It was over before the blade ever made contact.

With one swift movement of his hand, the High Lord of Night's dark shadows wrapped around the women, sending them onto their knees. His violet eyes glowed, his power squeezing tighter around them.

The High Lady summoned one of her many powers of ice, encasing the women in frost. Delphine and Callista no longer struggled, mainly because they couldn't. They were only able to move their heads, their mouths seething with anger. The Being's dark magic seeped through Feyre and Rhysand's, trying to uncover them, but the Night Court leaders didn't falter.

"The Being is not afraid of you, High Lord. She wants your head piked onto a stake and eaten by the crows. She has said that she will delight in the High Lady's tears as she forces her to look at your mauled face as insects eat away at your body. Isn't that wonderful?" Delphine says, grinning.

Feyre sneers, tightening her power, "You dare come into my home and cause this chaos? With one snap of my fingers, you will no longer see your precious mistress. And speaking of her, who the hell is she? What is her fucking plan?" She asks.

Callista laughs, "Oh, High Lady, her plan involves the woman beside you," she gestures to Auriella, "She is coming for her soon. Right now, you are only seeing an example of what her power can do. But as time passes, there will come a day when you find out exactly who she is, and what she is going to do." She says.

"Morrigan!" Rhysand yells, still staring down at the women.

The Third Commander is immediately there. She stands behind Delphine, putting her hands on either side of her head, using her abilities to search for the truth. Her brown eyes glow brighter in the darkness, scanning every part of the female's mind.

Delphine's head thrashes, wanting to do everything to get her out of her mind. Saliva falls from her mouth as if she were a rabid dog.

After a short time, Morrigan backs out. She looks up at Rhysand, "A majority of her mind has been blocked. This dark magic is something that I cannot breakthrough. Although, there is one image that is not hidden. A platform on top of Under the Mountain." She says.

Feyre stares at Callista, "How long has the sisterhood deceived us? Why have you agreed to be a part of something that has no sense of happening?" She asks.

Callista licks her teeth, "We have been under your noses for three years, Feyre Archeron. The Being had us all along and yet, you all were too blinded to even see. It wasn't until it was too late that you realized what was happening. And as for your other question, this was bound to happen at some point in time."

"There cannot be seven rulers in one single continent. There can only be one. Dathomir was right to name himself as ruler, seeing as his power, The Being's power was able to extend beyond our imagination. He would have made the world better, bring control and stability, help the less fortunate, and everyone would have everything they wanted."

"Now look what Prythian has come to. It is divided into seven courts. How pathetic. The High Lords are nothing but children who bicker and argue if the other does something they don't like. At any moment, there could be potential for betrayal or a collapse. But with The Being in control, no one would dare cross her, they will shiver at the mention of her name." She finishes.

Rhysand scoffs, "What is her name, Callista?"

The female grins, shaking her head, "She hides in plain sight. But then again, you all are too blind to see the grim reality in front of you." She says.

Delphine turns to Auriella, "You better get going, Daughter of Dawn. The Spymaster of the Night Court will not last long against The Being's creations." She tells her.

Suddenly, Feyre and Rhysand's magic is no longer a match for The Being's darkness. The Illyrian females break through the hold, heading up into the skies with a blink of an eye.

Rhysand turns to Feyre, "We must head to Under the Mountain. I do not doubt their words about Azriel. If he is fighting these so-called creations, he will not last long, especially since they are operating under The Being's dark magic. Who knows how long he's been fighting?" He tells her.

Feyre nods, "I will stay with Nyx and the others. I'll tell Amren and the twins to explore the perimeters of the Night Court. I'll report to you if anything is amiss." She says to him.

Her mate gives her a small smile, kissing her once.

Auriella turns away from them, her hands shaking and her heart pumping with fear. Her shadows twirl around her as if they were also anxious to leave. Cassian touched her shoulder, but she shrugged it away, feeling as if it were an actual weight placed on her.

"I know I shouldn't even ask, but are you sure you want to come?" He asks.

She looks at him for a moment, seeing the genuine worry in his eyes. His brother's life is on the line and things could go wrong at any second once they arrived. She nods, turning to look inside the foyer of the House of Wind.

Perseus sits beside Nuala, who carries the High Prince in her arms. She kneels so that the boy could pet her wolf, which he gladly allows. Nyx giggles at the contact, holding Perseus's face in his little hands.

Safe. Safe. Safe. Her shadows whisper to her. She doesn't pay them any mind.

"Perseus will stay here to protect Feyre and the others. I know that they don't need it, but it's just in case things go wrong. He will be here to fight alongside them. Hopefully, nothing happens while we're over there." Auriella tells him.

