Chapter 33

Clenching her teeth as the screaming continued to echo up and down every hallway they came across, Elain followed close behind Lucien as he led them through the house. She had counted thirteen dead faeries so far, trying not to look at the faces of each one as she had stepped over or around their prone and bloody bodies. She could hear Lucien's steady heartbeat, could feel his focused determination as he took in seemingly every detail and moved carefully ahead of her. Aside from the dead bodies, they hadn't seen anyone alive since they had passed Malak earlier, and Elain couldn't decide if that was a good or bad thing.

As Lucien took her hand to lead her down a flight of stairs, she wondered where Ashk was and if she was safe. Surely none of her sons would want her to come to any harm, no matter which of them became High Lord. She wanted to ask Lucien if he thought so, but when they reached the lower floor and Elain opened her mouth, she choked on the thick tang of blood in the air. Hearing her, Lucien turned his head and she saw the understanding in his eyes. "Hold your breath." He murmured, "We'll be outside soon." Doing as he said, Elain held her breath, wincing at the tacky sensation of walking across the blood slicked floor. She didn't want to know how many had been killed in here, or where they were.

"…are they going to kill everyone?" She breathed and Lucien glanced back at her again.

"No." he replied, "But, enough."

"How many is enough?"

He pushed open a door, letting in a draft of delightfully cool and fresh air as he stepped outside. "Until they stop fighting back." Elain followed him outside, drawing a deep breath of the sweet air. Lucien headed for the trees to their right, and she hurried to keep up with him. "This way."

She had the vague sense that they were being watched a moment before a blur flew past her and crashed into Lucien, taking them both into the trees. Elain gasped and followed through the branches obscuring her view, coming up short when she recognised one of Lucien's brothers currently pinning him to the damp forest floor. As she watched, Lucien snarled and somehow managed to throw his brother off of himself and roll to his feet in one fluid movement.

Spinning, Elain looked back the way they had come, wondering if anyone else had seen and would be coming to follow them. When she saw nothing, she turned back to see Lucien throw himself at his brother, sword back in his hand. The two of them moved so quickly Elain could barely keep up. She could do nothing but watch, her breath caught in her throat, as they traded powerful blows, swords glinting in the fading golden light. It was a rush of reds and oranges and golds as they moved back and forth, Lucien's heart beating quickly above all of it, and Elain had never felt as useless as she did in that moment.

When Lucien gave a pained gasp, his brother laughed. "What's the matter, Little Lucien?" he sneered. "You seem a bit out of practice. Haven't you had anyone to keep you on your toes?"

"Nobody has tried to murder me in my sleep for a while, no." Lucien replied, his hand pressed to his ribs, and Elain's heart stuttered at the sight of his dark blood seeping between his fingers.

"Shame." The other smirked, "Apparently it was good for you."

Elain moved forward, unable to take her eyes off of Lucien, stopping only when he held a hand out to her. "Stay there." He breathed, straightening when he noticed his brother's gaze shift her way.

She met those cold amber eyes with a shudder, remembering the way he'd held tightly to her arm earlier so that Malak could do whatever he'd liked to her. "I wonder," he said, directing his words back at Lucien, "Would you fight better with a little extra motivation?"

Elain held her breath as Lucien moved in front of her, blocking his brother's view of her. "Watch yourself." He warned, venom just about dripping from his words.

His brother laughed again, "I'd prefer you to watch," he told Lucien, "And after I fuck you up, I think I'll fuck her while you lay there and watch as you bleed to death."

The rage that exploded from Lucien forced Elain back a step. She was glad she had moved a moment later when they collided once again, swords flashing as Lucien was pushed back, forced to give ground. Elain wasn't confident with the way this fight would go. Lucien's brother was bigger than he was, and was clearly the more skilled with a sword. She knew that Lucien was never going to stop however, and that scared her.

It wasn't long before the older brother found an opening and had landed a powerful blow to Lucien's wounded side. Elain flinched at the pained sound Lucien made, and then watched with horror as he was thrown to the ground, his brother coming down on top of him, pinning him to the fallen leaves and dirt. She watched him struggle for a moment before his eyes met hers, russet and gold, glinting in the light. "… run." He told her, "Elain, run…"

Elain backed away, panic rising in her, mixing with the panic she could feel from Lucien through the bond. "No…"

Lucien's brother laughed, keeping Lucien pinned beneath him as he turned to look at Elain. The amusement she saw in his amber eyes made her feel sick and she didn't know what to do. "How sweet." He said, his tone mocking, "She won't run away and leave you." He looked back down at Lucien who was still struggling and straining to free himself.

