Aidan slowly sat up, knees aching from the way she had landed. She had to blink a few times to bring the room into focus, light swam in front her eyes as she took in the cold, dark room. 

The room around her was disorienting and chaotic. Guards clad in silver and dark purple rushed around the room, there was a bloodied up dead man lying broken on the floor several feet away, and a woman was crawling toward a dark-haired man, who was hunched on the floor. 

Aidan tried to pull a little magic from her well, but nothing came, whether from exhaustion at opening the portal or from complete blockage Aidan didn't know. 

There was a deep male grunt as Azriel sprang to his feet, pushing her behind him and into the nearest wall. Guards advanced towards them as Tamlin also moved into a fighting position in front of her, but Aidan hardly noticed. There was a presence in the room pulling her attention away from the guards that outnumbered them ten to one. 

Aidan knew who she was as soon as she spotted the witch, who had glided to the top of the dais and taken a seat on the throne of bones. Although she had never seen Maeve before, most representations of her had been destroyed in Doranelle, there was no mistaking who the violet-eyed female was. 

When the guards had pressed them as far back into the wall as possible, Azriel nearly on top of her, Maeve lifted an ebony hand, and they stopped their pressing in unison. 

"That was quite an entrance," Maeve drawled from atop the dais. "May I ask who our new guests are, or should I just kill you for the interruption?"

Aidan sensed Azriel open his mouth to speak, but she kicked him hard in the back of the ankle. To his credit, he remained silent and closed his mouth. He tried to protest as she shoved him aside and faking confidence, tried to pass through the circle of guards towards Maeve.

When the closest guard tried to shove her back, Maeve tisked quietly and the soldier moved aside.

Holding her chin high, Aidan said, "Queen Aelin sends her regards."

Aidan expected her to jump from her seat, but her only response was a slight flare of the nostrils. 

"I didn't realize Aelin had resorted to sending children to do her dirty work," Maeve seethed. "What is your name, child? You do smell an awful lot like my niece." 

"Aidan, but I expect it won't matter because you're going to kill me soon enough," Aidan replied. 

"It depends on what you can do for me, I suppose," Maeve answered quietly. 

"And if I choose not to do anything for you?"

"I'll kill all of these Fae," Maeve replied, waving a hand at Azriel and Tamlin, as well as the male and female hunched together at the bottom of the stairs.

The female seemed to be whispering to him, and she looked up sharply towards Aidan as Maeve spoke. Aidan pushed the surprise down, recognizing the female as Feyre Archeron and the male as Rhysand if only from Azriel's descriptions of him.

Aidan willed ice into her voice, "And what do I care? I was sent here to bring those two intruders back to Prythian, nothing more. They mean nothing to me."

Maeve measured her words carefully, "I think you're lying, little one."

Aidan crossed her arms, "Try me, Maeve."

And Maeve laughed. Laughed. Aidan internally cringed at the cruel noise. 

"I can see why my niece kept you around. You're a lot like her," Maeve stopped. "Fine. Perhaps after a couple days without food and water and some beatings for your friends, you'll comply."

In silent dismissal, guards pushed them through the doors. The last image Aidan remembered was the dark-skinned Fae's bloodied body on the floor, discarded like a piece of trash. She hoped she hadn't just signed their death warrant as well.

As they were pushed down the hallway lined with what could only be cells, guards split them up. One triple pushed Tamlin, Feyre, and a bleeding Rhys towards one end of the hallway, and the other triple pushed her roughly into a room several doors down. Azriel snarled as a roughened guard touched his wing as he shoved him into the cell behind her. 

When they slammed the door behind them, the room went entirely dark, and Aidan slumped to the floor. Her hand brushed up against something, and she brought her hand up to sniff it lightly. Blood. 

She felt rather than saw Azriel slide down the wall next to her, maneuvering his wing behind her back and pulling her to him, trying to comfort her. 

"It's blood," Aidan said simply. She didn't know if she was in shock, or after all she had gone through in the last few weeks, she had hardened her heart to the fact that she was sitting in a pool of dried blood. 

Azriel gripped her hand in the dark and pulled it up to his face, "This is Helion's blood."

"Who's Helion?" Aidan asked, leaning her head back against his wing. 

"He was the High Lord of Day. His body was laying on the floor in the throne room," Azriel answered, kissing the back of her hand lightly. She pulled it away quickly and folded it into her lap. 

"What did he do to deserve that?"

Aidan felt him shrug, "Probably nothing. Helion was known as the Spell-Cleaver. He could undo spells and curses with his magic. He was also probably the most knowledgeable man in all of the courts. Day has the largest library in Prythian." 

"Oh," Aidan answered, not knowing what to say. 

They were silent for a few moments before Aidan continued, "I don't have any magic left."

"You probably used a lot of your stores up pulling the three of us through the portal. It doesn't matter though," Azriel said, knocking on the wall beside him. "This is ashwood. It blocks out magic when it's used like this, and it can kill the High Fae when used as a weapon."

"So, we're stuck in here," Aidan replied. 

"For now, yes. I'm sure Amren, Mor, and Cassian are working on a way to get us out. Amren's probably the most powerful being in our world behind Rhys."

"And yet Rhys is here, being held up by his mate," Aidan whispered into the dark. 

"I don't think he could help it. Feyre's pregnant, and he almost lost both of them."

"How do you know?"

"You can smell it. Her scent is different," Azriel answered. 

Aidan didn't respond, and after a few moments, the silence became uncomfortable. 

Sensing it, Azriel said, "Tell me about Maeve. You seemed to know her."

Aidan laughed darkly, "Far from it. Maeve was the scary story that children were told about at night. I don't really know much about her. Nobody does, except maybe Aelin."

"Still. Tell me what you know. Something might be able to help us."

"No one really knows how old she is. She was alive before even the first Fae walked through Erilea, millennia ago.  She had two younger sisters, both of which gave up their immortal lives to be with the mortals they loved. It's said that Maeve was in love once with a Fae warrior named Athril once. When he fought against her, she killed him. 

"I don't think Aelin even knows the true extent of Maeve's powers. She might be all-powerful. for all I know. I know she can cause illusions. She made Rowan think that he had already found his mate before he met Aelin. She can manipulate things, move them around. I'm sure she could heal, but she probably hasn't ever healed anyone in her entire life."

"Aelin thought she had destroyed Maeve when she used all of her powers and pushed her through the portal. She doesn't even know if Maeve can die."

Azriel listened intently, and when she finished, he said, "She sounds a lot like Amren before she gave up her true-self to save us all."

"The only difference is: Maeve will only ever save herself," Aidan sighed. 

Sorry guys! I know this one is boring. I'm going to post another update tonight, so hopefully it will be better! Thanks for sticking with this and reading it all the way through!