Disclaimer: As previously stated, SJM rules, I mean...owns...yeah, owns all. :D

A/N: Sorry it took a few days to get this one up. I've been busy with work. But, today is my day off and I was determined to finish this chapter and get it posted. So, please review and tell me what you think!

Chapter Six

Azriel flew as fast as he could to Hybern. Rhys had already filled him in on everything they knew. They had been tipped off of some movement starting back up on the island, as well as some unrest. Turns out it had only pissed them off more when Nesta had killed their king about two years ago or so. He knew they'd had plenty of time to plan an uprising in that time.

Truth be told, he had stationed spies in the area to keep an eye on them for this precise reason, but his spies hadn't told him of any of this. He had gotten zero reports from them that would be construed as Hybern planning an uprising. That's what was most concerning for him. Why hadn't his spies alerted him sooner?

While he was there, he was going to check in with them and see what was up.

He used the majority of his flight to concentrate on his mission and come up with strategies, but then his mind started to drift. His thoughts brought him back to a certain red-head and he wondered what she would think of his sudden departure. He hadn't even gotten the chance to say good-bye to her before he left. She'd probably see it as him running from her again, hiding from her. That was the last thing he wanted to do right now. Nesta had been right. He needed to makes things right with her and quickly, but he didn't know how quickly he was going to be able to do that with this new mission he was on. He just hoped he hadn't screwed things up too badly between them that he wouldn't be able to fix them when he got home.

The continent was coming into view and he made his descent. Everything seemed in order from above, but that rarely meant much. He landed near one of the check-in points with some of his spies. He sent off one of his shadows to alert them of his presence. In the meantime, he did some spywork. He slipped into this shadows, concealing him from view, and walked soundlessly closer to the checkpoint.

If there were to be an ambush, he would see it coming before they saw him. Az leaned up against a tree and began his wait. The shadow he'd sent out soon rejoined him, knowing how to find him. It didn't give him the feeling that something was amiss, which was a good sign. Not much could get passed his shadows undetected. He wiped a sweaty hand against the leg of his training leathers, not used to the higher temperatures.

Azriel crossed his arms over his chest and scanned the area, still no sign of his spies. He was just about to move to a different location when he felt a tapping against his mental shields. He pulled it down a fraction, just enough to speak with Rhys.

Anything yet?

Azriel knew how jumpy this whole situation was making Rhys. None of them wanted another war.

No. I'm waiting for my spies to meet up with me. No sign of them yet. I'm just about to move to the next checkpoint.

There was silence for a long moment.

Maybe I should send Cass. I have a bad feeling about this, Az.

Az shook his head, blowing a breath through his nose.

I'll be fine. They may just be worried that someone's watching them and are being cautious. Did you tell Cass I left?

He heard Rhys's sigh of frustration in his mind. He knew his brother was just trying to look out for him, but he could take care of himself.

Yes. He's just as worried as I am. And…so is Gwyn, by the way. She was there when I spoke with Cass. Nesta told her that you had been on your way to talk to her, but had to leave. I think…that seemed to help smooth something over. Az, is there something going on that I need to know about?

Az's body had locked up. Gwyn was worried about him. He squeezed his eyes shut against all the feelings that were barreling into him. He wouldn't go down that road right now. He was in the middle of a dangerous mission.

No. I mean, I don't think so. Look, can we talk about this when I get back? This is not the best time to be discussing my love life.

Rhys's answering chuckle sent a wave a relief through him. If it had been that easy to get Rhys to chuckle, things weren't that bad, right?

I look forward to hearing every detail upon your return, Az. And don't think I'll forget about it either. You know me better than that. We'll have a guy's night and I want every juicy detail. Now, go do some spy work, don't get killed, maimed, or captured, and come home safely. We all look forward to your return. All of us.

With that, his presence left his mind and he was once again alone with his thoughts. He snorted to himself quietly and rolled his eyes. Rhys definitely had a flair for the dramatics.

Something moved out of the corned of his eye and he turned his head. There, it was one of his spies making his way towards his general location. Az glanced around to see if there was anyone else around. They were in a shaded area and he couldn't spot another living creature. When his spy got close enough, he stopped out of his shadows, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Colthan. Report."

The male glanced around somewhat nervously. Az chalked that up to not wanting to get caught out in the open. The male always seemed to have a nervous air about him whenever he met with him.

"There's nothing to report, Spymaster. Everything has been quiet."

He quirked an eyebrow up. "Really? Is that so?"

Colthan nodded. "Yes. I delivered some supplies to the castle just last week and saw nothing amiss. I asked simple questions just like you showed me, but nothing came of anything."

Az nodded, not buying a word of it. "Okay. Then why did my High Lord get conflicting reports from yours?"

Colthan's eyes widened. "I-I don't know. Maybe his reports are wrong."

Az shook his head. "Or maybe yours are. How do you think I should find out which ones are more accurate?"

