Previously on "A Court of Fear and Ice"

On the way to the Crystal Waterfall, Lexi shows the Night Court fairies a map of the forest that it's supposed to show the fastest way to get to the waterfall. At first, they are a bit sceptical about it, but eventually decide to use the new way. Much to her disappointment, everything in the other part of forest looks just the same. But soon, things go pretty bad for her and her fairy companions.

Chapter 34

"What have I done?" I asked, fixing my eyes on the dark-haired fairy.

With a racing heart, I observed Ciaran standing up and running his fingers exasperatedly through his short hair. He said something under his breath and then looked over his shoulder at the rest of the Nigh Court fairies who were finally getting ready to have a look around.

"What have I done?" I repeated quietly, drawing his attention. "Ciaran, please, answer me."

The dark-haired fairy let out a sigh. "Why do you think I squatted here?" he asked and seemed really nervous. "Why do you think I was digging in the ground using my dagger and didn't move an inch? Why?"

"I don't know." My throat went dry.

Honestly, I really had no idea why Ciaran was doing it, and I hadn't even thought of the reason for his behaviour. I assumed that it was something ordinary. Something the Night Court fairies did every time they were in distress and had to familiarise themselves with the surroundings. After all, they were trained by three experienced warriors who surely taught them how to fight, make a reconnaissance, or cover their own tracks.

Now, not taking his eyes off me, Ciaran took a small step forward. "Maybe if you paid more attention to me, you wouldn't be standing there."

"What are you talking about?" I asked, frowning. "I just wanted to rest a bit. That's all."

Ciaran shook his head. "And look where it got you."

Rolling my eyes, I let out a groan.

Suddenly, I heard a loud curse in the distance which was followed by sounds of dismay. In the next second, Rian appeared next to his brother and he seemed furious.

"What is that?" he asked loudly, pointing in my direction. I noticed that Cerys, Zareen and Conri came right after him. "Tell me, what the hell is that? I gave you one simple task. One fucking task–"

Crossing his arms, Ciaran cut in, "It's not my fault she went over there and triggered the barrier."

"The barrier?" I repeated quietly, feeling a sudden pang of fear.

"–and you couldn't even protect her?" Rian gave him a disappointed look before he went on, "What kind of male are you? Ciaran, it was your responsibility to make sure Lexi was safe. I entrusted her to you."

"Fine. I failed," he replied angrily. "Are you happy now, brother? Or are you going to remind me of my big failure for the rest of my life?" Ciaran snorted. "For your information, there are more pressing matters right now, like getting her out of there." He also pointed at me. "Quickly."

Rian crossed his arms. "I am fully aware of that."

"Calm down, please. Both of you." Cerys put a hand on her twin's shoulder. "I've been trying to remove that barrier for the last minute," she said, turning around and looking at something in the distance. "But it's too strong for me."

"What barrier?" I repeated. "What are you, guys, talking about?"

"Let me show you," Rian replied calmly, but his handsome face was full of worries intermingled with anger, as if he couldn't decide which one to choose. I observed him getting down, lifting a stone, and then turning it a couple of times in his hands. "Step back, Lexi," he added, bracing himself to throw it in my direction.

Immediately, I drew away from the fairies and the next second Rian threw the stone really hard. It flew through the air at great speed, but didn't reach the wood-meadow. Instead, it bounced off something that I clearly couldn't see and fell to the ground.

"We're talking about this barrier," Rian said and extended carefully his hand towards me, but he didn't touch me. It seemed that he was holding the palm of his hand against invisible glass and couldn't pass through it.

Astonished, I was just staring at him with my mouth slightly opened, and it was all I could do at that very moment. Though my eyes were registering everything in front of me and transmitting it to my brain, my very own personal supercomputer barely kept up with the information. I knew it was time for an update, but now… I was quite busy.

"Impossible," I whispered and then exhaled loudly. "Do you want to tell me that I'm trapped here?" I asked.

When I fixed my eyes on Rian, I noticed that he didn't answer and kept staring at me with a tensed face.

"Oh, shit," I said and covered my eyes with a hand. "Oh, shit."

"The barrier seems old," Rian said after a while, his voice low. He was probably still touching the invisible wall. "Older than me. It's at least several centuries old, and reminds me of what I felt in the Prison. Maybe they were created at the same time."

"I can't get inside, too," Zareen cut in, making me look at her. She had also extended her hand and it stopped because of the barrier between us.

The rest of the fairies followed her lead and the same happened to their hands.

"None of us can," she added. "I believe the spell was designed to contain living creatures and make them stay there."

