Hello All,

The next two chapters I have rewritten more times than I can count. There were so many moments I wanted to put in these intense scenes, but I had to stay true to what I thought Karlene would do. More than all of the other chapters I hope you enjoy these, as I'm really nervous to share them.

Happy reading,

Court

Chapter 36: Illyrians

Karlene:

I did not awake to the sounds of crying. There was a cool bite of metal on my neck.

An Illyrian blade pressed into my throat. I calmed my breathing, not daring to move any more of myself.

"Wakey, wakey. We need you to tell us which baby is which." One giant Illyrian with green siphons cooed.

I slowly sat up, surveying the room. Elain was standing in a similar position to what I was in, knife to the throat. She held Nesta and Cassian's baby. The other baby was being held by one of the attackers. I lunged for the baby, scolding words already coming out. He wasn't supporting his neck.

"He can't hold his head up like that yet, you could kill him." I reached for the month old. The Illyrian, was so shocked at my lecturing tone, that he dropped the baby into my arms. They continued to let me hold the baby correctly. Odd. They must have something planned if they didn't mind me having possession of the child. Now that I had him, I would not relinquish him. Elain was holding the other, so maybe they needed something more than the identity of the babies. If they tried to take them, I would find a way to go with them. Elain seemed to have a similar opinion, from the glint of her eyes and the set of her jaw.

"If you are taking the babies, let me pack a bag for them." I offered. Anything, anything to stall them. One of the Illyrians who was clearly in charge, tilted his head, assessing my offer, it's genuineness.

He nodded and the green one that had woken me smacked my back, so I moved forward. I could feel the bruise already.

If they didn't know whose baby was whose, then Elain must have had them both up and out of their nurseries. There was a small supply room, more of a linen closet really, that baby stuff had been piled into. I took them there. The nurseries could give away their identity, as they were attached to their parent's rooms and had different sized clothing in the drawers. If they didn't know which child would be the next High Lord, then they couldn't leave. Hopefully.

I pulled the folded stroller from the closet with one hand.

"We don't want that." The largest of them growled, I nodded but didn't move it. There was a small knife in the carrier pouch of the stroller. There were hidden weapons all over the house, but there was only this one knife in the babies' things.

Elain knew this too. She stooped to pull the bag from the undercarriage.

"Here, fill it with more clothes and soft towels." Elain held the bag open as best she could with one hand. The pocket with the knife increasingly closer. I could get it. Elain's hands were shaking, her hold on Nesta's kid was tight even though she was terrified. I didn't dare make eye contact with her, they might think we were planning something, better to pretend we kept our heads down out of fear and submission.

There were six in total. All stood in a semi-circle around Elain, they wouldn't see my movements as I faced them.

I filled the bag with towels and clothes and a few cloths for diapers. I pulled the knife free when I shoved the last of the diapers in, the bag near bursting. My heart rate might have given me away, but no one bothered to search me.

They didn't seem to mind the hold up. Like they didn't care how long they were here. Something must be wrong then. Everyone was due back soon, if they weren't concerned about running into the rest of the family, then there must be a huge problem.

"Will there be someone who knows how to take care of a baby, wherever it is you're taking them?" I asked as I handed the bag to one of them.

"I have a wife." He affirmed. I nodded, but did nothing else to try to continue their leave.

"I know these children well, I could come too." I offered.

They laughed at that. They weren't completely stupid. A pity.

I had to figure something out. No way I could kill six, even if I wasn't holding a baby. Even if Elain didn't have a knife to her throat, which was replaced after I gave the bag to one of them. Even if I had a real weapon. My heart rate increased until I thought it would pound right up my throat. Maybe I should have taken Cassian up on training more often than never. I hadn't imagined that they could get into Velaris, and never would I have thought they could get into the Manor.

"Well," I started again. Stall, stall, stall. But no one was coming, maybe not for hours. I needed help. I needed someone who could kill. I needed help.

My magic that I had dredged up was healing, even in the best of times I barely could hold a shield. My magic just didn't like that. I had no offensive magic and barely any defensive. The Illyrians here had ten siphons between the six of them. I couldn't hold off ten, I barely cold block the sea spray when I was in Summer Court.

