A Court of Silver and Feather

I stood on the beach and looked out across the sea in the direction of Hybern. Behind me, the Iron Court, my court, lay silent, sleepy in the early dawn. I closed my eyes and focused on the land beyond, Prythian, and winnowed.

With a dragon's heart-stone in one hand, I listened for directions on the wind, a guide to the Suriel. I winnowed a few hundred yards at a time, stopping just briefly to listen to the whispers before moving again. I stopped across a small clearing, the Suriel waiting patiently, it's hideous face sending a shiver down my spine.

I held out the heart-stone, taken from the skeleton of a long dead dragon in the Iron Fields and bowed, "A gift, Friend."

The Suriel smiled, aged teeth snapping as it said "Ask."

I floated the stone into its open palm. "I need the Stone Soldiers to fight for me." I said, picturing the soldiers lined in Koche Mountain, unmoving and lifeless.

The Suriel laughed, a sound like the clattering of stones. "You are barely more than a silversmith, not a commander of armies."

"Tell me something useful." I said through clenched teeth.

The Suriel surveyed me, sniffing the air around me. "Your magic comes from a much more ancient source than even the Cauldron itself. Born of a bargain made in darkness. Magic forged in love requires love to operate."

"So you're telling me to fall in love."

"Yes."

"With who."

"Those you seek to protect."

"That's going to be a little difficult since I haven't met everyone in the world and I'd like to protect all of them from Hybern."

"You wish to seek revenge for what has been done to you.

"Everything I do is to protect this world from the horrors I've experienced." I argued. I huffed a sigh, tracking this insane creature may have been a complete waste. "Give me a name, a commander who can lead my soldiers. Who loves his people enough to make the magic work? Just tell me who to find."

"You need to find the love within yourself."

"Hybern is on the rise, I need a commander now. I can't wait around to fall in love with all of Prythian and the rest of the world." I tugged the heart-stone back, The Suriel tightened his grasp, nearly growling. I glared into his blank eyes for a long minute, waiting.

"Cassian." He finally rasped.

"Where." I said, dragging out the syllables

"Night Court."

I nodded, satisfied, and winnowed to the coast of the Night Court.

To the High Lord of the Night Court,

I request an invitation to discuss issues of diplomacy concerning our mutual neighbor, Hybern.

Yours faithfully,

Emissary & Lady to the Night Court

Eloda Mithian

I sent copies of my request on several steel ravens. I waited days in an abandoned cabin. On the third day, restless, I stretched my wings under the breathtaking night sky. One wing snowy and the other sliver, as I soared through the Night Court sky. Admittedly, not a stealthy approach, but then again, I wanted to be noticed. I felt exhilarated flying above the Night Court, the snowy capped mountains contrasting against a rich night sky I had not seen in the Iron Court. The stars seemed to glow brighter, the dark expanse of black between the stars rippled with blue and deep purple.

I soared on until morning and through the next day only to find myself having drifted into a haze. I took my bearings, scenting the wind for the salt of the ocean and realized I'd flown too far off course. I landed roughly on the frozen ground. I paced in circles, panic setting in as I did a mental inventory. When and how had I decided to take such a diverging course? It tasted of magic, I'd must have encountered some ward that sent my flying off in the wrong direction.

What were they hiding in this Night Court wilderness? I mused.

Frustrated at losing an entire day endlessly circling, but having traveled further east than I'd intended, I decided to continue on. I winnowed east in burst, taking to the skies to survey the strangely quiet and desolate Night Court. After several hours I discovered the Court of Nightmares.

I felt the stone pulsing before I could see it even with my powerful Fae eyes. A mountain looming larger and more ominous than those around it and topped by a palace that seemed to ooze magic.

I camped in a cave on a high peak of a nearby mountain and watched underground court. I sent a tendril of power towards my ravens, calling softly to them on the wind and their return.

I waited with nothing to occupy my time. A reoccurring dream haunted me, a nagging memory despite my best efforts to leave it in the recesses of my sub conscious.

