Chapter 20
"I'm from Earth," Birdie said, her expression veiled with shock and her full painted lips trembling.
Her hands clutched the fabric of her dress as her eyes tried to dart to the bodies on the floor. Wren felt his own heart beating with adrenaline as he stood holding the large piece of glass. He could hear the guards. The voices and their footsteps so loud, almost matching the beats of his heart.
"Come here," Wren held his hand out for Birdie.
When the girl actually complied and took a step forward, Wren was slightly caught off guard. He grabbed her cold hand and pulled her towards the stage.
"N-no," Birdie dug her heels into the ground and stopped.
"Do you trust me?" Wren asked, looking back to her with urgency.
"Wh-what?" Birdie asked, her skin pale and her eyes filled with panic.
"Do you trust me?" Wren asked again.
"I...."
Wren watched as Birdie swallowed the lump in her throat. His dark eyes flickered to the closed door as he took her hand once more.
"You didn't say no so I will take it as a good sign," he muttered as he pushed aside the racks of clothing in the dressing room and pulled open the door to the stairwell. "Take the stairs all the way to the top. It leads to the bird. Stay there. Don't let anyone see you."
"What are you going to do?" Birdie asked.
"Take care of this?" Wren's eyes went to the door once more. "Now hurry."
"I...."
"Go to the top floor and wait for me there," Wren pushed her into the stairwell and closed the door shut. He pulled the racks back in front and walked over to where his cousin's body laid face down.
Jeffry was a cruel bastard who had it coming. He had a mean streak and wasn't afraid to show it off. His behavior was well known all over the court. No one ever wanted their daughter near him. Yet, he was Darrian's favorite.
Wren wondered what the king would do after he got words of his nephew's death. The future did not look too bright and he knew his mother would be furious with the chaos he had just created.
But Wren couldn't just stand by and let Jefry carry on. As soon as he had felt Birdie's panic, his feet carried him over to the dressing room without his permission. It was as if she had pulled him by the invisible string that was tied to both of their wrists. And when he opened the door and saw her on the floor with Jeffry covering her mouth, Wren's mind had switched off. Nothing made sense other than the way Birdie's screams sounded from under the asshole's hand.
Wren didn't stop to think about his mother's grand plans. He didn't think about how his actions were going to come crashing down upon them both. He didn't think about how Darrian would finally have his excuse to push Wren out of the picture. He didn't think....not a single thought. Just rage flooding through his veins, pushing his body into action.
Just as Birdie's footsteps grew silent, the guards pushed their way into the dressing room. They poured in before finding Jeffery's body along with his friend and coming to a halt. Wren shifted his weight from one side to another as the head guards looked up and lifted his helmet.
"Your grace....are you hurt?" He asked.
"No," Wren said calmly.
The room was silent as the guards stared at one another. Wren took in a casual deep breath and threw down the piece of glass, causing it to hatter against the hardwood floor beside Jeffry's still and cold body.
"Your grace," the guard spoke up once more. "What happened here? We heard a commission..."
"What does it look like?" Wren asked, looking around. "Just clean this up or something. Take them out after dinner. We don't need people seeing this."
The guard slowly straightened up and reached for the handcuffs in his back pocket.
"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to step away from the bodies," he said, a little bravely.
"Will do," Wren took a step towards the door.
"Please stop," the guards pulled out the cuffs.
Wren stared out at the empty hall in front of himself before taking in a long deep breath. He knew what was to come. His mind and body was ready.
The guards began to move swiftly all at once. They hesitated slightly as they handcuffed the prince and moved him out into the narrow hallway. Sheets were laid over the bodies as Darrian and Jeffry's mother was informed.
"My baby!" Josephine screamed as she pushed past the guards and came running towards the dressing room. "You killed my baby!"
"He attacked me," Wren said calmly.
"Tamzin!" Darrian's voice thundered through the hall. "What did you do?"
Adania, who hurried behind her husband and sister-in-law, was as pale as a ghost. Her first thought was of her son. She moved as fast as she could, her eyes desperate to catch a glimpse of him.
"Wren," Adania grabbed the prince's arm. "What happened? Did you do this?"
"Of course he did this!" Josephine screamed. "He has Jeffry's blood all over him. Look at him!"
"What happened?" Adania turned her son to face him. "What is the meaning of all this?"
"You have gone too far this time!" Darrian pulled Wren away from Adania and turned him around. "Your arrogance and your recklessness is the cause of this!"
