Worldwalker

by StoneColdHolly1011

After witnessing a ritual at a pagan festival in her hometown, Sam finds herself in a world where magic exists and dangers far worse than everyday crime lurk. Accepting her unfortunate situation is one challenge; trusting these otherworldly beings to help her is another. Sam must navigate this new world, find her way back home, and restart her life.

5. Chapter 5

"Wake me up when this is over, I'm tired of living life like it's a dream.
Please wake me up when it's all over, I'm tired of living right here in between.
I refuse."

I Refuse – Five Finger Death Punch

Velaris, Night Court, Prythian

If Lucien hadn't held her steady, Sam would have passed out immediately upon arrival in Velaris. If he hadn't been touching her, if she couldn't feel the rough, calloused skin of his hand on her arm, she would have convinced herself that she was experiencing a fever dream and soon to be on her way to the afterlife to meet her maker.

She had completely forgotten about the feeling of her stomach attempting to exist outside her body once her feet were on solid ground. She had also ignored the dizziness making her head spin from the after-effects of winnowing. She felt the cool autumn breeze nipping at her cheeks, the early evening temperature dropping as the sun descended below the horizon. The beauty of Velaris soothed over her burdened mind and soul as if it were welcoming her home.

Her mouth hung open as she slowly dropped Lucien's arm to take a few steps forward, staring at the kaleidoscope of colors from faelights sweeping along the cobblestone street. Her hand reached out towards Feyre's as she passed by her and Rhys, unblinking and utterly hypnotized by the sights and sounds of the city. Towering buildings, rows of charming, cozy houses, and small storefronts outlined against the sky were illuminated by the flickering faelights like distant stars. The chirping of crickets waking up for the night met her ears and a barn owl from its perch somewhere above called out to greet her.

Sam was breathless as she took in her new environment, dropping Feyre's warm hand and gradually turning in a circle, taking in the palpable energy of the lively city around her. It seeped into her pores, filling her with a renewed sense of purpose, of joy. The soft claps of water gently lapping against the river bank brought her back to River Street in Savannah, the scent of salt water tickling her nose. Sam felt a longing for home, Savannah calling out to her from its distant reach but this stunning place replaced the feeling as quickly as it came. Velaris exuded an enchanting allure, beckoning her to explore everything the city offered, to run and experience the life it promised.

An astonished, breathless laugh escaped her as she turned back around, her pupils blown wide in wonder, and a real, unhindered smile pulled at her lips. Colorful lights danced along her face, small puddles pooling in the cobblestone street reflecting the faelights above her. She felt happy to be standing there, to feel alive in a city and not so out of place for once. It felt like Velaris was wrapping itself around her, accepting her with the scent of lemon verbena and sea salt, the murmur of chatter being carried on the breeze. She placed a hand on her chest, nearly in tears at the sheer beauty of her surroundings as she continued to look around. "Wow!"

"Welcome to Velaris, Sam. The City of Starlight." Feyre whispered from behind her and she could do nothing but continue to soak it all in. She couldn't get enough of it, her senses demanding more, and she imagined what trinkets and freshly baked goods the small shops held inside. What else could this wonderous city offer her? A range of massive mountains soared into the ombre sunset sky, a blanket of snow capping what could be seen at the tips. Stars, thousands of stars, winked into existence above her and her contagious joy could be contained no longer as she spun around again, hearing the sounds of glasses clinking from restaurants and bells ringing from shop door handles.

"It never gets old," Rhys said from somewhere around her; his voice seemed to melt perfectly into the sounds of the city. Sam was too busy spinning slowly in a circle, again, wonder-drunk on the symphony of lights, the setting sun casting an array of orange, lilac, pink, and navy blue across the sky. "Watching someone see Velaris for the first time."

"Wait til she sees it from above." Cassian quipped, leaning against a streetlamp next to a walkway that led up to a modestly sized townhouse.

"I can see it from above?!" Sam's voice was an excited whisper, on the verge of flirting with hysteria. "Ho-? Oh, right, wings! Ha!" Sam let out a breathy laugh and shook her head, still staring up at the darkening skyline and shimmering lights. On the breeze, the sound of violins and music graced the air. "I musta've gone nuts by now. There ain't no way this is real! OW!"

Cassian, who had pinched her on the back of the arm hard enough to leave a bruise, smiled sheepishly at her when she whipped around, eyes still sparkling with awe. "What? I was helping you make sure it was real."

Sam tried to glare at him but between the enchanted feeling swimming along her bloodstream and her overwhelmed senses, it wasn't believable. A part of her wanted to scramble for her phone and take a picture of Velaris to capture this moment in time forever; however, the other part wanted to keep it locked in her heart and mind instead, savoring this small piece of heaven just for herself. Rhys had told her that Velaris had long been kept secret, until relatively recently, and Sam could understand why. She, too, would want to protect this very city for as long as possible against all threats; Sam understood why her oath was so important, why it had so much weight to it.

Sam's eyes turned to the mountains, a cool breeze caressing her face as three bright stars appeared above a peak, "Hey Siri….play 'I See the Light' from Tangled…" She whispered to herself as she stared at the stars slowly glowing brighter.

