FANFIC * NESSIAN * PART SIXTEEN
Nessian Part Sixteen by L.J. LaFleur
Aedinâs freckled fist clamped harder, my legs flailed as I scratched at his death grip. Black spots invaded my vision, whispers singing in my ears.
Ignite, ignite, igniteâŠ
Spit splattered on my face as he snarled, âyour insults are no match for me, King Slayer.â
A beast playing with its prey; this couldnât be my fate.
The iridescent blue glow of my restraints shined so bright I had to close my eyes. I tried to separate my wrists, but the icy burn only grew. I couldnât break free. The fire building in my core dissipated. I had nothing, no strengthâno magic. Completely empty.
His throaty laugh rang around us, echoing off the stone walls. âYou wonât be able to talk, let alone move once Iâm done with you.â
Cassian. Think. What did he teach me? What did heâŠI slammed my knee into Aedinâs gutâmissing my mark. He loosened his grip just enough for me to scream. So, I did. With every fiber of my beingâI screamed, in hope someone would hear me. Would find me.
That he would find me, that he would take me home.
Aedinâs calloused hand tightened around my windpipe again, choking the air out of me.
I clawed at his face, missing, as he dodged my nails. The torch light dwindled as I felt my life fade, as my vision blurred in and out.
âIs that anyway to treat our guest?â
My eyes shot open, was it him? Did he hear me somehow?
âErisâŠâ Aedin bared his teeth, scanning his brother stepping out of the shadows.
âRelease her,â he replied nonchalantly while crossing his muscular arms.
Aedin turned away from Eris and focused on me. His lips curling upwards as he released me. âThe next time, you wonât be so lucky,â he threatened, backing away.
I sucked in a deep breath, searing my throat with the frigid air. A second breath led to a fit of coughing. As if I were drowning, but no water fled my lungs. Â
Eris inhaled sharply through his nose, âsheâs claimed, Aedin.â
âI didnât see your brand,â he snapped, pulling his long fiery locks into a low bun.
âWhy donât you check again?â
Aedin glared at his brother then looked me over, his eyes focusing on my bare shoulder. A flaming sun, branded into my delicate skin. I hadnât felt it, I hadnât noticed it until now.
âYou know what happens to those who touch what is mine.â Eris shrugged, pushing the cell door open as a sign for Aedin to leave. âOr should I remind youâŠ?â
Aedin growled in response, stalking off before Eris could finish.
I touched my aching throat, wincing in response. I was still trying to suck down the air I was deprived of. My eyes watered with amber, with the reminder that I was still alive. Â
âAre you alright?â He asked with a stone-cold demeanor. Amber irises flickered to my neck, assessing the damage that would be seen for days, if not years.
I couldnât speak, my throat burned so badly. The faebane chains felt even colder, invisible frost spreading across my fingertips, racing up my trembling arms. If I foughtâŠifâŠif I tried to use my powers, the colder the restraints became. The colder, I became. Â
âIâll be back,â Eris moved away from the wall, winnowing away for a brief minute. He appeared with a small stack of clothes and my Illyrian boots.
Moving, speakingâany action, felt like it would be my last. Knots in my stomach grew as amber tears trickled down my cheeks. I had never cried so much in my life, not until this fucking cauldron doomed me. I was fine. I was cold, I was prepared. But now, I was only broken. A shell meant to be fucked, a heart meant to be corrupted.
Eris set the items between me and him, the center of the cage. He didnât edge closer, but I saw himâI saw him shakingâfire dancing between his fingers.
I grabbed my stomach, blood rushing out of my head as I replayed Aedinâs words. As him and Tomas collided into one demon I couldnât outrun. I raced to the nearest corner, spewing vomit until I fell to my knees. My restrained hands pushed into the stone wall, scraping my knuckles until they bled.
The fire in the torch dimmed, giving me privacy as I expelled my guts. My esophagus shredded with the burning acid. I braced myself, letting the cold stone seep into my sweaty forehead. Closing my teary eyes, I thought of what good was left.
What good I could fight for. I peeked over my shoulder, over the brand that marked me as his. A circle with several tendrils of fire; a flaming sun made out of damaged tissue. Â
Eris slid down the wall, seated next to the door. His eyes and ears focused on every movement inside and out of the cell. Â
I wiped bile from my lips, sinking to my knees, âI belong to no one.â
âI know,â he replied quietly, his attention focused elsewhere.
âThen whyâŠ?â It hurt too much to speak, like claws ripping through my vocal chords.
Eris leaned his head back, looking at the dripping ceiling, âitâs the only wayâŠâ He paused, brows knitting together, lost in thought.