"Maybe that's why someone created the wood-meadow," Conri said and looked at the trees and rocks behind me. "Maybe the first thing which crossed the line made the barrier appear. I'm sorry it had to be you." He gave me a sympathetic look.

Feeling downhearted, I straightened up and looked up and down, trying to make something out, but there was nothing there. Just air between me and the Nigh Court fairies.

"But I don't see anything," I gasped, slowly feeling panicked.

"The spell must have made the barrier invisible to humans, so you can't see it," Cerys explained. "It's… it's huge and sparkles a lot. And it looks like a dome."

Cool, I thought. I'm trapped in a glittery cage.

Then, there was silence.

"So… how do we breach it?" I asked. I hoped they would come up with something and save my sorry arse from being trapped here forever. "Do you have any ideas?"

"No," Rian whispered, coming closer and looking at me with sadness in his eyes. "Lexi, I really don't know how to remove the spell," he added. "My magic can't destroy it. I've been trying to do it ever since I saw you here, but I'm not able to do it. I'm sorry, honey."

I'm screwed, I thought and looked at the invisible wall between us, but again there was nothing there.

"I don't see anything," I whispered.

Suddenly, Rian extended his hand and put it against the barrier. "I'm trying one more time," he said. Then, he closed his eyes and frowned, possibly focusing on the invisible wall.

"What about your parents?" I asked, addressing Cerys and Ciaran. "Do you think Rhysand and Feyre can destroy it?"

Cerys sighed loudly. "I think it would be best if we keep it to ourselves and try to breach it on our own. Well, at least for the time being."

"If we really aren't able to deal with the barrier, then we'll bring our parents over," Ciaran added, glancing at me carefully. "Or even Uncle Hel. He's good at getting rid of magical wards and enchantments."

"Any luck, Rian?" Conri asked him, but I stopped paying attention.

Having turned around, I fixed my eyes on the area in front of me.

Surrounded by short silver birches and moss-covered oaks, the wood-meadow seemed large. Inside the cleared land, there were lots of dark rocks and dead tree trunks scattered all over the ground, and the grass was dried and yellowish in places. I didn't see or hear any birds and insects, though they should have inhabited this part of the forest and made a lot of noise. Instead, it was all so still and quiet.

A bit scared, I looked over my shoulder at the Night Court fairies. They were standing next to one another, talking quietly and glancing at the invisible wall. Judging by their tensed faces, things didn't go their way, and they still had no idea how to free me.

I felt another pang of fear when I realised that I could really get stuck in the wood-meadow as no one would be able to help me. And it was all because of me and that damn barrier.

The barrier.

Turning around, I took a step towards the Night Court fairies and regarded cautiously the air between us. Maybe the invisible wall around the wood-meadow was only created to keep fairies at bay, and that's why I couldn't see it. Maybe I would be able to cross it as if nothing had happened, because I was an ordinary human being in a world full of incredible and powerful fairies who could take advantage of the thing hidden in the wood-meadow, provided there was something buried in the ground or stashed between the rocks.

Maybe, I thought, there is a tiny chance that I could actually get out of here on my own.

Only then did it occur to me that I hadn't even tried to touch the barrier and see for myself whether I could cross it or not. That's why, with a racing heart, I reached out my hand and slowly drew it closer to the invisible wall, hoping I would succeed.

The moment I touched the barrier, I immediately felt a tingly sensation under the palm of my hand. Though I didn't see a thing, my hand stopped suddenly and was unable to move further, thus letting me know I couldn't pass through the wall as well.

And that meant, I realised, feeling another pang of fear, yet this time much bigger than before, that I was trapped here. For good.

I let out a gasp.

"I can't cross either," I whispered and looked at the fairies who had stopped talking and observed me with tensed faces. "I can't do it."

"Oh, that's bad. That's really bad," Cerys said and took a step forward, but she was immediately stopped by Rian who grabbed her arm and wouldn't let her go. "Hey. What are you doing?" she asked with a frown on her face, shaking his hand off.

"Stopping you from doing something really stupid," he replied and shook his head. Then, he came closer to me and asked calmly, "Let's take a look around, shall we? I will walk next to you and maybe together we'll find some clues which might help get you out of there." He smiled slightly. "Come on, my lovely Alexandra. Let's take a walk."

"But I don't want to take a walk," I said. It was really the last thing I wanted to do right now.

"Come on, Lexi," Rian added, looking at me expectantly. "Walk with me."

Very reluctantly, I did as he asked me to.

Drawing away from the rock I had wanted to sit on, I took slowly several steps forward. With the invisible wall to my right, I was glancing at the ground from time to time, yet I had no idea what I was looking for. Rian was doing exactly the same, walking on his side of the barrier of course, though he kept looking at the ground under my feet more attentively. It was clear that he knew what he was trying to find.

