02/23/2021  Testing The Wyrdmarks Pt3 ||Night Court|| Rhysand had been pacing before her for a solid ten minutes now, a deathly silence filling the space. Adeluna stood before the fireplace where he had been sitting when she and Azriel found him. She was watching her brothers feet as he paced back and forth. By the door Azriel stood, his wings spread out behind him in a lazy manner like he wasn't concerned at all that their High Lord was furious with them. Luna had walked in with a knot in her throat, and Az had allowed her to take the lead in explaining to her brother what she had done. The portal she had opened. The people she had pulled through. Her days spent with Az trying to find a way to fix it. But this hadn't been like when the Queen had ripped her brother through time and space. This was a magic older then the worlds and foreign to their people in every way. It wasn't a happy accident that it had worked since this want intended, but it was an accident all the same. It could have gone very wrong so she was lucky in that at least. Rhys stopped himself before her and Luna lifted her eyes to meet her brothers. Both siblings had midnight hair and violet eyes, Luna was shorter then her brother even in her heels but they clearly looked alike to anyone watching, the only way they mismatched was her brother hadn't had his wings clipped, and she did. So her back which was exposed bore the scars of weak mens brutality. That scarred back was straight now as she waited to hear what her brother would say. "This was beyond reckless, you see that right? I don't have to explain how dangerous opening unknown portals can be?" She shook her head and held back from rolling her eyes though that was her natural reaction to a tone like that from her brother. She was in the wrong now and she knew that reaction would only make him angrier. "I know and again, it was an accident. I was hoping to unlock the knowledge in the books about the wrydmarks. I had no idea I would have enough power even for that let alone to open a damn portal. But they are here now and we cant find a way to get them back. Replicating it would likely only bring more people over, possibly even leave more doors open." Behind them the deep voice of Azriel added, "And we might not be so lucky that next time its just a mother and child." Rhys looked at one of his oldest friends and nodded though it didn't take the sharp edge out of his stance. Adeluna pulled his focus back to her. Sitting down on the arm of one of the chairs that flanked the fireplace she crossed one leg over the others not breaking her eye contact with her brother. "I know its less then ideal but they are here now. I told Lysandra," she felt is was important that her brother not think of her as the woman and her child but give names to them while he considered their predicament, "That you might want to move them to the house of wind but I also said I would advocate for them to be left with me which is their preference. And I think you should come to my place to meet them." When his brow lifted she couldn't hold back the roll of her eyes. "Don't get all high lordy with me Rhys. My small apartment is where this woman has set up home base, she's been there for days and if we remove that we pull the rug out from under her again." Her brother nodded at her point. "You're right but I haven't gotten done being frustrated with this or you two for hiding this from me." He scrubbed his hands down his face and when he took a moments pause he folded into the chair whos arm she had perched on. Seeing him sit Azriel moved from his place at the door and sat in the remaining chair across from the siblings. They were quiet for a moment before Rhys spoke again. "They will stay with you. And before I come to meet them ill send Herdis and Mor. It might make them feel more comfortable to see women from the court before me. " Azriel nodded his approval and their High Lord continued to speak. "When you two leave here you will continue seeking the answers we need to help them get back. Ill also see if Amren knows anything about this other world." The fire before them popped, shifting with embers swirling through the air for a moment. Luna was looking at that shifting light when she said. "Once I introduce them to Herdis and Mor I will make sure they are comfortable and then see about searching in Asgard for answers. Even if they have nothing on this type of magic maybe they have means of dealing with outsider magic we can adapt and use. If I call on Magni, even without giving him the full story I know he will help me." She didn't like to think of keeping secrets from her mate but she could hardly let his family know she had made such a huge mistake before they had figured out a plan of action. Her brother nodded his head and then looked over at his spy master. Azriel shifted under the gaze before Rhysand added, "You should see if any of your resources have mention of unusual things like this happening in other courts. We need to make sure this hasn't opened another door that we might lose people through." Azriels face was somber as he nodded. He had his shadows listening to whispers for days and though so far it was all clear who knew if that would remain the case. But