Rattle the Stars

Chapter 12

UM... so I realized I forgot about Nesta and Elain. >.< Let's just say that Nesta is being Nesta, and Elain is working as a school teacher in a poorer Night Court town, helping them get back on their feet for a few months. Aelin woke after another bout of nightmares, this time reflecting everything that had happened. She had three blissful moments of peace, before bolting upright, reaching for her weapons and Rowan. Rowan. Heaving herself out of bed, she padded down the hallway to where her fae ears could faintly hear chatter. Apparently, the Inner Circle were early birds, despite the exhausting day yesterday.

"Well, look who's up!" Mor chirped. Her usual brightness and joy seemed dim, and if the shadows under her eyes were any indication, maybe she simply hadn't slept at all. Aelin grumbled, focus narrowing on the piles of food set out across a wide table in the breezy balcony. Rhys and Feyre were absent, but Amren and the two Illyrian soldiers were sat at the table.

She managed a deep breath and sat at the table. Her soul burned again, her powers having returned sometime in the night. Never had she been more thankful for them. With Maeve, they had been caged. As a human, they had been smothered. But never...gone.

"Is Rowan alright?" She asked, more to fill the empty space than for real benefit. The chord in her heart held strong. Apparently, having what she assumed were fae healers on hand helped much more than a country mid-wife. Sitting across from Aelin with her plate, Mor nodded. "He's fine."

Amren however, peaked and narrowed her eyes at Aelin. "That woman- Elena. Where is she now?" Behind them, Aedion scoffed, creeping into the room. "She does her own thing. I wouldn't expect to get any answers from her, if that's what you want."

The room settled into comfortable, if sullen, silence before Cassian looked at Azriel and Mor. "Any news from the Court of Nightmares yet?" To know if the people there had been swayed, if they had really lost their entire army. Azriel shook his head. And Mor frowned.

"I attempted a meeting, but no answer to my request was provided. It's safe to assume... the worst." Having finished her food, Aelin stood, thoughts whirring in her head. The spymaster and his other court members were whispering, heads bent together until she interrupted them.

"Humans."

"What?"

"Didn't you say that there were mortal queens and another continent of people? Why not alliance with them?"

Cassian cringed, and Mor rolled her eyes. "We don't... have the best relationship with the queens." Azriel admitted, tone bitter. . Aelin looked at them, shock evident in her eyes. 

"And you're just going to let this entire place fall? Let these people become enslaved? What does it matter- after Mantyx conquers here, he'll knock out the humans. Most likely slaughter them."

"That's what we said to them about Hybern- not that they listened."

"This is bigger than just a corrupt king! This is a world-traveling monster who sucks the life out of entire planets! Back in Erilea, most of my army is completely human!"

Rhys clunked into the room, drawn and tired, "That," He drawled. "Is where you come in." Mor sighed. "We tried this with Feyre, Rhys. It didn't help."

"Her's was a more... personal tale. Aelin's is different. For one, she is a queen who was at one point human. Two- she's from another world, and we can prove it. If we can find Elena."

"They will find any way to break this down, prove it false, or twist like they did last time. (For clarification: All that stuff happened to the queens in book three, however, in this all of them are a. Alive. b. Human.)

Fenrys, having now sat with Lysandra and Aedion after they entered, simply crossed his feet and watched the entire argument with raised brows. "Oh, calm down Aelin. It's too early to set anything on fire." She scowled at him, before sighing sharply. "I'm going to go check on Rowan," She said shortly.

Walking the hallways, with a silent Nuala at her side, she dove into her thoughts. If she had too, Aelin would meet with those queens herself. This was all a mess. Finally reaching the infirmary, she slid inside and walked over to Rowan, who was soundly sleeping.

"Rowan," She whispered, shaking him. His eyes opened, and he winced a little as he sat up, with her help. Nuala drifted about, before nodding gently at Aelin and leaving again. "So," Rowan said. "Is everybody alright?" She nodded, staring off into space. Terrasen. Terrasen needed help-

Pulling herself back, she responded. "Yeah. As far as I know, Feyre wasn't hurt one bit, and you're doing just fine."

He grinned slightly, relief evident."Then why do you look like you want to punch something, or put this place to ashes?"

"The Inner Circle doesn't want to ally with humans because of their tense relations with the mortal queens." Her mate raised an eyebrow. "Oh, and Elena showed up." Rowan sighed, and laid his head back against the pillows. "Brilliant. She never really dies, does she?" This, at last, made her snort a laugh. It was true.

"Well, I've also found a possible way to fix the portal." Aelin sat bolt upright, eyes going wide. "What?" Her eyes swept across the stack of books by his bed. "I woke up last night," He clarified. "And asked Cerridwen for some books on Wyrdmarks. Apparently, Amren took some very thorough notes."

She seized the books, her magic dancing at the sight of pages scrawled in the messy symbols. This was perfect- and appeared to be a dictionary. On one dog-eared page, a system of some sort of passage, edited and revised and written over and over again was scrawled.

"A portal spell," She breathed. But Amren had said... "Amren said she didn't know a way for us to get home. Why would she keep us here?" Rowan shook his head, silver strands swaying. "I don't know. There are a dozen good and a dozen bad reasons." Aelin shot to her feet, ready to barge back into the breakfast room and get some answers from the Court of Dreams.

A rustle of fabric echoed behind her in the stone room, and on-edge, Aelin whipped around. With a gasp, she drew and prepared two of the knives hidden within her tunic pockets, pointing them straight at the hooded figure standing in the doorway, sword drawn.