Disclaimer: SJM owns it all.

A/N: So! I was able to write 3 whole chapters yesterday on my day off! That does include the previous chapter I posted, so I have 2 finished chapters for you. I'll post one today and one tomorrow to kind of spread it out a little. I'll have a lot of time to write on Saturday, so I should be able to bang out at least a couple more, hopefully. So, without further adu...I do believe this might be the chapter y'all have been waiting for? I guess you'll have to read to find out! :D Enjoy!

Chapter Nine

Rhys had winnowed them a short distance away from the castle in Vallahan. Gwyn watched as Feyre's brow scrunched in concentration. She tilted her head slightly to the side wondering what it was that she was doing, when Cass leaned towards her.

"She's breaking through their defensive spells so that we can winnow directly into the castle undetected. She was gifted power from the Day court that allows her to break through spellwork."

Gwyn nodded in understanding. She remembered now the different powers the High Lady had. It was one thing to be told she had them, but another altogether to witness it. It didn't take very long for Feyre to break through the spells. She had stepped back and looked up at Rhys. "They're down. They weren't as extensive as ours or even Hybern's. I didn't sense any hidden traps either, but we should all be on alert."

He nodded and gripped their hands again. He winnowed them to an empty corridor underneath the castle. He looked around as he dropped their hands. "The dungeons are close. I couldn't winnow us in directly because my magic bounced off some kind of shield that's in place. I think they're warding specifically against me. Which means…we definitely have the right place."

Feyre frowned. "If they're warding against you, will you be able to go down there?"

He nodded. "I used my magic as we were winnowing to sense it. I believe as long as I don't use any magic while I'm under the shield, it won't trigger any alarms. Which means I have a plan."

Cass unsheathed his sword and kept his eyes on the empty hallway. "Okay, so what's the plan?"

Azriel spit blood onto the ground. Bron had been beating him for the last half hour, using him as his own personal practice dummy. He could feel the blood trickling down his chin from his split lip and knew he must have some internal bleeding from all the blows to the gut and ribs he'd taken. The bastard had even gone so far as to kick him in the balls. He'd nearly wept as the pain had coursed through him.

Bron had finally taken a breather to get a drink of water. Azriel couldn't help but watch him greedily suck down the water. It'd been days since they'd given him anything to eat or drink. They'd started to at first. But after the first couple of weeks, it had stopped coming. He was so dehydrated his head was swimming. He vaguely remembered Feyre telling him how long humans could last without food and water, coming from her own personal experience. In a way, he was thankful he wasn't human and could therefore last longer with his heightened healing abilities. But another part of him just wanted this whole experience to be over with. And if that meant he died of dehydration, then fine. At least he wasn't being tortured anymore.

He watched as Bron walked over to his table full of sharpened torture instruments. He liked to run his hands along them and run a commentary over which one he'd use on Azriel that day. It was sadistic. Even he didn't do shit like that when he had to torture people for information in the Court of Nightmares.

Bron picked up a wicked looking dagger and looked towards him, a gleam in his eye that made Az's blood curdle. "How hard is it, do you suppose, to rip through bat wings with a dagger…?"

Az's eyes widened of their own accord. His heart rate picked up. As a reflex, he tucked his wings in tighter against his body, trying in vain to hide them behind him. He gripped onto the chains around his wrists tighter.

Bron slowly advanced towards him, twirling the dagger in his hands. "Does it rip like paper or do you really have to work at it?"

Azriel's breathing picked up. This couldn't be happening. He could endure everything else that male had thrown at him. He'd endured beatings, stabbings, gashes, burns to his back. Hell, a kick to the damn balls. He'd endured him talking shit about Gwyn of all people, but this? There was no coming back from this. He gathered every ounce of mental strength he could and threw it at Rhys. He needed help. Now.

Bron advanced and made his way to Azriel's side. "Hm. How to begin. First, we obviously need to restrain this wing so you can't tuck it back in."

That's when Azriel noticed the clamps that were fastened on either end of the dungeon. He hadn't noticed them before, so they must have been installed after he'd passed out the last time. He felt like he was going to be sick. If they took his ability to fly, they may as well just kill him right then. It wouldn't matter if he was rescued. There would be no point in living for him if he couldn't fly and feel that freedom.