I was deep in thought, mind mulling over images of brown haired humans begging the King of Hybern. The King of the island east of my court, that made my skin recoil, my blood boil though I'd not met him face to face. On the wind, from my home, I could scent the waves of evil radiating from his despicable kingdom. I'd not met this King, but I'd met my fair share of his creatures.

On the seventh day in the Night Court, my ravens returned. They flew in to perch on the edge of the cave, silent and without knowledge of the High Lord. I asked the wind and stone about this High Lord, Rhysand and I received only silence from those servants, as well. I waited, in the mountains of the Night Court, sending requests and gifts, all the time the dream replaying over and over in my head.

The Cauldron held a roiling dark sea within, terrible power pouring from the interior in thick waves. My eyes crossed and the ground tilted with each wave. The power within made me feel small and weak.

A young woman, innocent and doe-eyed was dragged forward. Her lips begged and screamed but I could not hear her words over the buzzing of the Cauldron. I watched in horror as a Hybern soldier pushed the human under the Cauldron's bubbling surface.

Panting and shaking, I struggled against the dream, aware the ground beneath me was quaking. With horror I realized, it was coming from me. Power was roiling up from the very earth, flowing through me uncontrolled. My eyes opened and I sat up in bed. I snapped my fingers, iron stores clanking onto my bedroll, two iron wrist cuffs. I slipped them on quickly and they began siphoning power from me, a relief. I laid back on my bedroll. I willed my mind to settle and tried not to think of the second girl, how her fierce eyes seemed to bore straight into me as she fought not to be pulled into the Cauldron, or of how much more terrifying she was when she emerged, High Fae.

A paper floated down to the floor in front of me, tearing me from my remembrance. A note arriving on a wisp of darkened starlight. I snatched the note, tearing it open. It read:

Court of Nightmares, Midnight.

-Rhysand

Finally, I had my invitation.

Just before Midnight, I soared on my wings of feather and silver down towards the towering gates of the Court of Nightmares and prepared to meet the High Lord.

The High Lord did not arrive.

Instead a beautiful blonde winnowed in beside me at precisely midnight, grasped my elbow and winnowed us away again.

I gasped and stumbled, looking around at the palace around me. I'd never been winnowed by another Fae. I looked sharply at the High Fae, disarmingly pretty for a Lady from the Court of Nightmares.

She watched me carefully, "The High Lord will be here shortly. I am the Morrigan."

I nodded, knowing her from the history of Prythian, and bowed. "Pleased to meet you. I am Eloda, second born to the High Lord of the Iron Court, the nine Black Isles. I was expecting, however, to be meeting the High Lord of Night."

She gave me a cold look, and replied "He is attending other business. He is a High Lord you know."

I nodded and surveyed the palace, no glass windows kept out the winter, just magic. A billowing winter storm swirled outside. Yet, it was warm, too warm within my fur lined leather cloak. I reached around to unbutton behind my wings and shrugged it off, revealing a tunic over dark pants that tied in a halter around my neck and left my entire back exposed. I walked to a nearby sofa and lounged on it. Morrigan leaned against a nearby pillar, we watched each other with cat-like suspicion.

I broke from her stare, growing bored, to examine the high ceilings and polished marble demarcated with fabrics to create sub-spaces. And interesting use of space that I'd have to adopt in my own palace. I looked back at the blonde who stood expectantly before me. I raised an eyebrow in response.

She rolled her eyes and offered me a tight smile, "Tea?"

I worked to keep my expression neutral, Prythian and their tea. I shrugged and she sat at a table and poured two mugs.

I felt the wind around us, blowing in from all sides. It whispered "truth" in a halo around her. I decided to be direct. "Why did the High Lord wait so long to invite me? Does he not give weight to the threat of Hybern to the North?"

"Hybern is of concern to us, but there are other matters we must attend."

I thought back to that dream and suddenly, the fragments of it in the corners of my mind pieced together. I gasped in horror. "You tried to nullify the Cauldron and nearly lost everything." I shook my head, not needing the words brought in on the wind to know what nearly had happened. I turned my head and suddenly could hear it more plainly, that disjointed and deranged voice from the dream, some other dark magic that had not been manipulated as planned.

