A Court of Legends and Myths

Chapter 17 - The Ancient one

Aelin's POV

She was sitting in her private library, enjoying a book when Amren walked in. "Hello" She said to her cheerfully. "Please have seat"

"Why am I here?" Amren said to her.

"Ah, straight to the point with you it seems." Amren just glared at her. She sighed and continued. "I want to know more about that power you felt, before the portal opened up. What did it feel like?"

"It felt ancient and powerful. It felt as if it had no malicious intent, it felt as if it was incomplete, like it was searching for something." Amren answered.

"Hmm. Did it feel like anything specific. Like fire, or darkness, or cold?"

"It felt like fire, but not burning fire, like it was part wildfire and part the warmth of a mother. Why do you want to know? What are you getting at?"

Aelin sighed; "Do you know what the valg are? Or what a wyrdstone is? What a wyrdgate is? Or wyrdkeys?"

"I know that the valg are a demon race of beings. They are like parasites. I know that millennia ago the three kings, Orcus, Mantyx, and Errawan, found a way to travel between worlds, they conquered and destroyed world after world. Before they were finally stopped, and banished back to their own world, without their army, without any way to world walk again, and without their youngest brother. Though why they could never world walk again, I do not know."

"You're right, mostly. The valg are a demon race, and their kings did world walk and did conquer and take. What you don't know is that they came to my world, this world. Millennia ago when Doranelle was ruled by three queens, Mab, Mora, and Maeve. They and many other warriors fought the valg and eventually won. They banished Orcus and Mantyx to their realm but could not do the same with Errawan. He was exiled away.

But a thousand years later he rose again. By this time Mab and Mora had died, and Brannon one of the most powerful warriors who fought in the first valg war had aged significantly. But he still fought, so did his daughter Elena, and her future husband Gavin. Near the end of the war Brannon and his armies were so close to losing, until Elena got hold of a weapon she did not understand. She used this weapon to put Errawan in a long sleep. One that would save her people and land, but would condemn later generations to fight him. Two thousand years later, Errawan rose once more, this time he used something called wyrdstone. These stones acted as temporary portals, they allowed one valg to enter a host from our world and possess them. Through this method Errawan gathered an army 500, 000 strong, more even, over the course of ten years without anyone ever noticing.

Until a girl found out. She used the skills she had acquired over her life, and the allies she gained, to raise an army. One that could rattle the stars. She and her army won the third Valg war, but at a great and terrible cost."

"Ok. But what is a wyrdgate or wyrdkey?" Amren asked.

"A wyrdgate is a gate between worlds, a gate between realms. It is in between. It allows access to any world, it can control a world, it can open portals from anywhere to anyplace. The keys are three slivers of stone that were taken from the gate. They are what the Valg kings used to world walk. They themselves are capable of immense magic. They can be used as weapons, which is what they were used for, by the kings.

During the first war they were stolen by Maeve, then by Brannon who then proceeded to hide them. It wasn't until the third war that they resurfaced. Errawan got a hold of two of them but not the third. He needed all three to open a portal strong enough to bring his brothers through. The third was in the hands of the girl who raised the army to fight Errawan's.

Because of the girl's heritage she was chosen by the gods to return the stones into the gate. She did this, but closing the gate required her to sacrifice herself, to give the gate everything, every tiny bit of her being, so that nothing was left. She was prepared to do this, and was so close before one of the gods stopped her from doing it. This god gave the girl it's power, this allowed her to keep living. Before closing the gate fully she stepped through to return to her world. She fell through many worlds. One of which was a world of snow capped mountains, it had the most brilliant night sky she had ever seen. But she was falling fast, too fast, she called for help, a call that was answered. A fae male with wings shot out a wave of his dark power, his power slowed her down enough for her to return to her home."

"Rhysand, that male you saw was Rhys. You saw him, because you are the girl from this story." Amren said.

"That I am. You said you did not know why the valg kings didn't simply use the same technique to world walk as they did before. It is because there is only one way to create wyrdkeys, and it takes an immense amount of power, and a specific one at that. A power which the kings had used the entirety of. They had no more of it in their world."

"Why are you telling me this?" Amren asked skeptically.

"I'm telling you this because, I believe that, that power you felt in your world was mine, I know I lost a portion of it when I fell through worlds. And I now believe I have found where it is, or rather it has found me it seems. And I want it back. In the wrong hands it could be disastrous. Or worse on it's own."

"Are there any other questions you wish to ask me?" Amren said after a moment.

"No. Though I would like to speak with the rest of your group. Only yours, the ones from the Night Court."