Thrice Great

Separated

Eirena and Demetrios gasp.

"How do you know who we are?" Eirena asks, eyes wide.

One of the men, a dinosaur-like creature with orange scales and spikes along his back, chuckles. His reptilian eyes hold nothing but malice and contempt.

"Everyone in the Disgraced knows who you are, young ones," The man says, smirking. His pointed teeth shine in the firelight. "We see you at your parents' events. Your parents never shut up about you two, saying that you two are our next rulers, and how we should respect you two, and how they hope you don't turn out like your brother."

Demetrios cocks his head. "Brother?"

"Brother." Another one of the men says in American-accented Greek. He's human, with a pale, fleshy face, and bald head. His tight leather clothes are struggling to contain his fat.

He points to Demetrios and Eirena.

"You two had an older brother, who was taken away by The Order of Alternate Louisville to be another one of their goody two-shoe pawns," Fat Man says. He pauses for a second. "You're also rumored to have an older sister, but it's just a rumor."

The third man, a djinni, slaps Fat Man on the neck.

"You idiot! You're not supposed to tell them that, Boss said that if anyone dares mention it in front of the children, he'll execute them himself!"

"Hatred isn't here," Fat Man points out.

The djinni strokes his goatee. "True. But the children are, and they could tell him."

"I won't tell!" Eirena says, her voice a squeak. The three men ignore her.

"How about we just cast a memory-wiping spell on the kids and take them back to Boss, say we got his kids, and run?" Dino Man suggests.

"That might work," Fat Man says. "While we're at it, let's tell him we won't give back his kids until he gives us a raise. I'm sick of running around the world, asked to kill this person and sabotage that building and et cetera for only around 45 euros a week."

Dino Man nods. "Even better. These kids might be the only thing the old bastard cares about." He turns to the djinni. "You wanna do the honors? You're the best at spells, out of all of us."

The djinni raises his palm, the bluish-gray color of a corpse. The middle of it begins to glow with scarlet energy. He aims his palm towards Eirena.

"Ladies first. A warning, kid, this might hurt."

Eirena lets out a scream as a beam of energy pierces her right wing. It leaves a smoking hole.

The djinni punches his palm.

"Damn it!"

Eirena begins to cry.

The djinni raises his palm again, ready to try again. Demetrios marches up to him, his eyes blazing with fury.

"If you want to hurt my sister again, ugly, then you have to go through me first!" Demetrios snarls.

"Demy, noooo! Don't do it!" Eirena cries, hobbling towards him. She doesn't get far before falling back onto the concrete.

Dino Man stands up, smirking.

"Really, kid? Okay then."

He pushes the djinni aside and punches Demetrios, sending him crashing into a building.

"DEMYYYYYYY!" Eirena howls, hysterical. She scoots towards him, wincing.

"OUTTA MY WAY, LITTLE GIRL!" Dino Man shrieks, kicking Eirena aside. He punches Demetrios more, each one sending a shudder through Demetrios's body. But he does not cry.

The djinni's palm glows again. Eirena curls into a ball, bracing for the impact.

It never comes.

Eirena looks up and sees a shimmering shield of garnet energy surrounding their assailants. The men inside the bubble are frozen in place, their faces snarls.

Demetrios lays slumped against the wall, his hand shaking as he holds up the time bubble around the three men. Tears stream down his face, and he's trembling.

"Run, Rini!" He croaks, desperation in his eyes. "I'll make sure they never cause trouble again."

"Demy...." Eirena trails off. A tear slips down her cheek. "They'll get you. They might even...."

She takes a shaky breath.

"....kill you."

Demetrios smiles at his sister.

"They won't. Tomorrow, please meet me on the big mountain."

"Mount Panachaikon?" Eirena asks, her voice soft.

Demetrios nods. "I'll be there."

He groans in pain, and the time bubble fluctuates for a moment. The men move a few inches, before freezing again.

"Now run, Rini! Time is running out!"

Eirena nods, beginning to sob.

"I love you, Demy!" She says, voice breaking. "I promise we'll find each other again. Good luck!"

Eirena stands up and runs towards the street to their right, despite the agony. Leaving Demetrios behind hurt more than her wing.

Despite everything, Eirena manages to flap her wings and fly.

Her right wing burns with the fires of Tartarus. She lets out a shriek of pain, but she must keep going. For Demetrios.

Eirena gives up on flapping and instead soars, using the sea breeze to propel her through the air. It still hurts like mad.

The pain grows, and Eirena looks back to discover that the gap in her wing is widening. It seems like the djinni's spell was somehow burning away her flesh.

But she must continue.

BOOM.

Eirena turns around in mid-air with a yell. She is about fifty feet in the air, several blocks east of the alley in which her brother is in.

Speaking of that alley, it's now nothing but fire.

Eirena sobs harder than she ever has.

"Demy...."

She attempts to turn around and fly east again, but her wings fail her, and she plummets.

The ground approaches quick.

Eirena lets out a scream of anguish as she falls headfirst into a Dumpster.

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I wonder what will happen next....please comment, vote, and share! Thanks for reading this, and I'm sorry for the long wait (and the feels)!