Seelie and Unseemly

1. The Brewing

Storms in the Scottish highlands, while common, always brought with them an exhilarating sense of excitement. At least they did for Elli. Especially if he felt the prickle of lightening in the air. Today he had left the Faelands earlier than usual –just after sunset– because he could practically smell the incoming lightening storm through the elf ring closest to Blue Moon Circle, the inner sanctum of the Seelie court.

As a rain sprite in a land where the weather is dependent on the fae Queen's mood –and she was hardly ever anything other than happy– Elli had very little to do. Ignoring any fae shenanigans that he got up to with his friends, of course. With the Faelands constantly bathed in quiet moonlight, he often flew about seeking elf rings that led to storms happening in the Mortallands. There the storms were charged with wild electricity and Elli could dart around taunting the lightening to strike where he pleased. It was all great fun. Another perk being that he had little to fear from humans; who were apparently not too keen about lightening, thunder, or the downpours that often accompanied them.

Elli hollered with pleasure as a bolt of lightening he'd been taunting struck a large dead tree; briefly setting it ablaze before the fire was quenched by the rain. He himself suffered no dampness as the large droplets of water held no power to penetrate his feathers.

Destruction. Always lovely to watch. Even better when you are able to brag about tempting death while going about encouraging it.

A lovely specimen of his race, Elli had powerful feathered wings and a long, feather-tipped tail. He was also quite small, no taller than the smallest bird. Elli's build was suited for high-speed flights in less than hospitable conditions. Something which he was highly aware of and exploited at every available opportunity.

The little fae beamed up at the clouds from the small branch where he was perched before leaping back into the air. His wings fluttered, carrying him high into the clouds. He darted between small lightening bolts with the spirit of a fearless starling.

Laughing as his heart tickled with glee, Elli stooped into a steep dive. He teased the storm above with the static he'd collected in his tail feathers, challenging it to chase him.

The lightening took his bait and took chase.

Elli possessed a particular hidden talent that allowed him to play so carelessly with lightening. He had the ability to gather, neutralize, store and summon static electricity. It wasn't a flashy ability, but Elli knew of its useful utility in drawing lightening bolts.

The bolts were attracted to the static. So as long as Elli was in a storm and he neutralized the static at the right time...

Elli deftly dodged the bolt he'd been playing with using practiced skill and admired the ground where it struck.

He was pleased with the result of his play until his attention was stolen by something else down below the trees. In the brief flash of light provided by the lightening, Elli had spotted an odd gathering of what appeared to be faefolk. They were gathered in a small clearing not too far from the site of Elli's lightening strike.

Curiosity possessed him and he zipped in for a closer view. As he did, Elli passed a fae creature perched in the uppermost branches of a tree. Fright gripped him as he recognized its form.

Evidently, it recognized Elli for what he was as well.

The woman with bird wings for arms shrieked and tried to snatch Elli from the air with one of her clawed feet. The smaller fae dodged the Unseelie creature's attack only to very quickly realize that the trees and clearing were coated in a generous and formidable assortment of Unseelie fae, servants of the dark.

As a Seelie fae, Elli was of the light and therefore very unwelcome.

This day hadn't quite gone to plan.

With all due haste, Elli made his escape. But before he left, he spotted the reason for the gathering of Unseelie faefolk.

A dismembered corpse lay drenched in rain. Not just any corpse, either. It was the remains of an Unseelie archfey, her magical parts missing from her body along with a substantial amount of blood which stained the grass around her a glittering black.

To Elli's horror, as he sped back towards the elf ring, he realized that he recognized the face of the brutalized fae. He'd become familiar with it through years attending the court of Queen Titania. She had visited –though rarely– the queen and her consort personally.

It was the face of Mabuka, Mistress of Air and Darkness.

The Unseelie Mistress lay dead in the Mortallands with no murderer in sight. The culprit having robbed the mighty archway of dignity and all the parts that they'd need to cast powerful blood magic. However –at this realization, Elli nearly fell through the elf ring rather than flying through it– the murderer had left her head.

If the head had been left behind, so had the Unseelie crown. Two things which, had they been taken, would have indicated that this was the doing of a human faehunter. But with those still remaining behind at the scene, it became entirely possible that this was the doing of another fae creature.

Elli felt nauseous. He had appeared at the scene then fled. Therefore, he feared that he might know where suspicions would be directed.

He needed to reach Queen Titania. She needed to know what Elli had seen above in the Mortallands.

Unbeknownst to Elli, he would find that Mabuka had not been the only casualty of the night. And just before he had returned to the elf ring, a hooded figure guided by a lantern of blood magic snuck back to the Mortallands. An ominous sneer plastered across their lips.

A storm had come to Scotland.