Rhysand came up beside her, putting a hand between her shoulder blades and jolting her from her daydream, "Come, let's get you inside."

As Rhysand led her into the townhouse, Sam turned her head to see Velaris one more time, peeking around the shadow-cloaked arm and relaxed wing of Azriel, before disappearing into the antechamber of the townhouse. Inside the wooden and marble antechamber, a wooden door; the actual front door, was inset between two panes of fogged glass, separating it from the foyer. When Rhys opened the door into the foyer, Sam was greeted by red carpeting and wood-paneled walls, decorated with beautiful canvas artworks throughout.

It was comfortable and warm, Sam noted; a fire roaring in the black marble fireplace to her left, bookcases built into the surrounding walls, and filled with heavily loved furniture with worn down cushioning. On her right was a dining room with a long cherry-wood table with ten chairs taking up the space, a glittering crystal chandelier suspended from the ceiling emitted a soft glow around the room.

Still feeling a high from seeing Velaris for the first time, Sam almost didn't notice two female figures waiting in the sitting room. In the room with the fireplace, were two figures that were complete opposites. One female was small and thin with smooth tan skin and black hair chopped at her chin. Her striking silver eyes made Sam very uncomfortable along with the air of pure indifference that rolled off her.

The other was perhaps the most beautiful female Sam had ever seen in her life. She stood tall and confident, with bright, golden hair cascading down her back in waves. Rich brown eyes shined with intrigue at Sam's presence, and her lips were stained blood red. While Sam didn't care to give another female a body check out of respect; she honestly couldn't help it. Her eyes trailed down the curvy, feminine figure and then followed back the path up to her eyes.

Rhys spoke up from next to her, introducing the two females but Sam didn't hear a word. Still in a daze from what was awaiting just outside the townhouse and the two females standing in front of her. Sam blinked and shook her head when Lucien nudged her shoulder to grab her attention. "I am so sorry, I was stuck on stupid, I apologize."

The blonde female grinned but there was no malice in it, only amusement which allowed Sam's shoulders to relax. "It's fine, Sam," She waved off Sam's obvious distraction at her presence and glided towards her with practiced ease, her heels making soft thuds on the carpet. "Azriel has told us about you; I'm Morrigan but call me Mor."

Sam bristled as Azriel's shadows brushed against her arms, her spine snapping straight. Sam's mind almost short-circuited as she made connections to stories and legends from her home planet. "The Morrigan?"

Mor looked at her with her head tilting to the side, her reply was smooth, curious in its response. "Yes, the very same."

Sam was silent for a few heartbeats, wrapping her head around the female standing in front of her. It took her longer than she cared to admit to sputter out an answer, "Holy shit, you're considered a goddess where I'm from. I don't know what to do, do I bow or..? What?"

Cassian's loud laugh broke the tension and a stunning but deadly smile graced Mor's beautiful ruby red lips. "Even in different worlds, your reputation precedes you, Mor."

"As it should," Mor winked at Sam, who returned it with an uneasy smile. She could hardly believe what she was seeing, the goddess was fae. What else had those legends missed or overlooked? What other details hadn't made the stories? "I'm Rhys' cousin. I oversee Velaris and Hewn City-"

"So this is the human girl I inked my skin for?"

Sam's attention left Mor to take in the smaller female who was still standing by the fireplace. The glow of the flames illuminated one side of her face, and her silver irises reminded Sam of molten steel. Her arms were crossed, and her expression resembling one of indifference as she took in Sam's appearance. Whatever it was that she was looking for, she didn't find it, and Sam felt a cold stab of rejection in her gut.

"Unfortunately, yes, I am that human girl who comes with her own branding iron," Sam spoke up despite knowing that she most definitely was not talking to her. "I'm Sam Damato." She didn't bother holding her hand out to shake.

Those cold eyes continued to look Sam up and down with a small tilt of her lips, making her feel akin to the mud she stepped on in the forest. "This isn't another Bryce situation, is it?"

There was a crackle of energy that filled the room and made her ears ring. Azriel's shadows writhed at the mention of the name causing him to tense behind her. She faked a yawn, fingering her ear to get it to pop as the energy grew thicker, putting more pressure on her eardrum than felt comfortable. Feyre gently touched Rhys' arm, whispering a warning through slightly clenched teeth, "Rhys."

Sam instantly felt the energy pull back and she looked at Rhysand as she blinked in surprise. That was him? If he was capable of summoning magic that heavy and so suddenly, the last thing she wanted was to be on his bad side. She was suddenly very happy that she took the Oath and was under his and Feyre's protection, the other option would not have faired well for her in the slightest.

Rhys glanced at Sam, nodding his answer to her internal thoughts with a slightly apologetic expression, "While there are similarities, Amren, I believe this is a completely different situation."

The female, Amren, held Rhysand's stare for a moment, having a silent conversation with the High Lord, before nodding. She turned her attention back to Sam, who felt more out of place among the occupants of the house than she had been yet, "So, from which sky did you fall out of?"

