Chapter 25
The whispers were like bees in her ear. Birdie scrunched up her nose as the hushed voices made the throbbing pain in the back of her head worsen. She felt the warm bed beneath her and the thick blanket over her legs. It all made her heart shrivel up as she was taken back to the night in the dressing room.
Her eyes flew open and she sat up instantly. With labored breathing, Birdie pushed her hair out of her face and scanned her surroundings, looking for Wren. her small hands clutched the blanket and held it against her as she feared to look down at herself.
Very slowly, Birdie's eyes looked down and found herself fully clothed. Her shoes were still on and her outfit looked untampered with. A small sigh of relief escaped her lips as she sat up and pushed the blanket off.
"Wren?" Birdie called out, her heart shivering.
Suddenly, the dark curtains separating her from the voices on the other side parted and a woman with long blonde hair and dark brows walked in. Her eyes stilled on Birdie for a few seconds before she stepped closer and pulled a washcloth from the bowl of warm water by the bedside.
"Who are you?" Birdie asked.
"My name is Joya," the woman said.
"Where am I?" Birdie looked back as the woman wrangled out the washcloth and brought it to the back of her head. "What are you doing?"
"Omar is too strong for his own good sometimes," Joya laughed, her voice soft and gentle. "You have dried blood all over your hair. Let me get that for you."
"Where am I? Birdie asked, stopping the woman from touching her. "And where is Wren?"
"Ira is not going to be happy if she sees you covered in blood."
"She's here?" Birdie asked.
"Yes," Joya nodded. "She's been waiting for you to gain consciousness."
"How long was I out?"
"About a day and a half."
"He didn't have to hit me that hard."
With another laugh, Joya nodded, "Ira said the same thing."
"I want to meet her," Birdie let go of the woman's hand and attempted to roll off the bed.
It was only then did she realize her hands were free. Gone were the broken handcuffs and the brass. Her sink was still bruised and covered with angry red blisters and scars but at least she was free. Joya watched birdie hold up her wrists and examine herself.
"Ira sent a peddler to take them off of you," she said.
Birdie listened to the woman and opened her mind-link with caution.
Grandma...
There was a small pause.
You're up.
Birdie's heart leaped up, Yes. Where are you? Where's Wren?
He's....around, Ira replied.
Where is he? Birdie asked.
Don't you want to meet your grandma first? With a chuckle, Ira pulled back the curtains and revealed herself.
All Birdie could do was stare at the tall woman before her.
Ira had long black hair that reached her waist. It was twisted into a thick braid that hung down the front of her chest, showing off her wide shoulders and long neck. Her dark eyes were narrow and cunning, like a wild cat. The fine lines of her smooth olive skin were a testament of her age and wisdom. She stood with her head held high and her gaze locked on Birdie, seeing her for the first time. Her lips pursed as she studied the girl before her, as if caught off guard.
"You..." she said slowly.
Birdie stared up at her, nervous about her reaction.
"Why..." Ira's brows knit. "Why do you...."
Self consciously, Birdie reached up and untucked her hair from behind her ears to hide them. She twisted a log silver strand around her finger and swallowed the lump in her throat. Joya slowly rose from the floor with the bowl of bloody water in her hands. She walked over to Ira's side and looked back at Birdie.
"You're Heyder's daughter?" Ira asked.
Birdie nodded, "Yes..."
Ira did not speak. She pulled off the necklace from around her neck and held the round pendant in her hand. Her eyes flickered back up to Birdie as she took a step forward.
"Give me your hand," she said.
"Why..." Birdie leaned back.
"I need to see if you can open my seal," Ira pulled out the small silver pin from her hair and reached for Birdie's hand.
"You don't believe that I am your granddaughter?" Birdie felt her chest tighten.
"I don't believe or trust a lot of people, sweet baby," Ira shook her head.
Birdie's heart contracted once more at that name.
"Baba calls mom that..." she said, her voice a whisper.
"Your hand," Ira waited.
A bit hurt by the woman's reaction and suspicion, Birdie timidly raised her hand. She bit down on the inside of her cheeks as Ira pierced her skin with the tiny silver pin and rubbed the blood onto the pendant.
With a shimmering glow, similar to the way the table had opened, the multiple parts of the pendant began to unlock and open like a metal flower. Birdie starred with her heart still as the cloud of suspicion slowly vanished from Ira's eyes.
"You believe me now?" She asked, pulling her hand back and wiping the blood on her clothes.
"What has Heyder done?" Ira frowned. "Why is your hair silver and your eyes..."
"My mom is the next witch supreme," Birdie said.
