Cursebreaker and Fireheart

Chapter 16: The Archer

In all honesty, I had no clue if someone even could steal my magic from the Cauldron. Aelin's Lock had broken, therefore freeing her magic. But, obviously, no one had broken the Cauldron, or we would have felt it by now. And my magic seemed to work a different way than Aelin's. My magic had refilled itself a few days after the whole Cauldron ordeal. She never got back what she gave. 

I watched Aelin scowl at her mate. They seemed to be communicating solely by looking at each other. Aelin wasn't a daemati, but she seemed to have a particular skill in getting her point across using expressions. 

She finally looked back at me. "I do believe we've covered everything, Cursebreaker." 

I had to physically resist the urge to tell her not to call me that. I wanted to tell her my real name. Those gods had somehow known me as Feyre Cursebreaker, and I didn't like it. But while I may know more about Aelin now, I was still a bit hesitant to trust her. She quite obviously was a woman of high caliber. She was Fae, like me, but I sensed she'd not always been that way. There was a difference in how she moved compared to her mate, Rowan. 

And then there was her ruthlessness. When I'd tried to invade her mind and she'd attacked me, I'd never felt more unprepared. She'd come after me like a demon, moving so fast I'd had to winnow out of her way. I'd defeated Naga easier than her. She'd obviously been a trained killer at some point in her life. 

While the queen may seem like your average haughty royal, she had a fire simmering under her skin that I didn't know what to do with. I met her eyes, and I swear the gold ring in her irises seemed to glow. 

"Yes, I believe we have." I agreed. I wanted to get out of this strange place before anything bad happened. "Have you figured out how to work this place, since you took him along this time?" I asked, pointing to Rowan. "I'd like to wake up now." 

But Aelin shook her head. "He was more of a lucky guess. It was instinct, really, that pulled him along." 

Instinct, you say? We all froze. I watched Aelin's face go white. 

"Wake up. Wake up, now." She told me. I closed my eyes, trying to force myself to wake up. Nothing happened, and that wicked laughter from before rang through the room. 

Poor, misguided souls. The voices sounded mournful. You played right into our little game, Firebringer.

Aelin cursed loudly. "Rowan. We need to leave now." She glanced over at me, then took a deep breath. "I'm so sorry, Feyre." 

Before I could even react, she'd launched a fireball straight at me. I ducked on pure instinct but wasn't quick enough. The fireball caught my shoulder, burning through my dress. I let out a cry of pain and crashed to the floor. I looked up, my vision hazy, to see a woman standing before Rowan and Aelin. She flickered in and out of sight, almost like a ghost. She wore a gilded star across her forehead, and she carried a silver bow. When she turned to me, I almost cried out again. Her eyes were just like Aelin's, only instead of a ring of gold, there was a ring of molten silver. 

The woman laughed. A futile attempt, my dear. She will be back. The Wyrdgates are open once more. Her voice sounded like what had attacked me last time, except more contained. Less scattered to the winds. 

I glanced down at my arms, realizing they were slightly see-through. Of course. Aelin burned me, trying to force my body to wake up. I met her eyes across the room and saw the panic lingering there. She was standing next to her mate, who had drawn his sword and was scowling so fiercely at the archer that I knew he knew her somehow. 

"It doesn't matter, Deanna," Aelin said, holding her chin high. "She will not be yours to control." 

I saw a flash of light, and then there was nothing. 

Art by Sncinder!! 

My description of Deanna may stray a little from the books, because this is just how I always pictured her. But the eyes are straight from the books, from when she possessed Aelin in Empire of Storms. I'm kind of proud of myself for remembering that fact, honestly.😆