A Court of Cold and Quiet

Chapter 2

Word Count: 2272 (This is a lot better than the first chapter, I think)

It felt as if I was flying through the in-between I was going so fast, creasing and folding as many times as I needed in order for me to get to Vallahan with time enough to spare. In my mind a list of places I would visit was already forming. First, the port towns and farms. If the farmers and merchants spoke freely of a war then there would be no doubt in my mind that it would come to pass and soon. Then I would go to a town closer to the city if I needed to dig deeper, then the cities edge. I'd go as far as the dictators palace if need be. But I really hoped that wouldn't be necessary. 

I willed the veil between our realms to thin and saw an endless blue in front of me. I glanced over my shoulder. Prythian was long gone as well, which was good. I had checked in on the Night Court's spy before I left to see him discussing the  emergency meeting the High Lords and Ladies would be having at Dawn Court in one week's time. Apparently, Azriel needed irrefutable proof to back his claims by then or the High Lords would pay his words no mind. The thought grated on my nerves. How dare they question him, huh? Even the Morrigan had looked at him like he was talking nonsense. She knows nothing! 

I pulled myself from my thoughts and continued on only to pause once more. I was going to look for myself to see if his words rang true. Does that mean I'm questioning him? No, I decided. I was not. I did not doubt the truth in his words, only his sources. I was questioning the one who found the information. If it turns out to be false, they will be the ones at fault. Comforted by my logic, I once again  forged forward through the grey space I called home, occasionally checking my location in the Fae Lands. 

I tried my best to hurry so I would not get too bored but I found myself slipping into my thoughts more and more as the scenery around me changed ever so slightly. The faeries who winnowed using my realm do not see and feel it as I do. They see it as a black space and feel a harsh wind whipping against their skin and roaring in their ears. But as I looked around, I saw a grey expanse, soothing to my eyes that are not accustomed to the brightness the sun brings. I felt a gentle breeze against my chilled skin that brushed through my long hair and tickled my fur covered ears. 

It was calm here. And quiet. Sometimes I minded it but more often than not, I found that I enjoyed the solitude. I did get to spy on people in the other realms, after all. I knew secrets not many people are privy to. Dangerous secrets. But I did not wish to use them. I had no need to. And I had no chances to share them anyhow. Yes, my realm is calm and quiet, but it is also cold. No other living beings to warm the air was surely the reason. I knew I could pluck someone from their traveling to stay forever but I knew that wouldn't be fair so I refrained from doing so.

I thinned my surroundings for the umpteenth time and smiled, feeling victorious. I could see that I was closing in on the shores of Vallahan. I'd be there withing minutes. A couple more folds should do it. I reached out and hooked on to a point in the distance and tugged with my mind. I was flung forwards and I pulled my knees up close to my chest, my skirts flapping prettily but uselessly around me. I slowed as I neared that point and descended gracefully. I copied the motions once more and checked again to see that my estimation was correct. I stood in a copse of trees and shrubbery about a league away from the shore, near a large wheat field that took up the outskirts of the port town. 

I exited the small circle of trees and walked through the fields, feeling the phantom brush of wheat against my legs. Now that I thought about it, the port town would be one of the best places to get information. There would be talkative merchants from Rask sitting in Taverns drinking until their lips were loose. If I could find one with a badly shielded mind that was particularly weak, I could search for any mention of war.