Discoveries

31

Jito let out a frightened neigh.

Aspen chuckled.

"Hello son," he said.

Flynn was speechless.

"It's been a long time, hasn't it? Well, you've seen me, but I haven't seen you in years. Come and great papa, come on. Please? I've missed you, you know. And your mother too," he let out a sigh, "yes, it would be nice to see Fiona again. To hold her in my arms, to see her laugh, to see us together. We're a family, son. We should be together. I know a place where we can be. It's very beautiful, and nobody will ever bother us, or rip us apart again. That sounds nice, doesn't it? All can be well again."

Flynn had a longing in his eyes, one like no other. He wanted his family back, whole. It was plain to see. And Aspen was very persuasive. It sounded so good, what he was saying, but I knew they were all lies. The beautiful place was To without a doubt, and he was trying to Turn his family.

"Flynn," I said softly, taking his hand. He pulled loose and looked at me with an expression I didn't understand.

"Don't you want me to be happy, Lyss? Don't you want Laura and mum to be happy too? You could come and visit, and all would be well."

He looked over at Aspen, who nodded and smiled.

"No, Flynn, that's not what'll happen. You know it won't. Come on, don't you see what he's doing?" I said a bit more urgently.

:Are you saying my father's a liar? No, Lyss, you can say many things about him, but he was never a liar. Never."

"Flynn, don't listen to him. Don't you dare." What had Aspen done to him? It was as if he was under a spell or something.

Fly shook his head and started walking to his father. I reached out and yanked him back, but he shook me off angrily and kept going. What could I do? I tackled him and sent him sprawling to the ground. He stood up again and tried to hit me, only I was prepared and skipped out of his way.

Aspen laughed. Of course this was what he wanted. But if it kept Flynn away from him a little longer, I was prepared to give him that.

The sound of a galloping horse made us all look up.

Atop his grey mare Nadja Draven burst into the tiny clearing. They came to a sliding halt and Draven jumped off her, his eyes instantly fixing on Aspen.

The man who had killed Esmeralda.

Draven released an arrow at him within seconds, but Aspen was fast and caught it mid-air, snapping it like a twig. He grinned Flynn's crooked grin, raising an eyebrow. I hated it when he did that; it reminded me of that he was Fly's father, and he was the one of which Flynn'd gotten it.