Bron set down the dagger and moved around behind him. He pulled his wing free and forced it to straighten out, all the way towards the clamp. Azriel couldn't watch. He couldn't watch his freedom get permanently taken away.

The clamp was fastened around the edge of his wing, biting into it and causing a flare of pain to shoot towards his spine. He closed his eyes and thought of Gwyn. He needed her light, her happiness to get him through this.

The dagger was back in Bron's hand. He heard the dark chuckle reverberating through the room. "Oh, what's wrong, Shadowsinger? Don't want to watch me mutilate your precious wings?"

Az took in a deep breath through his nose. It would come any moment, he could sense it. He could feel his shadows wrapping protectively around him as if to shield him from what was about to happen.

White hot pain, more intense than anything he'd ever felt before shot through his wing. He roared in pain, not being able to keep a single sound hidden. Usually, he tried to hide his pain from Bron during these sessions, but he knew this one would be different. His wings were much too sensitive to go any other way. Another slash. Another roar.

"I don't know about you, Shadowsinger, but I'm rather enjoying this. I think the other wing wants to join in on the fun as well."

Bron moved behind him again, securing his other wing to the other end of the cell. Azriel's body had started shaking involuntarily. It wasn't long before the pain started on that side as well. Az's throat was becoming hoarse from roaring in pain. He didn't know how much more of this he could take.

Gwyn moved down the hallway, sword in her hand. She stuck by Cass's side as they followed their High Lord down hall after hall. He seemed to know where he was going. They had all stayed quiet since they had parted ways with Feyre. Since Rhys couldn't use his magic, she was going to stay above where they had winnowed in at, monitoring the situation and being on the lookout for any trouble. Rhys hadn't been sure if they shield was dialed in on her as well, so he wanted at least one of them to stay put where they could use magic and winnow if necessary.

The closer they got to the dungeons, the stronger sense of urgency she got. She couldn't figure out why. The other two didn't seem to sense it. That's when they heard it. They had just entered the lower levels of the dungeons, having quietly knocked out the little guards they'd seen, when someone started roaring in pain.

She froze, her eyes widening. "That's Azriel. I know it."

Rhys nodded, "We're close. Something's happening. We need to get in there now before it gets worse."

His roars of pain kept coming. They halted for a minute, but then picked right back up. Her heart was in pieces at the sound. She knew this moment would haunt her nightmares for a long time to come. They were almost there.

Hang on, Az. We're coming. We're bringing you home. Please hang on.

Az panted through his teeth. He heard the blood drip to the floor and watched as it pooled below his ruined wings. They were ruined, mutilated. Just like his hands, only worse. He had function of his hands. He could barely lift his head, he was in so much agony. Pain sliced itself up and down his back, throbbing, stabbing.

Bron circled in front of him. "That was fun, Shadowsinger. You sure sang for me for once. I wonder what else I can make you do now that I know your other weakness."

He felt his shadows swirling frantically around his shoulders. As soon as Bron had turned away the slightest bit, they leaned forward and whispered in his ear. Look up. Eyes up.

He gritted his teeth and forced his head up. He rested it against his suspended arm, not being able to hold his own head up by himself. A moment later, he saw exactly why the shadows had gotten excited. Azriel looked back at Bron who was just about to turn towards the cell door and possibly leave.

"That's it? That's all you got?"

Bron turned back to him slowly, a wicked grin on his face. "I didn't realize you were already wanting more. I thought I'd broken you. I'm happy to oblige though."

He picked up a different dagger from the table and came to stand directly in front of Azriel. He made a point to keep his eyes focused solely on Bron and not move them away. "I don't think you have it in you to break me. It takes a hell of a lot more than a bastard hiding behind a dagger for me to break."

Bron snarled at him, getting angry. Az sneered at him, keeping him talking. "So go ahead, Bron. Do your worst. I can take it."

Bron shook his head. "How well do you think she'd take it? How do you think she'd handle it if I ran my hands over her skin while she was in the same position you're in now. Minus the wings, of course."

Az saw red. He snarled, "You touch Gwyn, you die."