Sam's eyebrow piqued up, curiosity forming at the possibility of a past similar situation. Maybe she did have a chance to get back home if this Bryce person was able to leave. "Well, there wasn't much of a free fall from the sky, more like a wake-up with a mouth fulla dirt in a forest, but I come from a planet called Earth. It's a small-ish planet, I guess - "

Amren made a hum of agreement, interrupting her while she was talking and walking forward to stand beside Mor. Sam was taller than Amren by a good foot, at least, but even with her smaller stature, Sam knew that whatever power Amren had it should not be trifled with. The way she held herself beside the golden-haired female was equally confident if not impressive. "What should I be looking for if we're going to send her back?"

"Portals, rifts, magical objects, other worlds, astrology, rituals, take your pick," Rhys replied, sitting down on one of the couches in the room. Feyre followed suit, gesturing for everyone to join them. Cassian went to the window, moving the curtain to the side to peer outside at the city.

"So, we know nothing," Amren said exasperatedly, rolling her eyes and spinning to face Rhys. "You brought a stranger into Velaris and you know nothing about her or how she got here?"

"I wasn't about to leave her in Day Court and Lucien wasn't going to let her stay in Autumn; she's human, Amren, human, at least here we know we can protect her."

"Human or not, Rhys, we don't know the first thing about her. How do we know she's not a plant from Vallahan, Montesere, or Rask? Places that were sympathetic to Hybern's cause? Who still supports another uprising?"

"Does it help that I have never heard of those places?" Sam muttered under her breath, watching the confrontation between Amren and the High Lord.

"No." Amren snapped at her and Sam's eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Oh, my bad." Lucien nudged her arm, shaking his head in warning to not get between the two formidable faes. "What?"

Sam knew that not everyone would be so welcoming towards her, that there would be those who had reservations about her. She had been wondering who would be the first one who would tire of her, grow annoyed at her presence, or decline to help her. The bargain tattoos, which held an enchantment within their ink, required those who agreed to assist her but did not require them to be happy about it. Sam figured it would only be a matter of time before they, too, gave up on her.

"There have only been whispers of another uprising, one that Mor and Cass have been dealing with between the foreign lands. Az says it's nothing but hearsay at this point." Rhys pinched the bridge of his nose. "We have spies strategically plac-"

"We were not the only ones who felt Prythian shudder, I'm sure those territories felt it too."

"I'm sure they did, hence, she is here with us. She is safest here."

"But are we at risk? Velaris? Our people, Rhys."

"No. We are not at risk by bringing her here into the Night Court. I would not risk my people like that, have some faith, Amren."

"Let's hope you know what you're doing," Amren turned her attention to Sam. "If you so much as think about betraying us or our High Lord and Lady's kindness, I will skin you alive and burn the remains."

Sam, who knew what a promised threat sounded like when she heard one, didn't falter an inch as those silver eyes turned to slits. Sam felt it was another test of her resilience as she met her stare. She was grateful and indebted to these faes and could not even fathom deceiving them in the way Amren suggested. "I would hand you the knife willingly."

Amren, for her part, seemed satisfied with that answer and turned to Rhys again. Sam let out a soft breath once those eyes were off her. "I will begin looking into rifts. I will let you know when I find something." She looked back at Sam, staring her down before slipping past her towards the door.

"Thank you," Sam blurted out quickly as Amren passed her. She doubted she cared if Sam was thankful for her but Sam needed to say it. She needed her to hear it from her own mouth even if she didn't give a damn about it. "Thank you."

Amren only looked at her for a moment before continuing on her way toward the exit. Sam frowned, looking down at the hardwood floor. Knowing ahead of time that rejection hurt did nothing to soothe the fractured part of her pride, feeling it crack into tiny fissures as the front door slammed shut. She bit the inside of her cheek hard enough to taste blood and Lucien set a hand on her shoulder, giving her a small squeeze in reassurance. Regardless of the obvious animosity stemming from Amren, Sam would continue to thank her and prove that she was worth helping, even if she was beginning to hear those little voices in the back of her mind saying otherwise.

There was a heavy silence for a minute that seemed to stretch on to the point of awkwardness. No one knew what to say in the aftermath, so instead said nothing. It was clear that Amren's protests were already something that had been thought about, and discussed, without Sam being aware of it.

"That went surprisingly well," Mor finally said to break the ever-growing silence, sitting down on the couch opposite Feyre and Rhys.

"Wait until she meets Nesta." Cassian replied from the window, crossing his arms across his broad chest.

Sam turned her head towards the front door where Amren had just left, wishing she could have held on to the carefree feeling she had just experienced for a little while longer.

---

It was several hours later when Sam was finally left alone to her own devices, finding comfort in one of the spare rooms of the townhouse Feyre offered for her use. Fire-warmed and beautifully decorated, the room was filled with plush cream blankets and ivory pillows, accents of sage green scattered throughout the space added a soft touch. Another massive bed took up most of the room, a normal occurrence she supposed, given how incredibly tall most of the fae she had encountered had been; never mind the two males with wings. A small marble bathroom was tucked away to the left and walls of windows overlooking a lush outdoor garden, a stone fountain nestled in the middle, and Velaris rising in the background.

