Chapter 11.1

Panic stricken, I immediately shut my eyes and clenched to Conri, unable to move. Cold blows of wind were constantly hitting my face and messing my hair.

"Let me go!" I squeaked, hitting him with my fists, but to no avail. "I want to go down! Please, Conri. Let me go." Yet he didn't even answer; instead, he picked up the pace, making me shriek. And feeling sick.

Suddenly, everything stopped and I felt that Conri landed somewhere warm. "That's it, princess," he said, putting me down. "We're here."

"Shit," I whispered and opened my eyes, still feeling dizzy from the flight.

Immediately, I leant against a reddish wall that was next to me and, with my forehead resting on my hand, I tried to catch my breath. I had never felt so weak and tired in my whole life, and I was barely able to stay up at all. My only dream now was to lie down for a couple of hours and avoid any contact with winged people.

After a while, though, I straightened up and looked at him. I realised that we were on a huge terrace with high reddish walls on one side and the cityscape on the other.

"Have you fucking lost your mind?" I asked angrily, taking a step forward. "I said I didn't want to fly!"

Conri rolled his eyes. "You just needed a little encouragement."

"Encouragement?!" I repeated, feeling like hitting the roof. "You and that handsome muppet are all the same. No wonder you're cousins."

"Come on, Lexi. It wasn't that bad." The Illyrian crossed his arms. "Besides, if it weren't for me, you would be still standing in that damn garden, debating over coming here or not. Just think of all the time I saved you."

"Sacré bleu! A knight in shining armour!" I exclaimed, making him frown. "What would I do without you?" Then, I shook my head and added, "Where I come from, women are more self-reliant than here and surely don't need a man to decide for them."

"I just wanted to–"

"Conri Archeron, what's the meaning of this?" a quiet but strong female voice asked, interrupting our conversation.

When I turned around, I saw a tall woman. Dressed in a long green dress, the woman had brownish hair tied in a bun, and blue eyes that were fixed on Conri. She was standing next to huge glass doors, and with every passing second the frown on her forehead was getting deeper.

"Well, I asked you a question, son," she added, slowly approaching us. She spoke in a similar way as Feyre and Rian.

"Son?" I repeated, looking between Conri and the woman. Only then did it occur to me that it was his mum, so it had to be…

I gasped.

Nesta?

With a wry face, the Illyrian crossed his arms again. "It's a long story, Mother."

"Is it? So maybe you will have enough time to answer my second question. Have you just brought that female here?" she asked, stopping in front of him. Then, she gave me a quick look, before going on, "A human? I didn't know you had a new habit of kidnapping young women. Why didn't you brag about it, son?"

"Mother, please," Conri murmured. "It's not a habit."

"No? Then what is it? A new pastime?" Nesta kept asking.

Suddenly, we heard the sound of beating wings and three dark-haired figures rolled up on the terrace we were standing on. Their wings were huge, dark and bat-like, stretching far behind their backs. Surprised, I realised they seemed truly strong and real, like Conri's ones. That wasn't a special effect generated for the film and TV, but actual wings.

After a second or two, the wings were gone as if taken by a blast of wind. The three fairies, now wingless, approached us.

"Hello, Aunt," Rian said with a smile. "How is your afternoon?"

"We're sorry for barging in," Cerys chimed in, "but we wanted to show our guest the House. If you and Uncle Cass don't mind, of course."

Nesta rested her hands on her hips. "So she's your guest."

Conri made a wry face, but didn't say anything.

"Yes, this is Lexi," Ciaran added quickly and I waved to her. "The one that Meleri kidnapped two days go. For Rian."

The handsome muppet snorted.

Having set her blue eyes upon me, Nesta said, "And to think that I accused Cassian of pulling my leg when he told me about a girl from another world that appeared at your house. Yet, here she is." She shook her head. "Incredible."

I nodded with a small smile. "Here I am."

When Nesta was still looking at me with curiosity, I felt really awkward.

