{UNDER THE MOUNTAIN}

Auriella remembered being winnowed one time when she was young. Her father, Zephyr, took her to the gardens that were on the outer parts of the Dawn Court.

To her, it felt like flying but without taking her feet off of the ground. She grabbed onto her father, closing her eyes and never opening them until they arrived at their destination.

When they arrived at the gardens, Zephyr would show Auriella all different kinds of flowers from poppies to daffodils to roses, which were her least favorite. She vividly remembered being in a yellow dress with sparkles that shined in the sun.

She remembered hearing Zephyr laughing as she would trip and fall on the grass as she chased after him to pluck a feather off of his wings. He picked her up and took her into his arms, wiping the stray tears that fell from her eyes.

He kissed her cheek, "Don't cry, my little diamond. Pa might kick me if he even sees a hint of a bruise on you. Here," he plucked a white feather from his wing, "the thing you so long wanted to catch." He says, handing it to her.

Little Auriella giggled, eagerly taking her given prize. She laid on her father's shoulder, snuggling into him as she played with the fluffy thing. It was such a distraction that she didn't even notice they winnowed back to her home.

But this time, it was a more terrifying experience for her.

When they arrived in front of the mountain, Auriella dropped down to her knees, trying to take in the air. She was breathless, feeling as if the air had been sucked out of her. She felt the bile in her throat, but she kept it down.

The Attor lifted her up, grabbing her arm tightly with his clawed hands. They were digging into her skin and she gritted her teeth, feeling them slowly injecting into her arm.

The side of the mountain had a small opening with various creatures guarding the entrance, but Auriella's vision was too blurry to see them.

As the Attor walked her through the darkness, Auriella could feel the air become colder, knowing that if there was light, she would be able to see her breath.

She tripped many times on rocks or sharp things that ripped her satin dress and cut the skin on her legs. But she was forced to keep going, the Attor never taking his hand off of her.

And as they headed deeper into the mountain, Auriella was shivering, the temperature at a freezing point. She willed her body to become warm, but nor the dress or her own blood was enough to draw enough warmth for her.

Suddenly, Auriella could see torches in the distance, along with different pathways that revealed themselves in the dimness.

She could hear voices hissing or whispering in the dark and as they reached the light, she could see that multiple creatures were staring at her, taking in the new meat. Auriella felt her heart sink, knowing that she was surrounded by flesh-eating monsters.

And those monsters now followed behind her, all the way to two large double doors that had the same species as the Attor guarding its place.

Then the Attor stopped, along with Auriella, and the monsters that were inches away from them. "Amarantha has requested the Daughter of Dawn," The Attor says.

The winged creatures look at each other before nodding, their clawed hands grabbing the handles of the stone doors and pushing them open.

The throne room was the same as the stone. Jeweled chandeliers hung down from between pillars, keeping the red marble floor alive with color. The walls of the room had countless carvings in them, filled with the stories of Prythian. Some, in which, were familiar to Auriella.

Although her focus was not on that, instead, it was on the crowd of High Fae that danced around to strange, unharmonized music, like nails raking down on a rough surface over and over again. They wore strange masks, each of them having its own meaning.

Her attention to the attendees distracted her from the parasite in the mountain.

Amarantha stared directly at the Daughter of Dawn. She sat on her throne, which was carved out of black quartz into a spiky perfection. It glimmered in the torchlight, shining like the fine jewelry and clothing that gleamed all around the room.

The Lady Under the Mountain was undoubtedly beautiful. Her red-gold hair reached down to her breasts, making her facial features all the more noticeable. Her slim but muscular figure looked like it could take down any enemy that was willing to try to go up against her but would ultimately fail because of the power she held.

Amarantha motioned for everything to stop.

And the room became uncomfortably silent.

Auriella kept her eyes locked onto hers, making sure she did not show one ounce of fear, even though her heart was beating out of her chest. She prayed to the Cauldron that it wasn't noticeable.

Suddenly, the Attor shoved Auriella forward, freeing her from his tight grip. Now everyone was staring at her, but no one said a word.

"Come towards me, Daughter of Dawn," Amarantha says, her rich-pure voice echoing throughout the room. Auriella compiled, slowly walking down the aisle, still not taking her eyes off of the insect in front of her.

And when she was feet away from Amarantha, she motioned for her to stop. "I take it that my subjects have told you what would happen if you didn't come? I am glad that I didn't have to go that way." She says.

Auriella's blood boiled, "Yes, your creature informed me about everything. Can I see if you held your end in not harming Zephyr or my father?" She asked.

Amarantha chuckled, "Ah yes, but before we do, there are some things that I want to discuss with you." She stands from her throne, "Do you admit that you have spread lies about me?" She asks.

Auriella knew what she was doing. So she let herself play along, "I am not sure of what lies you speak of. Can you be more specific?"

The Lady Under the Mountain snarled, "You know perfectly well. I hear that you held a meeting with representatives of the Dawn Court, telling them that I was the "queen of nothing", that I did not rule Prythian. Do you deny that?" She asks, taking a step down.

