I walked over to the bars of my cell and held onto them. She was crying. The human girl was crying. I had never meet a human before and wondered how old she was. She looked no older than I was, but I seriously doubted that she was one hundred and twenty-two.

"Hey." I called out.

Her sniffling faltered for a moment. "W-Who's there?"

"I'm in the cell across from you. I'd come over and say hi, but I'm kind of in the same predicament." I say and lean against the cold metal bars.

She turned around and came closer to the bars and I took her in. Round ears, a plain face, silver-blue eyes, and a dark blonde hair. I raised an eyebrow.

"How did you get so far into Prythian, human?"

She squinted at me. "You mean to say you aren't human, either?"

I smirked. "My name is Adrianna. I'm an Illyrian. They just clamped my wings behind me almost twenty-one years ago. I can see why you'd think so."

She frowned. "Oh. I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize. I'm used to it by now. Barely feel them now. What's your name?"

She hesitated. "Feyre." She replied softly.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Feyre. What are you in here for?"

She hesitated again, then said, "I'm a human."

I laughed. "You're a terrible liar, Feyre. I don't have anyone to tell." I sat down on the ground again and leaned my head against the bars.

She sighed heavily. "I'm here to save the man I love. He's under Amarantha's spell, and I made a deal with her that if I completed three tasks- one a month- then answered a riddle, she'd release him and lift the curse on him and his court."

I froze. "His court...is he a High Lord?"

"Yes."

"Of the Spring Court?"

"Yes."

"Shit..." I breathed and she just laughed.

"Yeah, I know. A human and a High Lord in love. It's stupid, honestly."

"You know the Night and Spring Courts hate each other, right?"

"Yeah. We have every right to hate the Night Court. There're nothing but monsters."

I let out a broken laugh. "Believe me, I know."

"What Court are you from?" She asked

"If I tell you, I don't think you'll like me anymore very much. And it's been a while since I've had an actual friend."

Feyre frowned. "A...friend?"

"I mean, what else are you going to do in there? Wait for your next task? Months are nothing to an immortal, but to a human? I think having a friend- or someone to talk to- could keep you from going insane."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better? Because if so, you really suck at it." Feyre said blandly and I laughed a little.

"I've been in this cell for twenty-one years, Feyre. I only come out to work under intense labor or to fight as their champion in the Ring- an arena where they force two or sometimes four prisoners to fight to the death once a week. I've been in here for that long, with an opponent or two or three every week and I haven't lost a single fight. There's no room down here for kindness, girl, and the sooner you figure that out, the easier your life will be. Or what's left of it. Amarantha isn't too keen on making deals that don't benefit her. Let's just hope Tamlin is worth it."

"He is." She hissed.

"We'll see." I said and moved away from the bars.

Three months came and went. I fought in the Ring once a week and every time Feyre came back, she looked worse and worse. She rarely spoke to me and I could hear her quiet sobs at night. I didn't know what tasks were given to her by Amarantha, but I did know she was now my High Lord's pet. I saw her at his side in skimpy clothing covering very little and paint was swirled on her skin.

I couldn't help but be disgusted by him. I knew what it was like- to be shamed like that and used. I sympathized for her and any chance I got, I encouraged her to keep going. Between nursing my own wounds from the Ring, I continued to talk to Azriel. I told him about Feyre and he seemed thankful for the information but he wasn't around to talk to me as often.

I found I stared to miss him.

At the end of three months since Feyre arrived, footsteps sounded and my cell was opened. I stood and the guards said, "Come with us."

I clenched my jaw and followed them out of the cell, once again hand cuffed, and I looked into Feyre's cell. She was staring wide-eyed at my wings. I nodded once to her and was led down a few levels that I knew like the back of my hand by now.

They undid my cuffs and stepped back as I pulled on the sleeve of my fighting leathers and rolled my shoulders. A few shadows trailed down my arms and I cracked my neck.

I was ready.

The metal grate below me began to rise and I bounced on the balls of my feet.

When I surfaced, the cheers were deafening. I stepped out into the Ring and stretched my arms, cracking my shoulders and waved to a few on-lookers. I walked over and took my two classic curved swords and slipped two knives into my belt. I had gotten it down to a routine, now.

But the opponent who came out of that bunker was not anyone I had ever thought I'd see again.

It was Regim.

The Illyrian that had groped me. The one who clamped my wings. When he saw me, he scoffed.

"So this is where you've been all these years, Adrianna?" He sneered.

I settled into a crouch. "You have no idea what I've become now, Regim." I hissed.

His wings flared. "Let's see just how good you've become, bitch."

"Yes. Let's see." I growled and smirked shadows flared out around me. He hesitated for a moment, but then I attacked.

He jumped up and into the air, but a sudden crack forced him back to the ground. Blood dripped into the sand from a wound on his back.

"Now, now. We can't have you flying away so easily." High Lord Rhysand purred from where he stood looking down at us. "Don't fail me." He merely said to Regim.

The male turned on me then, teeth bared in anger and then he charged, swinging his sword at me and I caught it with my two blades. His foot came up and connected with my ribs, knocking me to the ground. Again and again his foot made contact.

I couldn't breathe.

I swung my sword around and it sliced straight through his right wing.

He let out a roar in pain and I got up and spit blood into the dirt and swung both swords until both of his wings were shredded.

"Now you're grounded, too." I snarled.

He glared at me as sank to his knees, and he snarled, "Do it. Get your revenge."

I smirked. "No. I think I'll make you suffer. That seems more rewarding." I angled a sword at his face and slashed the blade across it.

But I was too busy to notice he had a knife and I was too late as he drove it into my side.

I screamed out in pain and swung with my sword and took off his head.

I stumbled back, limping and gritting my teeth, my hand going to the wound in my side.

I stumbled back a step and dropped my swords and my eyesight began to go blurry. I kept my hand pressed to my side as it continued to ooze blood.

I looked up at the people standing above me and my eyes locked with Rhysand's. I just mouthed a single phrase to him and his jaw clenched. 

"The dreamers know."

Then, I collapsed.

******

"Adrianna!" The voice called my name loudly and desperately through the shadows. I gritted my teeth, one arm wrapped around my stomach and the other hand clenching into a fist.

"Adrianna say something."

"I got stabbed, genius." I grumbled, sucking in a sharp breath and letting out a pained cry.

"I realize that." Azriel replied. His voice was tense. "I'm coming."

"No." I managed. "You can't." Everything hurt. Nothing felt...real. It was cold in this dark cell. I had long ago given up hope I would survive. The wound in my side would kill me soon. I knew that and so did he.

"Watch me." Was his only reply and the connection cut off abruptly.

I lost too much blood. I knew that much. As I came to a little bit more, I saw that the hay strewn over the stone floor was covered in it. I could barely keep my eyes open.

I was going to die down here.

Would anyone come? What would Azriel do when he got here? Amarantha would sense his arrival. He would be killed. He wouldn't make it in time.

I didn't know. I didn't care. At least, I didn't care until that door finally opened and a man with wings stepped into my small cell.

Hands rested on my shoulders and I was rolled onto my back and I coughed, my eyelids dropping.

Hazel eyes stared intensely into mine and scarred hands pulled me closer and up into strong arms.

Then, everything went to darkness as he dissolved into shadows.