"Darrian, please!" Adania raised her voice. "We don't know what happened."
"What happened?" Josephine narrowed her venomous eyes. "He killed my son!"
"Wren," Adania's voice shook. "Talk to me. What happened? Did you do this?"
"Yes," Wren spoke for the first time since his mother had walked into the room.
Adania's hand froze. She stepped away from her son and stared at him, her eyes full of questions.
"What?" The queen's voice was barely a whisper. Wren would have never herald her if he wasn't staring right at her.
"Hang him!" Josephine cried. "Hang him, Darrian!"
"Is that your confession?" Darrian looked at Wren.
"No, it's not!" Adania stepped in before Wren could open his mouth. "We need to know what happened here."
"Are you out of your mind?" Josephine asked.
"I know Wren," Adania said sternly, her eyes narrowing at her sister in law. "And I knew your son. There's always been bad blood but I know Wren would never do anything like this without reason."
"I don't need reasons!" Josephine took a threatening step forward. "I need his head on a silver platter."
"If you dare touch my son before a fair trial is conducted I will banish you from the kingdom," Adania threatened.
"You can't vanish my sister," Darrian's eyes narrowed.
"I can if she is a threat to the heir to the throne," Adania said.
"The heir to the throne just committed murder!"
"Innocent until proven guilty," Adania said through her teeth.
Darrian's eyes were as dark as the night sky.
"Fine," he said through his teeth. "Guards! Take him away and call the generals."
"Darrian," Josephine looked at her brother in disbelief.
"We will get to the bottom of this and we will punish him," Darrian promised.
"Wren," Adania pushed aside the king and hurrie over to her son as the guards began to lead him away. She shot a sharp glare toward them and said, "Leave us."
"Your majesty," the guard hesitated.
"Just give us a moment," the queen demanded.
With a slight bow of their head, the guards all took a step back. They kept their heads lowered as the queen turned the prince to face her.
"Do not say a word until our generals are with you," she warned. "And do not do anything stupid."
Wren felt his heart contract. He stared at his mother, suddenly feeling the gravity of the situation for the first time.
"What the hell, Wren?" Adania demanded. "How could you create this mess? We're so close."
Wren did not reply.
"Promise me you won't do anything stupid," the queen demanded. "Let me handle this."
Wren remained silent.
"Wren," Adania warned. "Promise me."
"I can't lie to you, mother."
"Please..." Adania paled. "Please....don't make this worse. Let me handle this, okay?"
Wren slowly nodded.
"Guards!" Darrian barked once more when he realized Wren and Adania were still in the hall.
"Go," Adania said, taking a step aside and letting the guards take her son. "Remember what I said."
Wren did not bother looking back as Josephin's wails were heard from inside the room. He had no sympathy for his aunt. The woman knew what her son was. She had created that monster. And she had protected him, letting him carry on and covered his sins.
"Sir," one of the guards whispered from behind Wren. "Where should we hold him?"
"With the rest of them," the other guards whispered back. "In the cellar."
Wren rolled his eyes as he stilled in the middle of the hall.
"What is it?" the guard asked. "Keep moving."
"Do you...." Wren peered down the empty hall. "Do you see that?"
"See what?" The guard asked, looking over his shoulder.
"Who is that?" Wren peered closer as his magic appeared on the surface of his palm.
The guard turned and froze. His knees started to shake as his worst nightmare appeared before his eyes. The others looked at each other and reached for the batons.
"Sir?" One of the guards took a step forward.
Wren's hand flickered and the young guard started to tremble. He stumbled back in fear as he began to tug at his uniform, tearing it apart with such speed.
Soon, one by one, the guards started to go down. Their greatest fears came to life, as they dropped like flies around the prince.
Wren waited patiently before reaching for the keys in the guards pocket and undoing his handcuffs. He tossed them aside and turned to head in the other direction, leaving the six men weeping on the floor.
As he took the stairs two at a time, a part of his brain warned him not to be stupid and surprisingly, it sounded like his mother.
But Wren was impatient. He wasn't going to waste his time sitting around a cell waiting for his mother to come up with a plan to clear his name while Birdie slipped away. He was so close. His father would have been so happy. If Birdie could put the missing pieces together, then who carried what hell Darrian raised. Wren would reclaim his birthright from the lowlife and pave the road for a brighter future of his people. That is what his father had always wanted.
Avoiding all the main halls, Wren snuck up to the conservatory, praying under his breath that Birdie had found her way up. He silently walked into the dark hall and peered into the darkness. His footsteps were silent, moving with caution as he felt his way down the wall.
