Chapter 14: Killed by Death
-Violet's POV

Helion's infectious laughter filled the expanse of the river house as Violet opened the front door. She had missed that sound. It was one of the few things that kept her from going insane the first two years she was back. Violet really needed it today. Especially after the tense conversation she had with Tamlin. She nearly sprinted down the hall to get to her brother's office. Cassian and Rhys were following right behind.

As she rounded the corner, the girl swiftly scanned the room to see Feyre, Azriel, Mor, and Helion all with a drink in their hand. The latter turned his head towards the door with a bright smile on his face. "My little Violet is finally here!" His arms opened wide, and she ran in to hug him. "Where have you been hiding darling?" He kissed both her cheeks. "You're still wearing your dress from last night. Sneaking around with the fireling again, have we?"

"You know about that?" Feyre remarked in surprise.

"You'll find I know most things dear Feyre." The high lord boasted. "Plus, our little princess here has a habit of talking in her sleep." He bopped Violet on the nose with his finger. "I don't think a single night went by when you weren't calling out for Eris. It actually got a little annoying if I'm being honest."

"How the hell would you know what she says in her sleep?" Azriel demanded.

Helion chuckled lightly at the accusation. "Easy spymaster... Nothing improper happened." He explained. " The first few weeks she was at the Day Court, Violet had the most unpleasant night terrors. In fact, the first evening she was there, she screamed so loud it shattered my windows. I didn't want to leave her alone until I was sure she wasn't a danger to herself. Simple as that."

"If you say so." Mor smirked and took a drink.

Violet ignored the implication and turned to look at Helion. "Your last letter said you found what we've been looking for?"

"Yes, I believe so. I got to say though it wasn't an easy thing to uncover. I had to scour half the continent to find the book that I needed."

"It's true then?" Rhysand asked. "You can actually get her wings back?"

"In theory? Yes."

"How?"

"It's a restoration spell, and a very complex one at that. Saying it's not going to be easy would be underselling it. Immensely."

"How exactly does it work?"

"In simple terms, Violet will drink the concoction I make from a few rare ingredients. Then I'll read the words from the book which will put her into a type of trance. From there, Violet should be able to sift through her memories to the exact moment she lost her wings."

"That doesn't make any sense. When an Illyrian loses their wings, they're just gone. Violet's were cut from her body." Cassian added. "How is this supposed to get them back?"

"Well, that would normally be true if she was any old Illyrian, but her and Rhysand are special in that way. They don't have their wings all the time. They can make them appear whenever they wish. This spell should allow them to manifest. Violet said herself that she didn't willing bring her wings out before they were removed. Tamlin's father shoved some kind of mixture down her throat that forced them to emerge. If this spell goes the way it's supposed to, I might be able to reverse the damage that was done."

Rhys sat down in his chair rifling through the information. "You said she'd have to sift through her memories. What did you mean by that?"

"That is the tricky part." Helion ran a thumb over his lip. "As I said before, the enchantment I put on her is going to send her into a dream-like state that will bring the memories forth. In order for her to reach the point and time that she lost the wings, she will have to relive everything about that night in her mind. That's the only downside."

"The only downside?!" Cassian yelled. "You're asking her to go through the worst night of her life. Not once, but twice."

"She won't actually be there." Helion clarified. "She's just going to feel like she is. That's the only way this will work."

"How is that any better?!"

"Cass, wait!" Rhysand put a hand up to stop him.

"You're not actually considering this are you? This is insane!"

"Look, I don't like it either, but it's not about us." He turned to face his sister. "Is this really what you want Violet?"

"Yes." She responded immediately.

"You're sure? You understand everything being asked of you?"

"Yes, Rhys. I've lived through it once, and I can do it again." She sighed. "I lost everything that night. It would be nice to get a small piece of it back. Whatever the cost."

The high lord searched her face for any hesitation and found none. "Ok, Vi. It's your choice. If you really want this, we'll make it happen." He nodded. "What do you need from us Helion?"

"For starters, I'll need the space to do it. Preferably a room you don't mind getting destroyed. Things might get a little messy."

"I don't want to do it anywhere around here then."

"What about the Hewn City?" Mor offered. "You could always use my room. I've wanted to wreck it for centuries."

"That might work, but we'll have to get everyone out of there for the ritual. The last thing we need is Keir getting into our business."

"Then just invite them to Velaris." Feyre suggested. "You already gave them permission to come here. This would be the perfect time to use it."

