Beyond the Roselands

Chapter 22

   Sprite frowned. "I don't like the idea of that jerk having sex with my mother."

   I shrugged. "Well if you were stuck in bondage you'd want to annoy your captor as much as possible. She's just annoying  your dad. It's not like she loves Damond. What she's doing is playing games with young boys to get out of her normal routine."

   She groaned and laid back, staring at the ceiling. I leaned over her and smiled. "How about we savor the time we still have together? If they're gonna have sex then why don't we?"

   She blushed and leaned up to kiss me. I laid with her once more and then we got dressed. We laid on the bed, patiently waiting for Damond's return. I stretched my wings and then arched my back, both movements shifting Sprite across the bed. She laughed. "Stop moving!"

   Suddenly she gasped and touched her stomach. I looked down and touched it myself, feeling the little baby shifting and moving vigorously. "Doesn't that hurt you?"

   She shook her head and smiled. "No. If anything it tickles. Imagine having a baby bunny in your hands and having it squirm every now and then."

   "A baby bunny in your hands is a lot different than a Zytrey/Faery baby in your womb."

   She laughed and touched her belly delicately again. "What're we gonna name it?"

   I paused. "I haven't thought about that? Depends on the gender I suppose."

   She smiled. "I really like the name Rayna for a girl."

   I smiled. "I like that too. How about I com  up with the boy name?"

   She nodded and I smiled, leaning over and kissing her ear. She giggled and goosebumps raced over her arms. "I really like a certain name that's really special to my family."

   She laughed as I continued to lick around the pointy end of her ear. "Then just tell me. What is it?"

   I smiled and got serious, looking her in the eyes. "Saddil."

   She gasped and covered her mouth, smiling as tears came to her eyes. "Oh my God. That's the one. If it's a boy we'll name it that. Just don't tell your family. It'd be a cute surprise."

   I nodded and then heard someone approaching our room. We sat up to see Damond come walking into the room, a grim expression on his face. I chuckled. "Have fun, storyteller?"

   He glanced at me and sighed. "Yes, but that's the last time I'll be able to do that. At least you have a life time with Sprite. This is my last chance to do anything."

   "What do you mean?"

   He frowned and pulled out a golden knife. "For me to get Sprite back to your world, I have to take my life. When a Faery hybrid is killed, it rips a wormhole through dream worlds to the closest reality world. If I focus hard enough when I die, I can get you right back where you were."

   I froze as I was standing up. So did Sprite. She tentatively asked. "You…you have to die to get us back?"

   Damond sighed and nodded, staring at the knife in his hand. "Yes. Now hold each others hands. You'll want to keep together."

   Sprite suddenly ran up to him and hugged him tightly. "I'm sorry for holding a grudge so long. I said you'd never be able to apolgize, but I forgive you."

   He sighed and shook his head. "Please don't. I don't wanna die with everyone being so emotional."

   I came up as well and gave him a quick hug myself. "I really didn't like you at first, but thanks. I'm not gonna make a big deal out of it, but I wish it didn't have to be like this."

   Damond sighed and his eyes got watery. He swallowed hard before speaking. "Well we all have to go eventually. Now hold hands."

   I grabbed Sprite's hand and sighed as he gripped the knife tighter. "Bye, storyteller."

   Sprite averted her eyes as Damond raised it and brought it down quickly into his chest. He cried out only once, but then everything was a whirl of sound and color. A sort of wormhole opened up from where Damond was standing and my dream world faded entirely. I held tight to Sprite's hand as we were sucked through whatever magical portal had erupted from Damond.

   Then everything was quiet again. I opened my eyes and saw that we were back in Leer's cave. He suddenly came rushing in and gasped. "What happened?!"

   Sprite looked at me and then at Leer. "Gosh have we got a story for you."

   He stared at us strangely and we explained to him what had happened. He shook his head. "I'm just a confused expecting father. I think I'll stay out of this magic crud and let you take that story to Blackvein."

   I nodded and led Sprite out and onto the ledge. I picked her up and carried her back towards the Drago village. When we arrived, I carried her to mom and dads tent. When I expected dad to a whirl around and start telling at me, he whirled around and gasped. "Sprite!"

   He dropped the plate he was holding and it shattered on the floor. He backed away and I gasped as I realized why. Dad had hated himself for letting Sprite get stolen. He still felt guilty. Sprite shook her head and grabbed his hands. "Thyte, it wasn't your fault. You did your best, but dad isn't someone you can just beat. It's fine. I don't hold you responsible."

   "Sprite!"

   We looked over at mother and she smiled brightly at my fiance. Sprite saw the bundle and gasped. "Oh my gosh. It came?"

   "She did. We named her Tyka."

   Sprite smiled fondly and then I took her hand. "We can't stay here for long. We've gotta find Emera and get the black rose from her."

   My parents gave us the weirdest of looks and I sighed, explaining it to them as quickly as I could. Once I finished, we rushed out faster than they could respond. I picked her up and flew out over the forest. "Emera! I need you! Scarlet. Find her."

   Scarlet whizzed out of my quiver and flew low to the trees. After a moment, she flew back. "She's down near the waterfall outside of Beerth territory."

   I nodded and once she was back in my quiver, I rushed for the falls. Far out across the horizon, the sun was setting in a display of bright oranges and purples. I glanced around and near the center of the Roselands, I could see what looked like massive heat waves wafting off of the trees. All the trees near that location were solid black and all the birds and regular animals of the Roselands were rushing away from it. Sprite saw it when I did and she whimpered. "That's probably dad coming for me."

   As if she had spoken the future, the heat waves intensified and a select few trees around the center suddenly grew to ginormous height and girth, killing all the other trees around them. Seven figures flew up from the center of the ring of mighty trees. I nearly tore my wings out of their sockets as I accelerated towards the waterfall. I glanced at the Seven again and they were beginning to come after us. I gasped and pumped my wings as hard as I could, flying faster than I ever had. I began diving from the sky and angling myself towards the falls. I could just make out Emera's blurry figure, but I could also hear voices. It was Avery.

   "You can't hold her from us boy! She was never meant to be in your arms! That child was never meant to live!"