The Beauty In Love And Murder

Chapter Forty Eight - Theodore

"Zephyr—"

He holds a hand up to forestall me.

"No questions. I can answer those later. Adrienne needs us." I nod at his words, determination rising in me like a storm. I'm going to get her back, before it's too late.

Zephyr beckons to me and I walk over quickly. I'm not one for heights— never have been, but if flying is Zephyr's method to get us to Adrienne then I'll do it.

Zephyr's wings twitch slightly as he shifts his arms to a position in which he can lift me. I make eye contact and glare at him.

"If you drop me, I'm going to haunt you from the afterworld like you wouldn't believe." I snap. Zephyr chuckles and I force myself not to smile. "I'm dead serious. Do not drop me."

Tobias wordlessly hands me my sword, and I nod at him in thanks. I strap it to my waist and Zephyr turns to me as we step towards the open window of my room.

"Do you trust me?" He says seriously, but with a twinkle of mischief in his blue eyes. I shake my head. "Not at all." I say equally as seriously.

Tarryn, Tobias and I laugh and Zephyr winces. "Well, you're going to have to." He motions to the window sill, speaking as he does. "Come on. Get up."

Ignoring Tobias, Zephyr, and Tarryn's whispers behind me, I step up to the window and brace both hands on the edges.

I climb tentatively up onto the edge of the sill, cringing as I look downwards at the ground below. My chambers are on the highest floor of the palace— about ten floors up, if I remember correctly. A fall from here would kill me, and not even Zephyr's wings would be able to save me.

I take a deep breath and adjust my footing, and am about to look back over my shoulder and ask Zephyr what to do next when Tarryn slams both palms into my back and in a slowed down moment, I feel myself tip forwards out of the window and then I'm plummeting towards the ground.

I'm convinced I'm going to die. I'm too shocked to struggle, so I simply fall faster and faster into the waiting arms of the ground below. Just as I'm absolutely sure that I'm going to break every bone in my body upon impact, something grabs me solidly around the chest and then I'm swooping upwards, the stars laughing at me as they twinkle above.

"Zephyr." I say through gritted teeth. He laughs quietly. "I told you to trust me." 

Zephyr's wings move in powerful strokes, and we soar upwards to one of the tall turrets of the palace. These stand often unused, except for the tallest one, which serves as a lookout on rare occasions. I've been in one or two out of the ten that stand around the palace, but not recently. As Zephyr glides up to one of the furthest towers, realization dawns on me.

Ah, Mother. How clever of you, situating your lair in the air instead of in the ground. You've always been rather unpredictable.

Zephyr flies in an opened window of the tower, landing noiselessly. He sets me down gently. "Why couldn't we get in from the palace?" I whisper barely louder than a breath. "I've tried to get in from inside, somehow there's no visible entrance." He murmurs back. He folds his wings in, tucking them to his body tightly and I stare again.

"Come on." Zephyr nudges me, reminding me of why we're even here in the first place. I keep a hand on the gilded hilt of my sword at my side.

The tower is dark; no candles, no lights on, just an empty room with an opening into a spiral staircase.

"Stay here." Zephyr whispers. Silently, he leaps out of the window and returns a few minutes later with Tobias, and makes the trip once more to get Tarryn.

The four of us exchange glances and terse nods. We advance at my signal and inch down the stone steps, the chilled walls leeching the warmth from our bodies.

I see a reddish tinged light coming from what I assume is the base of the staircase. As we continue our trek downwards, I hear a humming noise and murmuring voices. Adrienne's voice pierces the subtle silence, making all of us except Tarryn flinch.

"Stop it! Get— Out— Of— My— Head." The agony in her voice makes me flush with anger. I'm about to surge forwards when I feel a restraining hand on my shoulder, making me turn back.

"She can handle it." Tarryn says quietly. His eyes are steely and it takes me aback for a moment. Tobias shakes his head as I look at him, too. "Trust us. She's stronger than you know." He whispers.

Both Tobias and Tarryn have a hard glint in their eyes, their faces determined. Zephyr's wings flare slightly in their folded position and I raise an eyebrow at him, shooting him a look that I hope he knows says thank you.

We advance down the stairs again, and stop abruptly at a landing. A doorway opens off of it, the door ajar and the red light streaming out from under it.

A roaring fills my head, and it feels familiar— the same presence that filled my mind on the night I met Adrienne swells and again, I hear a single phrase: Watch yourself.

I grit my teeth as my mind swirls, my body feeling off balance. I hear Tobias' distant voice echo through my ears, asking me if I'm alright but I don't have the capacity to answer him right now.

After a long, dragging moment the rushing stops and I look up at my companions. They all look at me expectantly and I shake my head. All I want right now is to have Adrienne back in my arms, I could care less about what's happening in my head.

Adrienne's scream echoes from beyond the door and immediately, my world turns red. I draw my sword and enter the room, stopping in my tracks as the door swings open behind me. I meet my mother's eyes, her lip curled in a sneer, and for a moment I can't speak.

My voice comes out of my mouth in a hushed whisper, and my mother's twisted smile grows. "What have you done to her."