As Rhysand dismisses himself from his family, he nods once at her, "Let's get going. We have already wasted enough time." He says.

The High Lord of Night grabs Auriella's hand, winnowing them to Under the Mountain.

***

There was carnage everywhere.

The grass was stained with blood and innards, bodies lying motionless on the ground. There were even piles of bones stacked on top of one another as if the dead came alive and died again.

There were decomposing bodies that once were deep in a grave, were now back on the surface of the dirt, being used as puppets for The Being's personal gain. Even small children laid on the grass, their throats cut and flies already coating them.

Auriella withheld the urge to empty her stomach. Instead, she turned to Rhysand and Cassian, who both also seemed to be shocked at what surrounded them.

"How the fuck can this happen?" Cassian breathed, his eyes taking in the extent of The Being's power.

Auriella thought the same. How could someone have so much power? How could they be so cruel in using the dead for their personal army instead of leaving them to rest? She had no answers and no one came close to discovering who this being was.

In the distance, the three of them could hear screeching and roaring that seemed otherworldly.

Without a word, they all ran towards the sound, knowing that Azriel was fighting these creatures. Auriella unsheathed Soulender, her heart beating fast, and her mind filled with conflicting thoughts.

Through the bond, she could feel her mate struggling, feel the pain that ran through him. Auriella knew that he couldn't kill this many creatures without gaining some injuries himself. He might be the Spymaster of the Night Court, but he wasn't indestructible.

As they were getting closer, Auriella could see gleaming daggers in the distance. Her mate was fighting with everything inside of him, creatures surrounding him from every side. She ran faster, adrenaline pumping through her like never before.

But as she was inches away, something darted down from the sky, tackling her. She screamed as she was thrown backward, rolling on the ground. She stopped herself by digging her fingers into the dirt, pain overtaking her body in an instant.

When she looked up, Ismene was there, eyes white and wings out.

"AURIELLA!" Azriel screamed before the dead swarmed around him and his brothers.

Auriella stood up from the ground, staring her down. She could taste the blood in her mouth, spitting it onto the grass.

"Ah, the Child of Night, such amazing circumstances to meet again, isn't it? Do you know that she talks about you a lot? She wishes to use your abilities in great ways. The vision she has for Prythian is like nothing you have ever seen. But you will likely never see it because she will kill you once she is done with you." The female says.

The Daughter of Dawn retrieves her sword from the ground, "And what is she promising you? World domination? You know that you will never get it." She tells her.

The former sister grins, "A world without weakness. A world where we thrive and are not held back by those we must bow to. A world where only she reigns for the remainder of time. There will be no High Lords or High Lady, only her. She is Prythian's future. A queen who is deserving of the title. We will bow to no one but her." She says.

Auriella shakes her head, "You know what happened to Amarantha. You know what happened to Hybern. We prevailed in both wars because of the High Lady of Night and the High Lords from every court. What makes you think that we won't prevail against your queen?" She asks.

The women both circle around in the grass, staring each other down. Auriella gripped her sword, feeling her power building up inside of her. She took occasional glimpses at the three brothers, seeing darkness flying through the air and blood being spilled onto the soil.

Ismene licks her teeth, "Prythian will not prevail because you are not prepared. You and your lovesick brother have just recently discovered your powers and even now, you both don't even know what you are capable of. Cyrus and Ravyn wielded their powers for years and even then, they still had difficulty defeating Dathomir. There is no hope for you." She explains.

As much as it pained her, Auriella agreed. She and Damian barely knew how to wield their powers, especially because they didn't really know how important they were. She had only spent a month in the Night Court, learning how to use her shadows and nothing more.

The Being had the greater hand and she was only showing a kernel of her power.

"Why not surrender now, Auriella? Why not save Prythian and its people while you can? You know that it is the better option." Ismene asks, claws coming out from underneath her fingernails. How the hell was that possible?

Auriella shook her head, "And send Prythian to suffer for all eternity? No, that won't happen without a fight, Ismene. The Being will not prevail in the end. I guarantee you that." She tells her, putting herself into a fighting stance.

The female's grin faded, turning into a sneer, "Then you will die, along with the other weak links that don't deserve the air they breathe." She says, pouncing forward.

Auriella quickly blocks her, hearing the contact of claws and steel coming together. Ismene tries to scratch at her, coming close every time but never reaching the skin.

The former sister comes to her senses, knowing that she won't be able to make a cut, and takes out her own sword. The metals immediately collide, echoing through the air.