Morrigan looked horrified. I tilted my head, studying her expression. I did not hear the High Lord arrive, but felt his power fill the room a moment later. I sighed in relief and stood, turning to see him walking up in a black tunic and pants of very fine quality. I studied his winglessness, puzzled, sure he was Illyrian.

I bowed my head to him as he approached, "Thank you for meeting with me."

"Lady Eloda. You are persistent."

"Those that persist hold fate's favor."

"Well perhaps fate has favored us greatly then, since you offer an alliance." He sat opposite the table and poured tea for himself, though he did not touch it. I sat across the table, noting how very tired he looked despite easy manner.

"Fate has not favored us if it put the Cauldron in the hands of the King of Hybern." I said and noticed Rhysand did not look surprised at my knowledge of the Cauldron. "Unless that does not bother you?

"It is concerning." He said, thought something about his tone made me question if he was referring to Hybern or myself. "The Iron Court has been historically reclusive. Why offer an alliance now?" His eyes narrowed on my and he added, "Why does the High Lord himself not sit before me."

"My half-brother is a bastard, but I have not contested his place. He cares for little else than power but does well keeping the people safe. I however, worry about the world outside our islands. And I was entrusted with an army."

"An army?"

I nodded. "Not one of flesh or bone, but of stone and steel. One of my creation, begun by my mother in secret long ago. Though, I am not a warrior or commander and fear they will not be successful without one."

"So you seek a commander, and by extension a war for your army?"

"War will be upon you whether we seek it or not. I can't sit in the mountains of Koche breathing in the Hybern's stink on the wind waiting for him to rise up and attack. He will extinguish life after life, he and his filth value little else." I had risen to my feet without realizing, my anger causing the metal in the room to rattle. I sat, huffing a breath. The High Lord and lady did not seemed rattled, unlike the dinnerware.

Rhysand summoned a bottle of amber liquid and three crystal glasses, his eyes leaving me just briefly. "How about something stronger than tea." He poured a dram in each glass.

"Thank the Cauldron." Mor sighed, plucking up the glass.

The High Lord slid a glass in front of me, I sniffed at the finely aged whisky. I sipped, and nodded. "Nearly as good as our own."

Mor chuckled. "I think I need to take a trip west."

I laughed, "The whisky is the most exciting thing about the Black Isles. It'd be a short trip."

"Our people get excited about strong canvas and well knotted fishing nets."

"You'll find we are overflowing in excitement here." The High Lord said, tipping his glass to me.

"Then we have an accord?"

He smiled faintly, and I grew self-conscious of myself, my accent. "First I'll need to see this army."

I rose and said, "I can't show you the whole army but I can show you one soldier, the General, specifically. Will that do?"

Rhysand and Mor exchanged a glance. I did not wait for their responses before I summoned my soldier from the in-between. A marble and gold cast warrior thumped onto the floor. Sculpted armor gleaming, eyes unseeing as he held his steel blade and shield crossed before his chest, immobile.

"Expergisci."

The eyes of the stone soldier flared open, irises blazing like the interior of a forge. Blazed with my power as he snapped his feet apart and lowered his shield and sword.

"Patrocinor." I commanded, The General stepped towards me, stone feet thudding against the gleaming marble floor, he raised his shield and sword defensively. I peered around him at the slightly stunned faces of Mor and Rhysand.

"Either one of you like to test him out?"

Rhysand rose smoothly to his feet, I summoned a steel blade and tossed it to him.

The General lunged and knocked the blade away from Rhysand before it could reach him, it clattered to the floor nearby. A lucky shot, I feared. Rhysand used his power to summon the blade to his hand. I stepped back. Mor watched, wide eyed and just a little impressed.

Rhysand and my General clashed swords, Rhysand, impossibly swift but the General learned from his form and style and adjusted accordingly. I felt my power ebbing from me like grains of sand in the wind. I gritted my teeth, imagining the drain magnified across an entire army. I felt a tremor of fear that I might not possess enough power for an entire army.