Foregoing dinner, Sam had taken refuge in the spare bedroom. The confrontation between the High Lord and his Second left a sour taste in her mouth, and her appetite disappeared immediately afterward. Lucien, bless him, had tried to convince her to at least nibble on some cheese and cured meats but even the thought of food had turned her stomach. No, she needed something else to take her mind off of everything going on around and with her.

Sam stood in front of the windows for a while, staring out towards the City of Starlight, still attempting to convince her mind that it was real, that what she was seeing was real. The amount of times she had to remind herself that what happened to her was real was becoming too many to count. Would she ever feel at home here? When would she stop wishing for her world? Besides Josh and Melissa, what was there to go back to?

Sam shook the thoughts from her head, knowing where that line of thinking was leading. She changed into a more comfortable set of clothes, a silky amethyst-colored pair of shorts and a matching tank top; a long, black robe made of the same material covered the rest of her skin as she had planned to make her way to the rooftop garden.

Lucien had warned her about the strength of the faerie wine, and to be careful about how much she consumed as it had a stronger effect on humans than it did on them, especially with an empty stomach. Sam wouldn't have taken the warning very seriously if it wasn't for her High Lady agreeing with him. Feyre had hinted at a rather tumultuous time in her life where the wine helped her forget a series of evenings and Rhys had a rather forlorn look on his face as she spoke about it. A story for another time.

With the bottle and a glass in hand, she made her way out onto the rooftop garden, gently closing the door behind her. The night sky opened up for her, stretching across the horizon with a thousand twinkling stars. The chilly night air instantly soaked into the silk of her clothes, the brushing of the fabric against her skin causing small goosebumps to awaken along her flesh. She inhaled deeply, the scent of the city dancing along her senses as the stars winked at her from above.

She could stare at this view for the rest of her life and not mind a single moment, she decided. The breathtaking beauty of Velaris was unlike anything she could ever find on Earth. Not that she had traveled her world a lot, but she was convinced that nothing on Earth could touch the unblemished beauty of Velaris.

Sam glanced at her phone, the screen displaying that there was less than 35% of the battery left. A frown appeared on her face, the thought of being without her phone, despite it not working in this new strange world, felt like another farewell to her homeland. She set down her bottle and glass on the iron table, settling into one of the low-backed chairs - if she wasn't going to have her phone for much longer, using the last of her battery to listen to her music would be a good way to send off her final piece of connection to home.

Going into her downloaded music, she pressed the shuffle button, allowing her playlist to choose the songs for her. Instantly, the sound of piano keys and guitar riffs filled the otherwise quiet night. Sam's breath shuddered when she recognized the song, turning the volume up to a loud but acceptable level, setting it beside her to pour herself a large glass of wine.

"I don't wanna die alone, I don't wanna live forsaken, I refuse to let this go because my soul is breaking -"

She settled back in the chair, scooting down to rest her head against the back to look up at the sky, getting lost in the rough voice of Ivan Moody. For the first song to start playing, it seemed that the universe and the powers that be wanted her to feel what she was trying so desperately to shove down.

Despite Lucien's strong warning and Feyre's agreement, Sam just wanted one time, just once, to forget what was happening to her. To be numb to it all. Perhaps anyone else would say that she was running away from her problems instead of facing them. But how do you face something that you have yet to make sense of? She took a deep pull from her glass, allowing the warmth to spread throughout her body and willing herself to be in the moment.

"Wake me up when this is over, I'm tired of living life like it's a dream. Please wake me up when it's all over, I'm tired of living right here in between."

Sam picked up her phone, opened her gallery, and scrolled through her pictures, looking at the numerous photos of her, Melissa, and Josh on various occasions. Her heart squeezed, seeing the happiness that Josh and Melissa had on their faces when looking at each other, it was the same look that Sam saw on Feyre and Rhysand. It made her envious, and jealous, but most of all it made her sad. Sad that she had lost her chance at experiencing that herself in her world. The sadness turned into heartbreak, believing that she would never get to see her two best friends again; never see them get married, never be an aunt to their future children, never go through life with them; that life would continue without her and it would return to a new normal for them while Sam was...here.

"It's not a joke at all, inside my spirits fading. I refuse to take the fall 'cause no one cares at all."

Before she could stop them, tears slipped from her eyes and she locked her phone, throwing it onto the table while the music continued to play. She needed to forget. Forget what she had lost and continue to be blissfully unaware of what tomorrow held for her. She downed the glass of wine and was in the middle of pouring another when the wave of light-headedness hit her. She continued to pour her second glass as the weightlessness reached each of her limbs.

It took minutes for her to drown the second glass, her thoughts getting fewer and far between and the music lulling her into a tranquil state of mind. Her fingers tapped against her stomach to the beat of the drums while she stared at the sky, watching a few stars fly across the black expanse of night. For a moment, she could believe that she was somewhere else, somewhere she belonged.

The first giveaway that she was no longer alone on the small balcony was the shadows that slithered along the stone floor and toward her ankles. The second was the rustling of wings. Sam slowly turned around to see Azriel closing the door to the balcony behind him. Her vision wasn't blurred, a little fuzzy, but she could see him standing tall against the lighter exterior of the townhouse even if his shadows cloaked his being.

