Chapter 272

Light seemed to come from within him. Elain watched Lucien, transfixed by the way his skin began to glow, and his hair turned to molten metal licked by flames. He was already unfailingly handsome, but now he seemed to become something else. Pure power moved within him, and she couldn't look away as he lifted his hands.

Cassian had been right, Elain thought. Lucien had been born to wield a power far greater than any of the rest of them. He was a High Lord. The title was not yet his, but it would be. That was who he was. That power would one day come to him, and he would be capable of holding it, of using it. He had been born to do so. She was glad that Cassian had told him that, and she watched as Lucien took a few steps before he turned to look back at them.

"This will kill them…" his words were directed at Cassian and Azriel, and Elain knew that he was checking to see if they were alright with that.

"… they're trying to kill us." Azriel said in response after a moment.

Lucien seemed to accept that answer, and he began moving across the square. The talk among the Illyrian females grew as they began to notice what was happening. Elain saw them watching Lucien with wide eyes and anticipation and what came close to what she thought was awe. She couldn't blame them for that, he did look very impressive like this. Her eyes returned to her mate as he stopped walking and lifted his hands higher. The shield seemed to glow above him, reacting to whatever it was that he was doing, and then a bright light appeared to emerge from the very apex of the shield, growing brighter and brighter.

Elain watched, holding her breath, as that light arched out from the centre and cut through three Illyrians. Their screams were high-pitched but were cut off as they fell, landing somewhere beyond the walls of the training circle. As Lucien began to walk again, his eyes on their attackers above, the arching light followed, cutting through flesh and limbs and wings as he directed it to do so. There was nothing that could be done against it, it seemed. They all watched as the Illyrians tried to throw their own magic against it, but to no avail. If they did not get out of the way, they died. Many of them died and, after a while, Elain found herself wondering how high the piles of bodies would be outside when they finally were free.

"Did you think he could do this?" Nesta was at Elain's side, watching Lucien move with her.

"Do what?" Elain asked, unsure of what her sister meant. "Kill them? Or, control magic like that?"

"Both…" Nesta breathed, and Elain nodded her head.

"Yes," she replied, "I knew that he could do both."

She watched Lucien move his hand wide and, above them all, that light arched light lightening and cut through several more Illyrians. Some of them had decided to flee, she could see that. More than a handful of them had launched themselves skyward, disappearing up into the mountains, but more had stayed, and a few had returned to the doorways nearby, pounding on the shields there as if hoping to distract Lucien and cause the defences to fail. Lucien wasn't giving them any attention, however. His eyes remained fixed above them as he continued to eliminate the Illyrians a handful at a time.

When Cassian came to stand by Nesta, Elain glanced at him and his eyes met hers. "It's impressive." The Illyrian said, "That his control is so effective…"

"Like you told him," Elain replied, pride blooming within her, "he was born for it."

"Yeah," Cassian said, his gaze returning to the shield and what was happening above them. "It sure looks like it."

Elain narrowed her eyes then, looking at him. "That's what you told him…"

"That's what he needed to believe." Cassian replied, "And now he does."

"You didn't believe it?"

He gave a shrug, "I sure hoped it was true."

Elain felt her jaw drop looking at Cassian before shifting her gaze to Azriel who was watching them with an almost amused expression on his face. She felt a moment of annoyance that they hadn't believed in Lucien the way she had, but then she felt relief that Cassian had known what to say anyway, and that it had worked. He had been right, anyway, she figured. It didn't matter if it hadn't been something he had believed at the time. It was true all the same.

Forgetting about the others, at least for the time being, Elain looked at her mate. His skin still glowed, and he was stalking around the square now, his arm sweeping back and forth as he continued to seem the threat above them. His ruby hair was resplendent and Elain thought that this had been what she had always pictured fae males to look like when she had been mortal. Powerful and dangerous, but so very beautiful. Pride bloomed even more brightly within her, and it took a great deal of will power to hold herself where she was and not cross the square to touch him. She had to leave him be, let him finish what he was doing. She had told him earlier that she needed him to protect her, and that was what he was doing now. He would need to complete the job, and she knew that he wasn't going to stop until he had cleared every last threat from outside that shield.