𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐃 | 𝐀𝐙𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐋

𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 1 - 𝖓𝖊𝖊𝖉

Nesta's powers were pure death.

She had stolen from the cauldron, she would not just conquer Death—but pillage it. 

She was the princess of decay.

Her connection to the dead was unheard of, stealing from the cauldron, a symbol of life and taking death from it.

It was unheard of before.

The vomiting before the wall collapsed, left the powers that ruled Prythian no doubt as to her connection to the cauldron.

Hovering over the map, letting the power guide her to the thing that she had taken so much from.

Settling down after the battle, broken and hardly believing the pull she still felt. 

She was drawn to the map, she could feel the cauldron left, taken away, far from her.

But she could still feel that connection to something. The dead on the battlefield? The connection to Cassian, that she refused to acknowledge? 

This felt darker, lighter than the cauldrons overpowering darkness, but still this dark connection to the dark.

That darkness was only ever connected to death.

Nesta's didn't have to be connected to the cauldron to feel the death leftover on the battlefields.

But she felt this itch of something more, something dead that needed to be found.

There was no vomiting or the overwhelming feeling of doom that attracting the cauldron had.

This was something else entirely. This made her blood sore, itching in anticipation.

Walking over to the map shouldn't have felt so right, such an unconscious move from Nesta, yet it made every high lord, general, commander and everyone else in the room's eyes shoot to her form crossing the room. 

Nesta's body once again felt as if it were not her, she wasn't in control, a higher being was guiding her.

Guiding her to this map of Prythian, guiding her to pinch open the cut on her finger, guiding her to let a drop of blood fall onto the map. The drop landed in the mortal lands, a place isolated from any villages or towns, with no identifiable settlements or locations. 

Yet Nesta knew that that calling of death resided here. That they needed this power, this elevated feeling in her blood seemed to agree, to encourage her to find this death.

Not to take, she had taken enough from the cauldron, this time she needed help, they all did. This time Nesta would help death, she would work with death. 

Talks of the queens and the treaty stalled, as if the room could feel the importance of this bloody spot on the map, the small, wooden craving was still gripped in Nesta's hand. 

"We need to go here, something is here and if we want to succeed in drafting the rest of the queens we need whatever is here to do it" Nesta spoke, hardly more of a whisper and still staring intently at the drop of blood on the map, yet there was still that unmistakable power in her voice. 

Feyre spoke first, "Nesta what is there, what do we need?"

"We need to go here" pointing to the blood on the map "and we need to go now"

⭒☾ 𑁦.⭒✰⭒.𑁦☽⭒✧⭒☾ 𑁦.⭒✰⭒.𑁦☽⭒

Mara was stepping onto fae grounds for the first time in centuries. After the war with Hybern, living in the muggle and magical world seemed a better option than living in the fae.

Even if she was safe here in the mountains, living in the wizarding world had benefits that no fae world could compete with.

Using the skurge charm always felt good, watching the floor shine and centuries of dust leave felt even better. 

The weight of her hawthorn wood wand with rougarou hair was a comfortable reminder of her connection to magic.

Returning, even now held memories that were better left centuries ago. Yet being surrounded by the same walls made everything return.

Shaking her head, Mara was determined not to let any thoughts like that ruin her returning to the fae worlds. Lands filled with magic, different environments, different seasons all combine and interact together.

And Mara was going to enjoy every moment.