Wren winced as he sat up examining the white walls surrounding him. He felt the beeping of the machines, glancing down at all the needles and wires hooked up to his skin. Memories of the battle flashed back as he recalled how easily one boy took out four of Keaton's elite force on top of the reinforcements of about thirty Wizards.
As a half fairy, his magic should have been superior, but still Derek had done all that damage while being able to barely stand on his feet. There was no possible way that boy was human. He didn't resemble the fairies and he was too emotional for an elf. Could he be part giant? No, that was impossible because fairy magic was still stronger. Whatever blood Derek had running through his veins was frightening and Wren hoped never to face him in battle again. If Luke hadn't stepped in, the whole army would have been dead.
His magic had failed him. His demons had betrayed him all while the wild child who had lived in his older brother's shadow as nothing but a trouble maker proved he was not to be taken lightly. He wasn't even aware Derek could control the other Elements. The only spells the boy ever really cast were water spells. He knew of his record in dueling, but what had been witnessed or told in the past didn't compare to that display of monstrous talent that made a high ranking demon even refuse to fight him.
"Oh joy, you are finally awake," Luke sighed as he stood in the doorway wearily eyeing the man.
The boy was looking more haggard since the last time Wren saw him The mischievous sparkle in his eyes were gone, nothing but dullness left behind sunken cheeks and baggy eyes. His raven hair was a tangled mess in need of a trim and Wren could see the boy wasn't eating like he should. No wonder his father sent people to keep an eye on the boy, he was running himself into the grave worrying about his friends and working hard to keep the illusions from touching Riley's mind.
"Don't sound so enthused," Wren sarcastically replied, "by the way you look like shit."
Luke smirked, waltzing into the room and taking a seat in the chair by Wren's bedside, responding, "Well hello to you too. I'd expect a little more gratitude from the man who saved your life along with all of my father's other idiotic followers."
"Then why'd you save us if you can't stand us?" Wren questioned.
"Because, I couldn't allow Derek to take so many lives. He would never forgive himself once he realized what he had done," Luke sighed.
Luke's mind flashed back to his childhood, recalling that tragic day that he witnessed the death of another boy at Derek's hands. His best friend was distraught once he finally realized what had happened. They ended up having to hospitalize him for the rest of the summer under the care of trained healers of the Council to keep an eye on him. It was a depressing Summer, that was for sure. Nikkolai's family ended up moving to New York leaving Luke all alone for the summer, with a grieving Anna who began her wild partying stage with Devan and Ryder tagging along.
By the time Derek returned to school in August, he was in a drug induced haze, the result of pills given to him to suppress his abilities. It wasn't until sixth grade started that he began to start skipping doses, before stopping the pills all together realizing his magic was now weak because of the drugs. Luke began middle school, the stronger of the two Wizards, but Derek soon began to show he was stronger as the years progressed as he got the magical suppressants out of his system. Now, Luke realized that no trace of the suppressants were left in his best friend's system and his full potential could finally be displayed.
"Are you implying that he wasn't aware what he was doing?" Wren questioned listening in on Luke's thoughts.
Luke nodded his head, recalling back to the battle. Derek could barely stand with all those broken ribs, but something turned off within him as his emotions took over. His eyes weren't the same, they were filled with nothing but rage and desperation, a look Luke hadn't seen in years in his friend. The slumbering beast within the boy awoke for that brief time period, his magic completely consuming him as he wreaked havoc.
"Does he do this often?"
"No, this is the second time I have ever seen it this bad. He has raged out some in the past, but nowhere near this scale to the point he actively was trying to kill," Luke admitted.
Wren gulped, eyes widening in shock that this war was really going to drive that Fitzgerald boy to wipe out a whole army if given the chance. If he continued to let his emotions fuel him, the battles would only become more frightening and deadly. Someone needed to make a move to take the teen out before he destroyed a whole town in the process of fighting for the Resistance.
"We truly are screwed if your friends can't control him," Wren gulped.
"Yes, losing Morgan and seeing Riley almost die really affected him," Luke admitted, "That's why I wish Riley would wake soon. I feel she would be able to stop him from causing anymore mayhem. She helped calm me down when I first met her, pushing me towards actually fighting for a cause instead of blindly rebelling against my father."
"Yes, you have calmed down. The old you would have let Derek kill us all without batting an eye," Wren snapped.
Luke frowned shaking his head as he snarled, "I may have allowed it, but I would hate myself for the deed after its done."
Wren smirked, glad to see he hit on this boy's weakness. He wasn't cruel and heartless like his father, but actually deeply cared for humanity itself. No wonder why his father was easily able to manipulate Luke into not supporting the Resistance. He would rather have his friends hate him than to see them get hurt.
"You know, its to bad your father couldn't sway you to his side," Wren stated, "you really would have been an useful ally."
"Why do you side with my father?" Luke blurted out.
Wren paused, unsure of the answer. He didn't really know why he sided with Michael Noble. He knew Leona joined because of the joy of power. He followed along to be with his girlfriend, not really a strong supporter of either sides. All his life, it had been ingrained into his mind that when the time came, the Sorceress must die. It had been ingrained into all of their minds, ever since that day in history all those years ago. He never attended the trial, so he still hadn't personally seen the Sorceress yet, just heard about her from all the other Wizards.
Honestly, from the talk she wasn't like what the legend depicted her to be. He heard how she stood up to the Council, calling them out on their backwards ways before she got the actual Merlin to step in and intervene. The biggest shock was knowing that the head of the International Council was her grandfather, yet he still allowed the events to happen.
