Rhysand
I winnowed Aelin away to the prison, and we appeared on the rocky outcropping ahead of the gates. The immense mountain rose before us, dwarfing Aelin's slim frame. Her eyes were focused on the mountain with a steely gaze of determination. I cleared my throat as her eyes focused on mine. "This is the Prison, it holds some of our world's most dangerous criminals within the mountain. We can't winnow directly inside, but once we enter we can leave at any time you want. We won't be trapped, and we won't see anyone else besides the Bone Carver. The guards inhabit the walls themselves." She nodded tersely. I hated having to bring her here after learning of her time in the mines, but the Bone Carver could have vital information for her.
As we approached the gates, I filled Aelin in on the additional details of the Bone Carver, how he would appear, how to interact with him and more. Typically I was very concerned when speaking to the Bone Carver, but I was almost giddy to see him interact with Aelin. She could talk circles around everyone, and had an incredibly sharp mind. The Bone Carver may not be the one walking away from this conversation victorious.
Right before we entered the wards of the Prison, Mor reached out mentally Please hurry up at the Prison. Cassian has decided now is an excellent time to share all of your intentions regarding the Queen with Rowan and now they are heading to the training ring. I would expect complete bedlam when you return.
I chuckled at that. I had caught the gleam in Cassian's eyes as we had winnowed away and was not surprised that he had taken the time to inform the other Fae male of his thoughts, especially since my bothers and I had discussed our intentions the night before. This powerhouse of a female had ensnared all of us, and I think she would find we were not that easy to shake. Surprisingly, knowing my brothers and even Rowan wanted a piece of Aelin didn't fill me with jealousy. It's like my primal self understood the absolute rarity and brilliance of this woman. If I were entrusted with even a small part of her heart, I would guard it more fiercely than all the treasures in the realm.
During my musings, we had arrived at the elaborately carved doors to The Bone Carver's cell. I turned to Aelin, who nodded with determination. Sliding into my irreverent high lord mask, I sauntered into the cell. A small girl looked back at me, the sinister expression of the Bone Carver unsettling on her delicate features. Blond hair cascaded over an adorable face, but her violet eyes burned with the knowledge of a being who had been alive before the establishment of Prythian. I heard a sharp inhale come from Aelin as she entered the cell behind me. I turned my sharp gaze to her, but she had already mastered her features. Her true thoughts were now hidden behind her cocky and arrogant assassins mask. Turning back to the small child, I tossed him a bone fragment. Nodding towards it, "A piece of rib bone from Amarantha after I tore out her heart."
The carver greedily examined the bone and turned towards Aelin, "Such an illustrious guest you bring me, High Lord. A World Walker. Our realm has not seen the likes of you in a millennia."
Aelin quirked her eyebrow at that, "And what do you know of other worlds, Carver?" Her refusal to be impressed or cowed by such a primordial being floored me.
"More than you would think, World Welder." I quirked my eyebrow at that, more titles would be forthcoming, it seemed. "The real question is if you shall reunite Eirlea and Prythian, as the whispers of the worlds suggest."
Aelin hummed, "So our worlds were once one. Interesting, but forgive me if I fail to see the pertinence of that at the moment." I couldn't help that my heart jumped at that. If our worlds were meant to be one, that meant there was a real possibility of keeping Aelin in our lives. Hope and longing filtered through my chest as I kept my expression carefully blank.
The Carver grinned cruelly, "Oh? Well perhaps you will find it pertinent to know that the enemy you and the High Lord prepare to fight are one and the same."
"You mean that the King of Hybern is a valg? I had already assumed, but thanks for the confirmation," Aelin smirked. At that statement, I gaped slightly, I couldn't help it. I know we had briefly told her about the conflict, but not in enough detail where she could have made a deduction like that. She winked at me, "I have my ways."