She gave him a small smile in greeting, her voice soft and low even over the music playing around them. "Hello, Azriel."

Azriel tipped his head to her, his voice just as quiet as he greeted her in return, "Hello, Sam." He studied the phone, the sound coming out of it, before taking a few steps closer to where she was seated. His gaze turned towards the city, sweeping over the landscape of rooftops and shining lights, the breeze rustling his dark hair across his forehead and the darker masses at his back.

Sam watched his wings flex outward at the touch of wind as if preparing for flight but Azriel stood still, his attention staying on the city just beyond them. Sam shifted in her seat to sit cross-legged, motioning to the other chair across from her, "You're more than welcome to join me, I'm just listening to music."

"Music? That's music in your world?"

Sam let out a chuckle, her eyes shining from the alcohol in her system. "Oh, come on now, don't insult my world's music. We have a wide variety." She joked and Azriel watched her face as it lit up when another song came on. "This one is pretty good, it's by a band called The Midnight."

"Is all the music there so...loud?"

Her eyes were still shining brightly at him when he sat down. "No, not all of it. We have classical music, opera, pop, rap, R , rock, country, synth-wave, metal...really every combination of instruments and vocals you can think of, we have some kind of genre that has it in it."

"Do you play an instrument?" He asked, waving his hand for another glass to appear from his shadows. Sam perked up at the blatant display of magic as he took hold of the wine bottle and helped himself to a glass.

"I used to, it's been a few years since I have. I played the guitar." She replied, her gaze going back to the sky above.

"Why did you stop?"

"Life got in the way." She said quietly, marking another shooting star streaking by, her fingers still tapping her stomach with the beat.

Azriel could tell there was more to it than just 'life' but he pushed no further, sipping from his glass of wine. The vocals of the song drifted along the breeze, a comfortable atmosphere settling between the two. She didn't feel the need to speak or keep a conversation going, content to just exist on the rooftop garden, imagining what life had in store for her. He was a stranger to her but she felt nearly as comfortable being alone with him as she felt with Lucien and Feyre which was promising to her.

Azriel listened to the beats of the drums coming out of the small speakers of the phone, curiosity getting the best of him. "How does it work?" He motioned to the phone on the table with his glass.

Sam sat up slowly and turned her body to face him, her tailbone numb from her weight pressing down on it against the hard seat of the chair. "Well, I'm not exactly sure how it all works, but basically this little device allows me to call other people who are far away, send a message to them quickly, take photos, watch videos, navigate, look up answers, listen to music...everything really. It uses what we call 'the internet' and...that's more complicated to explain." She smiled sheepishly at him, unlocking her phone and handing it to him. "You can go through it, it doesn't work right here and it doesn't have much battery left. Just use your finger to swipe the screen."

She felt the loss of her phone almost immediately. Going through someone's phone was an invasion of privacy if done unknowingly, but she just handed it to him, not thinking much of it. Subconsciously, Sam knew she trusted him even if she didn't know why. A part of her chalked it up to pure curiosity and intrigue on their part, having something so shiny and new to them would prompt anyone to get a closer look at it. So Sam just went with it, disregarding the feeling of vulnerability and hesitation when the phone left her hands.

Azriel touched the screen, tapping different icons and watching them close themselves, not having the necessary connections to operate properly. When the song changed, he thought he had pressed something he shouldn't have, almost handing Sam back the phone. Her little chuckle in response let him know that it was supposed to do that and he returned his attention to the little device. He kept tapping until one opened, finding stills of her life before the rift.

"Oh, yeah, those are pictures," Sam informed him quietly, her earlier feelings of sadness threatening to resurface. She took another sip from her glass and scooted her chair closer to his, being mindful of his wings which moved back a little to give her space to sit near him. She kept a respectful distance between them, not wanting to crowd him or make him uncomfortable. Sam needed to get used to the two males who had wings and had to get comfortable being near the added appendages since she would be here for the foreseeable future. So she put herself right next to them, forcing herself out of her comfort zone to become used to their presence. "Those are my best friends, Melissa and Josh, I was with them the night before all...this...happened."

Azriel studied the two people smiling at each other in the photo and Sam's equally bright smile beside them, "How long have you known them?"

Sam let out a breath, took the bottle of wine, and poured a smaller glass than the first two she had already consumed. So much for 'forgetting'. "A few years," Sam took a long drink from the glass, pausing a moment to allow the alcohol to flow through her body. "There was a time, a few years ago, that we had an epidemic in our world. Sickness spread throughout the countries and this was immediately after it," Sam leaned over to swipe the little screen Azriel still held. Sam's attention briefly caught on the scars littering both of his hands, the skin pulled taut across the bones and muscles as they moved but she said nothing, returning her attention to the screen. If Azriel noticed that Sam had seen his hands, he didn't say anything and she was grateful for it.

"This is Tybee Island, the beach, where they met. This was during a beach party called Orange Crush. The locals hate it but it's fun." A picture of what appeared to be hundreds of people on a sandy strip of land appeared on the screen. The photo was taken from the pier, overlooking the crowd. "They also have an amazing Fourth of July firework show during the summertime."