Auriella knew that Ismene was rather good with a sword, seeing as how in the sisterhood she would be the victor whenever she sparred with another female. She knew what moves were coming, paying close attention to her opponent.

But Auriella was trained in swordplay for decades, making her have the upper hand.

Shadows. Trees. Night. She hears her shadows whisper.

Ismene made her way to hit again, but again Auriella blocked her. She spun once, connecting with the steel before turning to hide into the shadow of a tree, summoning her shadows to hide her.

It seemed that Ismene was caught off guard for a moment as if she was remembering what exactly Auriella was. A shadowsinger... just like her mate.

Even under the shadows, Auriella glanced at the three brothers. She could see Rhysand and Cassian still standing, but Azriel...

The Spymaster laid on the ground, motionless.

Panic immediately set into her, putting her focus back onto Ismene, who was prowling closer to where she was. Ismene flung her sword into the darkness, grunting.

Auriella moved out of the way, going back into the light, before hiding herself once more. Ismene became frustrated, "Come out, Daughter of Dawn! Face me as you did back in the sisterhood compound! I would gladly love to kick your ass again." She says.

At her side, Auriella unsheathed Azriel's dagger that he had given her in the morning. She stared down at the steel, knowing exactly what she was going to do.

"He is dying, Auriella. Your lovely mate is going to leave you soon if you don't head to save him." Ismene taunts.

After that last word leaves her mouth, Auriella throws the dagger right at Ismene. The female immediately dodges it, the blade colliding into the bark of a tree.

In that moment of distraction, Auriella charges at her, using Soulender to make a gash at the female's stomach, letting dark blood drip onto the ground. Ismene falls to the ground, screaming, and clutching her stomach.

Auriella immediately retrieves the dagger from the tree, kneeling beside the injured Ismene. She puts the dagger at her throat, "Tell your precious mistress that Prythian will be victorious at the end. She will not win, not now, not ever. Give up the fucking crusade and leave Prythian in peace." She sneers before getting up and running over to her mate.

Rhysand and Cassian get rid of the last bit of the battalion, their attires covered in blood and their faces holding nothing but fury in them. They quickly rush over to their brother, examining him.

When she is there, Auriella lets out a sob, seeing just how bad her mate's injuries were. She kneels beside him, taking in the gashes along his chest and arms. His entire body was coated in blood and exhaustion racked his body.

I'm here. I'm here. Don't leave me. I'm here. Auriella reassured him.

At that, the Spymaster's eyes fluttered open, "Ella," he whispered.

Cassian looked up at Rhysand, "We have to get him out of here. Who knows if more of those bastards are coming for another wave? We barely handled them as is." He says.

The High Lord said nothing as he stared at something off to the distance. Auriella followed his eyes, seeing that he was looking directly at Under the Mountain. Immediately, chills went down her spine, feeling everything hit her at once.

It had been a long time since she had been close to this place, promising herself that she would never head back to it. But through her anger and adrenaline, she had forgotten how it felt like to be close to it again, to be feet away from the place that took decades of her life.

The place where her nightmares began and still took hold of her.

It seemed that for Rhysand... it was the same.

It was as if she could still hear the screams of Clare and Marcellus before they died. She could hear Poppy reciting her prayers before a knife plunged into her chest. She could hear the crack of the whip as Amarantha made it collide with her back. She could hear the words "Amarantha's whore" being spit out at the High Lord of the Night Court as he followed Amarantha to her bedroom.

She could hear the snap of Feyre's neck, echoing after she broke the curse.

Too much. Too much. Too much. Her mind seemed to whisper to her. She couldn't take all of this forgotten pressure. She needed to get out of there, to go back to Velaris, and take Perseus in her arms to comfort her and reassure her that she was free. She wanted to hear Ruth's voice again, to soothe her overwhelmed heart.

Auriella looked back down at her mate, seeing that he had fallen into unconsciousness again. She tucked his wet hair back, leaning down to kiss his forehead. She let his warmness be the only tether to reality she had, letting her know that this wasn't a dream.

Cassian stood from the ground, standing next to his brother, "Hey, we have to go, Rhys. Turn away from there. That is your past. This is now. We have to get Azriel back home. Auriella can't be here either." He says.

The High Lord took a deep breath before turning to the General, nodding.

Rhysand kneeled down beside Azriel, looking at Auriella, "Are you alright?" He asked.

No, she wasn't. But he already knew that. Instead, he waved away the question, looking down at his brother, and taking his hand. "Don't die on me, Spymaster. Or I'll bring you back from the afterlife itself." He muttered.

Hand in hand, all four of them winnowed back to the Night Court.