A Court of Flowers and Stars

Chapter 11

We all sat and ate in silence, Megan looked like she was going to be sick after only a few bites and no amount of coaxing from my mother had her eating anymore.

I was just about to invite her out for a walk when a ball of fast spinning air whisked into the room, setting a brown book in front of Megan, she looked up and her eyes lit up as she saw the book.

"Do you still have the Crocus?" she asked softly.

A breeze rushed past me then a couple of seconds later it returned carrying a small, pressed flower.

Megan thanked the wind before opening the book and flicking through it to find an empty page. Once she had she pressed the flower into the book she closed it then held it in her lap.

"What is it?" My mother asked.

"When I was little my mother taught me the names of the flowers, we would pick one of each and she would press them before putting them in this book." Megan told us, smiling softly.

"Would you like to go on a walk around Velaris, we can see if we can find some flowers you don't know." I said, looking at my mother when she looked up.

"That would be great," she said with a small smile.

We both got up and walked out of the front door. I showed her all of my favourite places in the city.

Over the course of the afternoon she found three new flowers for her book. I had just opened the iron gate to go back inside when she fell to her knees screaming once more.

The wind didn't stop me this time as I picked her up and ran inside.

"The fire!" she screamed over and over, her screams brought everyone running to us.

"Something is burning again," I told them, holding her close to me.

She fell limp in my arms, and I cradled her to my chest.

"I don't understand, why can she suddenly feel the fires." My father wondered aloud.

"Because I've only just had my first bleeding, my powers strengthened, and the fires are massive." Her quiet voice said from against me, she was looking at my father through half closed lids.

"What do you mean the fires are massive?" Feyre asked.

"The forest was on fire." She whispered before her eyes closed and her breathing evened out.

"I'll put her upstairs." I said, standing up once more and walking to her room. I lay her on the bed then walked back down to my family.

"So two massive forest fires have sprung up within days of each other just after Megan's power reached their full strength." Aunt Mor said frowning.

"This can't be a coincidence surely." Uncle Cassian pitched in.

I opened my mouth to give my opinion when Aunt Amren stormed in.

"What in the rutting hell has been going on here?" She demanded.

Oops, I guess no one told her.

"Tamlin's daughter tried to kill Nyx, then we found out the only reason he wanted her was for that reason so he cast her out, we took her in, there have been massive forest fires that she can feel oh and she is friends with the wind." My mother summed up.

"And you didn't think to tell me any of this?" she asked, smiling viciously.

"We've been a bit busy," dad cut in before Amren could explode.

"Can we go back to our original conversation, what if someone is setting the fires on purpose," I said.

"Why would someone do that though?" Aunt Mor questioned.

"Ok, I hadn't thought of that one." I said with a sigh.

"My father probably would." A voice said from the doorway.

Megan was stood there looking at the floor. I walked over and she looked up.

"You, ok?" I asked her quietly.

She looked up at me.

"Yeah, just sore." She replied.

I took her arm and sat her on the sofa next to me.

"Megan, this is Amren," mum introduced.

She looked up, "hi."

"You were telling us something before you passed out, do you remember what?" Dad asked.

"Oh, just that when I did bleed two weeks ago the wind didn't just talk to me anymore, I could control it, give it orders. Even if someone was trying to control the air with their own powers it would choose me over them every time. That is when I started to hear their screams near candles. My father knew because he found me in my room crying." She said, pulling her knees to her chest.

A breeze blew through the open window and set the three flowers on her knees. She let out a small laugh.

"Thank you for keeping them, I will do them later," she whispered, and the wind picked the flowers up and left out the window.

"The wind really does like you doesn't it," Amren said looking a little surprised.

"Yeah, it has always kept me company." She replied, looking at Amren without fear.

A letter appeared on the table and mum picked it up, she read it over before handing it to dad.

"What is it?" I asked, not wanting to wait any longer.

"Beron has called a High Lords meeting." He said, looking at me, then Megan.

"The fires, he could probably feel them too, they weren't exactly small," she said, voice stronger than before.

"How would you know?" Amren asked harshly.

"Because I saw them, each time I went to put them out, I passed out here and my mind travelled on the winds, the forest was massive and in the middle of it was a raging fire, I put it out by drawing all of the air away from it." She replied, shuddering a little at the memory.

"Do we go?" mum asked.

"We have to, Megan, it is up to you if you decide to come as well." Dad replied, she stiffened, and I reached out, wrapping my arm around her shoulder, she relaxed into my touch.

"No one knows that I exist, and he will be there," she replied quietly.

I reached out with my mind and knocked on her mental shields, unsurprisingly they were made of woven together flowers and a light breeze, she let me in.

'I will stay by your side the whole time, he can't harm you.' I whispered.

'He doesn't have to be near me to harm me, he knows what phrases to wield to send me into a downward spiral.' She whispered back, even in her mind her voice shook.

'And if he does, I will harm him, badly, I promise you.'

I pulled back and watched a tear slide down her face.

"I'll go," she told my parents.

"Megan, go with Mor and Feyre, they will take you to find a dress." My father told her, she dipped her chin and stood, following them both out.