Wildfire and Stars Eternal

Chapter 4: The News

"Her original plan was to capture Deanna," I finished. "But when we realized the gods had the Cauldron, the plan shifted to accommodate that."

Lucien was silent for a moment, his russet eye filled with an emotion I'd come to learn as dread. "So you decided to go to them. Catch them by surprise." 

"That sums it up nicely," Mor said from where she was perched on the arm of my chair. Lucien finally looked at me. 

"You're still just as fast to act as when I met you, Feyre. Maybe more." I couldn't tell if it was a compliment or not. Probably not, from the way he was glaring at me. For some reason, this pissed me off. 

"At least I do act," I snapped, crossing my arms. "At least I'm doing something about this, while your High Lord and many others sit on their asses and brood." 

Lucien scowled deeply but didn't say anything. My eyes flitted to Elain, who was sitting across from him, occupying Amren's now-vacant chair. Her eyes were pointedly trained on the window, her body slightly angled away from Lucien's. 

Lucien followed my gaze. Something close to anger passed over his face, but was gone in an instant as he studied my sister. She was fiddling with the sleeve of her soft blue dress, her brown-gold hair held behind her pointed ears with silver combs shaped like morning glories. 

The Fox and the Flower. The painting leaped into my mind before I realized I'd been imagining it. Something about the blue of her dress and the gold of his tunic complimented each other so nicely that combined with the light streaming in the window, I knew it'd paint a beautiful story. 

I shook my head slightly, clearing the image away. Now wasn't the time. 

"There's something else," Lucien finally said, ignoring the tense silence completely. "Something Vassa and Jurian told me when your letter was read." He met my eyes. 

"Well, what was it?" I finally asked when it was clear he was waiting for me to respond. 

"Vassa told me that before the war, when she'd first been imprisoned, she'd heard her captor speaking of a 'World-walking queen.' A woman who supposedly knew the way to open doorways between worlds." 

"It might be easier, Lucien," Rhysand said from across the room, "If you could simply show us. I gather there's a lot to tell." 

Lucien glared at him. "If you're insinuating that I let you into my mind, the answer is no. I'm perfectly capable of telling you what I know." 

"Then get on with it," Amren snapped, crossing her arms. 

"Vassa told me then that she thought the queen from your letter might be the same one. And then... on my way here, when I ran into Hellas and thought he was you..." He glanced at Rhys. "I heard him talking to himself. He was tossing his sword around, speaking as if someone was there. He said, 'It'll be much easier to take out that bitch now that Whitethorn's out of the way.'"  

Lucien paused, seemingly sensing the heavy silence. 

Rowan. What had happened to him? Where was he now? 

"He was sent home," Amren suddenly muttered. "Oh, that clever bitch." 

I swiveled around to look at her. "What?"

"Well, it's obvious. That goddess sent Whitethorn home. She may have done something to ensure that he cannot return. With Whitethorn out of the way, the trap would be laid for Aelin to stay behind. If he'd been sent somewhere in this world, he'd already be making his way back to her. So the only logical explanation is that he isn't here. He's back in Terrasen," She explained as if it somehow made sense. 

Which, I hated to admit it... but it did. Rowan and Aelin's bond was just as strong, if not stronger, than the one between Rhys and I. The only way you'd possibly separate the two would be to put an entire world between them. 

"So if Rowan is back in Erilea, then he has no idea what happened," Rhys mused. "I wish there was some way we could contact him." 

An idea clicked in my head. "Maybe we can." I turned to him. "Aelin and Rowan came here, to warn us. It's high time we returned the favor." 

Rhysand's eyebrows knit together. "I don't like the sound of that. I think I know what you're going to say next, and I still don't like it." 

I fiddled with my ring absentmindedly. "We owe them. They risked their own safety to help us." 

Rhys sighed, running a hand through his hair. Mor glanced between us, then seemed to realize what I was thinking. 

"Please tell me you're not suggesting you World-walk." 

Absolutely breathtaking Starfall Feyre cosplay by Shakespeareandme!!

Did ya'll know that 'Sidra' can translate to 'Like a Star?' So we've got the river like a star, in the City of Starlight, (Which btw Velaris can be translated as either 'City of Light' or 'hidden,' which are both extremely applicable XD) in the middle of the Night Court. 

The symbolism is sneaky, SJM. Very sneaky. XD

(Also apparently 'Danica' means 'Morning Star.' SJM reeeeally likes stars, apparently. I realize it's Danika, not Danica, but it's still funny.)