Chapter 395
Elain let Ashk turn her for the doors and they both took off. She did not want to be used against Lucien; she would not be a weakness for him, and she would not be the reason he was harmed. If that meant that she needed to do as Ashk said, Elain would go with her, even if that meant putting herself further from her mate, at least for now. She would do whatever she could to ensure that Lucien had the best chance of success.
Glancing over her shoulder, Elain tried to get one last look at him, spotting him easily due to his vibrant ruby hair. He was still with those two guards, the three of them working almost seamlessly with one another, covering and protecting as they moved around one another. Elain, therefore, did not notice the surge in the fight, or the fact that she and Ashk were suddenly surrounded by fighting bodies. Ashk was pulling her along by her hand and Elain had been so focused on trying to see Lucien that she was not prepared for the both of them to be knocked off of their feet. A surprised shriek slipped out of her when her knees hit the hard stone floor and then she was pitched forward onto her stomach. Someone stood on her, and she thought it was an accident, but when she went to reach for Ashk who was also on her hands and knees nearby, someone else's boot connected with her stomach and Elain gasped, rolling onto her side. Tears blurred her vision as she struggled to draw breath, her lungs seemingly unwilling to cooperate.
Fingers gripped her wrist and Elain blinked rapidly, finding Ashk's anxious face before her. The redhead stretched further, gripping Elain's arm more tightly and, together, they struggled to their feet. Clutching tightly at the older female, Elain bit back a panicked sob. She could feel the energy in the room had changed, was more chaotic, more frenzied, and that did not help her in trying to draw a calming breath in the slightest.
"Stay by me." Ashk's arms slid around Elain, holding her close, as they once again began moving for the edge of the room. The fight surged around them again and Elain choked back a scream when a female courtier she didn't know collapsed at her feet, bloody hand reaching up and gripping a handful of Elain's dress before falling again and going still on the cold floor. Ashk moved them forward and Elain struggled not to step on the Courtier's body as she tried to stay with the redhead. "If we can get far enough out of the Palace we can winnow." Ashk told her, and Elain strained to hear the words above the sounds of battle around them.
"Where would we go?" She wondered where Lucien would think to find her.
"The Autumn Court." Ashk glanced at her, "Eris will protect us." That was probably true, Elain thought. It stood to reason that Ashk would return to the Autumn Court when threatened, and she knew that Lucien would come to that conclusion as well.
Lucien's eyes followed the path of the blade Helion had just thrown, and he did not deny the awe that moved through him at the power behind that throw. The soldier unlucky enough to have been the target was struck in the chest and thrown back against the nearby wall, and Lucien knew he should find the violence of it all disturbing, but he was so very impressed by the High Lord. Helion was remarkable. Something struck Lucien in the shoulder then, and he hissed at the pain as he spun around to face a dark haired male. The soldier grinned, evidently pleased with himself for drawing the Heir's blood, and Lucien grit his teeth as he hefted his sword.
"That's wasn't difficult, was it?" The faerie grinned again. "Clearly didn't inherit all that much from your father, hey?"
"You think scratching me means you've won?" Lucien gave a laugh. "I've gotten worse on an afternoon stroll through the garden."
"Perhaps you should do less strolling through gardens and more of anything that's useful to the Court." The soldier lunged at him, and Lucien had sidestepped to the left before he'd even processed that the other male had moved. He had done so much more than strolling in his life, and he was pleased to see that his reflexes well remembered that. A quick flick of Lucien's wrist saw the soldier's blade skittering away across the stone floor, and he was surprised when the soldier came back around at him with a fist. Lucien had barely blocked the punch when the soldier kicked at him, and he ducked with another laugh. This guy took his job entirely too seriously.
"Is this really how you want to see this through?" he asked, and the soldier straightened as he met his eyes.
"Think of the position I'll be granted when I'm the one to take care of the supposed Heir."
"I'd rather not." Lucien had just readied himself, trying to predict what this soldier was going to attack him with next when the other male stumbled and fell. An arrow protruded from the back of the soldiers neck, wavering when he'd hit the ground face first and gone still. Lucien glanced up, his metallic eye whirring as it swept the room, looking for the moron firing into the crowded room. He didn't find what he was looking for, but he was spurred into action when he saw Kaii fall to the ground, his blade just out of reach.
Lucien was there in seconds, planting himself over his new friend as Siv met him, covering the other side. Blood was seeping into the pale cloth across Kaii's side and Lucien hoped that the wound wasn't too deep.
"Stop lazing about and get up." Siv said, and Lucien did not think it was a good sign that Kaii was not immediately on his feet. The soldiers coming at them met both Lucien and Siv's blades while Kaii groaned, slowing pushing himself from the ground. Lucien deflected another blade, moving forward as Siv reached down to haul his friend to his feet, and the two of them backed again to the wall, Kaii behind them. Several members of the Court moved past them, grappling with the soldier Lucien had just exchanged blows with and he allowed himself a glance across the room, looking for Elain. His heart stuttered in his chest when he saw that she was no longer bound to the pillar, and he could not immediately see her among the crowd.