Wren had a sinking feeling that the only way to expose the corruption in the Council, especially the American one, was to allow for the Sorceress to be pursued. The American Council had been the biggest advocates of her execution, fueled by the belief that if they were the ones to deliver her head to the International Council, then Michael Noble would earn the opportunity to be named next in line of the International Council. Basically, every single thing he had ever done was fueled by his desire for power and control twisting him into the heartless man he is today.
Maybe Wren really was on the wrong side. Even legends like Voisin had sided with the Sorceress. Spell-master Voisin was someone Wren respected deeply, him being the man that helped him train to be the powerful Wizard he was today. Honestly, he was confused, stuck in a gray area unsure what was right and wrong.
The Sorceress was named successor to the International Council and she was also protected by the Elves. The giants were strong supporters of her too, from the rumors he had heard with the gatekeepers. His own brethren, the fae chose to keep out of human affairs, but they strongly despised Michael Noble; something the King was sure to mention on a daily basis whenever Wren would travel home to see him.
This was so frustrating! He was torn on who to support, his allegiances questioned. Leona had taken it too far when she chose to kill the step son's girlfriend in battle with no reason. Law dictates all criminals should be taken in for questioning and a fair trial, but those two girls did not get that option that day. Many alleged criminals weren't getting that option anymore, being killed in cold blood over being captured. Devan Fitzgerald was one of the few who actually would receive a trial, but it would be to noticeable to off him as a former gatekeeper.
If he sided with the Resistance, he would lose Leona. However, he was beginning to fall out of love with her, the more like Michael Noble she acted. Maybe leaving her wouldn't be so heartbreaking if he wasn't even happy right now. Siding with the Resistance would mean that the war would shift, and the fae may actually take sides in battle.
Then again, Michael Noble may retaliate and stage an attack on his own people. He hated the human side of himself in times like these. His emotions really made it difficult to act. The stupid Fitzgerald boy had broken him, letting his emotions be free and he was terrified with all these feelings flowing through his mind.
"Why do you fight for the Resistance?" Wren snapped back, dodging the question asked with no clear answer to give. Luke smirked, seeing the man unsure of his own beliefs. He would break soon enough, it just takes time.
"I fucking hate my father, that's why."
"Yes, I know your father is abusive, but that isn't any justified reason for starting a war," Wren snapped.
"My mom was named successor to the International Council before Harvey Emrys stepped in. Dad was furious that he was overlooked for a representative from a lesser bloodline so he killed her. Anna witnessed her death, so he tried killing her too, but the sly cat outsmarted him," Luke explained.
"Your mom died in a car crash," Wren mumbled.
"Did she really?" Luke inquired, "then why did I trace magic at the crash sight?"
"You traced the magic?" Wren asked shocked. The boy was only eleven when his mother died and barely twelve when he lost Anna.
" Yes, the summer after Anna's death, I began growing suspicious after being sent a letter in Anna's handwriting that Devan slipped into my book bag the last day of school.I found a spell to trace the magic in our Grimoire, using it to study the history of the crash site," Luke explained.
"It was actually a pretty complex spell and I almost killed myself performing it, choosing to sneak away from home while everyone's attention was focused on the Wizard Olympics," Luke explained, "Voisin sensed something was amiss and found me there. I am thankful he never told my father."
"For being a pompous ass, Voisin always really cared for his students," Wren replied, knowing that the Spell-master had even helped him out of a couple of jams.
"Yes, that is one thing we can both agree on," Luke smiled.
"Am I the only one that was left behind?" Wren sighed.
"Unfortunately, yes. Daddy dearest figured you needed time to recover so you were named my new babysitter," Luke sighed.
"Lovely, and the others?" Wren inquired.
"Sent on their way to other missions. Their injuries weren't as severe. You really pissed Derek off," Luke smirked.
"We never really got along in the first place."
Wren sighed in relief that Leona was ok. He was also glad that Lineas and Zain fared better than he imagined after the way Derek tossed them around like puppets. In the past, he would have been upset to be stuck on babysitting duty, but now after that battle, he wasn't really sure if he would actually be able to fight anymore. He relied on his demons so much that his actual dueling skills had grown rusty.
With this new upcoming generation of Wizards, he wouldn't fare as well in a one on one duel in the condition he was in. Plus, he didn't want to hurt any more people. He never really wanted to hurt them to begin with. Wren was done following, it was time for him to decide his own fate, instead of blindly following those who were close to him.
The first thing he knew he needed to do was to help Luke before the poor soul ran himself into the grave. The boy looked like he was about to doze off just sitting there, their conversation dulling to silence as both men were deep in thought with their own conflicting feelings.
"Luke, you need to rest," Wren stated, "stop fighting the illusions."
"I can't do that, if I do then Riley will get hurt," Luke argued.
"Its the only way she will ever be allowed to wake up," Wren countered.
Luke sighed, nodding his head in agreement. Wren was right, Riley wasn't going to awaken as long as there was a war going on in her mind. No, she had to let the illusions win to be brought back to reality, then and only then would Luke be able to save her. He had the ability to reverse the illusions, and it would be so much easier to accomplish once she was awake.
~~~~~
What are your thoughts on Wren debating his choices? Will he become a friend or stay a foe?
The song above is Dust and Gold by Arrows to Athens. I really think this is a beautiful song and felt it helped set the tone of this chapter.
Stay tuned as we travel back to the past to see what happened to Derek after his actions.