The Cracks in the Universe (ACOTAR/TOG Crossover)

Chapter 15 - Rowan

There were times when Rowan seriously doubted Aelin had any sense of inhibition or self-preservation. These past few days was certainly one of those times.

He was utterly baffled by her rash decision to leap through the Wyrdgate, despite all of the signs telling them not to approach. Even he, a centuries-old elite Fae warrior, had been terrified by the power pulsing from it. Yet his mate had plowed ahead, clearly determined to prove herself an utter fool.

His rage bubbled to the surface, but he suppressed it yet again. If Aelin and the others noted that he was pissed off then it would cause fractures in the already fragile group. Aedion was receding into the harsh Wolf of the North, Manon snapped at everyone with iron teeth and claws on full display, and even Dorian couldn't keep the frosty anger crackling around his fingertips at bay. Rowan had been certain that Lorcan couldn't get any grumpier, but was swiftly proved wrong once the Wyrdgate had closed and every second since.

And their hosts - he certainly respected them, especially the male with shadows cloaked around him as if they kept out a freezing chill. Azriel; the one who had bandaged up Aelin's leg. But whether he trusted them was a separate matter entirely. Did he? No. Could he? Possibly. It depended on whether they earned it, and how quickly they helped resolve the small issue that they were currently located in an entirely different universe than their own world.

There was another problem they had yet to find a solution to. Amren, the ancient one, was meant to have knowledge that might prove useful. So far, nothing had come up. Aelin had brought them here and she was the only one of the Erileans to have learned Wyrdmarks. Still, she hadn't been of much use either.

Aelin. Fireheart. Carranam. Mate. Wife. He loved her and he was furious with her. Now they were trapped here.

He sat down hard on their bed and stared out the window. The city gleamed and shone in the light. The laughter he could hear if he listened closely enough only reinforced how far they were from home. Home. It was strange how quickly Terrasen had become his home. He had simply left Doranelle with not even a backwards glance although he had lived there for hundreds of years.

The door creaked open and his head shot towards it. A flicker of shadows told him who it was before he even saw the intruder's face. Azriel.

He nodded at the male before looking back out. He knew it was silly but he felt if he just watched long enough, perhaps another portal would open up.

There was no indication Azriel had moved apart from the dip in the bed. He was completely silent. Rowan could understand easily how he was the spymaster.

"Velaris is my home just as much as Terrasen is to you. I understand how you must feel." His voice was dark and cool, tinged with empathy. Rowan believed him.

"You must feel trapped here. This world is little more than a gilded cage to you." Rowan only nodded once more. A gilded cage. Yes, that's what this was. Beautiful but suffocating. And Aelin had just walked right into it. A bitter taste filled his mouth. She had always done this. Walk straight into danger. This time there was no guarantee to get out. It wasn't something to be shredded, or burned, or healed.

"I once had forgotten the warmth of sun on my face. The glimmer of the distant stars. I could not remember what it felt like to have the wind beneath your wings. To feel free. I needn't imagine you don't feel the same way. A prison is a prison, whether it be a cell, a mansion, or an entire world."

Rowan had heard his story, or at least a bit of it, and it filled him with horror. He tore his eyes away from the glinting of sun on shingled roofs. The Shadowsinger was looking at him, hazel eyes unreadable.