Auriella nodded, "I did say that, yes. I needed to restore hope in my court, since you have taken every High Lord into your possession, excluding Tamlin, who would not give us any answers as to what was happening here. My court needed to learn how to live without their High Lord and start getting back to what was close to normal." She explains.

Amarantha took another step down, "And do you believe every word that you said about me? Or was that some ruse to relieve the stress of "your" court?" She asks, but Auriella doesn't answer.

Now the Deceiver was in front of the Daughter of Dawn, hovering over her small figure like the demon that she was. Amarantha lifted her chin, "I take your silence as a yes, little rat."

Still, Auriella said nothing, looking at the throne instead of her.

Amarantha grabbed her chin, her nails digging into her skin. "I think you forget who I am, Daughter of Dawn. I could snap my fingers right now and your father will be lying in a pool of his own blood. I could order my subjects to decapitate the captain or do many more cruel things to him," she lets go of her face, "And I know you wouldn't want that to happen. So answer my questions." She says.

Auriella took a leap of faith, "Why should I deny something that I believe is true?" She asks. The Deceiver's facial expression completely changes into something lethal. Auriella had hit her breaking point.

But the Lady Under the Mountain nodded, turning away from her, "Alright then. I guess I have my answer." She sits back on her throne, "Bring them all in."

Suddenly, the stone doors open again, but Auriella doesn't dare to look back. She knows exactly who will come through there. The Fae she hadn't seen in the room. The High Lords.

Her eyes stare up at the insect queen, but she does not look at her. Instead, she stares at the Fae behind her, a sinister smile making her way onto her lips. Oh, how Auriella wanted to lunge at her and use one of the spikes on her throne to impale her.

"Ah, just the men I wanted to see." Auriella could see her eyes linger on one in particular. "I know that this is an unusual hour to summon you, but we have someone special here that I believe one of you would be surprised to see again," Amarantha says, her eyes landing on Auriella, motioning her to turn around.

Auriella balled her hands into fists, sensing her emotions go all over the place. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to collect herself, before slowly turning around.

And once she opened her eyes, six of the seven High Lords were standing there, including her father, Thesan. Auriella let out a breath of relief, finally able to see him after a full decade.

He stared at her, his eyes wide, "E-Ella?" He breathed.

Auriella felt like she couldn't move or speak. She wanted to run into his arms and cry into his shoulder and tell him about how much she missed him. But she didn't move. She willed herself to speak, "Pa?" She said her voice barely above a whisper.

Thesan vigorously shook his head, "Amarantha, please. Not my daughter. Do anything you want to me, but leave my family out of this." He pleads, his eyes filling with tears.

Now Auriella was truly afraid. It was rare to see her father display such a strong emotion, but there it was. He looked in between her and Amarantha, knowing that something bad was bound to happen to Auriella if she stayed in this horrific place.

Amarantha scoffs, "Oh, Thesan, there is enough room for everyone, including the famous Daughter of Dawn. She may not have your blood, but she was sure raised by you," she stood up from her throne once again, "But I cannot have your daughter spreading false thoughts around the Dawn Court, can I?" She asks.

Suddenly, Auriella feels Amarantha's hand grip the back of her neck, shoving her to the ground, her head hitting the marble floor. "Send the captain of the Peregryns out here!" the Deceiver yells, grabbing Auriella's hair and lifting her head up. The taste of iron quickly fills her tongue.

As the crowd moves once again, Auriella sees a pair of white wings being led into the room in chains. Her father, Zephyr, was there, his face badly bruised and his ripped attire stained with blood.

When his eyes landed on Auriella, they widened. He groaned as they pushed him to the ground. He struggled, wanting to get to his daughter, but the sizable creatures held him in place. Auriella didn't dare say anything to him, knowing that no one knew about her fathers' relationship because of the uproar it might cause.

Tears spilled from her eyes. There was nothing she could do.

Amarantha's face was inches away from hers, "You see what is at stake here, little rat? Your father and the captain are both mine, along with every single person in this room and the courts." She whispers, but Auriella keeps her eyes on Zephyr, who now has a knife at his throat.

"If you want both of them to survive, you will obey me. You are never seeing the Dawn again. Along with them, you are now mine. You will be another one of my nightly," she stares at Rhysand, the High Lord of Night, "entertainments." She finishes.

The Lady Under the Mountain lets go of her hair, standing tall. She takes a deep breath, "It seems that lessons still have to be learned. And what a lesson we have right in front of us."

Thesan struggles again, "Amarantha, please. Please, not my daughter. Do it to me! I will take the punishments that were meant for her!" He yells. Amarantha ignores him.

She looks to the Attor, "My loyal subjects, you know what to do," she takes a step back towards her throne, "but do not be too rough on her. I still have things that I would like to try with the Daughter of Dawn." She says.

Suddenly, numerous creatures hover themselves over Auriella. They kick, punch, and toss her around. She screams in agony, feeling each blow open wounds in her skin. She hears her fathers calling out to her, their screams echoing throughout the room.

Auriella's head spins. She tries to go into a fetal position, but the damage has already been done. Her vision starts to blacken and the last thing she feels is a boot colliding with her face, sending her into darkness.