A Court of Fire and Night

Chapter 4

Lyria

I woke up in a bedroom and no clue where I was. The first thing I did was check to see if I could escape. The door and windows were locked and warded against magic. There was a bathroom, but it didn't have anything important. I checked my suit, and even some of the blades were missing.

Luckily, that bastard Callum or whoever had me didn't think to take the suit off. And, they didn't check me for weapons very thoroughly. I pulled out my smallest misericord dagger and went to the door. Using the thin blade, I stuck it into the lock and wiggled around. It took a minute, but the lock finally clicked.

"Take that, bitches," I whispered as I eased the door open slowly. I stuck my head into the hallway and surveyed where I was. It was long and clean, with pictures of people on the wall. The closest one to me was of a pretty couple and their baby boy. They were all fae. The female had golden-brown hair and blue-gray eyes. The male had hair so black it looked blue, kind of like my Uncle Dorian. But he had violet eyes. The baby had the man's same coloring, but his face looked like the females. It also looked like a tiny version of Callum.

I scowled and realized he must have brought me to his home in the Night Court, or whatever bullshit he was talking about. I stepped out of the bedroom and closed the door quietly. Gripping two daggers in my hand, I crept down the hallway. There was a big staircase that led into a foyer. I could hear a woman laughing in a nearby room. 

Using my wind powers to mask my scent and sound, I followed the laughter until I reached a cracked door. I could see into what looked like a kitchen. Two dark-haired fae females were making something. Another female was there as well. She looked like the one in the picture, except with a softer face and brown eyes.

I was too busy staring that I didn't realize someone was sneaking up on me until I was slammed against a wall. I looked up into a pair of hazel eyes. This was a male with wings like Callum. He had shadows twisting around him and scars on his hands. Right away, I could tell he was a warrior and would be hard to beat. 

"I'm guessing you're the female Cal came home with," he said quietly. 

I smirked, "I see I'm quite popular already."

"How did you get out of your room?"

"Is everyone here stupid? I picked the lock."

His brow furrowed. "With what? They took all your weapons and anything you could use to get out. Even magic couldn't help you."

I pressed my two daggers against him. "Not all of them. You guys really are not that good at this whole captor thing."

He tensed, then let me go. "What do you want? And why are you here?"

I blew out an exasperated breath. "Did Callum really not tell you? I don't know where I am or how I got here. I'm pretty sure I fell through a portal. And this is not my world."

A man's laugh cut through the male's response. "Are you interrogating her without us? Really Az, I didn't think you were so impatient."

We both turned. The couple from the picture stood in front of us. I glared when I saw Callum partially hidden behind them.

I started towards him. "You son of a-"

"Woah! Let's calm down a sec. Cal didn't know what else to do. I'm sure he's sorry for knocking you out." The male gave a pointed look at Callum, who nodded. "I heard you say you're not from this world? I'd like to hear your story myself. My name is Rhysand. I am the High Lord of the Night Court, which is where you are. This is my wife, Feyre, who is the High Lady. You've already met Cal, my son. This male here is Azriel. He is my friend and spymaster. I know you are Lyria Whitethorn Galathynius. Now, let's talk."

Callum

My dad leads us down the hall and into the receiving room. Lyria twirls her daggers around her fingers. I'm surprised she hasn't cut them off. Az keeps a close eye on her, never letting her out of his sight. She knows that and winks at him. 

"Cass and Nesta will be here soon. Along with Amren. We should wait for them to come," my mom says."Elain chose to stay with Nuala and Cerridwen. We can fill her in later."

Lyria doesn't look up from cleaning her nails with a small blade. "Don't know who they are and don't care," 

I scowl, annoyed at how calm she seems. I don't know why. She's just infuriating. She looks up and grins like she knows what she's doing. Uncle Cassian and Aunt Nesta walk in with Amren close behind. Both females size Lyria up, and she does the same. For some reason, I feel protective of her. I give myself a mental slap to snap me out of it. What is wrong with me?

"So. This is the fae that Cal decided to bring home. Not much to look at, is she?" Amren's voice echoes across the quiet room.

Lyria smirks. She always seems to do that in the short time I've known her. "Well, neither are you."

Everyone holds their breath, waiting for Amren to explode. To our surprise, she starts laughing. "You're a feisty one. I like you." She turns to me. "Good pick Cal. I'm sure she'll fit right into this family of insane idiots and crazy fools."

"Oh no- that's not- I don't-" I stammer, and Lyria turns bright red.

"Ew, that's gross. Like I would ever get together with that idiot." She wrinkles her nose in disgust.

I scowl, "Hey! I'm not an idiot."

My mom clears her throat. "Ok, let's get back on track. We are here right now to talk about Lyria. Who she is and why she's here."

Lyria groans. "How many times do I have to tell everyone? I don't know why I'm here. I fell through a portal and landed on my ass. Then this guy here decided to knock me out and bring me here."

Uncle Cass raises his eyebrows. "A portal? Sounds like a load of bullshit to me. How do we know you aren't a spy?"

She fumes. "Excuse me? I don't know where I am. Let alone be a spy. How about you cut your BS and tell me where I am?"

"Girl, you're in Prythian. It's a large island with seven courts and some human towns down south." Amren cuts in.

"What are the courts?" she asks.

My father answers, "The Night Court, which is where we are right now. Then there's the Day and Dawn courts, which are the other Solar courts. There are seasonal courts: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. Currently, my cousin, who is the last member of my Inner Circle, is in the Winter Court. You'll meet her soon enough."

Lyria nods slowly. "Callum mentioned something about a guy named Thesan and Peregryns. They apparently have wings too. Just not the ones you have. Do all of you have wings?"

Amren barks out a laugh. "Please, I do not have those big clumsy things. Only they," she pointed to me, my mom and dad, Uncle Cass, and Az. "have those wings. Cassian and Azriel are Illyrians. Rhysand and Cal have Illyrian blood. Feyre has shapeshifting abilities that allow her to have wings."

"Cal told us you have wings," my mother says. "He said they're feathered like a Peregryns. Except jet black? If you wouldn't mind, could you show us?"

She sighs and stands up. With a dramatic bow, her wings appear and unfurl. They are twice the size of her arms and are as black as the night. She spins to give us a full view. 

"Happy now?" she says.

Azriel steps closer. "Those are magnificent. May I?" He gestures to her wings. She sighs and nods. He looks surprised and I see that same face mirrored on all of us.

"What?" she asks, perplexed.

I open my mouth but my father answers first. "Our Illyrian wings are very sensitive. We learn to guard them and not let others touch them without permission."

"Sensitive Illyrian babies," I think I hear my mom mutter.

Az reaches out a hand and examines Lyria's wings. "Fascinating," He murmurs. 

She snaps them closed. "Yes, well then. It seems you are all satisfied. Is there something to eat? I'm starving."

Thank you for reading! Please be sure to vote and comment.