Ira arched her brows, "Oh?"
"When she was younger, a fey spirit entered her body from an old spell book," Birdie tugged on her sleeves as she felt the two women staring at her. "My brother has fey magic and I have fey looks."
"Brother?" Ira's brows seemed to be permanently arched. "How many siblings do you have?"
"Just one," Birdie said. "It's just Hayden an-"
As if a light bulb had gone off in her head at the mention of her family, Birdie paused and looked up at the woman. Her eyes narrowed and she pulled back slightly.
"What is it?" Ira asked.
"How do I know you're actually my grandmother?" Birdie asked. "How do I know you're not some random jinn?"
"I have my house seal," Ira said, slightly impressed with the young girl before her.
"You could have taken that from my grandmother," Birdie challenged. "What proof do you have that you're actually who you say you are?"
"Jinns can't lie, darling," the corner of Ira's mouth curved up just the way Heyder's did whenever he reminded everyone of his misfortunes.
"But we can manipulate," Birdie answered back.
"Would you like for me to show you?"
"How?" Birdie asked specifically.
Reaching up, Ira touched the edge of Birdie's face, instantly filling her mind with images of a small boy running around the Tyveer court with a wooden sword in his hand. His dark hair was a wild mess and his clothes were covered with dust and mud from an afternoon well spent.
"Heyder!"
Someone called as the child laughed and hid behind the curtains.
Birdie gasped as Ira appeared in the movie in her mind and threw back the curtains to reveal the little boy once more.
"Come on," Ira said. "Maaz is waiting for you."
"Mama, don't go," the little boy pleaded, his playful eyes suddenly turning sad.
"Don't worry," Ira leaned down and picked up the boy. "I spoke to Maaz and she said he will look after you and make sure Mirza leaves you alone."
"He doesn't listen to Maaz," the boy frowned.
"He will and I will only be gone for a few hours," Ira kissed the top of the boy's head.
Birdie gasped as the jinn pulled her hand back and she landed back in the dimly lit room with the heavy curtains and the small narrow bed.
"That's the last memory I have of him," Ira said. "He was so young when I left...and here you are. His daughter. Sitting before me."
Birdie felt a sense of restlessness blossom in her chest, "You...you look the same as you did in your memory. Are you immortal?"
"No," Ira shook her head. "I never took the elixir."
"How long..." Birdie's head began to spin. "How long have you been here?"
Ira's gaze flickered up. She settled her gaze on the flickering candle and sat down on the edge of the bed.
"Do you know anything about traveling?" She asked. "Between dimensions and time."
"I am very familiar with it," Birdie nodded. "My maternal grandfather is a traveller."
Ira's eyes filled with questions that she quickly pushed aside, "Then you must know how time works, correct?"
"Yes..." Birdie nodded. "I think so..."
"I have been here in Pangea for a very long time now. The feys who had moved here have all died out. Only the jinns from Earth remain," Ira said slowly.
Birdie's ears began to ring. Her pulse quickened and her breathing labored.
"On Earth..." she tried to speak. "You've been gone for hundreds of years..."
"It would appear so," Ira nodded. "Glad to know my sons made it so far."
"Son," Birdie corrected her.
Ira frowned, waiting for Birdie to continue, "What do you mean?"
"Only baba is....alive."
Birdie could see the new hit the jinn like a ton of bricks. But Ira's expression did not change. She remained unmoved and unbothered on the surface.
"How did it happen?" She asked, very calmly.
"I think Baba should be the one to tell you," Birdie said, her voice timid. "When we both go back home."
"Go back home?" Ira almost laughed. "My dear, that's not possible."
"Yes, it is," Birdie said. "There are four gat-"
"Four gates that need to be opened on a full moon, yes I know," Ira sighed. "But it's an impossible task."
"No, it's not," Birdie pushed. "I know where the gates are. Wren knows where they are. He has the gemstones to open the gates."
"We also know where the gates are," Ira said, a bit loudly to drown out Birdie's voice. "But you're not listening to me. You cannot open the doors from this side of the world."
"Why not?" Birdie frowned.
"Did the prince tell you about the fourth gate?"
Birdie nodded, "Yes....but we don't know where it is or what gemstone it needs."
"It's inside the Splendid fall," Ira announced. "And it opens with a key. Not a gemstone."
"A key?" Birdie questioned.
"Yes, a key," Ira sighed once more as if irritated. "We don't have the key. It's back on Earth. I almost had it a few years back when that witch stole the whip from me. She must have the key. How did she steal it from the cour-"
"My mom!" Birdie jumped up. "That's my mom! She was the one who took Seti's whip. She found the key!"
