Chapter 342

Coughing, Elain held more tightly to Noor's hand as she squinted through the thickening smoke. Her eyes were stinging as smoke swirled around them and she was finding it more and more difficult to see. They had begun opening doors all the way along the halls, looking for at least a window through which they could get out. Elain was suspecting more and more, however, that they were underground. There had been so sign of a window, and she was beginning to panic. If they couldn't get out of the smoke, they would die, and she was about to fail them all. They were still following her, hands linked so to not lose one another.

Unsure if the tears that were now trailing down her face were because of the smoke or because she was about to let everyone down and probably lead them to their deaths, Elain pushed on. What if she never saw Lucien again? Would he ever find out what had happened to her? Another tear trailed down her face and she sniffed, wanting to find something that could be helpful. Reaching for anything, Elain grasped the handle of the next door she came to and yanked it open. The room was dark beyond and she headed in, Noor following thanks to their linked hands.

"What is in here?" Eria's voice was curious and, Elain thought, a little desperate. "No window…"

"I don't know…" Elain cast a glance over her shoulder, "There doesn't seem to be as much smoke in here though…" She heard several of them draw deep breaths, coughing as they did so. Not knowing what to do, Elain looked to Ashk as she found herself doing so often. The redhead moved toward her, taking one of Elain's hands in hers. "What do we do?" Elain breathed and Ashk shook her head.

"We keep looking." The older female's voice was gentle, and Elain was impressed that Ashk didn't seem to be losing her calm as much as she was. Elain was quite sure that her panic was rising, and that feeling only intensified when an orange glow seemed to build in the room, and she realised that flames had just begun lapping under a nearby door. Ashk sighed and Elain tried to choke back a panicked noise.

"Mother have mercy…" Tisia groaned, "We need to go…"

"It's in the hallway…" Noor said, her voice wavering. "It's not blocked off… but it's there…" Noor hurried toward them and Elain fiund herself squeezing at Ashk's hand.

"Breathe." Ashk told her. "Think about who you are. You will handle this."

"Will I?" Elain asked, struggling to keep it together. She did not want to burn to death.

"Yes." Ashk told her. "Think about Luicen."

"I… I…" Elain shook her head. She couldn't think about Lucien because then she would cry.

"Lucien told me," Ashk breathed, "That you have seen your future with him… The younglings… the life you will build together…"

"Yes…"

"You will move through this and that life awaits you. So do it."

Blinking back tears, Elain nodded. She had seen that, and more. She wanted that so very much, and she knew that she would do whatever she had to get back to her mate. "Alright…" Before she could say anything further however, Elain jumped as an unseen door on the other side of the room opened and they all turned to see several fae males walk into the room, pale faelight following them. Gasps erupted all around Elain, and the females all scuttled back around her.

"Well well…" Elain recognised one of the males from the kitchen. "What is this?"

"How did you get out?" This was the second voice from the kitchen and Elain raised an eyebrow. "Guess it doesn't matter…" Flames erupted in his palm, and Elain was a little ashamed at the fact that she flinched. Her breath was coming quickly and she reached out to Ashk when the redhead moved in front of her, arms out to keep them all behind herself.

The moment Lucien saw the smoke coming out of the building across the road he was up and off of that rooftop. Striding across the road he found himself calling out to Helion's soldiers, telling them to follow him and to get into that building. The High Lord had not sent them there to watch as the place burnt to the ground with half of the Court inside.

The soldiers did what he said without so much as a breath of hesitation and he barely spared a thought to consider what that meant. They obeyed what the Heir had said, and that was all that he cared about. Kicking the door in, Lucien was thankful that they were at his back as he strode into the smoke choked hallway. Whatever fire had been lit in here had evidently been burning for a while. He hoped that he wouldn't be too late when he got to Elain. Hurrying forward, Lucien pushed that thought aside. It was not something that he was going to even think about. He would not be too late. That was not an option.