Colthan was visibly shaking now. "I-I-I don't know. You could go to the castle yourself and look around."

Az nodded, tilting his head to the side and bringing one hand down to rest on Truth-Teller, the movement not going unnoticed by the quivering male. "I suppose I could do that, but what's the point of having spies if I have to go and double-check their work? That seems a bit counterproductive, don't you think?"

Colthan didn't say a word as Azriel slowly started walking towards him. He stopped directly in front of him, leaning forward slightly so that he could look him in the eye. "Here's what's going to happen, Colthan-."

Az didn't get a chance to finish as his shadows warned him of a threat a split second before pain erupted into his thigh. He roared, staggering back. He looked down and saw an ash arrow jutting through his thigh covered in a green coating. His eyes widened. Faebane.

Rhys!

He could feel his powers already slipping away. There must have been a significant amount on that arrow for him to already be feeling the effects. He could just barely hear Rhys calling down to him asking what was wrong, but then…nothing. His powers were gone. He was cut off from his High Lord and his court.

He surveyed his surroundings, trying to pinpoint where the arrow had been fired from. There. He saw a figure in a tree almost a quarter mile away. He ducked behind the tree he'd been standing by and looked back at Colthan to tell him to do the same when he saw someone had appeared next to him. There was a wicked grin spreading across Colthan's face. He'd set Az up.

"Good job, Col. I knew you could do it."

The male who had appeared turned to look at Az and smiled wickedly. "You and I are going to have some fun, Spymaster. You owe me that much. After all, it was your dagger that killed my father."

Az's brow furrowed. He looked the male over once more, taking in the details. That's when it clicked. He was the king of Hybern's son. The new king. His eyes widened in recognition.

"There it is. You know who I am. I've been waiting a couple of years to meet you. How about we take this somewhere more…private, shall we?"

As Azriel was reaching for Truth-teller, he felt a presence behind him, his shadows going crazy. He whirled around, but not in time to avoid the hilt of a dagger slamming into his temple, dragging him into darkness.

Rhys was trying to concentrate on some time-sensitive reports when Azriel's panicked voice shot into his mind.

Rhys!

His head snapped up, his heart rate immediately picking up the pace. Az, what's wrong?...Az?...Azriel! What happened?

Nothing. He was met by empty silence. "Shit!"

He jumped up from his desk, shooting a thought down the line to Cassian, Mor, and Amren to get their asses to the River House immediately. He ran from his office and found Feyre in the nursery changing Nyx. She looked up at him when he stopped in the doorway and noticed his panic.

She turned her head and called into the other room. "Elain, can you come in here, please?"

After a moment, Elain appeared in the doorway and smiled at Nyx who was clapping his hands together. She didn't even seem to notice Rhys in the opposite doorway at all.

"Elain, can you take over for me? There are some important matters I need to attend to."

Elain's head snapped up at that and her eyes finally found Rhys's. She read the barely concealed panic on his face and frowned. "Is everything alright?"

He pursed his lips, wondering what all he should say, before shaking his head. "No. Something happened to Az."

Feyre's head snapped up at that, her eyes wide. She immediately passed Nyx to Elain and strode through the room. Over her shoulder, she told Elain when to give him his next bottle in case she wasn't around. Elain merely nodded her head absently, worry evident on her face.

Feyre followed Rhys from the room. Once they were far enough away, she looked at him and frowned. "Tell me everything." So he did. He filled her in on the threat with Hybern and how he'd sent Az to check in with his spies. He told her that he had just had a conversation with him 15 minutes ago before Az's panicked voice shot into his mind before going silent.

Feyre stayed silent for a long moment. "It sounds like faebane. That's what happened when Hybern drugged me with it in the Spring Court. Your voice kept getting more and more distant and then suddenly it was just gone, but they were dosing me in small quantities. If they gave him a significant amount all at once…in theory, his powers could be gone just like that. But Rhys, if he can't communicate with us, then he can't winnow or do anything else. He's stuck there unless he's able to get free and fly away. Unless…"

"No. Don't even go there. We do not go there unless we have reason to believe we must. Az will be fine. Yes, he is in trouble right now, but we will get him back. He will be fine."

She nodded as they entered the dining room to find Cass already there with Nesta and Gwyn. They turned towards them. Cass crossed his arms. "What's going on? Why the emergency meeting?"

Rhys stopped at the table before them. "Let's wait for Mor and Amren to get here. I need everyone here."

Cass's brows shot up. "This must be really serious then if you're calling in everyone. Has Az been called back?"

Rhys clenched his jaw, not able to hide his reaction. Cass looked between the two. "Something happened to Az, didn't it?"

Gwyn gasped, covering her mouth. Rhys closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "We need to wait for Mor and Amren."