after inclining his head the shadow singer asked, "What do we do if we hear something strange? We can hardly get permission to go into these courts formally without explaining why and who lead to this." Az gave a pointed look at Adeluna causing the girl to roll her eyes again. Now they would focus on protecting her and if she let that get out of hand she would be barred from leaving Velaris. "Ok lets not get crazy now. No jumping ahead of ourselves. I will go into the city, find cousin Mor and your mate," she said looking at her brother pointedly, "And take them both to meet our new guests. That will give Az the time he needs to check his network of spies after which he can fly me into Asgard, ok?" she offered as a compromise which got a nod from her brother and then another from Azriel. She stood from the arm she had folded onto and gazed between them, "We will figured this out," she told them confidently before she gave each a kiss on the cheek and headed out of the library. Behind her she couldn't see the two men looking at each other pointedly. When she was out of earshot even for a fae Rhysand jerks his chin towards Azriel, the male who had been his friend longer then his sisters had been alive. "You will watch her every second until we figure this out. She wont take being locked up but we don't know if this magic is tied to her or a wild thing that might now prefer her for its master." Azriel nodded his head slowly, "I will guard her with my life, you know this." Rhysand nodded his head slowly and then sat back in his chair with a deep sigh. "It was too quiet, we should have known something would go wrong. But I shouldn't complain. This beats more war or dealing with another Amanrantha," Rhys leaned his head back then, taking a few moments to be just a man with a willful sister and not the leader of a people possibly facing another tragic time ahead of them. "It will be fine," he said to the ceiling, a half smile crossing his lips before adding, "And if it isn't id imagine my in laws will revel in pointing out my family cant stay out of trouble... that might make it marginally worth it. You know how I love to get under their skin." The short chuckle that passed between the men broke the tension that had filled the townhouse, leaving both men feeling better when they parted ways to make sure their home was protected.  *Written with  Rhysand:High Lord:Ruler of the Night Court: & -Azriel- Shadowsinger |The Night Courts Spymaster|* 07: PM 0 Comments  (Add Comment)  | 0 Kudos

02/20/2021  Testing The Wyrdmarks Pt2 ||Night Court|| Adeluna scrubbed her hands down her face hours later as she paced her living room hair now tied back from her tired face. Her apartment was small, a living space, a kitchen and what could have been an office though it was lined with bookshelves matching those her living room. She had two bedrooms, one that was a standard spare and then her own. In her spare room now slept the woman and child she has accidently ripped through time and space from a country that she had never heard of. The woman was slim, beautiful, with dark hair and warm eyes that had been sharp as she took in every move Adeluna made. The girl had light hair, lighter eyes and had clung to her mother without meeting Lunas eyes. She couldn't very well blame them. She was cutting a deep groove in her carpet when she whispered, "If any shadows want to whisper to Azriel that I need him, that would be wonderful." Az was her brothers spymaster, a shadow singer and one of the men who had been there since she was a child. He was as much her brother as Rhys was and he was less inclined to anger when she did something silly so he was her best bet at help now. Az was quiet where Cassian and Rhys were loud, he was clam for the most part while her brother was ice and Cassian and fire. What she needed was Az and like he had traveled to her on the wind she heard him knock on her door. She murmured a thanks to the shadows that always hugged Az, as she went to yank open the door. Azriels hair was swept back from his face and he watched her with a steady gaze, one that let her know he already knew more then he should. She motioned him in and shut the door behind him her words a whisper so she didn't disturb the sleeping pair in her room. "I fucked up and I have no idea how to fix it." She turned to pace again and then turned back to watch the man who was her brother in all but blood who waited, arms crossed and legs braced apart, like he was bracing for whatever she was to say. "You know I've been studying the different realms and the magics we have found in each one. Ive spent months in our own libraries and now the ones in Asgard. By the best translations on the works in our library and theirs we have the potential of 20 other worlds. 