The Carver seemed to grow more incensed at her utter disregard. He practically hissed, "High Lord, how about you kindly step outside my cell. The World Welder and I need to have a private discussion, and some of us still have a sense of respect." I glanced at Aelin, who nodded while keeping her gaze pinned to Carver. Knowing she could handle herself, I exited the cell, while wishing with all of my being that I could stay for the remainder of the meeting. The Bone Carver didn't have an ounce of respect in his being, so I was sure that was going to be an interesting conversation.
Aelin
I heard Rhysand leave, but kept my gaze pinned to the Bone Carver, who had appeared to me as Sam of all people. When I entered the cell I felt my heart break at the cruel impersonation of the boy who had loved me and died for me, despite all of my faults. I refused to let my weakness show as I cocked my head, "Interesting that you speak of respect when you showed me to ultimate disrespect in your appearance."
A cruel grin, that had no place on my Sam's face, spread as he replied, "Well it certainly got your attention, which was the ultimate goal. Now listen girl, I would not be telling you any of this but Mala herself petitioned me to bring you up to speed." I narrowed my eyes at that, Mala certainly was involving herself more than I anticipated. "The Valg are a plague on our worlds, and the reason that Eirlea and Prythian are no longer connected. If you want a chance to change your fate as Nameless, you need to work with your mates in order to defeat the Valg and reunite the worlds. Tell the High Lord you'll need the book of breathings."
My mind shut down. I must have misheard him. My face betrayed absolutely no emotion when I asked, "Did you just say mates? In the plural form?"
Sam's ever familiar smirk spread across the carver's vision of him when he said, "You haven't felt it then? My, my, you must have really been broken. Yes, World Welder. The Gods have given you four mates, and lucky you, you've already met them."
"Who," I gritted out.
The smirk widened into a full on grin. "Rowan. Rhysand. Azriel. Cassian." My mind whirled as I tried to dissect this information. Yes, I had felt a connection to all of them but this was beyond anything that I could have imagined. I barely kept track of the rest of the conversation as I tried to absorb this revelation. When I was certain I had all the information he was willing to share with me, I ended our little game.
I headed towards the doors of his cell. Pausing at the entrance, I turned towards the Bone Carver, allowing the full force of my flames to be visible in my eyes. "One last thing, Carver. If you ever take this form in front of me again, it will be the last thing you ever do. That is a promise." I was rewarded by the paling of his face, and a glint of true fear shining in his gaze.
Smirking internally, I left the cell and nodded to Rhysand as we began to exit the Prison. My mind was spinning with all the information that the Bone Carver had shared. Obviously I would have to share the information regarding the Valg and the worlds, but the more I thought about it, the more I was determined to ignore the...additional information that was shared. If Rowan was truly my mate, that was clear evidence that a mate bond did not guarantee love. Knowing my own predilection for pushing people away, it was better for everyone if they didn't know we were supposedly mates. I would not force anyone to tie themselves to me out of some false sense of duty. Even with all the recent changes, I still wasn't convinced that this wouldn't end with my death, and there was no way I would drag anyone else with me.
Before I knew it, we had exited the main gates of the prison, and I felt Rhys's sharp gaze. I glanced towards him, concern evident in his gaze. "We will discuss it with the rest of your court, but it seems we have some work to do High Lord." Taking stock of my face, I made sure that no emotions were visible. With a slow nod, he captured my arm and winnowed us to the training ring at the House of Wind.
We appeared in the training area atop the House of Wind to pure chaos. Rowan was attacking Azriel and Cassian in the sparring ring, with much more ferocity than appropriate. Az and Cass returned his attacks with just as much fervor, and the ring was full of flashes of ice and blue and red power. Mor stood to the side near where we had appeared, looking unimpressed. Turning to me, she rolled her eyes and explained, "The children didn't know how to properly express their emotions, so they decided to fight it out like toddlers fighting over their favorite toy."
I decided to ignore the flutter that interesting statement ignited in my chest, and snorted at Mor, rolling my eyes. I liked the female, I decided, the males certainly were behaving like children. I squared my shoulders, cracked my neck and moved towards the ring.