"By the way, where's Melly?" I asked, fixing my eyes on the three fairies and trying not to think about the eldest Archeron sister who was still staring. "Wasn't she supposed to come with you?"

Cerys shrugged. "She said that she would come later with Father, but she didn't say why she wanted to stay behind."

"I know why," Rian broke in. "Uncle Merlin brought her sweets from Montesere, and she was afraid that I would eat it all by myself, so she decided to hide the loot somewhere."

I chuckled. "Seriously? You have a sweet tooth?"

"You have no idea, girl," Cerys replied. Then, she addressed Nesta, "Can we take her round the House, please?"

Nesta nodded. "By all means. Yet, don't even think about taking her to our bedroom."

"Or to mine, dearest cousin," Conri added with a smile.

I sighed loudly. "Sure. Because the only reason I came to Prythian was to poke around other people's bedrooms and rummage through their things. I have no better things to do than collecting souvenirs."

"I believe that we should take you to Aunt Amren's cluttered flat," Rian said with amusement. "I will gladly participate in poking around her bedroom."

I gave him two thumbs up.

"Why didn't anyone tell me that we had guests?" a male voice asked, startling me. When I turned around, I saw a dark-haired Illyrian who was dressed in black leather armour. With a smile, the man approached us, and I immediately spotted his short ponytail and red stones on his gauntlets. "Hello, my niece and nephews. I don't think we've met," he said with that Scottish accent, extending a hand towards me. "I'm Cassian, Conri's father."

I smiled, shaking his hand. "Hi. Nice to meet you. My name is Lexi and–"

"Uncle Cass, this is the girl–" Ciaran started.

"–I was kidnapped by Meleri," I added quickly. "Ha! I was faster this time."

He nodded.

"You see," Cassian crossed his arms, "I figured that you must be the girl beyond the stars since you're human and I've never seen you before. It's called deduction," he said in a hushed voice, winking to the three dark-haired fairies.

"Weren't you supposed to sleep the night away?" Nesta asked, giving him a look.

He shrugged. "I was, but I heard voices, so I decided to check who called on us." Then, he frowned and added, "And I swear that I heard someone scream very loudly. Did you hear it too?"

Immediately, I lowered my head.

Ops.

"It must have been the wind," Rian replied. "You know that it can sometimes imitate sounds. Even those resembling voices."

Rather content, Cassian nodded.

I glanced at the handsome muppet who flashed me a small smile. Who would have thought that he might be willing to help me out?

"Shall we start the tour around the House?" Cassian asked, making me look at him.

"Yes, please," I answered, smiling like a five-year-old.

He motioned towards the glass doors. "The dining room. This will be our first stop."

When he headed for the room, we all fell into step behind him.

"I didn't know that so many people needed a guided tour around the House of Wind," Cassian said with a smirk, glancing at the fairies behind me. "Had I known, I would have prepared refreshments and some anecdotes to entertain you a little."

"No need," Nesta added quickly. "Anyway, I would have to leave you in a moment as I promised the priestesses that I would visit them today."

"The priestesses in the library?" I asked and she nodded. Then, I looked at the rest of the fairies. "Did you try to look for Bryaxis down there?"

"Of course," Rian replied as we stopped in front of the glass doors. "That was the first place that came to my mind, but it wasn't there. Don't worry, Lexi," he said when I frowned. "Father asked Conri to visit the library and check it once again. Just to make sure we didn't miss it."

Conri smiled. "We would find that son of a bitch in no time."

"How do you know that it's a male?" Cerys asked. "Maybe Bryaxis is a female."

The Illyrian sighed. "I'm terribly sorry to disappoint you, dearest cousin, but I didn't have a chance to ask Bryaxis such a question yet. But rest assured, I will do it for you." He bowed a little. "Either way, we would find it."

Cerys pouted.

At the same time, Cassian opened the glass doors and entered the dining room. When I followed him, I saw a large room carved from the same red stone as the terrace and, supposedly, the rest of the House. In the middle, there was a long table with several chairs, some chandeliers hanging above it and nothing else. The dining room was simply empty.