Azriel's finger continued to swipe through the photos, ignoring the small jolt of surprise when the song changed again. Sam hummed to the music, her body feeling lighter as she moved her head to the beats of the music. "Where is this?"

"That's downtown Savannah, where I was during the pagan festival. This is a different day though, the sunset was beautiful and it just looked too pretty to not take a picture of it while along the river, ya know?"

He took in the massive silver bridge against the backdrop of the pinks and oranges of the foreign evening sky. The river running underneath retained its sparkle despite the stillness of the image, and Azriel had a small desire to see it in person. "Are all your sunsets like this?"

Sam shook her head, propping herself on her elbow to lean on the armrest, "No, but the summer and winter sunsets are probably the best Savannah offers. It's a beautiful city, really, very old-filled with history, both good and bad. It's been through a lot, the city and its people, but it's a helluva place." Sam's mind started to venture away from her, her eyes going distant as she was pulled into a memory of walking along River Street with Melissa, enjoying a strong drink from one of the many bars scattered along the historic road.

Azriel stayed quiet to allow her to collect her thoughts, watching as the alcohol caused a soft flush to wash over her cheeks. The breeze from the cool night gently tossed her hair over her shoulder, and her scent of rose and blond wood washed over his senses, nearly causing his eyes to roll back. "How does this work if it's not...on intanet?"

Sam seemed to snap out of her memory, setting the glass of wine she was nursing down on the table, "It still has its basic functions while not connected to the internet. Here-" Sam gently took the phone out of his hold and Azriel quickly withdrew his hands, setting them in his lap out of sight. Sam tucked her hair behind her ear and made a few taps on the lit-up screen. "Okay, watch! We're going to take a picture!" Sam's excitement made Azriel's stomach flutter; a contagious, light feeling settling in his gut. She shifted closer toward him while holding the phone out at arm's length. "See us?"

"I do, but we're moving in the box."

"We won't be soon, but you gotta smile." A bright, if not buzzed, smile graced Sam's lips as she turned towards the camera. Azriel leaned a little closer to her, flexing his wing out behind her, and gave the smallest of smiles; a simple upturn of the corner of his lips. Sam tapped a circular button at the bottom of the screen, a shutter sound following. "And it's done! See?"

"And that's how a picture is done?"

Sam showed him the photo, the two of them fitting perfectly inside the little screen's frame, smiling while the lights from the townhouse created the backdrop behind them. "Congratulations, you just took your first selfie photo."

"A what?"

"A selfie, a picture of yourself, basically. This will stay on my phone forever as it can't be uploaded to the cloud or anything." Sam explained, handing the phone back to him. Her southern accent became more prominent the more the liquor took effect, her 'I's' sounding more elongated and her words coming out slower. "I'd explain what the cloud is but I'm not sure I know how it totally works either."

Azriel nodded accepting the answer and took the phone from her, continuing to swipe through all the pictures she had. It amazed him, pictures, they were like Feyre's paintings but immediate, capturing a memory in real time and holding it there. The depth of her situation struck him deep, deeper than it had originally when shifting through her photo memories. Her world was so advanced in comparison to his; taller, stronger buildings, technology, weapons, and music. While Velaris was advanced in its own right, it was not like Savannah was, her world, and Azriel felt a small twinge of pity for her. Here, they had magic and relied heavily upon it. Magic was in everything around them and they had none of it. At that moment, Azriel and Lucien agreed on something; she deserved help. She deserved to be protected.

There was a comfortable silence between them as Sam watched the photos skim past the screen. For the first time since being here, Sam didn't feel the longing for home so strongly as before, no doubt the faerie wine's doing. She was content to sit beside Azriel while he looked through her life, Sam adding little bits of information when he paused on a photo, opening a door into her world for the smallest of moments.

A lot of nature photos were in her gallery along with stills of her hometown. Some were of random items, or labels she had needed to remember but never got around to deleting, screenshots of recipes to try, saved stupid (hilarious) memes, and inspirational quotes. Feral cats sunbathing on the cobblestone streets outside the restaurant, graffiti on the sides of buildings, and selfies of Sam making funny faces or simple ones where she was smiling, each one different.

He had just swiped to another photo when the screen went black, the music turning off immediately. Sam sighed heavily at the sudden silence, reaching for the phone. "And it's dead."

Azriel handed her the phone, watching her put it in the pocket of the robe. "How do you...make it alive?" There were still hundreds of photos they hadn't gotten to yet. Some, Sam was grateful he hadn't come across.

A small chuckle escaped her, "You charge it with electricity. It's like...invisible streams of energy that flow through a wire that's connected to your phone...and other things. How ya'll have faelights, we have...just lights."

"Have you always had it?"

"What? Electricity?" At his nod, she continued. "As long as I've been alive, yes, but not always. We were taught in school it was discovered by Benjamin Franklin but it was actually by multiple people. It's a long story to get into as to what we were taught in school and what actually happened."

"History is like that, unfortunately."