I was just about to make another step when I noticed something whitish that was lying behind one of the rocks. Slowing down, I peeked there and, to my dismay, it turned out to be a long bone that was very fractured and surrounded by its much smaller pieces.

Immediately, I came to a stop and said quietly, pointing at the white object near my right foot, "Rian, I think I've found a bone."

He stopped and fixed his blue eyes on it. Then, he looked at me and added, "Lexi, I want you to come over there and check those rocks for me." He motioned towards a heap of mossy rocks that was a couple of feet away from me and asked, "Are there more bones?"

Slowly, I approached them and had a look. "No," I said quickly, ready to come back to him, "I don't see any."

"Good," Rian said and breathed a sigh of relief. "One bone doesn't mean anything, does it?" He flashed me a strained smile and went on, "Come on, honey, we must check the rest of the wood-meadow as well and I want to do it as fast as possible."

I nodded and headed quickly towards the wall, using the same path I came here.

Almost running, I covered more than halfway to Rian when I accidentally stumbled against a rock, but somehow caught my balance. Curious enough to check the reason for my trip, I glanced over my shoulder and at the same time stepped on something which was behind my back. Only then did I hear the sound of crunching and it made my skin crawl.

Slowly, I turned around and my throat went dry because of what I saw there. Oh, shit.

"Rian," I said, fixing my eyes on the ground, "do you remember your previous question?"

"Which one?"

Still not looking at him, I swallowed hard and then I replied, "About the bones?"

"Yes. What about it?" he asked with a hint of concern in his voice.

"There are more of them," I whispered and finally looked at him. "Actually, a lot of them."

Yellowish and slightly covered in dirt, the bones were scattered around the ground. Some seemed intact and didn't show any signs of serious damage, but some were fractured, like the one I had seen earlier, and scared the shit out of me. Luckily, none of them formed a shape of a body, so I assumed that it was a blessing in disguise. At least for now.

"Are the bones human?" Rian asked with sudden seriousness, taking a step towards me. But soon, he came to a stop, probably because of the barrier right in front of him. "Are they, Alexandra?"

"What?" I squeaked and realised that my eyes were slowly filling with tears. "How should I know?"

"There's no need to panic, Lexi," he said softly. "I'm here, honey. I'm not going to leave you alone. Just like in Velaris… after Bryaxis attacked us… Do you remember?"

Exhaling loudly, I thought of that horrible evening. I thought of my memories concerning New Year's Eve and Henry's betrayal. I thought of Rhysand killing Bryaxis and destroying my only way back home. And lastly, I thought of Rian who comforted me after everything that had happened and kept whispering that he wouldn't leave me.

I nodded several times. "Of course, I remember."

"Then look at them, Lexi," Rian added after a while. "Please, look at them. Can they belong to a human being?"

With my heart pounding in my throat, I glanced at the bones once more.

"I don't know," I whispered. "They're all… quite long and… slender. And–" Another bone crunched under my feet when I stepped back, so I looked at the ground.

I let out a loud shriek and sprinted towards the barrier. I didn't care whether there were rocks, bones or other horrible things in my way. I just ran.

"Please, get me out of here!" I shouted, stopping right in front of the invisible wall that was keeping me inside and banging my closed fists against it. "Please, Rian! I've just seen a human jaw with teeth!"

Rian frowned and said, "Please, calm down, Lexi. I'm trying to get you out. We all are trying." He looked over his shoulder at the rest of the fairies who approached us. "Give us some time, honey."

I groaned, taking a step back.

Again, Rian put his hands on the barrier and closed his eyes. This time, there were shadows around him that kept swirling and getting closer to the wall.

Time was a luxury I was slowly running out of. I realised it was getting creeper with every second I spent behind the barrier, and the thought of what might happen next was giving me the chills. First, I ended up here – surrounded by an invisible wall that was keeping me trapped and prevented from returning to the palace. Then, there were the bones. I turned my head back and glanced at the jaw which was still lying where I spotted it.

"Please, hurry up," I whimpered, looking at the fairies.

"You're the most impatient female I have even known," Rian said, still closing his eyes. There was a small smile on his lips. "You're even more impatient than my sister."

Cerys snorted. "I shall remember this, brother."

Rian laughed quietly.

"What were the bones like?" Conri asked, making me look at him.

"Yellowish."

"So there was no blood or flesh on them?" he asked again.

Shivering, I made a face and replied, "Good God, no!"

He nodded.

"It would be quite bad if they were bloodied," Zareen added with concern in her voice.