20 at least Az, and without understanding the wyrdmarks we cant see if there is more to learn out there. So I decided to try a spell." Az breathed through his nose, a quick huff that said he was about to interrupt and she held up her hand to keep him from speaking. "Let me finish. So I decided to try and open up the knowledge of the marks and hoped it would help us learn more. But that went horribly wrong and instead of opening up the knowledge it opened up a door." Motioning for him to follow with a finger to her lips she opened her guest room door and silently showed him the woman and girl sleeping in the bed there. Luna gave him a moment to take it in before she shut the door and lead him back to the center of her living room. "They say they are from a world I've never heard of Az. I can only guess right now that it was one of the 20 we theorize being out there. I debated telling Armen because, well weird is her forte but she would run to Rhys and I can not tell him I did this so soon after the courts move here. If he finds out I fucked up so badly... well I cant. You have to help me at least figure out if this is fixable before I tell him and Nisha that I did this." She gave him the biggest most pathetic eyes she could manage, the kind that once upon a time had encouraged him to take her flying when they both knew she wasn't allowed out. Before her wings had been clipped and her back scarred, her own death marring their soil. She reeled her mind back from that thought but the shift in her emotions meant a shift in scent from her and Azriels eyes softened then. His voice was low gravel when he spoke, keeping the same level of quiet now he knew two people were sleeping inside. "This isn't good Lu, you know that right?" She nodded her head as he moved to stand beside her, looking down the small hallway that lead to the bedrooms. "You don't think they are dangerous right?" he asked thought she knew he would now have his shadows watching her faithfully while they figured this out.  Adeluna shook her head, looking down the same hall, as she added, "Scared, I don't doubt the woman would attack if the girl was in danger. But I explained what happened and she seemed to understand she had limited options now. I mean she cant go home, her husband is in another world and yes, the more I speak the more fucked up I get this is," she ended on a sigh. Az leaned over laying his arm on her shoulders and pulling her into his side. "The girl smells human, completely mortal and sports a large scar on her face so I think I know why the woman comes off as so vicious in her look. The girl has suffered. The woman's scent, it reminds me of Tamlin, that earthy smell when he turns into a beastie. She might be some kind of shifter but if the girl is entirely human I doubt I'm in danger with them while we figure this out. Lysandra is her name and the impression I get is she knows we are each others best hope at figuring things out." The woman actually had a hell of a name and title but none of that mattered right now. Az squeezed her to his side in this weird half hug that made her smile and she rested her head on his shoulder as she added, "I don't want to admit that I've stranded them here. But if we don't figure out how I did it we cant undo it. And even if we do figured out how we have no sure fire reversal ability. So I'm worried." Kicking her head back she looked up at the man who usually was shrouded in wisps of darkness. But with her then and now they were still, she wasn't sure if he had sent his shadows off or if they were all to busy listening to play out as they usually did. Azriel sighed again before he spoke, "We will have to tell Rhys soon. If for no other reason then because he is our High Lord and he should know something this big Lu. But we can take a couple days and ensure we have no way to fix this before we take it to him." She relaxed against his side then, tension leaving her body as she nodded her head slowly, "Ok, ok that's good," she said a little breathless like her nerves were done with holding her up and keeping it together. Az kissed her raven hair once before he pulled back. "I'm going to keep shadows watching you so I want you to stay inside and out of the city, at least during the daylight when you can. Ill bring more food and some clothes for the pair and see about making them comfortable." Luna nodded her head smiling up at him then. If the people who had faced this warrior on the battlefield could see him now she knew they wouldn't believe it. He continued on oblivious to her train of thought, "Ill come back first thing in the morning so you can introduce them to me properly and make sure they are comfortable with me because we will see a lot of each other in the coming days." Az turned for the door and when he had opened it and stepped into her hallway he turned back to add, "Be careful," and flicked her nose like he did when she was a child. She swatted at his hand and snorted as he shut the door himself. She locked herself in and then sighed. She didn't think she would sleep much tonight, to wound up from the day. Three days later Lysandra and Evangeline were making dinner in Adelunas apartment, having spent the last few days getting used to to clothes and ambiance of her city. Luna was however not with the pair in her home, she was in the House Of Wind, pouring over books and pacing between grunts of frustration. "Az there is nothing here. Not even really confirming the 20 other worlds that attach to Prythian. Even if we operate that its only 20, which is a large assumption, and then that Asgard is one of the 20, that leaves us with 19 more possibilities. This gets us no closer to finding these girls