Cursebreaker and Fireheart

Chapter 15: The Return

"Well... this one-" She pointed to a stripe around her left arm, visible through the sheer sleeve of her dress- "Is from a deal I made with the monster under our library, Bryaxis." 

Aelin's brows shot up. "What did you trade for?" 

"It offered to kill two people who were after me in return for my company from time to time," Feyre said, meeting their eyes again. Upon seeing their faces, her mouth curved upwards in a bitter smile. "It's not the first bargain of its kind I've made." 

"Well, yours are certainly more interesting than mine." Rowan said, a new interest in his face. Aelin could tell what he was thinking. He was seeing Feyre in a new light, as more intimidating than Aelin had described her. Aelin herself was a bit impressed. Feyre had obviously been through more hardships than she let on. 

"Anyway," Feyre said, looking back at Aelin. "You told me you'd explain everything. I know a few things now, but not everything. Rhys and I-" Feyre turned pale, as if realizing she'd said too much. "I-I mean-" 

"Rhys..." Aelin mused. "Could this be the fearsome High Lord of Night?" 

Feyre hesitated. Aelin could practically see her cursing herself before she finally nodded.

"My mate. He and I visited a Suriel today, asking it questions about you and Terrasen." 

"What's a Suriel?" Rowan asked. Feyre's eyebrow quirked upward. 

"You don't have Suriels? They're rather handy sometimes. A Suriel is a creature who, if captured, will tell you whatever you want to know." 

Rowan grunted, looking over at Aelin. "We could have used one of those." Aelin laughed.

'Very, very true." She looked back to Feyre. "So what did you learn from this Suriel?" 

"Well, for one, there was something about a Lock you made, depleting your powers. The Lock supposedly cut off contact between worlds, right? And you trapped these gods in a different realm?" Feyre asked. 

"Yes. The Lock's been broken now, and somehow the gods escaped. We still don't know how." Aelin replied. Feyre nodded, but she still looked troubled. 

"Before I go on... how did you know what Velaris looked like?  You acted like you'd been there before." 

Aelin sighed. "In a way, I have. When I made the Lock, all the worlds overlapped. It caused me to fall through them, one after another. Velaris was only one of many places I passed by." 

Feyre's eyes were wide open. "You passed through Velaris?" 

Aelin nodded. "As I was falling, I was moving too quickly to be able to stop once I reached home. And I knew this. When I fell through your world, I saw you, and a Fae male with wings like a bat." 

Feyre's eyes had, if possible, gotten wider. "You saw me and Rhysand. That's why you looked so scared when I told you I was from Velaris. I probably confirmed that the Lock had been broken." 

"Yes, you did," Aelin said, fingering Goldryn's hilt. "Anyway, your Rhysand helped me. He used his power and slowed me enough to return home. For that, I am eternally grateful to him." 

"Wait... he never told me about this," Feyre murmured, looking away. "Why didn't he tell me about this?" She turned back to Aelin. "You say I was there. Why don't I remember it?"

"It may not have come to pass yet," Rowan remarked. "Aelin told me that you were heavily pregnant when she saw you before." 

Feyre's hand drifted to her stomach. "I-I what? But I've never... this..." She genuinely seemed at a loss for words. 

"You haven't had any children yet, have you?" Aelin asked. Feyre shook her head, mystified. 

"No, but... I only just realized today that I might be soon." She said. She shook her head, seemingly clearing her thoughts. "So not only are you a World-Walker, you've traveled through time as well?" 

"It would seem that way," Aelin replied. "I have a question for you, Cursebreaker." 

"Alright." Feyre looked wary now. 

"You wouldn't happen to have the power to make creatures out of water, would you?" Aelin asked. Feyre looked surprised and raised a hand. Water appeared in her palm, morphing towards the ground until a watery wolf was in front of them, prowling in front of the High Lady's feet. 

"You mean this?" She looked a little smug at Rowan and Aelin's surprised reaction.

"Yes. That. You say my fire has been appearing in Velaris? Well, your water dogs have been showing up in Terrasen, and Adarlan, a kingdom ruled by one of my friends." Aelin said. 

"That's strange." Feyre's eyebrows knit together. "My wolves have been appearing in Velaris as well, but I didn't make them." She glanced at Rowan, then at Aelin again. "I feel as if there's more you can tell me." 

Aelin sighed, meeting Rowan's gaze. She wasn't sure how to explain this to Feyre. "Not anything concrete. We believe... well, suspect, that the Lock was not broken by accident. Someone broke it on purpose and stole my magic from it. And now they're sending it across worlds, for whatever reason." 

"That's a lot of hypotheticals for one sentence," Feyre commented. Aelin noticed she was twisting a ring around her finger. It was a gold and silver band woven together to hold a deep blue gem at its center. Aelin glanced down at her own hands and realized she'd been doing the same with her emerald ring. 

"I suppose. But when it comes to magic, nothing is ever one hundred percent clear." Aelin replied. 

"So," Feyre said, her brows knit together. "You're telling me that you have been to Velaris before. You saw Rhys and me, and Rhys helped you return home. Now, the Lock you made is broken, and the magic you used to create it is free. The gods you trapped in another world are also free, and appear to be out for revenge." She glanced up. "Have I got everything?" 

"I think so. I hope so." Aelin replied, smirking a bit. 

"There's something else I learned today, though." Feyre paused, seeming to think it over. "Well, I heard today. When I was speaking to the Suriel, it couldn't answer why the gods were after me. It said the answer was hidden from view. When I asked what could be powerful enough to hide it, he responded with 'You, Cursebreaker.' The only thing strong enough to block a Suriel's vision is the Cauldron, as far as I know." 

Rowan and Aelin exchanged a glance. "Cauldron?" He asked Feyre. Feyre looked momentarily confused, then understanding passed over her features. 

"Ah. You're from another world, right. Well, the Cauldron is what created my world. To control it is to control the world. To break it is to break the world. It's been broken once before, and I paid a..." Feyre choked a bit, then cleared her throat. "Well, I fixed it." 

Something clicked in Aelin's mind. "You used magic to fix it, I'm assuming?" 

Feyre nodded. "I believe you're getting the same idea I had. If someone stole your magic from the Lock, and is using it..." 

"Could someone have stolen yours from the Cauldron?" Aelin finished. She shook her head in disbelief. "Well. We're in deep shit now."

Celaena art by Taratjah!