It only took Rhysand a minute to disarm him. I gave the order to surrender and grimaced, disappointed. We were not warriors, in the Iron Court and it did not greatly surprise me that despite my best efforts to craft a perfect soldier, I had failed to create the mind of one. I turned to my General, "Gratias," I said and he brought his feet closer, crossing shield and sword across his chest. "Dormi," I added, nodding. The liquid metal eyes closed and the soldier became statue once again.

Mor whistled low, "You do need Cassian."

I gave her a dark look, I warred between whether I liked the Morrigan or not. Rhysand gave her a dark warning look.

"I'll give you truth, Morrigan. The Suriel sent me to find Cassian. I asked for a commander for the army, to lead them. It gave me his name." Morrigan looked at me, as though she knew I were withholding one more detail, "It also said a bunch of crap about love but I told it to take a hike."

They both grinned at that, and I gave them a half smile in return.

Rhysand nodded, "I think she'll work well with the Illyrian brute. This could work."

"Then we have an agreement?"

Rhysand sipped his whisky, lips pursed as he savored it with one hand splayed out on the table.

Mor and I watched him closely. You'd never have known from his appearance the raw power he held within, coiled like a spring. I rested my eyes on the sword, where he'd laid across the table, the sword I'd used against a creature who'd crawled out of the evil of Hybern.

"I have seen what creatures come from evil, firsthand what horrors come from that King and his court. I will do whatever to protect all life from what he seeks to create." My silver wing twitched, in silent emphasis. "This," I turned to the marble and gold soldier, "is the General. Take him back and train him extensively so that he can record your movements and strategy. They are not living but they learn and I will take his knowledge and duplicate it across the legion. When we are ready we can winnow the entire army wherever you choose. Though I do have a spot in mind."

"We?" Rhysand finally asked.

"Yes." I said slowly.

Rhysand shook his head, "I only need to send Cassian to the Iron Court, briefly. Then summon your army when the need arises. We is an entirely other bargain."

"No. No bargains." I snapped, the stone quaked slightly beneath out feet, my anger and fear rippling down uncontrolled.

He shook his head, "That is the currency of my Court, I'm afraid."

I frowned, studying the floor. I let down the cast iron mental shield I'd felt the daemati tapping against all evening. Let the wall drop and opened my mind to him. "Search until you find whatever you need to trust me." I closed my eyes and waited, the feeling of his dark talons raking through my mind like nails on a chalkboard. Several seconds elapsed and I felt him withdraw. I collapsed back into the chair and finished my drink, feeling like I'd just had a long string pulled from inside my skull.

Ripples of night pooled around him. His face unsure, he said, "I'll let you know in day. Be my guest until then." He took Mor by the arm and winnowed away, leaving me in the palace alone. Apparently, trusted but not trusted enough.

I rose and wandered to the first unlocked door, a guest bedroom more glamour ours and comfortable that anything in the Nine Isles. My curiosity began to outweigh my annoyance.

How strange that this beautiful secluded palace, high above the Hewn City, did not seem to be the High Lord's refuge. I wondered if he'd gone below into the Court below, and of what secrets lay within. I reached a tendril of power through the stone and recoiled with what I found. Something about the palace made me doubt that the beautiful Fae female and her High Lord had disappeared into the Court below my feet. The wind and stone did not speak it, but from the silence, rather, I felt a strange knowing.

I spent a full day in quiet comfort. I clearly needed to upgrade my personal residence within Koche Mountain because it could not compare to this level of extravagant accommodation. Despite the luxurious dwelling, I soon grew bored and took soldier to the terrace to train under the night sky. Swirls of deep purple and near pink mixed in with the clear blinking star light. A celestial masterpiece. I found it difficult to sleep in this place, with such beauty drifting in through the open windows.

My eyes were fixed intently on the coiled stone General when I noticed a flicker far off in the distance. As my attention honed, the General turned and raised and sword and shield defensively at the approaching form. "Dormi." He lowered his weapons and fell back onto his heels, crashing into unconsciousness.

