Wild Avalon

27

I looked around me. Mom wasn't here."Where is she?" I screamed. Frantic, matching how my mother sounded when she heard me finally approaching her. "I was holding her hand, I was with her!" My voice as fractured as I felt being here looking at Rama without my mother. Knowing where I had left her.

I was panicking. True, deep real fear. My mom was in danger. She was all I had. I couldn't be here while she was back where I had left her. I needed her. Suddenly Rama was with me. His hands on my shoulders. Trying to get me to breathe along with him. Hilda able to influence my emotions, bring me her calm. "Breathe Avalon, I need you to breathe." I looked into his eyes. I could see he was scared for me. And hurt, while wearing his king face. His voice even when I could have drowned in the sadness I saw in his eyes. "I will get you back to your mother, you need to free her, and run. Run as far and as fast as you can from where you are. Follow Ursa Minor. The little bear has promised to see you to safety tonight." I looked at the ruby I was holding, it had turned grey, the gemstone cracked and broken. the jewellery falling apart, the pieces tumbled to the floor.

"I will not be able to bring you back this time. Nor will you be able to return here on your own. You must promise to run as fast as you can." He kissed my lips. Soft, sweet. The smell of his skin in my nose. "Please be happy Avalon, live well." I felt the sparks just start to bloom between us as Rama broke our kiss before I could try and take more from him. A real mate bond flaring to life.

I felt magic flood into me, relieving me of my exhaustion. He snapped his fingers and I was exactly where I had been just a moment ago. Back on the floor looking at my mother. Who looked even more terrified than she had before.

I tried to hide the tears that swelled in my eyes. I didn't want to leave Rama. I had just started to feel the sparks of the bond as it burst to life in my chest at full power. Rama was safe, mom wasn't. I had to focus. "Just a second mom, I need to break this door." I ran back checking every cupboard, storage section, and utility wall for anything useful. Still hearing endless gunfire from the street. I found a single monkey wrench, a heavy fire extinguisher, and one spare radio. I turned it on, immediately turning the volume down to listen as chatter rained in from both sides. Most people turning into one frequency to better know where each other were. It all sounded way to similar to when Aaron had played the shooter game he liked with his friends. Only the gunshots I heard in real life and through the radio.

I got back to the door. "Stand back from the door mom." I used the monkey wrench to grip onto the door handle, creating a lever, and used the heavy end of the fire extinguisher to smash down. Leverage breaking the door knob off on this side, Revealing the locking mechanism so I could easily pull it into unlocked position.

According to the radio, the fight was still busy up on the street. The team Rama had sent was doing their job to keep everyone in this complex distracted. I just needed to get my mom out of here. "Can you run?" I asked. Mom nodded her head. She looked terrible. So many bruises and scrapes. She wasn't acting like herself at all. She didn't even smell like herself, so many other scents were layered on her.

Reaching to hold my hand. I instead handed her the monkey wrench with the heavy, large adjustable head. "If you see anything move that isn't me. Swing this at them as hard as you fucking can mom. Aim for the head= we won't get a second swing." She looked horrified. I didn't think she would ever listen to my instructions. Mom had bought a strange little bug grabber so she could move spiders and flies back outside when she found them in our apartment, there was no way she could swing a weapon at a person. I watched her grip the monkey wrench with white knuckled hands. She would at least carry it with us if I needed a second weapon.

"Follow me!" I directed mom. Leading back how I had come. We were lucky. No one crossed our path. Not until we were back at the unassuming side door I had used to gain entry. Two men were looking at the pile of gore that had previously been one of their witches. I could see meat covered rib bones poking up from the puddle of viscera. I managed to hold back my urge to be sick. My mom wasn't strong enough to do the same. She wretched loudly, throwing up yellow stomach acid loudly while coughing. The two men turned, saw us and blocked our exit.

I hit the first man with the butt end of the fire extinguisher in the middle of his face, just as I had the doorknob. The feeling of hitting skull much different than hitting the metal of the monkey wrench and door knob. I regretted doubting my mother, she smashed the second man on the top of his head making his eyes roll backwards as he crumpled unconscious to the floor.

She did promptly heave, wretch and spew more stomach acid on the floor right after. I couldn't judge since I had done the exact same. We wiped our mouths on our arms, nodding as we took off into the night, jumping fences into vacant yard after vacant yard. Running away on swift light feet.

No dogs barked. No lights were on in any of the houses. Eventually the yards we were jumping lead out into open desert scrub land. I looked up. Finding the little dipper, the little bear, ursa minor. Following the stars since I had no better course. Trusting Rama. Who could not be farther away from me right now. It felt like my heart was beating outside my body and too impossibly far away for me to continue. Rama's voice telling me I wouldn't be able to return echoing in my head.

Mom and I kept running until neither of us could stay upright any longer. Stumbling our way to a rocky hill with some bushes and low plants providing some coverage as we fell to the rough sands. Chests heaving as we both struggled to catch our breath. I dropped the helmet, taking off all the body armor. All I was left with was a functional black tank top and the firmest compression yoga pants I had ever worn.

Mom looked at me, it was hard not to flinch, Her face mottled with bruises and scrapes. None that looked deep enough to require stitches at least. A blood vessel had broken in her left eye, turning the white red and nightmarish. I started to cry, soft sobs at first before everything came rushing over me.

Hilda had killed my father.

Talik was going to kill me.

Aaron and mom covered it up.

My mind was doing what it always did when things were too tough. Repeating lists and facts over and over. Organising my thoughts into neat categories. This was how I had studied, my brain was working overtime to try and process everything that I had learned. Everything I knew now. Hilda was talking to me. I couldn't make out her words, she sounded underwater and far away.

Aaron wasn't my mate.

Aaron's mate was dead.

Her family wanted to kill me too.

I hope Aaron can be happy.

I had survived a mating hunt.

My mom was taken and hurt.

I found my mate.

I had left him.

He said I can't go back.

It was all way too much. Everything echoed in my head. How my whole life was in a mess right now. I knew I should be vigilant. The compound had wolves and witches and far too much gunpowder.

Mom sat behind me. Holding me close to her chest. Legs on either side of me. Protecting me on all sides with her body. Unable to protect me from my own intrusive thoughts as a full panic attack took control of my body. Eventually exhaustion took me, drifting off into an uneasy sleep in my mother's arms for the first time since I was a child.

Mom held me. Making soft shushing noises in my ear, telling me she was ok. I was ok. We would be ok. I had tears, and snot running down my face, I was a mess. Blubbering out "I found my mate mommy." I felt her stiffen. Every muscle in her body going tight. I could feel her unease. "I found him, and lost him." Fresh sobs wracking my exhausted body as I felt the pain in my heart cut into me. Sharp and deep. The only sound in the still desert air aside from my heart breaking. Was the single call of a raven in the night.