I dropped to my knees, looking at my friends' limp bodies. They would be ok, they would be ok… it was the only thing I could tell myself.
A guttural sob escaped me. Elain, beautiful sweet Elain, always mindful of others… had let her power consume her, and by the time we found out… It was too late.
I looked up at the neon pink orb in the middle of the room; slowly growing as its power flickered precariously. If it exploded… if it exploded like she did… it would wipe out almost the entirety of the Night Court, it would destroy more than she did.
'Feyre,' a rasp in my mind, Rhys. 'Feyre… we have to stop it.'
I couldn't, not when not when I had used every reserve of my power to contain Elain's blast, to protect everyone.
'I know… I know.'
Silence for a moment, and then to the left of me I heard shuffling. Rhys was struggling to his feet, breathing raggedly as blood ran down the side of his head.
"No," I breathed.
He got closer, and suddenly I was scrambling to my feet, "No!"
'It's the only way, Feyre darling.'
And I was up and running after him as he stood before the orb, eyes wide and fingers twitching slightly.
"RHYS!"
I banged into a shield of solid air and started pounding on it, unable to get through, "Please Rhys! Please!"
He turned to look at me then, at the silent tears streaming down my face, at the bodies behind me. 'I have to.'
I knew he did, knew as he raised his hand up and touched the orb; its power immediately surged into him. I couldn't help but scream when he let out an ear-splitting roar. Couldn't help but beg the Mother for this to stop. I was banging, pounding on the shield, screaming and crying, "Please no! Rhys please! Don't!"
Power rushed into him, so strong that his own veins glowed that bright pink, as did his eyes and mouth. He trembled as the skin on his arm turned ashy and started to drift apart like dust, but kept his hand on the orb. Arcs of power bounced around him like flashes of lightning. "RHYS PLEASE!"
He turned to look at me with a sad smile. A smile that was so familiar yet foreign at the same time, 'You'll take care of them, won't you?'
I shook my head, sobbing, "Rhys."
Everything around me seemed to slow as his mouth opened slightly, mouthing words that I couldn't hear, 'I love you.'
A declaration.
And before I had a chance to react, to say anything…. Rhys screamed with a ferocity that shook the earth beneath my feet, and I went flying backwards as raw power slammed into me.
vVv
"Feyre", a muffled voice "Feyre please get up."
I groaned, opening my eyes slightly. A blurred face surrounded by a halo of golden hair looked down at me, "We need to go! The whole place is about to collapse!"
My mouth opened uselessly, as if I wanted to say something but my brain was too slow. A glowing hand touched me and my vision cleared. Mor stared down at me, "We have to go!"
Rhys. Where was he? What had happened to him? I breathed in, looking for the bond to anchor me, but… it wasn't there. The bond that lived inside me, that was always there even while I slept, it wasn't there."Where is he?" I breathed.
Mor was silent. "Where is he!" I said again, whipping my head around and looking for him.
A crumpled body lay maybe 50ft away. He still had tendrils of power leaking out of him; flickers of pink among the usual night. "Feyre!" I wrenched away from her grip and clambored towards him.
"Rhys," I cried, taking his charred face in my hands, "Rhys please…"
I held onto him, sobbing and sobbing and sobbing and sobbing. Not him. Please not him. A shuffle of wings and a distant voice, "We have to go."
Someone wrapped their arms around me and pried me off of him. I screamed, kicking against the strong body behind me. Cassian grunted and hoisted me higher, trying to calm me down as I screeched "NO! Let me go! I can't leave him here!"
He was carrying me away. Away from Rhys. I couldn't leave him behind, "Cassian! Let go of me! Let go of me let go of me let go of me!"
We were outside now. The crisp cold air silenced me for a moment as we shot into the sky, and my eyes were wide as the building below us crumbled. I let out another sob, "Cassian please!"
He held me tighter, tears of his own making their way down his cheeks, "Mor and Azriel winnowed everyone else out, Feyre, including Rhys."
It didn't matter if he was telling the truth or not. My mate is dead. Everything is worse now, and I don't know if I'll ever be able to fill the void that has opened up inside me. The one that opened up when I realized what he was doing. Cassian's sob pierced through the silence, and I shut my eyes against the wind and the hollowness inside of me.