The sneer on Bron's face sharpened Azriel's anger. "I'm going to make her beg. When she comes looking for you, and I'm sure she will, I'll leave her alive and tell her every little thing I did to you before I killed you. She will be so distraught. And that's when I'll do to her what I did to you. Plus what my brother did, of course. I need to have some fun too."

Az lunged against the chains, adrenaline coursing through his body. "You touch her, you die. You hear me? It doesn't matter if I'm dead. There are others who will protect her from you. She is off limits."

"Oh? And why is that? Does someone have feelings for the priestess?"

Before he could answer, the door finally swung open, unlocked. "She is off limits because she is a member of my court and my Inner Circle. Anyone who harms a member of my court, will be punished."

Az finally lifted his eyes, relief flooding his body. His High Lord was standing in the doorway, wielding a sword and looking very pissed off. Bron spun around faster than Az thought he could move.

"What in the-."

Rhys waved his hand through the air. "Your wards around this castle were parlor tricks. It was nothing to get through them. My mate did it in mere moments. As for hiding my Spymaster on a completely different continent than the one he was captured on…well, that is the only thing I have to give you props for."

Az's brows shot up. He wasn't in Hybern? That was news to him.

Rhys took a step into the dungeon, then another. Once there was enough room, Cass and Gwyn stepped in behind him, each holding a sword of their own and looking equally as pissed off. His heart thundered in his chest. She was here. She had come for him. She had left the safety of Velaris and come for him.

His eyes locked on hers and he saw the worry and fear in her eyes. But…he realized it wasn't fear for her own safety. It was fear for his. He closed his eyes briefly, not being able to stop the tears the leaked down his face. He was saved. She had come for him. He was going to be alright. Well, besides his wings.

He opened his eyes in time to see Bron face off against Rhys. Bron had placed himself directly in front of Az, as if he were guarding him. Az still had adrenaline pumping through his system, that's the only way he was still conscious at that point. He knew this wasn't going to end well if it dragged on too much longer. They needed to get out of here. He looked up at the chains anchoring him to the ceiling and pulling down with what strength he could. They didn't budge. He wrapped his hands tighter around the chains and met Rhys's eyes over Bron's shoulder. Rhys knew exactly what he was about to do.

He saw Rhys clench his jaw, then nod just enough to only be noticed by Az. As he took a quick breath, he gathered all his remaining strength, and pulled. He pulled himself up as high as he could go on his vastly weaker arms and then swung himself towards Bron. It was a wonder the move actually worked as he managed to wrap his legs around the male's neck and squeezed. Bron lifted the dagger and plunged it into Az's side. He let out a weaker roar of pain, his strength and adrenaline fading. The others were already moving.

Gwyn got to Bron first. She sliced her sword across his stomach, deep enough to gut him, then pulled out a dagger from her thigh and stabbed him. "This is for causing him pain. And this-."

She twisted the dagger, pushing it farther in. "That is for everything your brother did to me. I hope you never find peace."

She pulled the dagger out and stepped away. Az dropped his legs and Bron fell to the ground, blood running down the corners of his mouth. It wouldn't take long for his last breath to come. Az sagged back against the chains, all his energy spent on that final maneuver. Rhys and Cass each went to a wing and unclamped them carefully. He didn't even have the energy or strength to hold them up or bring them back to his body. He was fading fast, he could tell.

Gwyn seemed to realize it because she stepped up to him and put his face in her hands. "Look at me, Az. We're going to get you home and Madja is going to get you patched up. You'll be good as new. Everything's going to be okay now, I promise."

He murmured, "My wings…"

She nodded. "We'll fix your wings. Don't worry. Please just hang on. I need you to hang on. Can you do that? For me?"

He looked up at her and nodded slightly, his eyes struggling to stay open. He could feel Rhys and Cass on either side of him undoing the chains binding him to the ceiling. Once they were undone, he fell. He didn't have the strength to stay up on his own. He was just thankful his brothers were on either side of him and caught him. They each wrapped an arm around their shoulders and started towards the door with Gwyn leading the way. She was the last thing he saw before everything went black.


A/N: Eeek! They found him! Thoughts? How about our favorite Valkyrie? Please review! I would really love to hear what you guys thought of this chapter! And..just because I'm nice, I'll give you a little teaser for the next one. It'll be pure fluff. :D Until next time!