I clenched my teeth, amber tears flooding down my cheeks.
His jaw tightened then released, âhe wonât harm you again.â
Tears fell into the water, hissing with disdain; I didnât believe him. I crawled on my knees, shaking so violently I couldnât stand. I reached for the clothing, my trembling hands could barely hold the fabric.
âHereâŠâ Eris rose to his feet, âlet me help you.â
âYouâve done enough,â I muttered to him, unable to speak any louder.
Eris nodded, strands of his auburn hair catching in his beard. âI never meant to harm you,â his low voice barely audible; he didnât look away from me, embers dancing behind his warm irises. âPleaseâŠlet me help you.â
I studied the man before me, the man of ash and smoke. Waiting. Would he strike me? Would he harm me in other ways?
âI wonâtâŠâ he replied softly to my unasked questions. Eris raised me to my wet feet, once a solid columnâI now stood shivering, caving within myself. He unleashed the fire on his fingertips, sending the flames to the diminishing torch. The temperature of the dungeon increased to something more bearable.
The warmth of his fingers soothed the aching chill of the faebane. I didnât bother to ask for the chains to be removed, I knew they wouldnât do it. I knew he couldnâtâeven if he wanted to.
But I think he believed my earlier threat, that if he were to remove these chains, I would shred and burn everything until the Autumn Court was merely a tomb of ash.
Eris dried my shivering body with a tattered cloth. His calloused hands gently dressing me. Not a single touch of skin as he dressed me in a new tunicâthicker than my last but gray instead of cream. He looked away, as he laced up the sleeves and front panels; his way of not releasing me of my shackles. Scarred fingers working vigorously until he finished with a knotted bow.
My hands still shook furiously, I tried to clench them into fists but failed.
He guided my dirty feet into the black trousers, one foot at a time. Again, he studied the wall behind me as he helped tie everything close. But it was tighter, the knot complicated and unwavering to whoever touched it next. Safetyâsecurityâfor my own piece of mind. Â
Lastly, he sat me back on the floor, drying my feet before sliding on the chestnut colored boots.
I could barely breathe, barely move as the adrenaline started to die down. I didnât say thank you, I didnât say a word to him. Not even as he slid back down the wall on the opposite side of the cell, his knee loudly popping on the way down. His rigid body positioned between me and the metal door.
A tray of unappetizing food appeared but all I could do was stare. Red meat and a loaf of stale bread. I tried to drink water, but it only hurt with each sip.
âYou need to eat,â Eris finally spoke, his arms crossed in front of his burly chest.Â
My eyes flashed to him, to his still stature then to the corner I threw up in. The thought of eating only disturbed my stomach further.
Eris pulled at his auburn beard, âI know it hurts,â he paused to exhale his held breath, âbut you need it. You need the energy.â
I didnât reply back, I couldnât. Instead I laid down, shifting so my back faced him. Tears expelling out of me as I covered my quivering mouth.
âNesta?â Erisâ voice sounded far away, hollow. He didnât say another word, nor did he leave.
Instead the room filled with silence, sorrow suffocating the flames. I was scared to sleep once, horrified of the damage I would inflict but hereâwith faebane chainsâit didnât matter. The darkness flooded into me, whispers curling around me as I sunk further into where new dreams and old memories collide. With heavy eyelids and a broken heart, I let the blanket of slumber encase me.
âElain, elainâŠ?â my voice unable to reach her.
We were in the House of Wind. A castle made of mountains and monsters.
I shook her frail shoulders, unable to wake her. She was there, I knew she was but the sadness. The overpour of agony, of disgust, infiltrated her body.
My beautiful roseâher petals had finally fallen.
I scanned her vigorously, âpleaseâŠplease come back to me. I know, IâŠI know what we saw. Who we saw. What we endured to stay alive. But I am begging you, please donât leave me alone in this new world.â
Her beautiful hazel eyes sparkled briefly, a glimpse of herself coming back. Then it was gone, instantly and painfullyâshe was gone.
My rage had come to a head, my new bodyâlimbs, hearing, eyesightâeverything was fresh and absolutely unnerving. I was a human soul, trapped for all eternity.
The bubbling anger took control, I needed to screamâI needed to get this unsettling energy out of me.
I left Elain alone, for the first time since our arrival in this foreign land. I picked up my skirts and scurried out of our room. I prayed to whatever gods were in this realm and only hoped those bastard bats would leave her be.
My steps quickened as my heart shrunk, creating a black mass in my chest. I tripped over myself, my feet thinnerâlonger than before. I felt like an infant learning to walk for the first time.
âShitâŠâ I mumbled, picking myself up from the floor and continuing toward the nearest set of doors.