The moonlight was bright and silver as it poured in through the glass ceiling. The night flowers were in full bloom, filling the air with their scent. The birds were as silent as the night. Wren felt the need to hold his breath as he moved farther into the room.
Suddenly, there was a movement behind him.
Whirling around, Wren caught the object flying towards his head and pushed the figure hard up against the wall. His eyes landed on silver hair and wild silver eyes as his free hand fell over her mouth.
"Shit," Wren hissed. "What the fuck?"
Birdie's eyes widened and then narrowed. She placed her hands over his chest and pushed him back.
"I didn't know it was you," Birdie said as soon as the prince's hand fell from over her mouth.
"Did anyone see you?" Wren asked.
Birdie shook her head.
"Okay, good."
"What...." Birdie stood against the hall. "What happened down there?"
"Murder."
"It was self defence!" Birdie stepped forward.
"I know!" Wren shushed her. "I know."
"He called you cousin," Birdie shivered. "Is he....was he related to you?"
"Unfortunately."
"What's going to happen now?"
"That is an excellent question," Wren said, staring at the girl in front of him. "I have no fucking clue actually."
"Are they going to kill me?"
"No," Wren shook his head.
"Why not?"
"Because they think I killed Jeff."
"Did you tell them you didn't?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"I don't have all night to answer these silly questions," Wren shook his head. "The guards are probably looking for me. We need a plan."
"We?" Birdie asked.
"Yes....we," Wren nodded.
Suddenly, under the moonlight, Wren felt his heart leap up with excitement for the first time since his father had passed away. His mind began to run with billions of questions about Earth as he stared at Birdie.
The red of her dress was almost black under the moonlight. Her hair was messy and wild, matching perfectly with her eyes. She stood staring at him as the veins in her neck throbbed, giving away how fast her heart was beating. Not that Wren needed to see that. He could feel her heartbeat in his chest.
"Hello," Wren said slowly, not taking his eyes off of Birdie. He forwarded her his hand, "I'm Wren Eflyn."
"What are you doing?" Birdie asked with confusion.
"A proper introduction," Wren said. "Now that we know we're not just two random beings meeting by chance."
Birdie did not know what to say. She stared at the fey and the small smile on his lip that was almost invisible in the shadows.
"Birdie," Birdie forwarded her hand. "Birdie Afreen Heyder."
"Welcome to Pangea, Birdie," Wren shook her hand. He stepped into the moonlight, showing off that smile.
"It sucks here."
"We're working on it."
"What do we do not?" Birdie pulled her hand back. "What's the plan?"
"We need to run away."
"What?" Birdie wondered if he was pulling her legs.
"They think I killed Jeffry. I will be put on trial. You will be sold off or given to my uncle. Any chance we have of you going back to Earth will be dead if we don't get out of here."
"Why do you want to help me?" Birdie narrowed her eyes.
"Can I explain as we go to my room and pack?" Wren asked.
"No," Birdie shook her head. "Explain now. What do you want?"
"I just want to get you home."
"Why?"
"You don't belong here."
"What's in it for you?"
"I get to prove that my father's lifelong work was meaningful and he was not crazy."
"You're going to come to Earth."
"Maybe."
"What does that mean?"
"It means we have everything we need here," Wren laughed. "There is no reason why we need to go to Earth."
"I don't believe you."
"How do I know you won't go back and bring your people here?" Wren challenged. "Maybe I should protect my homeland and kill you now."
"If you really felt that way, you would have killed me by now."
"And if you really didn't believe me about not going to Earth then you would have never told me about where you were from."
"So we both trust each other but not fully."
"Precisely."
Birdie slowly nodded. The events of the night were shaping into something wild and crazy. Her head was beginning to spin. She looked at the fey in front of her and narrowed her eyes.
"If you bring war to my land, you won't survive it," she said.
"And if you bring war to my land, you won't survive it."
"I'm glad that's all cleared up."
"Very good," Wren nodded. "Should we get going?"
Nodding, Birdie began to follow the fey prince out the conservatory. They stayed close to the shadows and avoided the servants as they made their way down and slipped into Wren's chambers.
"Hurry, they will be here looking for me any second now," Wren said, throwing a bag at Birdie.
"What do I do?" Birdie wondered.
"Pack up my books."
"Your book?" Birdie questioned. "Not weapons or money? Books!"