A figure flew towards us. The wind rippled around me and I turned my head, listening. More silence. Even the wind won't obey me here.

A tall cold faced and bone meltingly beautiful Illyrian male landed on the marble before me. He eyed the General.

"Impressive."

I nodded in thanks, "Cassian?"

A ghost of a smile tugged on his lips. "No. I hope that doesn't disappoint you."

My eyes took in the dark shadows swirling around and trailing behind him. I noted the shadows, how they obeyed him, "Shadowsinger." I breathed, and bowed.

His rough scarred hand touched under my elbow, lifting me from the bow. "I'm Azriel, just Azriel, no need to bow." He paused, then added, "I need to bring you to the High Lord."

I nodded, eyeing him as I snapped my fingers to send the General back into the in-between.

"Do you need to pack?"

I shook my head, mouth dry. The handsome faerie made me nervous in a way I hadn't felt in decades. I really need to get out more, I said to myself. I'd spent too much time cooped up in the Foundry.

"Follow me then." He said, and launched himself into the sky. I unfurled my wings from their tucked position, stretching the muscles and joints. Azriel waited, hovering overhead patiently. I flapped my wings to settle my feathers for flight, it always took a moment longer for my silver wing to unfurl properly. Nervous to fly in front of the Illyrian warrior, I decided a running start would be best. I ran forward and leapt up the same time I brought my wings down powerfully and felt my feet lift off the marble. Flight still intoxicated me and I quickly caught up with the Shadowsinger.

"You know it's been forever since I had someone to fly with." I shouted over the wind.

"Then you'll need practice. Stick close." Azriel shouted back, then dipped into a soaring twist. I howled with delight as I twisted after him. I was faster, lighter boned than the Illyrian and had no trouble keeping up with him. He tested me as we flew west. He would bank and dive and I would follow, trying to keep formation with him like I'd seen the birds at home do.

My silver wing began aching an hour and a half into our flight, and I was grateful to see the distant ocean glimmer on the horizon. Azriel seemed to read my strain and he suddenly swooped down, scooping me up. I tucked my wings in, fighting the panic at our close proximity, Azriel banked towards the sea.

"Welcome to Velaris." He whispered in my ear. I shuddered as the veil of glamour lifted and a golden city of light was revealed. I felt that pulling fall away, the desire to go anywhere else. My heart thundered at this breathtaking city before us. Forgetting my apprehension, I clutched at his shoulders, straining my neck to look down at the city below.

"It's amazing." I breathed into the wind.

Azriel's chest rumbled in agreement, sending shivers across the places where our bodies touched, where he held me under the legs, where my wings brushed against him, now tucked tight to my body.

"I had to carry you in for the wards and magic to invite you in. Otherwise it would have directed you away."

I laughed, remembering the days I'd spent circling. We flew in silence for the remainder, I saw a mansion on a high cliff and assumed we were headed for it. He landed gracefully and set me on my feet. Immediately, the distance from him and lack of him caused an ache in my chest and a cold to spread bone deep.

"It's a perfect night for flying." I mused, trying to hide my complete devastation at being separated from this shadowed warrior. I gazed up at the sky swirling above us to keep my eyes from lingering on him.

Azriel nodded, tipping his head back to match, the shadows seemed to stretch ever so slightly toward me, curling in the corner of my eye. I swallowed a chuckle even as I sent my own gust of wind tumbling over him. As I guessed, it returned to me silent. Azriel made a noise in his throat. I turned to look at him, meeting his speculative gaze. He was about to say something when I felt the Morrigan approach. His gaze immediately snapped to her.

"Well that was fast."

I tore my eyes away from him, heart aching at the way he stared at her. I mentally shook myself. And turned to the glowing Mor, smile wide across her face.

"Welcome to the House of Wind"

"Finally, I get to see Rhysand's true secret lair. I think you've built up more than enough suspense, for it."

Mor laughed exchanging a shared look with Azriel as she held out her hands to both of us.

"Well, come on then." She said and she ushered us inside.