"Where did you put the rest of the stuff?" I found myself asking. A bit embarrassed, I added quickly, "I mean… what if someone wanted to do other things?"

Shit.

"What other things?" Nesta asked. "What would you put in here?"

"I don't know. More furniture?"

"This room is used only for hosting family dinners and parties on Starfall," Cassian chimed in, "and it's been this way for the last six hundred years. We just don't want anything to change."

"Sorry."

Me and my big mouth.

I looked around the bare walls, trying to avoid any eye contact.

"Rhys said that you came from a land called 'Earth.' Is that true?" Cassian asked, approaching me. When I nodded, he added, "Why would someone name their land that way?"

I smiled slightly. "Honestly? I don't know. I've never felt the need to check the etymology of the word, because it's always been there. 'Earth' is basically the name of our world," I went on. "We've got continents and countries like you, and oceans, seas, rivers and mountains. Everything."

"But your world is different," he said, making me wonder how much Rhysand told him.

"Yes. I would say that your world is what mine used to be a thousand years ago, more or less. But there's one exception… you've got magic. We don't have it."

Cassian frowned. "Then how do you know about us?"

Lowering my eyes, I pressed my lips together.

Not again, I thought.

"You see, Uncle," Cerys broke in, stepping closer, "that is a very difficult and sensitive topic. It would be better for all of us to simply avoid it."

"Really? No advice on going home?" Rian asked mockingly, but she just shrugged.

"Don't push her," Ciaran whispered loudly. "She used up all her goodness for today, so there won't be more advice."

Cerys snorted. "You're so hilarious. I will piss myself laughing."

Having grunted, Cassian pointed at one of the walls and I saw another glass door which I didn't notice before. "Next stop?"

Without uttering a word, the fairies headed in that direction, and I followed them.

How fortunate for me that I have only one sister, I thought, looking around the dimly lit corridor we were now in. If there were more of them… It might have been really interesting.

###

Room after room, the House of Wind seemed like a real labyrinth. The longer we went, the more confused I got, and without the help of the Night Court fairies, I wouldn't be able to return to the dining room. To be frank, I didn't know if they were doing it on purpose or simply because the House was built in such a way. Between those two, I preferred option number one. Obviously.

Starting as a group of six fairies and one human, our party soon shrunk to just three people. Cassian, Conri and I were the only ones left as the rest of the fairies disappeared on the way, busying themselves with far more important tasks than entertaining me. I was glad that the two Illyrians kept showing me around and talking about the House, even though I was their only listener.

Finally, we reached the last stop of the tour – a small living room. We were about to enter when Cassian suddenly stopped on the terrace and looked outside.

"We've got company," he murmured.

Turning around, I saw Rhysand and Meleri who had just landed in the House. Having adjusted the collar and sleeves of his black shirt, the High Lord of the Night Court said, "Good, you're still here. Meleri and I decided to come around and check what you're doing. How has your afternoon been, Alexandra?"

They drew near us.

"I enjoyed myself." I smiled. "Those two gave me a guided tour around the House and it was truly wonderful."

Cassian nodded. "Glad to hear that. Next time, we will show you the library."

"Oh, can I come as well?" Meleri asked.

"Certainly, my little one."

"Why don't we sit in the living room?" Conri chimed in, nodding towards the door. "We walked quite a lot and I'm sure that your legs are sore."

I shrugged. "It's not that bad."

"But it will be, believe me," Rhysand said.

I watched Cassian open the huge door. Then, I saw a big richly decorated room with red sofas and armchairs. He motioned us in. "Please, sit down."

"Come with me, Lexi." Meleri grabbed my hand. "It's my favourite place in the House." She flashed me a smile and drew towards the living room.