"My books are about Earth," Wren said as he began to roll up his maps and shove them into a bag of his own. "Now, hurry!"
"I need a change of clothes."
"Not now."
"I can't make a great escape in this ridiculous dress!"
"I don't have any other dress for you to change into."
"I don't want a dress," Birdie said. "Give me your clothes!"
"What?" Wren laughed, moving around his table frantically. "You're going to wear men's clothes?"
"Fuck this," Birdie threw down the bag and ran into his closet. She searched through the racks and pulled on a baggy white shirt along with some dark pants. Before running back out she grabbed the bag off the floor and stuffed it with fresh clothes.
"Wren, shrink the clothes," she said, running back out.
"What?" Wren looked up.
"A shrinking spell," Birdie said, rolling up her sleeve and holding onto her pants from sliding down her narrow hips.
"You look ridiculous," Wren said, eyeing the girl in his baggy clothes.
"Just shrink it!"
Groaning, Wren raised his hand and performed the simple spell. He was about to look away and go back to packing when Birdie suddenly flipped her hair over and began to push it up into a bun. Wren froze as his eyes fell on her.
Thanks to the spell, his clothes were now stitched to perfection to match her figure. Wren was stunned to see how long her legs were. She was tall and slim. Tiny yet fit with toned arms and a great backside.
"What?" Birdie asked, making a ponytail.
"I've never seen a woman in men's clothing before," Wren said. "Is this how you dress on Earth?"
"Yes," Birdie said, pulling her shirt down.
"People will notice you as soon as you step out."
"A cloak will take care of that," Birdie grabbed the bag and began to throw the books inside.
"Good idea," Wren cleared his throat and went back to packing.
Within seconds, all the books and maps on Wren's desk were packed and ready to go. The two could hear commotion starting to stir up outside, making them move faster.
"How do we get out? Where are we going" Birdie asked. "What's the plan?"
"We just have to make it down to the stable with the horses," Wren said, peeking outside.
"And then?"
"I haven't gotten to that part yet."
"You're awful at this!"
"Well, excuse me, princess. I never committed murder and escaped before."
"Well I have."
"What?"
"Not the murder part," Birdie pushed the fey back. "But definitely the sneaking out part. Follow me and tell me which way to the stable."
Curious as to what her plan was, Wren began to guide Birdie down the hall and towards the servant stairwell.
"Create a distraction on the other side of the palace," Birdie said.
"That's a shitty plan."
"My baba snuck into the pixie palace using that plan," Birdie glared. "Do it. Now. I would if you took these cuffs off."
"One problem at a time," Wren said as a sudden boom shook the floors. "Let's go."
The fey grabbed Birdie's hand as they raced down the stairwell. People started to run upwards to see what the damage was as they pushed past in the chaos and made their way to the stable.
"Not the pretty horses," Wren said, pulling Birdie away from the glossy black stallion. "Too easily noticed."
"He's beautiful," Birdie said, staring at the horse as she let Wren pull her towards a scruffy brown horse.
"We take these two," Wren began to saddle up. "Do you know how to ride?"
"Of course," Birdie snorted. "Eggs would disown me if I didn't."
"What?" Wren asked in confusion.
"Nevermind," Birdie said, climbing onto her horse effortlessly in one swift movement.
"You're not going to ride side saddle?"
"Why would I do that?"
"It's what ladies do."
"I am trying to escape!" Birdie grabbed the rein.
"Is this an Earth thing?"
"This is a common sense thing. Now shut up and get on your horse!"
Wren quickly grabbed the bags off the floor and climbed onto his horse. He led Birdie towards the gate and flickered his hands, causing the guards to fall to the floor weeping as they shivered in fear from what they saw in their mind.
Birdie felt a cold shiver run up her spine as she looked at the fey from the corner of her eyes. She wasn't fully sure what she was doing or if she should trust him. But he was getting her out and she needed to find her way to Ira at any cost.
________________________
"They look nice, right?" Heyder asked Zuri as he sat on his lap admiring her new red bottom ballet flats.
"Yes," Zuri nodded, tucking her hair behind her ears. "Thank you, paba."
"You're very welcome, my sweet baby," Heyder kissed the top of her head before picking up the little girl and setting her down on her feet.
"Thank you," Nora said, taking a step forward and walking into the room.
"Yeah," Heyder nodded, clearing his throat. "Do you need anything for the party?"
