A Court of Heritance and Destiny

Chapter 1 Etera

She pricked her finger, dragging the one drop of blood out over the paper. Then held her breath, standing there with her arms braised against the sink.

One, two, three... Only one line came up under the blood. Etera let out a breath, throwing it away in the trash before starting to tie her hair up for the mission.

Start with the test, no matter how unlikely it was, then her hair, braid it, pin it up... After that she tied the elastic fabric over her chest, making sure to secure it closely. All her steps carefully made to make her ready for her missions. The lighter layers she had on under her leathers, that were far less decorated than Ikarads, and many times lighter. Made to be a layer against the elements if she needed to shift back to her fae body while gone. Lastly she fasten a dagger to her thigh, a simple blade Ikarad had gifted her before her first real mission. Elegant, light weight, a dark leader wrapped handle, no real decorations, if one didn't count the old runes cursing the one taking the blade from its true master.

Dressed and ready she walked out from the bathroom and shifted to fly off to the River Estate. Parts of the house had more or less been empty for years now. The first few years Ferye and Rhys had left it, opting to live in the cabin high in the mountains, but after that a larger part of the house had been closed off, frozen in waiting for the lost Princess. Etera hurried inside, up to the briefing room. Looking over the maps one last time.

The temple grounds sat between the bog and the Mountain. A previous empty field of land, she had passed over it a few times over the years, but the extreme group had mostly been unchecked by her. There had been no real need. Until now.

She was usually faster than this when leaving for a mission, but something about this one told her to wait, to stretch it out. All maps were made, all preparations done. All she needed to do was to shift and fly away. But she couldn't.

Instead she did fly over to the old Town House, a place that had never been her true home. Even if she had stayed there a lot in the beginning. Before their own home in the city had been finished, and when She was too sick to follow Ikarad to the mountains. Those first years had been hard on everyone, and the time in this house stood as a symbol to that time. Autumn leaves had fallen around it, decorating the roof and balconies in golden fire colours.

She walked in, closing it behind her to secure the warmth in the house. Most faelights were out, instead only the warm red glow from a fire took her to the living room, and there on one of the cushioned chairs was Azriel.

"The Shadows told me that you were on your way here. So I guess that something has happened that stops you from going, or something else is going on?"

"The latter one." Etera sat down on the sofa, folding her legs under her. "Ikarad and Nyx is in Hewn. No one else knows..." She didn't even know why she found it hard to leave.

"You have a feeling?"

"It is more a thing..." She waved a hand, trying to quantify whatever it was.

"What do you need?"

"Just... Brief me." She asked, hoping that the mundane fact recital could help her.

"Alright." Azriel stood up with a huff, "A fanatic branch of the Priestess order, founded shortly after the Wall fell on the belief that we need to follow the way of Fate to ensure balance in this world." Etera nodded along. "We are talking about an estimated number of around a hundred members, all former Priestesses. Their leader is unknown, they claim that it is The Mother herself who gives them directions."

"She talks to them in some way, how we don't know." She filled in, seeing how Azriel walked around the room, arms behind his back.

"Correct. The temple grounds are not that cultivated. A few old farmhouses, a living space, and the beginning to a new temple." Etera had seen the maps, she moved her legs down from the sofa, leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees. "Your mission is to enter the old barn, placed at the western outskirts of the area, if you go in directly from the west you don't need to pass over the living quarters." Another series of nods. "Your target is five books. All believed to have been destroyed and lost during Amarantha's rain. But apparently not. Some sort of spell guards them. Information claims that it is harmless to anyone who knows that they are there. But be on your guard."