eclipsed nova (UTM Feysand)

18

A/N: Trigger warnings for intense violence, child death, and torture. 

The next two weeks passed by in a blur of tangled limbs and desperate whispers in the dark. Rhysand stole away from Amarantha to spend more time with me as much as he could without rousing suspicion. We hadn't slept together again, but gods we kissed every moment we could get our hands on each other. Life had nearly become bearable again, and I actually laughed and smiled a few times. Amarantha had been much more tame, rarely enacting violence or even calling meetings. She had seemed to be quite busy with other things. Who knew what she was getting up to, I was just grateful for a moment of pause.

I should have known it wouldn't last. It never does.

Nuala and Cerridwen rushed me down the hall, one sister latched on to each of my arms as they silently scurried. They hadn't spoken when they'd roused me from bed, but they made it clear there was no time to waste. Luckily, they had come at a moment that Rhysand was gone and not sprawled across my chest. I trusted the girls, but the idea of Amarantha ever knowing the true nature of my blossoming friendship with Rhys was terrifying.

Rhysand was positioned at Amarantha's side, his face a cold mask of indifference. It was like a swift punch in the gut to see him once again so cold and inhuman. I told myself it was just an act, that this was something he had to do. My heart was hammering against my rib cage. Amarantha looked furious; her scarlet mouth downturned as she looked at her constituents with dissatisfied haughtiness.

The door behind the obsidian throne screeched open, and neither Rhysand nor Amarantha flinched as from their periphery came the Attor. The beast shrieked and shook its head, licking its sharpened teeth and scanning the room. Its leathered skin stretched as it lithely perched upon the dais. No one in the entire Court moved a muscle, not even the children. They stood in terrified silence, awaiting their fate. Would this be the day their Queen used them as feed for her pet?

"Kallias, come kneel, dear," Amarantha declared, tapping her talon-shaped nails against the crystalline surface of the arm of her throne. Rhysand looked unsurprised. Had he known she was going to do something like this? It felt like betrayal somehow, like he hadn't trusted me enough to tell me what dangers lurked, but was content to kiss my lips raw? I glared at him, hoping he felt the weight of my stare, but he never once met my eyes.

Kallias's boots clinked against the cave's floor as he slowly approached her throne. A few feet out, he dropped to one knee and bowed his head before her. She arched an eyebrow and scoffed with disdain. This was not good. It was really, really not good. The energy of the room made my hands shake and I felt like my lungs couldn't keep down enough air.

"Are you aware of the sins the men of your Court have committed against me this evening?" Amarantha accused, Rhysand shifting his weight and crossing his arms beside her as he looked down his nose at his fellow High Lord.

"No, my Queen," Kallias shook his head, raking his hand through his snow-white hair and looking up at her with eyes so crystal-clear blue that at first glance, they took your breath away.

"I find that interesting," she said as she sucked her teeth, picking up her goblet and swirling around the liquid before drinking it elegantly, then she spoke again. "Eight of your men attempted to collapse my blood ward and escape just moments ago, thinking me a fool. Even sacrificed one among them in a pathetic attempt at bartering with the gods. Of course, it was fruitless, and now they have disgraced their families and committed an open act of rebellion against me. Kallias, tell me, in your Court, how do you deal with traitors?" It was a trick question, that much was obvious.

"Situations vary, my Queen," Kallias murmured, pleading on his icy pale features. He knew what she meant to do- if Amarantha had her way, she was going to murder seven more of Kallias's already quickly dwindling Court.