a way home." Her stomach bottomed out as her frustration gave way to dread. Azriel had been looking out the window and had been since about an hour after he had flew them into the house itself. The view from the window was one of their city, their home. It was beautiful and Luna walked up to the window, sharing in the view with him, standing at his elbow as she said, "You don't have to say it. I know we have to tell Rhys. But I would like it noted that if he kills me he will regret it later, and that wont get them home... nor will it help figure out how I opened the portal in the first place." Az snorted and nodded his head, "Noted, and if it helps I'm almost certain he wont kill you." He looked at Luna over his shoulder and offered her a rare smile, it softened the hard lines of his face and that softer face didn't match the rough voice that came out. "But we don't have any answers and we are crossing the threshold into out right lying to him. I don't think that he or his mate would appreciate it." Luna winced at his words but she nodded slowly. She let her eyes go back to the window and sighed, "Ok, so we should fly to the townhouse and talk to them. Then I can go back to my place and warn my guests that my brother wants to meet them." She blew out a heavy breath but she didn't move just yet. Azriel wouldn't push her to move either, or to speak, he would let her process and then like he had since she was a baby he would help her to do what needed to be done. So he let her have time to compose herself for what would be a very very uncomfortable conversation with her brother.   Written with permission of  -Azriel- Shadowsinger |The Night Courts Spymaster| 10: PM 0 Comments  (Add Comment)  | 0 Kudos

01/31/2021  Testing The Wyrdmarks ||Night Court||   Adeluna sat in the grass, her knees pressing small dents into the carpet of blades below her as she leaned forward setting out her wares. The thick waves of her hair hung forward hiding her face and from afar no one would be able to tell it was her sitting under the growing moonlight. In a small pile to her right were books. Ancient manuscripts that were in a long lost language recently translated for them by her brothers second in command. Amren had then transcribed a single edition in their own tongue for them to read but Adeluna wanted to learn her friends ancient one so she had both with her. On top of that pile sat a bag that held the stones most precious to her. Runes, carved into amethyst, a gift from a prince of Asgard and her mate to boot though poor Magni didn't have a clue to that yet. To her left sat bowls with herbs, and stones that she had set up with paint still drying on their face. It was the last step to the magic she worked tonight and she hoped that all went well. The wyrdmarks that she had painted were, if her research was correct, to open. She hoped it was an understanding that would be opening though she was aware that it might be more literal in meaning. The first time she had seen the wyrdmarks of her friends ancient language she had thought how similar they looked to the runes that graced the langue of their new allies. She had first gone to Herdis, her sister in law and the first Asgardian she had ever met. But Herdis, for all her knowledge of magic and her own people had never seen anything quiet like the wyrdmarks. Then Adeluna had started to study in the great library of Asgard, with the queens permission and sometimes instruction. It was there she had been able to meet her mate one on one for the first time, and there he had gifted her his own runes. She kept them with her now, though she was past believing that they might help her to unlock the secrets of Amrens tongue. They made her feel like she was on the right track, a token though Magni might not know how important of one it was to her. She used the bowls full of herbs first, casting a circle to contain whatever magic she was about to unleash. There was nothing more important then protecting her family and their home and she wouldn't let anything past this circle that might do harm.    With the circle cast she mixed the rest of the herbs that needed to go together and then moved to the very center of said circle, starting a small fire that burned bright for her on the clear full mooned night. Her chant was low in her throat, an ancient fae tongue that most could no longer emulate let alone understand. As she walked back from the fire she checked the stones, and noted the paint no longer glistened. Smiling that her last piece was in place she scooped them into her hands and set them around the circle, the same low voice reverberating around the clearing. With the last stone placed she moved back to her seat, between her books and runes and empty bowls stacked inside one another. Letting her head fall forward she let her chest swell with the power charging the air and continued her chants, her voice growing no louder even though it was stronger and more clear then before. The circle gave off a faint haze, like steam rising from the grass though it was supposed to be an invisible thing. Adeluna didn't see this though as her violet eyes remained closed. As the glowing from the circle found a steady light to emit the wyrdmarks on the