Princess of Wind

Chapter 18: Hopeful Plans and Looming Deadlines

"This isn't good," Feyre said after Elea detailed her theory of the situation.

The two of them were currently standing in the office area of the river house, surrounded by the members of the inner circle of the night court. Ayden stood to Elea's right, watching as she moved around the many pages of notes that lay in somewhat organized locations across a large wooden table.

"What do we do about it?" Azriel asked from the other side of the table, his gaze locked on the detailed drawings that Elea had done of the Wyrdmarks that created the portal to the lock.

"We have to break the lock," Elea said, her brows furled in concentration, Ayden couldn't help the small smile that formed at her complete focus and determination to find the answer to their portal problem, "I can't see another way."

"And how does one do that?" Cassian asked, from where he stood between Nesta and Azriel.

"All I can do is guess," Elea responded, her fingers tapping on the table in a nervous pattern that she'd done for as long as he'd known her, "I don't think anything like this has been attempted before. For now I think the best thing to do would be opening the portal that my mother used to seal the lock before and then trying to break the lock through that."

"Will it even work?" Ayden asked, "Didn't your mother need the wyrd keys to open it before?"

"She did, but that was to close the lock," Elea said, "if we go in when the lock is already forged perhaps we can take the keys out of it."

"Perhaps," Rhysand said, "but what cost will it come at?"

"My mother gave up all of her power to forge the lock, combined with some of the powers of both Marva's father and grandfather," Elea said, "It could be that when the reverse happens the magic that went in comes out again or it could be that the lock demands another sacrifice."

Ayden watched as Elea slightly curled into herself at the notion of forming the lock. The previous time nameless had been its price, nameless in the sense that both Elea, Aelin, and their ancestors bore the mark of the bastard, or the nameless, on their brow. It wasn't hard to guess that she came to the conclusion that the nameless, that she, would be the key to opening the lock.

"We need to talk about this more before we reach a decision," Rhysand said, breaking the silence that had fall over the room at Elea's proclamation, "Until then we search for more possibilities, and no one, and I mean no one, attempts to go any further with this lock idea. We don't need to lose anyone else or risk making things worse right now."

Mumbles of agreement sounded throughout the room, before they could disperse Feyre spoke up, "I think it might be best to bring up another topic of conversation while we are all gathered."

"What is it?" Nesta asked, her arms crossed as she slightly leaned into Cassian's side.

"Helion is asking to call an emergency meeting of high lords in her territory," Feyre said, "it's no secret that portals are appearing everywhere right now so he took initiative to start a discussion before it gets to be too much of a problem."

Ayden was surprised that his mother brought it up while Elea was here, though if they planned on using her as a witness and source of knowledge on the wyrd portals it made sense. Wyrdmarks were something of her homeworld, not his, sure they might exist here, but know one, to his knowledge at least, had studied them as much as some of the people of Erilea had.

"Sounds like an opportunity," Rhysand said, "however it could turn bad fast, tensions are still high, especially after the incident a few years back."

"These portals might pose a threat to our people, but I doubt it would be enough to stop the rivalry the incident caused," Mor said, "especially if the meeting were to take place in the Day court, as I assume Helion suggested."