"I know," I said with a sigh.

All of a sudden, Ciaran lifted his head and fixed his eyes on the wood-meadow.

"Have you felt that?" he asked quietly, and the rest of the fairies nodded. I noticed that Rian stopped touching the barrier and carefully looked around the forest.

My heart skipped a beat, but I managed to glance over my shoulder at the rocks. "Felt what?"

"You really didn't feel it?" Conri asked, frowning. When I shook my head, he added, "The ground has just trembled."

I shook my head once more.

"And again," Ciaran said, and a silver dagger appeared in his left hand, whereas a bow made of ice in his right one.

Swallowing hard, I observed all the Night Court fairies arming themselves in all kinds of weapons – swords, bows and a stick. They all seemed tensed and scanned carefully our surroundings to see what was going on.

"I didn't notice anything," I whispered, feeling a sudden pang of fear. "At all."

I had no idea what to do. I wanted to run away, but I couldn't. Unarmed, I was trapped here with no way out and no one to protect me.

"Maybe you're just making this up," I added quickly. I caught Rian's eye who opened his mouth to reply, but I was faster as I said, "Maybe you're–"

Unexpectedly, there was a loud roar in the distance.

I froze.

Feeling my heart's pounding in my ears, I was just staring into space and my thoughts were nothing more than a cluster of irrational whispers. I was so afraid to move that even breathing and blinking seemed exhausting.

"What the hell was that?" Conri asked in a low voice, a sword in his hand.

Silently, Cerys and Ciaran turned around towards the forest and readied their bows and arrows; his were made of ice, hers were burning with fire.

Rian narrowed his eyes and answered his cousin, "I don't know, but it sounded big." Then, he looked at me and clenched his jaw before asking softly, "Are you all right, Lexi?"

Still not moving, I whispered, "I've been better."

"I wish I could give you at least a dagger, because I don't believe you have a weapon in your bag." When I shook my head, he sighed and gave me a sympathetic look.

Suddenly, Rian straightened up and turned his back to me.

"Zareen, you will go with Conri," he addressed the red-haired fairy who nodded and approached the Illyrian. "He knows what to do, so he will explain everything." I observed Zareen and Conri drawing away from the barrier and heading right. "The twins will take care of the forest, as always," Rian added and his siblings nodded as well. "Just make sure you won't shoot each other like you did last time in Illyria."

Cerys looked over her shoulder and showed him her middle finger. "It was an accident, you donkey."

"Come on, Cer," Ciaran cut in, going deeper into the forest. "There is work to do."

They too drew away from the barrier, and there was just me and Rian left now.

Sighing loudly, he turned around to face me. "Since everyone knows what to do, I'm–"

The ground trembled once again and this time I felt it too.

Abruptly, I turned around and fixed my eyes on the wood-meadow. All I could see were dead tree trunks, mossy rocks and yellowish grass, just like it had been earlier. Nothing changed and it was all so quiet.

"–staying with you," Rian finished quietly. "You felt it too, didn't you?"

But I didn't answer him.

Breathing heavily, I realised that my heart started beating so rapidly that I might have had a heart attack. "Fuck," I whispered, putting a hand over my chest. "Fuck."

"What is it?" he asked.

Turning just my head, I replied, "I think I have a massive heart attack."

"That's not true," Rian said calmly. "I can hear your heart. You're just panicking, that's all."

I made a face. "But it doesn't feel like that."

"Trust me, Lexi. It's not a heart attack."

I swallowed hard.

"I wish you were here with me," I whispered before I was able to rethink it. "Behind the barrier, I mean. I wouldn't be so scared right now."

Rian was silent for a while, so I started to think that I embarrassed him somehow. But after several seconds I heard him saying quietly, "I know, honey."

When I turned around, I saw that he had lifted his hand and put it against the barrier. "I know," he repeated with a sad face.

Shyly, I put my own hand against the same place and smiled a bit at him.

Suddenly, the roar repeated itself. This time, it was way louder than the first time and I realised that it came from inside the wood-meadow.

Terrified and taken aback, I turned towards the rocks and tree trunks, and observed everything that was in front of me. I wasn't moving. I wasn't blinking. I wasn't breathing. I was so focused on the wood-meadow that I didn't hear Rian who was calling my name over and over again.

"Lexi!" he shouted and I finally heard him.

I was just about to glance at him when the roar repeated itself for the third time. Now, it was accompanied by another tremble of the ground and a very, very unpleasant smell.

Everything froze.

Time.

Me.

Rian behind my back.

Seconds later, when I laid my eyes on the source of the roar, my eyes popped out.

"Holy fuck," I managed to stutter.