maeve genuinely stumbled back a step, when she saw Vera. She looked as though she'd been struck. Her violet eyes were rounded in what could only be fear. Callie's heart stuttered. Maeve neared Vera, who was so admirably powerful that it nearly brought a tear to Callie's eye. Vera looked back at the Valg Queen unflinchingly, like she wasn't the slightest bit afraid of her. Because she really wasn't. Vera wasn't afraid of anything.