"That was your mother..." Ira arched her brow. "The blonde?"
"Yes," Birdie nodded, her heart pounding in her chest. "She said she found the key at court when baba and her got married there."
"She must have had the key when she opened my seal," Ira said. "How did she open my seal?"
"Baba did," Birdie said. "They needed the whip."
"I kept it hidden inside my portal," Ira explained. "It was suspended in the empty time space between Earth and Pangea. When Heyder opened the portal, your mother must have had the key on her. That's the only way I was allowed to see her."
"Then why didn't you go with her?" Birdie asked.
"The other gates weren't open," Ira shook her head. "I was only able to see your mother through the time window."
"If the key is so important, why did you leave it on Earth?" Birdie wondered.
"I didn't leave it on Earth," Ira narrowed her dark eyes. "I was fooled. I was given an empty pouch by someone I thought I could trust."
"Who?"
Ira shook her head, as if she did not want to bring up those memories. Birdie could feel the anger that rolled off of her like heat off a pavement. Ira's hands gripped the loose material of her pants as she sat still, her jaw clenched and her eyes hard.
"Grandma," Birdie sat back down on the bed. "This key....is it a golden skeleton key?"
Ira's eyes slowly found its way to the girl, "Yes. It is."
"Do you have a piece of paper and a pen?" Birdie wondered.
Nodding, Ira motioned towards the little wooden side table beside the bed. Birdie quickly grabbed the notepad along with the quill and tub of ink. She began to sketch the key out of memory as Ira looked on.
"Was it like this?" Birdie asked, sketching as fast as she could.
Ira's pupils dilated as she took the notepad into her own hands.
"This is it," she said, her voice coated with a bit of sadness.
"Grandma," Birdie gripped the jinn's hand. "We can go home! The key is in Pangea! It was with me when I fell!"
Realization flooded Ira's eyes like tears, but the woman was too tough to cry.
"Yes," she said instead. "Of course. It has to be here! You fell through. You would only be able to do that if you had the key."
For the first time in days, Birdie felt her heartbeat properly. She filled her lungs with air as her eyes watered. But she was too embarrassed to weep in front of Ira.
"Where is it?" Ira asked, looking at Birdie's hands. "Where's the key?"
"Ah..." Birdie felt the little light of hope dim just a bit. "Yeah about that....I kind of don't have it with me..."
Ira's face darkened, "Where is it? Did you give it to the fey?"
"No! No," Birdie shook her head. "I lost it when I fell into the sea. Or maybe it was with my clothes when the collector threw them out."
"So you have no idea where the key is?" Ira asked with disappointment.
"Eh....no?" Birdie said, intimidated. "But now we know where it is. And we know the location of the fourth gate. Wren and I can find the key and go to th-"
"No."
Birdie paused and stared at her grandma.
"What?" She asked.
"You are going nowhere with the fey prince," Ira said. "I will die before I let him have the key to the fourth gate. We can not let them return to Earth."
"No, Wren is different," Birdie felt strange saying those words. Did she believe in them herself? Was Wren different from the others?
"He saved my life," Birdie said. "He wants to set the jinns free in Pangea. He's not like his uncle."
Ira's face grew sour, "No fey just willingly helps out anyone. They don't even help their own kind. You should see the way they treat the common blood. If they can do that to their own people, imagine how little we mean to them."
"But Wren is different," Birdie said once more, feeling uneasy yet again.
"So different that he just wants to go exploring with you and find the gateway to Earth?" Ira arched her brow. "Are you really buying this, sweet baby?"
"It's important to him," Birdie said.
"Why?" Ira's eyes narrowed.
"Because this is the only connection he has to his father," Birdie said. "His dad wan-"
"Wanted to find Earth. Yes, I know," Ira said. "Why do you think they wanted to find Earth, Birdie?"
Birdie suddenly felt like a silly child, "To prove that it wasn't a myth?"
As if mocking her, Ira chuckled. She shook her head as she rose to her feet and turned to head out of the room.
"Once you have healed, we will begin our search for the key," she said, walking to the curtains. "The fey prince is being returned to his uncle."
"What?" Birdie's eyes snapped up. "No! You can't do that! Darrian will kill him."
"Not my problem," Ira shrugged.
"He saved my life!" Birdie protested. "You can send him back to Xaiba."
"I am responsible for your life now," Ira said sternly. "If Heyder knew we were together, he would expect me to take care of you and that is exactly what I will do."
What do you think of Ira and this situation?