A Court of Sun and Stars

A Court of Sun and Stars: Part 3

I stood in awe, in fear of the scene that unfolded in front of me. An entire court stood around in what looked like a throne room carved under what must be a mountain, not just a random cave. Fae of all courts stood around the room, it seemed to be some sort of gathering or party. They all turned to stare at me, the stranger in their home. A woman sat on the throne, she had deep red hair and very sharp features. She eyed me up and down with an icy glare. She must be their Queen.

"You did not tell me you invited another guest," the woman drawled out to the man who sat on the small throne to her left.

"I know nothing of her," he responded with a feline smile aimed in my direction. I glanced at where he sat, dressed in black finery with silver embroidery, a thin woman sat perched on his lap. He was incredibly handsome, with inky black hair, features carved from the Cauldron itself, and eyes so blue it was like looking into starlight. When I met those eyes with my own, something changed in his bored expression, all of a sudden his eyes widened slightly, the mask he clearly kept on his features faltering. In a second it was gone, and the icy mask was back in place and returned to looking bored, unamused by my presence. For some reason I suddenly felt drawn to him, like something about this beautiful man was familiar. Like the darkness that seemed to radiate off of him was calling to me.

"Well then, I guess if she's not yours than I'll keep her for myself," the woman said, her voice making the bundle of nerves in my stomach tighten to the point of pain. I started to panic, I had no idea where I was, who these people are, or what I had gotten myself into. I needed to leave, I could not get trapped again, and by the way the woman on the throne looked at me, I knew she had no intention of letting me leave.

I turned to winnow back to the hallway in which I entered, but before I could move, pain shot through my back. Agonizing, burning pain spread from my back to my arms to my legs, branching out until it shot through my entire body. I screamed as I fell to the cold marble floors. I could not see anything, my vision going white and red as every nerve on my body felt like it was on fire. I faintly heard laughter in the distance. Then suddenly the pain stopped and I was left breathing heavily as my body tried to recover on the floor.

"Should we question her, or give her another taste of my power?" The woman asked no one. The court looked around nervously, the blue eyes of the man on the throne were now cold, and I could have sworn something like anger flickered in them.

It took me a second to process the woman's words, but once I did I knew I needed to do something, the Cauldron did not give me this power for nothing. If only I knew how to use the damned magic, or at least summon it. I quickly tried to pull at that pool of magic in my core, but nothing happened. If I did not do something now she woul-

I screamed out in agony as my bones in my arms snapped, making the limbs limp. As my Fae power quickly healed them, my legs snapped next. I lay helplessly on the floor of the throne room as my bones cracked over and over. I could faintly make out the woman on the throne looking down at me, a glimmer of amusement in her eyes. Anger immediately shot through my body, along with the pain. I would not let myself be trapped again. I was power, and I would unleash myself on this woman.

I summoned that magic, pulling on the thread, summoning that magic into my body, to heal me. I rose from the floor, ignoring the murmurs and looks from the surrounding court. I felt her try to throw another wave of power at me, but this time I matched it with my own.

"What are you doing?" She hissed, clearly surprised my power could go up against hers. I tugged harder this time, drawing up more power until it no longer matched hers, but overpowered it. I channeled raw, undiluted power from the never-ending well inside of me, letting it flow through me and onto her. I focused all that energy, magic that I took from the Cauldron, my magic.

"Stop, stop this," the woman screamed, now on the floor lashing out in pain. She continuously tried to throw her powers out at me, but I blocked it as I continue to unleash myself onto her. I could feel the magic thrumming through my body, through my bones and blood. I could feel the wildness rising inside of me, until suddenly the magic stopped, and I doubled over in pain at the sudden emptiness. I looked up to see the woman lying limply on the floor, body mangled from what my magic did to her. I killed her.

"It's you," The man with starlight eyes breathed out, staring in awe at me, like he knew me. In fact the entire court was staring at me in awe, because I was a monster. I killed that woman, I am no better than her, I am a dark monster that should be chained up again. The man looked like he was coming toward me but I winnowed away, as far as I could. I was suddenly outside the mountain, standing in the brilliant spring grass again. I winnowed again and again and again until I was far away from those people, from the masacre I just performed. I was worse than the King of Hybern, I killed that woman without even knowing who she was. I was breathing heavily, rapidly, panic filling my body at what I just did. I felt the dull thrum of my magic in my veins, and shoved it down very quickly, not ever wanting to feel it course through me again. So I continued to winnow over and over again, until I ended up at my home.