Throne of Glass & A Court of Thorns and Roses: Two Worlds Collide

Chapter 22-Aelin

I used Rhysand's blood to draw the wyrdmarks for the portal to the otherworld-to Nehemia. I could vividly imagine the anger and disappointment that would be on her face once she saw me. If it was even Nehemiah who answered. Rowan was going to hate me. I already hated myself. If something else came through this portal, Rhysand and the others would hate me too.

When the mist in the portal started swirling, I instructed Rhysand to bring the book closer and my soul called out to Nehemia. I stayed standing there for while, waiting for her to show herself. Hopefully it wasn't something else, someone else, waiting on the other side.

Mor, Feyre, and Azriel were in one corner of the room and Cassian, Dorian, Lysandra, and Aedion were in the other. Rhysand was beside me and Rowan was nowhere to be found.

I silently begged Nehemia to come, and just as I was about to walk away and forget the book and the war and this whole world, I saw her body materialize before my eyes.

"Nehemia," I breathed as my tears spilled over.

"Aelin, I told you not to contact me again. It is too dangerous for you," she blinked and looked deep into my eyes, sadness clearly on her face, "and your child. Elentiya, why would you ever do this?"

"I wouldn't have if I hadn't thought it worth the danger. There is a great threat in this world and I desperately need your help," I grabbed the book from Rhysand and showed it to Nehemia, "do you think you could translate this?"

She looked around nervously and reached out to touch the book. I heard her hiss as smoke rose from the spot where her fingers made contact with it, "there is dark magic at work here, and danger is coming fast," her gaze met mine and she said, "open the book."

I quickly flipped through pages as Nehemia instructed. I silently thanked the gods that she could read this forsaken language. After a few minutes, she hastily said, "kill the king and the one he resurrected with the Cauldron. Then throw this horrible book in the Cauldron and it will tell you how it can be destroyed. Aelin, know that it will seem as if you can't carry out what needs to be done to destroy it, but you must remember that Mala favors you and will provide for you. I must go. Close the portal as soon as you can no longer see the whites of my eyes or you will face great danger."

Her body started to fade and I sobbed, "Nehemia, wait! I miss you." I tried to convey everything I wanted to say before she died, but I didn't have to. She already seemed to know what I was feeling. "I'm sorry, about everything I said before-before your death-"

I could see her transparent face smile and a tear roll down her cheek as she said, "I miss you too, Elentiya." Tears were streaming down my face. I thought back to all of the horrible things I did when Nehemia died, and I couldn't feel anything but regret. I was going through such a dark period when she died, it was Rowan who helped me through it. It was always Rowan. That's why I'm doing this, I reminded myself. I'm doing this for Rowan.

Once she had fully disappeared and I was about to close the portal, grateful that nothing went wrong, I turned in time to see Rowan burst through the door. I had barely registered the look of fear on his face when I felt something cold and hard grip my wrist and pull me into the portal.

Time slowed down and all my senses fled. It felt like going through the portal with Amren the first time I met her. I tried to fight the thing holding me when my mind started to go foggy.

I could feel my consciousness being ripped from me. Stuck in a haze, I faintly heard that frail beating-the one that I'd heard constantly for a while-stop. A sob racked my body as I started going deeper and deeper into unconsciousness. Just before I closed my eyes for the last time, I heard Rowan scream in pain and saw him rip through the thing that held me. Rowan never cried out in pain.