Tears welled in Elain's eyes as she felt the self-disgust coming from Lucien along with a flash of Jesminda's pleading face as he had struggled to get to her and had been unable to save her. "Elain…" he pleaded, "Go…"

"Naw…" His brother grinned, looking back down at Lucien, "She's not listening…"

"Elain…"

"She won't outrun me anyway. I'm going to have a nice hot ride between her thighs…"

A mix of rage and panic hit Elain down the bond as flames erupted from Lucien's hands, wrapping around his brother who gave a grunt of surprise.

Elain gasped when Lucien screamed in pain as his brother's fingers pressed into his wound and then she had moved without thinking, throwing herself on his brother's back. Before his brother could try and push her away she had driven the blade she was holding into his broad back, holding on desperately as he reared up, trying to get it out. Blood ran across her hands and up her arms as he lifted himself off of Lucien and Elain moved with him, trying to prevent him pulling the blade out. When he jerked sharply Elain looked down to see that Lucien had pulled another blade from his belt and thrust it into his brother's stomach.

As his brother fell to the side, groaning, Lucien scrambled out from under him, getting to his feet and pulling Elain away. "Come on…" he breathed, his hand tightening on hers, "Come on… we have to get far enough away from the house so we can winnow."

"Is he …?" Elain hurried after Lucien.

"Probably not." Lucien replied, his voice strained, "But I don't want anyone else coming after us when they find him."

"Are you okay?" she asked him, "You're bleeding a lot…"

"I'll be better once we get out of here."

Elain bit her lip, letting Lucien pull her through the trees along a path he seemed to know well, but which she could barely distinguish from the rest of the forest as the light faded and the shadows lengthened around them. Darkness had barely fallen when he gave a sigh. "Here." She had just glanced around for what he had been looking for when he had swung around, wrapped his arms around her and winnowed the both of them.

She could feel the exhaustion in Lucien after the third time he'd winnowed them, but by now Tamlin's Manor was in sight and she felt him stagger. "We're nearly there." She told him, sliding an arm around his waist, worry coursing through her at the feel of his blood soaked jacket. "Come on…" she whispered, "You can heal yourself now…"

"I'm okay." He murmured and Elain shook her head, pulling him toward the steps up into the house.

Tamlin met them at the door, his green eyes going wide at the site of them, and Elain realised they must look pretty horrific both covered in blood as they were. "By the Cauldron…"

"Help." Elain murmured, and Tamlin moved to assist her in getting Lucien inside.

"What happened?" The High Lord asked and Lucien shook his head.

"My brothers had a disagreement."

"…with who?"

"Everyone." He muttered. "… no doubt by morning we will hear which one of them is the new High Lord of Autumn."

Elain watched various thoughts flicker across Tamlin's face before he nodded silently. "If you would like to rest here the night, I will let Rhysand know you will return tomorrow."

"Thanks." Lucien murmured, standing straighter after a moment. "I… I'd really like to get into a bath…"

Tamlin nodded and then turned and strode away. Elain turned incredulous eyes on Lucien. "Is that it?"

"He'll send the message." Lucien told her, "We get to go clean up." Looking him over, Elain raised an eyebrow and he gave her a lazy smile. "I've had worse, Petal. I'll have it all sorted out in ten minutes and a hot soak."

Reassurance reached her down the bond and she felt herself relax a little. "Alright." She agreed, following him up the stairs.

By the time she got to the room she had stayed in earlier, Elain found a hot bath already waiting for her and, as she peeled off her blood stained dress, she was more than keen to sink into it and forget everything that had happened since breakfast. As she scrubbed the blood from her arms, and hands, making sure to get it out from under her fingernails, she felt herself begin to draw deeper, more relaxed breaths. She wondered if she'd drawn a full breath since Lucien's brothers had grabbed hold of her in that courtyard.

She was well and truly relaxed by the time she climbed out of the bath, and pulled one of her night dresses over her head. Shuffling back into the bedroom, Elain was already longing for the soft feel of the pillows she could collapse down upon. However, after barely a glance at her bed, Elain had turned away. How could she sleep knowing that any of Lucien's brothers could have followed them here? It wasn't exactly a secret they were coming back to the Spring Court. Were they even safe here?

Casting one more glance at the bed, Elain turned and strode for the door and across the hallway to Lucien's room.