Worlds Splitting

Should we jump in?

Dorian was finding it hard to read sitting next to Lorcan. He knew the fae warrior didn't like just sitting here doing nothing, but he didn't have to complain about it none-stop. Dorian was beginning to wonder if he even slept. He himself was finding it hard to keep reading hour after hour without falling asleep, but the fae's moaning was constant. 

"No one ever won a war by reading." 

"Shut up Lorcan." 

"We are trapped in another world and are we trying to escape? No! We're reading!" 

"No Lorcan," Dorian said smoothly, not looking up from his page. "I'm reading. You're doing absolutely nothing." 

The fae descended into inaudible grumbles and Dorian carried on scanning his page for any trace of what might be happening. Helion hadn't been lying about the thousand libraries. When he'd taken them on a tour around his city, he'd pointed at every other building and labelled it a library. Dorian had spent the five days he'd been here wandering around just a few of the amazing reading facilities and finding all he could about any subjects that could be vaguely related to their situation. Anything about other worlds and transportation between them. 

When Dorian told Helion about him and Aelin opening and closing and locking doors between worlds the high lord had sat him down and questioned him until his voice was hoarse. He sure was right when he'd said they valued knowledge. 

The ground shook suddenly. Dorian had to grasp his book hurriedly to stop himself dropping it. Lorcan was on his feet, blades suddenly in his hands. Dorian didn't know how he'd managed to get two long swords inside; the ghastly librarians here didn't allow weapons in the building and they were very thorough when they checked.  

"What was that?" Lorcan growled, baring his fangs and causing a passing librarian to squeak in fear. 

"I don't know do I?" Dorian managed to grab one of Lorcan's swords right out of his hands as he pushed past him. "And you're not going to find out just sitting around doing nothing." He jumped out the way as the fae attempted to strike a blow on the back of his head. 

The fae of the day court seemed just as confused at the ground's sudden vibration as Dorian and Lorcan, so he could assume earthquakes weren't a common thing around here. Helion was striding down the street towards them. Dorian wasn't sure what had made the high lord warm to them so fast, be had a feeling Lorcan's sensual brooding has something to do with it. And Dorian supposed that Lorcan wasn't bad looking, if you're into the whole scratchy-beard lord of the night kind of thing. 

Personally, if Dorian had to choose between a grumpy fae who was as pretentious as Fleetfoot or a stunning king who was known for his powers in the bedroom he knew who he'd choose. 

"Something's happened." Helion ground out in that silky, deep voice. 

"Well, duh." Lorcan rolled his eyes. He didn't seem to fond of Helion's attention on him.

Helion just smirked at him. "A whole in the ground has opened, in summer court. Apparently it looks like what we've been reading about; a doorway to another world." 

"How did you find out so quickly?" Dorian asked. The ground had only just stopped shaking.

"It happened about an hour ago, apparently. The tremors have only just reached here." 

"Let's get going then." Lorcan snarled, beginning to stride of in a random direction.

"That is why I came and got you two!" Helion called after him, "All the remaining high lords are meeting there."

Lorcan turned around and managed to stalk back towards them with enough general angst to scare a lion. "When are we leaving?" He grunted. 

"Now." Helion purred, grabbing hold of Lorcan's sleeve and Dorian's wrist. 

A roaring of waves crashing into cliffs filled Dorian's ears. They were on a beach overlooked by a beautiful city of stone. The fine golden sand they were standing on hocked around a bay in the centre of which perched a mountain-top palace. They certainly knew how to live comfortably in Prythian.  

A man was striding towards them across the beach. His snow white hair glowed in the sun against his mahogany skin and his clear blue eyes were distinguishable even from a distance. 

"Helion." He grasped the day lord's hand before turning to Dorian and a disorientated Lorcan. "You must be from the other world. I am Tarquin, high lord of the summer court. Hopefully, we have found you a way home." Tarquin gave them a dashing smile that make Dorian instantly like him. He explained more as they followed him along the beach towards a small gaggle of people. "The ground shook for about twenty minutes and when it stopped the hole was just there! It's completely dark inside, but not normal dark. Too dark. It's got to be something right?" He sounded so hopeful. 

When they reached the hole, Dorian decided it was less of a whole and more of a void. It was bottomless and so empty it seemed even air was scared to enter. 

"These are the remaining high lords." Tarquin said, gesturing to each one as he names them. 

Beron, the lord of the Autumn court, was tall and handsome with hair the colour of fallen leaves and a face like a moody rock.  

The lord of the winter court was called Kallias. His whole aura seemed to be white. His clothes, skin and hair were all the colours of snow and ice. He even wore a frozen crown above his brow. 

The lord of the dawn court, Thesan, was clothes in colours of beautiful golds with embroidery that Aelin would me highly jealous of. He seemed to glow and his warm colours made it seem like he was casting a shadow on the cold Kallias. 

There was also a female there. She wore a long black dress that would have been beautiful any other day, but her hair was hanging lank around her shoulders and there was such dark bags under her eyes it could be makeup. She didn't bother to look at Dorian when Helion introduced her as Feyra, she only stared at the hole. 

"Rhysand and Tamlin are missing."  Helion mused. "I wonder if Tamlin will come back alive."

"So," Tarquin took his place in the circle of high lords surrounding the hole. Each of the high lords were flanked by a few Dorian guessed were from his world, although he didn't recognise any of them. "How are we going to do this?"

"Should we jump in?" Helion asked, "Or wait for something to jump out?" 

As if he'd been heard, a man with long blonde hair flew out of the hole. He soared over their heads and landed in a crumpled heap on the sand. They all turned to face him. He scrambled to his feet and snarled at them, but then he seemed to recognise them and his face crumpled into an ugly smile. 

"It worked." He gasped, drawing deep breaths, his blonde hair sticking to his sweaty face. "I'm back." 

Thesan chucked at that. "And it's good to see you again, Tamlin."