stones started to blaze, sharp shafts of light shooting up into the nights sky. The glow was so bright Adeluna could see the light on the inside of her lids but her focus was too great and she didn't open her eyes only chanted, hands pressed to her knees, like the simple touch grounded her in the here and now. The longer she chanted the brighter the stones got, the marks soon showing an imprint of the symbols she had painted onto the nights sky itself. And with that came a whistle, a sound so high and intense it made the girls head throb fiercely. Still she didn't stop. She needed the understanding of the marks and their power. And her whole spell had been a mix of the three kinds of magics she knew as a way to protect herself. So protected by an Asgardian circle, chanting an elder fae plea for more and surrounded by the wyrdmarks the whistling grew to a fever pitch. If there had been windows around just then they might have burst from the sheer volume the whistling reached. And when Adelunas head felt like it might split into two the sound stopped with a sharp crack to the air. Adeluna swayed back slightly, the light from the stones blinking out as each one snapped clean in half. The low mist of the circle blinked out as well but only after a ball of fire blazed bright in the pit Adeluna had burned her herbs. Then it to blinked out. She opened her eyes to scan the clearing which had a low smoke haze over it now like a fog had rolled in and not the residue of magic. Adeluna slowly pushed to her feet, feeling like she had been running for miles and stopped short before taking single a step. Laying in the clearing, where her fire had once stood was a girl, slowly turning over into the grass and coughing deeply.   Adeluna started and then though her limbs felt heavy with fatigue she rushed to where the girl lay stopping short because her brother would kill her if she died rushing to help some stranger who popped up out of thing air. "Are you alright?" she called down to the girl who was still coughing and didn't see fit to answer. The girls hair was tangled and hid her face since she was now facing the ground but it shook with every cough giving Adeluna peaks of what in the moonlight seemed pale skin. Her coughs slowly died down and Adeluna tried again. "Are you hurt?" and then a few seconds later added on, "Who are you? And how did you get here?" But still there was no answer from the girl. Now that she was done coughing it looked like she was coiling to strike. But another cough broke that spell and then girl flopped back down rolling onto her back as she called up between clearing her throat. "If you're plan is the kill me ill be really pissed off. Dying on my back was not at all what I wanted to do with my day." Adeluna chuckled despite herself and shoot her head. "No designs on murder from me. But I really do need to know who you are and where the hell you came from. The Night Court might be strange at times but we have never had people dropping out of thin air before." Adeluna didn't add that it seemed the girl dropped because of her and her magic. That wouldn't be helpful just then. She needed to gather information. "Fair enough," the girl said with a single hand moving down her face before began, "My name is Lysandra Ashryver, Lady of Caraverre from the Kingdom of Terrasen. I cant tell you how I got here, I only know that I was tending to my daughters bed time and then, it felt like all the air was sucked from the room and there was nothing...." Her voice trailed off and she shoot up straight looking around with panic now lacing her voice, "What happened to Evangline?" She shuffled to her feet and Adeluna felt a wave of guilt as she turned to see what looked like an empty field. "Evie!" the woman called out, gathering her skirts in hand ready to bolt. But Adeluna saw something shift just on the edge of her circle and she called out, ""What is that?" pointing at the shuffling figure hunched close to the ground. Lysandra sprinted for the edge and let out a cry of relief as she fell to her knees and scooped a rather scrawny but tall girl into her arms. The girl murmured to her mother, a woman who didnt look old enough to have such a large child but Adeluna didn't stare wanting to give them a bit of privacy. She scrubbed her hands over her own face, heart picking up speed as she called out after scooping her runes and books up from the ground. "Gather the girl, we should move. I'm going to take you both to my house in the city. Its safe there and then we can figure out how the hell you got here and how we send you both home, ok?" She turned to see the nodding from both mother and daughter who upon inspection looked nothing alike. But Adeluna again didn't comment she simply held out her hand like a peace offering, "I swear you two will be safe with me. And I will figure this out. But for now we should get the girl out of the damp. Shes in a night dress and its getting colder by the minute." The pair followed Adeluna and she lead the way out of her now eviscerated circle and towards Velaris, unsure of what the hell she would tell her family about what she had done. 07: PM 0 Comments  (Add Comment)  | 0 Kudos

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