"Written by the victors," Sam added, settling back into her seat, turning her head to face him while resting it along the backrest. "So, what about you? What's your story?"

Azriel remained quiet for a moment, deciding on how much and what to tell her. "There's not much to know."

Sam smirked, "And I'm the Queen of England," She nodded to his wings. "We can start there. Why do you and Cassian have wings but no one else does?"

Azriel's wings in question twitched, "We are a different race of faerie called Illyrians. We are a warrior race. We don't have pointed ears so High Fae consider us a Lesser race of faeries."

Sam, who hadn't noticed his rounded ears, sat up quickly to get a better look. Azriel moved his head to the left so the soft light shined more on the side of his face, showing her the rounded top. The alcohol in her system caused her to feel dizzy at her sudden movement, "Do ya'll have magic like Rhysand and Feyre?"

"To a point, I can move through shadows but Cassian can't. Neither can he winnow, it's something only the High Fae can do. But we can make things appear and disappear if that's what you mean." He held up his glass that he materialized from the blanket of shadows earlier.

"What's the High Fae?"

"High Fae are the ones who look more human, they usually have a ruling role within the lands. They are more powerful than Lesser Faeries. Rhys is half fae, half Illyrian."

"So he has wings too? Why can't I see them?"

Azriel grinned, taking a pull from his wine before answering her, "He does, he glamours them so they can't be seen all the time. Feyre can produce wings as well but her story is hers to tell."

Sam accepted the answer, amazed at what magic could do and at how much magic she was around. Her eyes were bright, brighter than Azriel had seen since she had been here. "Even if he is half Illyrian, he's still considered High Fae?"

"Yes," Azriel took a moment to gather his thoughts to explain as briefly as he could. "It was controversial when he assumed the role of High Lord but most people here accept him and his leadership. The Night Court has never been more prosperous; he is also the most powerful High Lord in Prythian history."

"Well fuck me, man," Sam muttered, blinking at the bomb of knowledge. She had the protection of the most powerful High Lord in history, in what she assumed was the most powerful Court in the country. Her gratitude only deepened for the risks they were willing to take for her.

Azriel choked on his wine, "I'm sorry?"

"Oh, not literally, it's just an expression." Sam waved her hand, dismissing what she said. "You'll likely hear me say worse. You said you can move through shadows?"

Azriel nodded, trying to keep up with the whiplash of the conversation. He wiped his face free of the sputtered wine and produced a shadow from his hand towards her. "It's a shadowsingers' version of winnowing. Anywhere there is a shadow, I can move through it." He explained as his shadow twirled around her fingers and up her wrist.

"A good advantage to being a spymaster, huh?" Sam watched the shadow as it made its way back towards its master, disappearing into the small cloud of black cloaking his body. "I'm pretty sure I know what being a 'spymaster' entails. Is that why you're out here?"

Azriel's eyes snapped up to hers. He could see the defenses starting to rise behind her eyes in preparation for his answer. Truthfully, he wasn't sure why he had ventured out onto the balcony. He knew she had been out there before he had taken the steps leading up to the roof, having heard her heartbeat and movements from above him. Maybe it was just in his nature that he wanted to collect any and all information concerning possible threats to his family. Perhaps he wanted to ascertain for himself, without Rhysand's abilities, as to whether Sam was telling the truth about her situation. Maybe he just wanted to get to know her, in her own words. He did ink his spine for her without so much as a reason why, after all.

"No, that's not why I am out here." He finally said. He wasn't sure where the need to explain further came from but he continued, "I know what it's like to feel alone, to not have anyone to talk to, to understand."

Sam watched him for a few more moments before turning her head to look over the city skyline. Perhaps it was the alcohol tangling in her blood that broke the filter between her thoughts and words, allowing her to speak to a near stranger about her fears. A boundary she previously defended viciously in the past but one that was now blurred by circumstances. "I'm scared, Azriel." A moment's pause stretched between them. "I'm scared as to why I am here...'cause there has to be a reason, right? I wouldn't have been brought here for nothin'. What if I was sent here to die? Why is it me, out of all the universes, that got sent here? To this specific world? What is the connection?"

"We will find that out. Amren is already working on it. As you said, there must be a reason and I do not doubt that we will find it."

"I hope so." She replied with a sigh, still staring out towards the mountains.

"When we get to the House of Wind, we will start researching. It has a library and we can start there."

"The House of Wind?"

Azriel pointed towards the mountain range she had already been looking at and in the distance, Sam could see a massive building that seemed to be carved out of the mountainside itself. "That's Cassian and Nesta's house, Rhys gave it to them as a mating gift but that's where I stay most of the time as well." Azriel would wait to tell her that there were only two ways to get up to the House of Wind.

"A mating gift?"

Azriel realized, quite quickly, that it would likely be up to him or Lucien to explain what they could about their world, as Rhysand would likely inquire more about her world and its workings than he would divulge about theirs. "It's a connection between two...people, deeper and rarer than soulmates. If Cauldron blessed, you find your mate in life. Someone who is your missing piece, a part of you that you hadn't realized was missing but upon finding, realizing that you had never been whole before."

