TREE OF LIFE BOOK III – PART III
CHAPTER 06
Wendy waved again.
Her minions slithered and flew away. They drew back. Now the Queen was visible again.
She lay on the ground with her body exposed, especially her legs. These were swollen to twice their normal size, now bruised and inflamed and bleeding in a dozen places. They twitched.
The Queen opened her eyes a slit. "Arwen…"
Wendy was still seated upon her Sword. She peered down and over at her enemy, with suspicion on her brows.
"Arwen, please…" The Queen coughed. She turned her mouth to the side and blood spewed out. She gasped for air. "…I…you can't…you can't blame me…! I only wanted…my freedom…I'm…I'm so sorry."
Alarm bells went off.
But they only went off for Nicole, not Wendy.
"Arwen, please…forgive me…" She reached out to the baby.
No! Nicole screamed inside her head.
Wendy was not looking at her mother. She had her back to her.
"Arwen, my child…my sweet, sweet child." The Queen managed a smile. She reached higher.
Wendy crossed her arms. She chewed on her lip.
The Queen, in the dirt, appeared broken. She was thin and weak and her left knee was bent off at a strange angle. Her hair was matted. Her face was scratched up. One of her eyes was nearly swollen shut and yet she was still trying to smile the best she could. She coughed again. More blood.
Wendy sighed. Rising from her perch, she floated through the air and began gliding down toward the Queen.
No! Nicole went to get up, but she'd barely lifted her hands from Julian when he faded some more and stopped breathing.
Nicole gasped. She sat back down.
She pressed her palms into him harder and rushed her energy in again.
Julian took a breath in. He breathed out. He settled down.
Nicole peered up once more.
In the distance, still drifting over, Wendy was halfway there to the Queen. They were yards apart.
The Queen was weeping. She had struggled to sit up, but her head was down and in her hands. She was shuddering with her sobs.
Wendy continued her flight over.
No! Nicole's mouth was open, but no sound came out.
The Queen lifted her eyes to the approaching little girl. "Arwen…my daughter! The daughter I've always dreamed of!"
Wendy looked serious. She floated right up to the side of the Queen and stopped to hover there. She was close enough to the woman, close enough to touch.
The Queen raised her arms to hold her.
With forgiveness in her heart but well hidden just yet, Wendy leaned over to be embraced, while craning her neck back and glancing over her shoulder toward her mother in the distance at the last.
The look on Nicole's face.
It hit Wendy like a hammer.
She spun back around to face the Queen but it was already too late.
The Queen's hands had shot up.
She had clasped the baby's head.
In her hands. In her palms.
YOU ARE READING
Tree of Life Book III
Fantasy** Go and read Books I and II first, please! ^_^ ** They are presented as a combined book, back over in my profile page. Book III provides some needed background to the Nephilim. It also ties things up nicely for the three friends. A book of endings...