"No," Nora shook her head, feeling a small slither of guilt rush into her heart. "Zuri really wanted this. Hayden and I tried to talk to her but sh-"
"I'm glad you're doing this," the jinn said slowly. "She's a baby. She doesn't know what's happening."
The frown on Nora's lips deepened as she looked out the window towards the large fun house in her yard.
"Birdie should be here," she said quietly, feeling her throat close up.
"I know," Heyder rubbed the back of his neck as Zuri came running back towards him.
"Puba, up!" She said, holding up her arms towards him.
With a small sad smile on his lips, Heyder did as he was told. He lifted the little girl up into his arms and held her tightly against his chest.
"Thanks for coming," Nora said, watching the way the jinn cared for her daughter.
"Thanks for asking me to come by," Heyder said. "I know Hayden didn't want that."
"No, it's not like th-"
"You don't have to worry about hurting my feelings, peanut," Heyder adjusted the little flyaway hairs on Zuri's head. "I don't have any."
"That's not true," Nora frowned. "We just all have to sit down and tal-"
"Are your friends here for your birthday party yet, darling?" Heyder asked Zuri. "You wanna go play with them outside?"
"They're watching me from the woods," Zuri whispered, placing her tiny hand around Heyder's ear.
"They're keeping you safe," Heyder patted her back. "The jinns won't dare hurt you."
"I don't like them, paba," Zuri frowned.
"I know, I know," Heyder rolled his eyes. "But they're staying. I don't care what anyone says. Now, off you go."
Nora rubbed her hands up and down her arm as she watched Zuri run off outside in her new expensive ballet flats. She was about to turn and ask Heyder for coffee when she saw the jinn reaching for his coat.
"You're not going to stay?" She asked. "It's Zuri's birthday."
"Nah," Heyder shrugged. "I just saw her. And I got a chance to give her my present."
"You're not staying because of Maya," Nora felt her heart sink. "Heyder, don't. I'm sure she will be fine if it's for Zuri."
"I don't want to spoil her mood," Heyder said. "She doesn't want to see me."
"Have you spoken to her?"
"I try," Heyder shrugged. "Everyday."
Nora didn't know what to say as she stared at the man before her. Her heart ached as she wondered what Maya must be going through if Heyder's condition was this bad.
Just then, the door to their townhouse opened as Noor and Hayden walked in, their arms full of more party supply.
"Paba!" Noor's face lit up as he spotted the jinn in the living room.
But unlike the boy, Hayden's face fell and crumbled with mixed emotion. His eyes flickered towards Nora as she avoided looking at him.
"Ugh," Heyder rolled his eyes. "It's the creature."
"Are you here for the party?" Noor asked. "We got a clown. Zuri loves clowns. It's creepy. I keep telling mom and baba that she might be a psycho but they won't believe me. Which three-year-old likes clowns?"
"Apparently your sister," Heyder ruffled the boy's hair. "I'm not staying for the party."
"Mimi will be here," Noor said, hoping Heyder would change his mind after hearing about Maya.
"Nice try," Heyder said as he summoned a portal.
"Can we go golfing?" Noor called out as Heyder took a step back. "I don't have school next week."
Heyder's eyes flickered to Hayden, "Maybe."
"You said that last time," Noor frowned.
"Noor," Hayden called to his son.
Heyder took that as his que to make an exit. Nora watched him slip through the portal and vanish, leaving her standing beside her husband.
"You could have asked him to stay," she said, turning to face the half jinn.
"I'm sure you did," Hayden said. "If he wanted to, he would. He doesn't need anyone's permission."
"Can you be a little nicer?" Nora frowned. "That's your father."
"I said hi, I called to check in," Heyder sighed. "I did everything you asked me to do. What else do you want?"
"Hayden, whatever happened between Maya and Heyder is between them," Nora shook her head. "That's your father. You can't shut him out like that. He needs his family. They both need it. This is very hard for everyone right now."
"I'm trying."
"No, you're not!"
"What do you want?"
"Stop shouting!"
Noor flinched as his parents walked off towards the kitchen. He felt his shoulders drop as he grabbed his baseball hat and made his way out of the house towards the yard. He could still hear them yelling at each inside the house. Finding Zuri, Noor sat down beside her and offered the little girl a bit of his candy.
"Nice shoes," he said.
"Paba got them," Zuri looked down to admire her new shoes.
"They look good."
"Noor," Zuri leaned into her brother. "Why is Mimi mad at Paba? He's so nice?"
"I think it's because they're grown ups," Noor sighed.
This is going to be a long book. It will most defiantly be in two parts.