The Forsaken Prophecy

Chapter Twenty Nine

"Rowen!" Ayren screamed, watching her body fly into the sky, jerking sickeningly like a puppet. He turned to Terr. "You bastard!"

"Oops," Terr said mildly. He picked up a remote from where he had dropped it, sheathing his sword, and smiled coldly, finger poised over a large button.

"Ayren, duck!" Princess Maria screamed.

Ayren dropped on his stomach without a second thought and watched as Maria shot Terr in the head once, twice, three times with a pistol. She regarded the man's fallen body with an expressionless face.

Ayren spoke first, shaking. "Where the hell did you get a pistol?"Færies didn't fight with guns. Few even knew they existed.

"Living in the Earth dimension has its perks," Princess Maria said mysteriously. "Please. Go find Rowen."

Ayren didn't need to hear it twice. He dashed from the tent and took off into the sky.

As he flew, he felt something wet running down his face. Bemusedly, he reached up a hand and realized that he was crying.

He remembered listening to Jason mere days ago.

"You," Jason said, gesturing to Ayren, "landed and started running toward her. I think you were crying."

"You must have seen wrong," Ayren said dismissively. "I never cry."

"Goddamnit, Jason," growled Ayren, and flew faster.

Something caught his eye. Slowing, he saw a crumpled figure in a clearing quite similar to the one he had originally met Rowen and her friends in.

He flew toward the ground as fast as he could, pushing himself to the extreme.

Landing, he dashed to Rowen's side.

He left arm and leg were twisted at irregular angles, having hit the ground first. The bone in her left forearm had so utterly shattered that a fragment had pierced through. Her skin was raw and bloody, clothes shredded far beyond repair. Her hair was tangled, a mess of dirt and blood. Her eyes were screwed shut, her entire expression screaming pain.

Ayren knelt, carefully cradling her head in his lap, and sobbed.

*

Ayren didn't remember much after that. Other people showed up and took Rowen away from him. He tried to fight them, but steady hands held him back. He thought maybe it was Jason. Whoever it was hugged him tightly, restraining him.

Somehow, he got back to camp. People were talking to him. He ignored them all.

Finally, Jason and Princess Maria led him to his tree. Jason kept a tight grip on his wrist, as if afraid he would fly off. 

Ayren could suddenly hear and distinguish between sounds again.

" - worried about him," Jason was saying. "This...this isn't Ayren."

"Jason, he loved Rowen. You can't expect that to just go away - " Princess Maria broke off with a choked whimper.

"Well, we're hurting, too!" Jason snapped. "Doesn't that mean anything?" His voice trembled and he cleared his throat.

"Everyone deals with pain in a different way," retorted the princess. "You get angry. I think I focus on other people instead of myself. Ayren shuts down."

They fell silent. "God," Jason whispered finally, tears thickening his voice, "did you see her? She...she was..."

Princess Maria let out a wracking sob and shuddered violently. She didn't otherwise respond.