DISCONTINUED A Court Of Blood And Night (Tog & ACOTAR crossover)

6 - Feyre

When the darkness cleared, Lucien was sitting up, rubbing the back his neck and wincing. Tamlin was just a meter or so away, still unconscious.

We weren't in the manor, anymore. In fact, I wasn't sure we were even in Prythian. I didn't recognize the woodland around us. The trees towered over me, and the ground was littered with bushes and other plants. It was like the forest from the Mortal Lands, but much fuller. It didn't seem like Prythian at all.

"Where are we?" I muttered, sitting up, too. My head pounded a bit, but then it eased to nothing. With a groan, I pushed myself to my feet, grabbing a thinner, younger tree trunk for support. When I was sure I could stand on my own without falling, I let go of it.

Lucien was surveying the place silently, but he finally said, "I don't know. But the magic here is... Different. Harder to use. I think it's because we're strangers to it. I think this magic has a different..." his brows furrowed as he tried to think of the word, that metal eye narrowing. "Base to it. It has the same fundamentals when it's being used, but how you summon it is different." He shook his head. "Wherever we are, we certainly aren't in Prythian."

I could feel it, now. It was harder to use, but only just. I knew, somehow, maybe on an instinctual level, that for Lucien and Tamlin, using magic here would take its toll on them. But for me, the magic was more flexible, more willing to listen to me. I could still keep the glamour on my arm without thinking about it-- there was just a slight pressure in the back of my head, a whisper of resistance. Maybe it was because I wasn't born Fae. Maybe it was something else.

Lucien stood up as well, just as Tamlin jerked awake. His green eyes shot open, and he looked around almost frantically. Upon seeing Lucien and I, he relaxed a bit. But he still growled, "What in the Cauldron's name is going on?"

Lucien shook his head again. "We don't know."

As Tamlin worked on standing up, I surveyed the area, myself. Sunlight filtered through the trees just enough that I could see, and the place was stunning. Once everyone was standing on their own and able to walk, I said, "We should check this place out. We don't know what could be out here." Tamlin looked like he might protest, but Lucien nodded and began pushing through the plants.

We carefully began to scout out the woodland, no destination in mind. I kept an eye out for anything strange, but there was nothing but our footsteps and the sound of animals carrying on with their lives. But there was something-- a concentration of magic, as if there were many creatures gathered somewhere. I could feel it, just barely, and I began to push toward it, splitting away from Tamlin and Lucien as I struggled to get through the near-impenetrable vegetation.

"Feyre!" Tamlin hissed at me, and their footsteps stopped. "Get back here!"

But I kept walking toward that concentration of magic. Lucien, who'd begun to follow, inhaled sharply. I glanced at him to see his metal eye narrow. He looked at me and nodded. He'd felt it, too.

Tamlin followed us with a sigh, and Lucien took up the lead, carefully moving so he wouldn't disturb anything and give us away. We silently followed, our steps just as careful. Suddenly, Lucien stopped and turned around. "Let's go back," he said tightly, glancing at Tamlin. Before I could open my mouth to argue, I heard a cry of shock.

That sound... I knew that sound. Knew who was speaking. I whipped my head around, toward that sound. My mouth parted as I heard the cry again. This time, I could hear the word: "Feyre?"

I couldn't stop myself from whispering, "Elain." And then I was following that voice, cautiousness be damned. I could hear Lucien and Tamlin calling after me quietly, but my sister was here. Was Nesta here, in this place, too?

Then a thought occured to me as I forced myself to push past trees and bushes, following that voice. What if the rest of the Inner Circle was there, too? What if Cassian and Mor and Az were there? What if Amren and... And Rhys were there? I burst from the line of trees and bushes into a grassy clearing.

And there they were. Mor and Azriel and Cassian stared openly at me, their mouths agape-- obviously as shocked as I was. Amren and Elain were about the same. Nesta didn't quite care to the same extent as the others-- more focused on where we were. And Rhys... As much as I wanted to hug my sisters and properly reunite with my court and mate, I could feel Lucien and Tamlin, just moments behind me. I forced myself to stop dead in my tracks, and it killed me.

A flash of pain in those blue eyes, and Rhys looked like he might reach for me, might put an end to the masks we'd made. I wouldn't have stopped him if he did. But Rhys understood. He knew. He stared at me a moment longer, and then slipped on that mask he was so good at wearing, and continued that game that was beginning to tear us both apart.

And the others caught on as he straightened and smirked. "Hello, Feyre darling," he drawled. I couldn't help but remember the last time he'd said that to me. When he came for me at the wedding. When I panicked so much that I'd begged for help-- for someone to save me. It was an effort to not laugh or smile or even cry.

Tamlin and Lucien caught up to me, and it was an effort to not reveal myself right then and there. Tamlin laid a hand on my shoulder-- a passive gesture, but nonetheless possessive-- and growled, "Rhysand."

Lucien was staring at me as if he couldn't quite understand what was going on. Only then did I remember that he'd seen me writing to Rhys, glowing like a star. He knew this was a mask, and he couldn't seem to understand why I was still using it.

But then he saw Elain, and went still. Everyone was staring at someone. Nesta was glaring heatedly at Lucien, and Elain stared back at him. Tamlin was glaring at Rhys, and Rhys tore his eyes away from mine to smirk at him. The others were either glaring at Tamlin, or staring at me. Amren was half-heartedly glaring at me, but there was relief in those silver eyes.

There was silence for a long moment, but then there was a rustling in the bushes. As one, Rhys, Tamlin, Azriel and I all turned to look as an unknown Fae staggered into the clearing, covered in black, stinking liquid and crimson blood. His features were hidden by the mix, other than pine green eyes.

"Who are you?" Tamlin demanded, and Lucien snapped out of his daze, whirling to look. The rest followed his example. Answers. We could have answers.

But he stood there for a moment on unsteady feet, staring at us with those eyes. He was panting as if he'd been running, and his legs gave out from under him. He fell to his knees, still gasping for breath, met my eyes-- and promptly passed out.