Summer Court.

I could winnow us.

I could get us there, and even if one of the Illyrians somehow latched on and came, we would be protected. I just had to get us on the front porch. There was no winnowing in the Manor.

Elain seemed to sense my change. I was not helpless. I could run, I just needed to grab Elain and get us out the door.

"Well, he needs his blanket, otherwise he'll never sleep. It has soothing scents woven into it." I claimed. Neither child was old enough to have a favorite item, they were still both considered newborns, technically. I led the way down the stairs, at sword point. Down the stairs then out the door, we were getting closer to their goal, but also my new one. I could winnow faster than they could attack. They wouldn't dare hurt us while we held the babies. This would work. We would be just fine.

I could do this. I pushed my fear down, it would get us killed. In the sitting room we frequented most, the couches and arm chairs were arranged in a large circle. Along the wall were racks with blankets, a cabinet for wine and a liquor decanter. On the opposite wall, a decorative glass case filled with cards from this past solstice. Some of the cards were well-wishers for the babies.

My nephews were being hunted for being so powerful. I had no offensive power, and barely any defensive. The Cauldron had only given healing, everything else took too much concentration to use, not when I was surrounded by powerful Illyrian's all of the time.

I stopped with my back to all of them, facing the wall and the blanket rack. I pulled the knife from the folds of my sweater where I had hidden it.

I had a second to mentally and physically prepare.

I hefted Feyre's baby a bit higher, then I spun and slashed the knife through the jugular of the one had been following right behind me. I slashed deep and true. One of Cassian's first lessons. Not that I had kept up with those.

"I think you haven't thought this through. You should leave before the High Lord or Lady returns." I ordered, or I tried. I was really damn scared. I took a few hurried steps to grab Elain and get out the front door.

Elain was yanked tighter. A bead of blood was so vibrant against the white of her throat.

"Drop the knife, girly." The one holding Elain spit. Elain clung the to the baby, even as the leader tried to pull it from her.

"Stop," I screamed. This didn't work. I was stuck in a corner. I needed help. I couldn't do this myself after all. One of them made a gesture for me to drop the knife. It clattered to the floor, sprinkling more blood everywhere.

A blast of green shot from one of the siphons. I shielded, barely. I was untrained and terrible with defensive magic. I needed something else, I needed to use both hands. I backed up along the wall.

"You'll kill the baby." One screamed at the green siphon wielder.

My shield was still holding. Flickering a bit, I had not too long before that wasn't true.

My back hit the liquor cabinet.

The blinding green light was still covering my movements.

I opened the largest compartment and dropped the baby into one of the wine racks. The door shut with a satisfying click. There might not have been weapons in my nephews things, but I reached for the long blade behind the cabinet.

The siphon stopped bombarding my feeble shield.

"Karly," Elain screeched in warning, followed by a wet crunch and thud of her body on the floor. My eyes couldn't focus on the pool of blood forming.

I raised the blade I had pulled from hiding.

"Very well, let's see what the dog has taught you." One spit.

Not much I almost said. I hadn't bothered, hadn't thought it necessary. Now I was going to die. Die trying to protect my family from kidnappers.

I raised my blade, and the Illyrian met it lazily, as if expecting me to drop it from the first hit. I didn't, I dipped under his blade and scraped mine into the crack of his armor on his neck, blood welled. My power was desperate to heal it. His surprise showed. Using the momentum of the twisting dodge, I drove the blade through his throat and out the back.

They had realized I no longer had the baby. Another blast of siphon power shot for me. It was like he was trying to fill me with pain before melting my bones. I could only scream. I hadn't expected to need another shield, not that I had the ability to make one. Never had I felt so pathetic and slow and untrained.

I couldn't make another, thankfully the Illyrians were mad enough that they wanted to feel it as they killed me. That was it, thankfully, only a single, short blast to put me off guard. Funny since I had been off guard since I was woken up.

My arms, my torso was smoldering. My healing was working on it so slowly. I wouldn't be able to use the blade when they took the last steps to kill me.

The Cauldron was right.

I couldn't save anyone.