"Then that's what we'll do." He placed his hand on his mate's knee. "What else do you need for this spell?"

"The ritual needs to be performed on the night of a full moon. According to the book, it's supposed to amplify the effects. We have one near the end of the month, so I should be able to pull together all of the other ingredients by then. I will need chains though. Strong ones." Helion added.

"What for?"

"As I mentioned, this is going to feel incredibly real for Violet. I want to guarantee she isn't going to harm herself or someone around her. She'll need to be chained to the floor."

"This is a bad idea Rhys." Cassian grunted.

"I know brother, but it's not our decision. It's Violet's."

"Fine." The general threw his hands up in defeat. "Whatever."

"I would also suggest having Eris there." Helion noted. "I don't want him in the room necessarily, but having him in The Hewn City would be beneficial."

"That's not happening."

"I'm excellent at what I do Rhysand, but I've never done a spell of this caliber before. The whole situation is going to be intense from start to finish. If the ritual takes a bad turn, Eris might be the only one who will be able to pull her out. She's going to need him there." Helion set his drink down on the desk. "Now, I'm going to need one more thing from you Violet."

"Which is?"

"In order for me to write up the notations of the spell correctly, I'm going to need as many details as you can remember from the night you died."

The entire room tensed.

"Do I have to?" Violet whispered quietly.

"Yes, I'll need to hear it all, so I can get the wording as accurate as possible."

"I… I don't…" She stumbled. "I don't think I can."

"You don't have to do this darling. If you aren't able to tell me, I could always ask Tamlin."

"Over my dead body!"

"Then I don't know what you want me to do. If we even hope to have a shot of success, then I need to know everything."

"What about if she showed you?" Rhysand spoke up. "Would that work?"

Helion thought for a minute. "I think that would be sufficient. Mind to mind should work if Violet is more comfortable going that route."

"I am." The girl pleaded. "Let's do that."

"Perfect! Let's begin."

"You want to do this now?"

"Yes! I'll need plenty of time to write up the spell, so the sooner the better." Helion sat down and grabbed a second chair for Violet to join. She hesitated for a moment before cautiously sitting down opposite to him.

"Whenever you're ready my dear." He motioned for her to begin.

Violet's hands were shaking violently at her sides. She shook them out once and brought them up to rest on the dark skin of his face. "You're going to want hold on to the chair."

"Why?"

"You'll see…" The girl muttered. "I'm so sorry Helion." His amber eyes rolled inwards as she entered his mind.

After what seemed like only a moment, the high lord shot from his chair abruptly pushing Violet away with so much force that she flew backwards onto the marble floor. Cassian and Azriel ran to help her as Rhys made his way to the other male.

"NO!" Helion put up both hands. "Stay back!" He was breathing rapidly, and he looked down at Violet with wide eyes. Rhysand had known Helion for centuries and he'd never seen him so terrified. "Gods Vi… That was… I didn't know you were… How did… Fuck…" He couldn't form a full sentence.

Tears where streaming down Violet's face as Helion stormed over to the desk and picked his drink back up downing it in one gulp. He quickly filled the glass again but spilled a majority of it on the wood. His hands were trembling.

"Are you alright Helion?" Rhysand asked.

"I'll be fine." His body rolled with a shudder. "I just need a minute."

"Will that be enough to do the spell?" Violet mumbled leaning against Azriel. She wasn't certain if her legs would support her weight.

"Yes, Violet. That was more than enough." He turned to look at her. "Are you absolutely sure you want to go through with this? I've seen a lot of things in my time but that was…" Helion trailed off.

"Will it undo all the damage that was done that night?"

"It might." He shrugged. "However, there are no guarantees with spells like this."

She nodded her head. "I'd still like to try."

"Alright, then." Helion drained the rest of his cup. "I suppose I will see you all in The Hewn City at the end of the month." He began walking to the door but stopped at the threshold. "One last thing Princess."

She reached up and wiped at her cheeks. "What?"

"A wise man once said there are two types of pain in this world. A pain that hurts and a pain that alters." He took a cleansing breath. "I know you have a lot of pain Violet. You were forced into many situations you didn't get to choose, but you do get to decide how your pain alters you." He turned his head to look at her. "Just make sure it doesn't change you into something you don't recognize."

Violet contemplated his words carefully before staring back him. "What wise man said this?"

The light had returned to his eyes again and he smiled softly. "Me."

Author's Note: I don't know why, but I always imagine Helion being the 'cool uncle' figure to Violet, and it makes me smile every time. :)