Sam smiled at the thought, "So, Cassian and Nesta, Rhysand and Feyre…"

"Lucien and...Elain." Azriel stumbled over saying her name, his complicated feelings for the female still a fresh wound.

Sam didn't seem to notice, "What about you?"

"No, I have not found my mate." Azriel felt the daggers of envy for his brothers stabbing deep into his gut as thoughts of how lonely he was made their nightly appearance. He chased them away by drinking the rest of his glass.

"So, this...cauldron? What is it?"

"It made everything, all of us, this entire world." Simply put, he decided. The burn of the wine left a trail from his throat to his stomach. He would need a few more glasses before he called it a night if he had planned for any kind of sleep tonight.

Sam made a face of understanding, bobbing her head, "So kind of like the 'Big Bang' or God. Okay, I can get it."

"God?"

Sam looked over at him, a sleepy smile on her face. "I am in no condition to start the 'God' conversation tonight. It's a long one, complicated, confusing, and, honestly, highly debated and controversial in my world." A laugh escaped her and his shadows shivered at the sound. "Some consider it 'a bad move' on His part, creating humans."

Azriel watched her slow blinks and glassy eyes, "I think we should get you to bed."

"You may be right. I haven't stood up since I started drinkin' and Lord knows, Lucien and Feyre were right...shit's strong." She made to stand up, veering to the right and overcorrecting to the left, causing her to stumble ungracefully.

Azriel's hand shot out immediately, catching the arm of her robe. "Have you always been a lightweight?"

A shocked gasp ripped out of her, "I'll have you know, I can hold my liquor just fine. Magical wine just seems to be stronger is all and...I may have overestimated my ability. Only a little bit, though."

"Only a little bit." He echoed, keeping a hand hovering near her waist in case her body decided to nose dive to the floor. He opened the balcony door and stepped aside for her, the set of steps in front of them. "The true test will be the stairs."

"Oh Jesus Christ," Sam grumbled, grabbing onto the door frame and looking down the stairs to the landing. What she wouldn't give for the ability to winnow right now. At the recalled phantom feeling of winnowing, her stomach lurched. On second thought, having the ability to not winnow would work just fine with her.

"Whose that?"

"Who? Jesus? Clearly not a helpful being right now." Sam rolled her eyes, gripping the railing tightly as she began her journey down. "He's the God guy I mentioned, or the Son of God, or…whoever. See why it's complicated? I can't think straight righ' now."

Azriel held back a grin, taking the steps with her as his hand continued to hover behind her. "Can you even see straight, right now?"

She stopped, turning her head towards him which caused her to sway dangerously backwards. Azriel's hand settled in the middle of her spine before she leaned back further. "You sayin' I need glasses?"

"No," Azriel's lips curled up, his voice dropping low as a chuckle fought its way up his throat. "You've had...three, almost four, glasses of faerie wine in over two hours, I would be impressed if you could see straight."

Sam hummed, taking another step down, "I'm starvin'."

"Let's get you off the stairs first and then we will worry about food."

"On second thought, I want to lay down." Sam mumbled, the thought of the comfortable bed awaiting her made her realize how heavy her eyes were and how exhausted her body felt.

"Only a few more step-whoa!" Azriel grabbed Sam around the waist as she canted forward, his wings partially flaring out to steady him. Azriel rushed her down the last three steps, partly to save her from an unfortunate meeting with the ground and the other to just get her off the stairs. "Do mortals usually have this disregard for their safety?"

"We're a special breed." Sam quipped while she swayed, her eyes closing tightly. It took a few moments for her to regain her balance and swallow down the wave of nausea that struck her. "Oh, I fucked up."

"Yeah, you did." Azriel let out an amused chuckle, letting go of her waist and hovering his hands near her back again. "We're almost to the bedroom, only a little more to go."

"I'm never drinking again."

"It doesn't take being a spymaster to know that was a lie."

"No need to show off."

"Yes ma'am."

It took ten more minutes for them to make it to Sam's room where Azriel had enough time to walk her towards the bed before she face-planted into the comforter, completely passed out. He took a moment to grab the trash can from the bathroom and place it beside the bed in the event she couldn't make it far from her position in the morning. As he closed the curtains, his shadows pulled the robe from her body and deposited it on the armchair in the corner. He looked over the colorful tattoos covering her upper arms and the inked bargain markings down her spine, disappearing underneath the tank top and the throw blanket the shadows covered her with.

He waved his hand, the faelights disappearing once he made his way toward the door. He glanced inside the room one last time, double-checking that she was comfortable before closing the door with a soft thud. He grinned as he made his way to where Cassian was lounging in the sitting room.

She would be here for a while and would have to get used to how his family liked to tease each other, so why wouldn't he tell Cassian that Sam claimed she could hold her liquor? Seemed like something his brother should know and it was his duty to inform his family of interesting discoveries after all.

As he joined his brother in the sitting room, he sent one of his shadows back to Sam's room to keep tabs on her in case she woke up in the middle of the night. With one look at Azriel's blank expression, Cassian knew he had something to tell him.

"So?"

Azriel leaned back on the comfortable couch, his wings draped on either side of him, and grinned deviously at Cassian.