Bound by Devotion

Chapter Ten

Once and for all.

~~~ 

The bright light of day seemed to make a mockery of the pain she had tucked into a corner of her mind. She could hear the screams, could feel the agony, but could still function. Mostly. She couldn't feel her heart, and maybe that was for the best as a bird landed in front of them just outside the stables.

A bird.

A fucking bird.

A bird that carried with it a woman screaming in terror, in confusion and in part, insanity. Those screams brought back a nightmare of maniacal laughter and a giant gray fist, squeezing the life from her.

Birds carried messages, didn't they? From the earliest times, in the bible that Eve wasn't sure she ever believed in. The dove, carrying to olive branch, carrying the promise of land.

And this bird also carried a message in the form of the screaming woman.

They tried to talk to her, to console her, to let her know she was safe, but nothing worked. She screamed, she cried, she laughed, she clawed at her face and nothing they said made a difference.

Finally, Eve stood beside the kneeling, shrieking Fae.

The hand that saved her from the someone she loved touched the forehead of the woman and she went stiff beneath Eve's touch. She poured her energy through Gideon's mark. The mark of self. Self control. Self awareness. The woman opened bright teal eyes, shining with the light of Eve's mark before she fell limp against Kornae.

Her fingers clutched at his robe as his arms circled her. "My King," she gasped, fighting for her breath and against tears. Her eyes looked up and met Eve's. 'My Queen."

Eve knelt in the dirt beside them, softly touching the terrified face. "Can you tell us what happened? Where are you from?"

Those stunning eyes filled with tears before they closed. "Monsters, so many monsters. Shadows filled the air and they came from no where. Things..." She bit off a sob. "My lover put me on this bird and sent me here. He said to warn the palace. Then..." She broke down and Eve watched as Kornae held her tight, murmuring soft words and this was what she didn't see before. The man she never knew.

"They pulled him away from me and he screamed and I looked back." Her eyes were vacant. "They have him." They fixed on Eve with a suddenness that startled her. "Can you save him?"

This question was the one Eve had been dreading since the woman spoke. And it was one she couldn't answer. "I'll do everything withing my power to help him. But, it may not be enough." She stroked hair the color of the rainbow. "However, this is something that I will promise. The one responsible for this will pay. He will pay by my hand, and you will have your vengeance through me."

Her eyes met Kornae's and there was something in them. Something she couldn't define. But whatever it was gave her strength. He looked past her to nod at the guards. They closed in and helped the sobbing woman to her feet, taking her inside the walls of the palace. They would take her to the healers, but there wasn't a lot they could do for heartache. Eve knew this. Kornae knew this.

"My Queen, what is your desire?" His voice was soft and for a moment, she wondered if Naiel told him about what he said to her. It didn't matter. Kornae was asking her and she replied.

"We fly."

~~~

It was only her and Kornae, as they could look into shadow and remain themselves. And she had no wish to try to confront the madness on Unseelie soil. That would be useless. But she wanted to see. Wanted to know what they would be up against when they dove into the heart of insanity.