When we got inside, I immediately looked around. The room had beige brocade walls and there were large windows overlooking the city. I also noticed a beautiful gold chandelier and bright gauzy curtains, swaying in the wind. Well, I wasn't surprised she loved this place. It was absolutely gorgeous.

"Wow," I whispered, sitting on the sofa next to my little kidnapper. "This room is remarkable." I turned my head left to give her a smile.

Rhysand stopped near the windows and sat in one of the armchairs. Crossing an ankle over his knee, he leant back and asked, "So, Alexandra, which room did you like the most?"

"This one."

Meleri laughed quietly. "I wonder why."

I flashed her a smile and shrugged.

"Wait until you see the library," Cassian said, sitting on the sofa opposite me and Meleri. "It's even more impressive than this room."

Conri gave me a look. "Maybe we can go there tomorrow? Right after breakfast?"

"What an excellent idea!" my little kidnapper exclaimed. "Father, Uncle Cass, will you join us?"

Rhysand shook his head. "I'm afraid there's a matter of great urgency we have to attend to in the morning, but we're free in the afternoon."

"It's settled then," Meleri said. "We will meet in the garden after lunch and you will take us here."

I swallowed hard. "Can't you just build a lift or something?"

"What's that?" Conri asked.

"It's a machine that can transport people up and down. It looks like a metal box with cables or ropes which have to be pulled in order to move it." I used my hands to imitate the movement. "Lifts are installed in almost every building, especially in skyscrapers, so people don't have to use the stairs."

"And how many people does it take to move a lift?" Rhysand asked.

Trying hard not to laugh, I replied, "None. It's all powered by electricity."

He frowned. "And what's that?"

"Have you ever seen lightning?"

"Years ago, I was hit by lightning while I was flying," Cassian murmured.

Meleri raised her eyebrows. "Really? Did it hurt?"

"I don't remember. I was drunk at that time."

Conri chuckled. "Does Mother know about it?"

"She doesn't need to know everything."

Laughing quietly, I said, "When lighting strikes, it produces electricity, in a way. We have machines that can create energy that is similar to the outcome of lightning, and it powers devices like TVs, fridges or lifts."

"I don't even ask what TVs and fridges are." Rhysand smiled.

"One is used for entertainment, the other for storing and cooling food."

"Quite useful," Cassian replied. "Especially during spring and summer."

I nodded. Then, I looked between him and Rhysand.

"Quick question," I said. "Both of you are married to an Archeron sister, right? You to Nesta, you to Feyre."

"Married and mated," Rhysand chimed in.

I gasped. "Seriously? Both? That's great. What about Elain? Is she married and mated with Azriel?"

"Well," Cassian started, exchanging a look with Rhysand, "it's more complicated with her."

"Complicated? How so?"

"Because she's married to one male, and mated with the other."

I raised my eyebrows.

Cassian shrugged. "You know what they say. Love is worse than the shits."

Meleri and I burst out laughing.

"You should start writing poems, Cassian," Rhysand said, completely unimpressed by him. "I'm sure it will be a huge success."

Chuckling, Conri asked, "And… who's going to be the recipient of all of his poems?"

"Hopefully, he will find a worthy one."

Cassian made a serious face. "Nesta will do."

We all laughed.

"I think one of them will be dedicated to you, Rhysie," he said with a grin. "Oh, I have even a title for it." He grunted and then went on, "The late-night adventures of Rhysand."

"What?" Conri frowned and gave his dad a look. "You can't be serious."

But Cassian ignored him and, closing his eyes, started reciting,

Getting a drink in his room,

Half awoken, half asleep,

Rhysand had to assume

His wine was very cheap.

Not wanting to wake his wife,

Rhysand spilt the awful wine,

And having found his knife,

Cut the fucking grapevine.

The whole room went silent.

"Mother above," Rhysand whispered and placed a hand across his face. "Don't do that anymore. Please."

I smiled a bit. "I like what you did with the 'wife' and 'knife' part. I think."

"Do you want to hear the rest?" Cassian asked.

"No!" was our answer.