Throne of Glass & A Court of Thorns and Roses: Two Worlds Collide

Chapter 5-Rowan

"I'm guessing that was Rhysand," I said to Amren. I could feel the dark power flowing from that fae male before he left.

"Yes," she confirmed. Then she looked to nothing in particular and smiled, saying, "he loves her very much."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm sure. Now can we please get rid of this oaf before he wakes up?" Aelin sassed with that attitude of hers. I walked over to Tamlin and threw him over my shoulder--he wasn't as heavy as I expected.

"Now remember, I'm going to send us through the portal to where Myriam is, and you have to drop Tamlin before we get to the connecting portal," Amren said, pointing to Tamlin. It was finally settling in my mind--I was going to meet my daughter, who until this morning, I did not know existed.

I nodded and Aelin gripped my hand then Amren's hand, and we stepped into the portal. It felt as if my heightened senses were gone as soon as I stepped foot into the portal. It was an abyss of pitch black and I distantly heard Aelin cursing like a sailor beside me when we lurched into motion. My head spun out of control and my eyes refused to focus on anything. I couldn't think, all I knew was that I was moving fast--but I didn't remember why.

"Now, Rowan! Drop him," I heard someone shout. Who was that, and what did she want me to drop? I then became aware of the weight on my left shoulder and turned to see that it was actually an unconscious--and very large--fae. This must be what that voice wanted me to drop.

I let him go and saw him dissipate into blackness. I felt my jaw clench and realized that the pressure was getting worse, it was pushing in all directions against my face, making my eyes cross. Just when I believed I was actually dying, I felt hard, reassuring ground under my feet.

Once the churning feeling in my stomach subsided, I found it safe to slowly open my eyes. I felt the clammy grip of Aelin's hand in mine and I sent cooling winds blowing toward us. I turned to her to make sure she was alright, and saw that she was already smiling at me. I gave her hand a small squeeze and turned back to our surroundings. As I took in the magnificent city before me, I observed how peaceful this city felt compared to what I'd seen of the Spring Court. It had a feeling of purity, as if nothing had ever harmed it.

I could hear lively music floating in the air as well as the scent of spices and sweets. I looked around to see the colorful buildings and the people milling about the streets. This sure wasn't something you'd see in Adarlan.

When I looked upward, my breath was taken from me. The sky was darker than any shade of black I had ever laid eyes on and scattered throughout it were bright, twinkling stars. The vastness of it made me realize just how small we were.

I could see a faint ripple in the air, like a force field--not that I had ever seen one; it made me think of what Gavriel had once described as a force field. That's when I knew that this city was protected, and it was against the better judgement of the protector to let outsiders in. This beautiful city had been placed in it's own personal bubble, secluded from the world, protected from harm.

"Welcome to Velaris, the city of Starlight" Amren said.

Amren started down the path wistfully, seemingly unaffected by our dreadful journey as she made her way through the town with a brisk walk. She must do this often. Aelin and I quickly regained our composure and made to follow her. As we walked in silence I saw Aelin's gaze lingering on the fine clothing and jewelry displayed in the shops as we passed. After we'd done what we had come to do, I would bring her to shop for whatever she wanted.

I heard Aelin's stomach rumbling, or was it my own? The portal experience still had me quite disoriented.

"Could we perhaps stop for some food?" I asked on behalf of Aelin, knowing she wouldn't ask herself.