Thankfully, they both walked in right at that moment before Cass could explode and demands answers. Amren strode in and took a seat at the loveseat against the wall. "Well, boy, out with whatever was so important you had to drag us all here on such short notice."

Rhys took a steadying breath as Feyre reached over and grasped his hand to comfort and ground him.

"Early this morning I received new reports stating that Hybern was starting to plan an uprising. I combed through all of Azriel's past reports from his spies that he has stationed there, but I found nothing that would suggest anything amiss. That left me no choice. We can't afford another war, not right now. So…I sent Azriel in. I told him to track down his spies to get more information. I specifically told him not to infiltrate the castle, just do some spy work. Not long ago, I spoke with him. He said everything was fine. I even tried to send Cass in for some back up, but he said he was fine, that he could handle it. When I spoke with him, he was waiting for some of his spies to show up at a checkpoint. They hadn't shown up yet, so he was getting ready to move on to the next one. He left him to do his work and concentrate. It wasn't long after that when his voice shot back into my mind panicked. All he said was my name. I tried to reach out to him to see what was wrong, but…there was nothing. There was only silence."

Rhys could tell that Cass was barely restraining himself. He slammed his fist down on the table, hard. "Why didn't you just send me in? I would have went with him if it was so dangerous, you know that!"

Rhys nodded, "I know, Cass. I should have. But that doesn't matter now."

"Like hell it doesn't! He could be dead for all we know!"

Rhys heard Gwyn whimper out of fear from where she stood beside Nesta. There was definitely more between them than what Az had let on.

Rhys put his hands in the air. "We don't know that. There are many possibilities at this point. If they were smart, they wouldn't kill him right away. They'd use him for ransom knowing we'd want him back or they'd try to get information out of him somehow."

Mor rubbed a hand down her face, worry evident in every line of her body. "Then how do you explain his sudden silence? He only said your name and then nothing."

Feyre nodded. "We have a theory about that actually. Do you remember my time in the Spring Court when I was playing spy? The Hybern royals dosed me with faebane in small amounts from the moment they got there. Rhys's voice kept getting more and more distant with the more faebane they put into my system. And then when they gave me a more concentrated dose, my magic disappeared altogether. I think…if they were able to get a significant amount into his system all at once…it might have been able to nullify his powers like that. He could have realized what was happening in time to send a thought to Rhys, but didn't have enough time before it completely took over his magic to tell him what was happening to him. In theory, it makes sense."

Cass shook his head, "Say this theory is right, what are we supposed to do about it? What's the plan? We can't just let them torture Az for information."

Rhys shook his head. He snapped his fingers and a detailed map of Hybern appeared on the table in front of them. He looked around at all of them, stopping on Gwyn. "We're going to make a plan and then we're going to go to Hybern and get him back. He's not staying in their hands for long."

She nodded, her eyes hardening and shoulders going back defiantly. He could tell she was ready to fight whoever she needed to in order to get him back. He was just glad Gwyneth Berdara was on their side.

Azriel could still feel the arrow in his thigh. It pulsed with pain. He kept his eyes shut and his breathing shallow so as to appear to still be unconscious. He took in his surroundings with the help of his shadows. He was in a dungeon. Tied to a chair. That was never a good sign.

He could hear someone moving around behind him. They were sharpening something metallic. Involuntarily, his heart rate sped up. He heard a dark chuckle.

"Look who's finally awake. Care to join the party, Azriel?"

He opened his eyes and lifted his head to find the new king leaning against the wall directly in front of him. "What do you want with me?"

"Oh, we'll get to that later, don't you worry. For now, how about we just start off with a little fun."

He knew exactly how this was going to go. He used these exact same methods himself when he tried to get someone to talk. The only comforting thought he could give himself was that Gwyn was safe in Velaris. She was with Cassian and Nesta. They would not let any harm come to her. She was safe. Hybern would never again get to her. They would never do to her what they had before. If this was to be his end, then so be it. He would go down protecting her, making sure they never found her again.

"Where shall we start? Your wings seem rather interesting, but maybe we should save that for later when things are really getting good. We wouldn't want to start off at the top and work our way down. Mm. Speaking off. This arrow must be excruciating still being in your thigh. Do you want some help with that?"

Az clamped his jaw shut and immediately started taking in soothing breaths, knowing exactly what was about to happen. The male who was behind him walked around the chair and stopped next to his thigh. He leaned down and gripped the arrow while turning a wicked smile to Az. There was no warning before he ripped it from his thigh, the entire length of it, fletching and all. He couldn't stop the roar of pain that rocketed out of him, his vision going dark around the edges. He heard his blood dripping to the floor as his head lolled to the side.

Gwyn. He needed to hang on for Gwyn. His last thoughts were of her beautiful, freckled face as he once again slipped into unconsciousness.

A/N: Thoughts? I tried to make this chapter a little bit longer. There's a lot going on. Lots of angst! PLEASE review and tell me what you think! Until next time! :)