With a loud bang, I pushed them open, cracking one panel in half. I couldnât control this newfound strength. I couldnât control myself.
Books, thousands of books lining every wall. I could hear my galloping pulse in my ears, I bared my teethâscreaming as I tore into the shelves. I ripped apart pages upon pages. Everything I once loved, gone. I tore into scrolls and leather-bound masses.
Tears flooded down my face as I continued shouting.
I couldnât control the fury that leaked out of my hands, the buzzing magic stirring inside me. Papercuts from sharp pages, wood splinters stabbing into me as I damaged every shelf in my wake.
âWhat did the books ever do to you?â he playfully rasped from behind.
My body twirled to face him, bewildered and broken, I couldnât speak.
Cassian stood in the damaged door frame, whistling as he took in the room. âA mighty shame, donât you think?â
âYouâre alive,â I whispered, my chest heaving as I caught my breath.
Scars scattered across his gigantic wings. Bruises and scratches layered throughout his body. But he was here, standing before me. Â
A smirk lined his soft lips, âno, Iâm a figment of your imagination.â
âI thoughtâŠâ I breathed in through my nostrils. His scent rammed into me, cedar wood, perhaps? Something elseâŠI, I couldnât focus.
Cassian stepped forward, his hands up in surrender, âdo you plan on destroying the rest of the library or will you let the innocent books go?â Slowly, he made it to where I stoodâin the middle of chaos and destruction. His worn boots crunching the wreckage beneath them. Â
âWhy are you here?â I snapped, my chilling voice leaving gooseflesh across his bronze skin. My brows drew together, I couldnât look away. Â
âI needed toâŠâ he stopped speaking, nostrils flaring as he moved in closer to sniff me. Cassianâs dark hair fell into his face as his nose neared my tear stained cheek.
My breath hitched as his body nearly collided with mine. It was too much. He was a threat, a danger toâŠI kicked his shin, âback off, bastard.â
Cassianâs eyes widened, not even registering that I had just hit him, ânoâŠâ The black spots in his hazel eyes ignited, nearly encompassing all the copper flecks. He moved closer, enclosing the space between us. Cassianâs thunderous heartbeat throbbed against me, matching the pace of mine.
I shook my head, tears stinging my gray-blue eyes, âhas this world not taken enough from me? Has fate notâŠâ I couldnât finish, my lips trembling so badly it prevented me from speaking.
âThatâs notâŠNesta,â he backed away from me, his eyes brimming with tears. âIâm sorry,â his voice broke, âIâm soâŠI, Iâm sorryâŠâ Cassian stepped backwards againâshaking his head before storming out of the room.
Sinking to my knees, to the scattered scraps of paper and binding on the floor. I dug my fingers into their remains, sobbing for the life I once hadâcrying for the life I would never return to.
I cursed under my breath, every movement sending a jarring thrash of pain through me. I was scared to close my eyes, no matter how heavy they becameâI wouldnât risk it. Too much time had already passed since I realized she was gone. Â
âI told you,â Az mumbled, adjusting my bandaged arm over his armored shoulder, âyou needed to rest.â
A low, painful chuckle rippled out of me, âRhys said the same thing.â I winced again, âmy wings might be fucked but my brain is working just fine, I assure you.â Another grunt escaped me, this time due to my own adjustments.
Rhys chimed in, âare you sure?â An attempt to be humorous but I could hear the lingering fearâfailureâin his voice.
I growled in response, even when I wanted to tell him it wasnât his fault. None of this was. However, he didnât need to hear what everyone else was repeating to him. Rhys needed familiarityâhe needed a savage bastard, his Lord Commander of the Night Court Armies.
So, thatâs what Iâll be. Â
The shadows faded away, sinking back into the Shadowsingers scaled chest. Their grip tightened around my cloth-wrapped wrists, a silent signal of reassurance. We would find her, we would bring her home.
Wherever that was for her.
The world had taken enough from her. Fate had ripped a hole through the heart that could tame beasts and set fire to men.
Not the Cauldron Thief, Emissary or King Slayer.
Just a woman caught in a world she never wanted to be a part of. A fucking avalanche of emotions. A blade wielded of ancient fire and ice.
Nesta, the woman who deserved more than what the cruel threads of fate have woven for her.
I would spend the rest of my life, cutting and rethreading a new life for her. Even if I wasnât in it, even if I were one of the threads that needed to fallâto be forgotten. I would do itâŠno matter how much it tore me apart.   Â
In case you missed the previous partsâŠ
yousharknotpass
gracieabrams
turnnoffyourmind
ellievsbear
origamiaround
vaporwave
gummygunk
romaincrisis
