The Brave One

Chapter 27

Chapter 27

The breathless Evera lightened her pace after running far into the wood. Slowing down time drained her strength to the point of sheer exhaustion. She leaned on the trunk of a decaying tree and held the dagger she managed to take before fleeing. Time threatened to overwhelm her.

Suddenly, she felt something drip onto her dress. Red warmth painted her fingers as she realized her nose had begun to bleed. She wiped furiously at her face, smearing and staining more that clearing.

In a last ounce of power, she let the earth tell her where to find William. It drew her forward and letting go of her grasp on time, she fled farther into the trees.

The dimming night welcomed the young woman. She felt the power of the wind flying past her as she ran. She could hear the hum and cries of the animals falling to bed and the few awakening from sleep. Nature seeped into her veins and beat with her heart. The difference between the underground and the forest astounded her. Down there, she was rejected. Up here, she belonged.

She felt the pull of the earth, telling her to draw right. Her hurried feet ran, faster with help of the necklace. She jumped over leaves and branches, stones and roots, her feet refusing to break skin. Night held no pressure against her.

She imagined William’s face when she ran into his arms. She could feel safe in those arms, even if she was deadlier than his Human self. He was the warmth and the passion she desperately needed. Without him, she felt as if her life would still be the utterly dreadful dull of an Unseelie life. With him, she felt safe and free.

Evera could see a glow of flickering firelight in the trees ahead. A horse stood in the fire’s glow, tied off to a lower hanging branch. Just by the expression the horse held, she knew it came from Fae. Evera gently slowed herself. She was about to find the man she loved.

When she was paces away from the small clearing, a smaller form walked in front of her, unknowing a speeding Fae would soon run through.

The two collided with each other with a breathtaking force. They each let out their own cries of surprise as they fell to the ground. Evera’s necklace hummed on her skin, sensing something she had yet to figure. The one she ran into gasped for air on the ground, her legs moving from pain.

“What?” William cried out as he walked over in a rush to find the two women panting for air. Ilayda grabbed her arms and stomach in pain. He hastened to her side and helped the young one lean against the trunk of the nearest tree. “Are you alright?”

“Does it look like I am fine and well? Get off me!” He brushed off her harsh remark and settled his sights on the stranger who emerged from the words. Instinctively, he reached for a weapon --stone, stick or whatever lay around for that matter-- to keep the winded Fae at bay.

“Who are you?” William demanded. He could see nothing but the creature’s hair hang in her face as she sat back on her knees and elbows, trying to breathe properly. Her dress barely covered her back, exposing blue veins winding around her shoulders. In response to his question, those veins began to uncurl and gather in two dots on her skin. The skin began to rip and out spread wings he could not have mistaken.

“Evera?”

The girl looked up at the sound of her name. William could see the blood stains on her face, while new blood leaked over. Her eyes were now intense green though half-lidded, her muscles more toned. She was no longer the sickly creature that could barely speak. She was now a threateningly beautiful creature, though at the moment, speech was still troubling.

He left Ilayda’s side to hold Evera tight in his arms. She grasped him equally and let escape a pent up sob. He felt whole with his arms wrapped around her.

Soon enough, both girls had their breath back and the fire was crackling in front of them. Taipa nuzzled Evera, glad to see a stable worker who knew how to properly brush her coat. Words were forgotten by Evera with William there, but the Fallen Angel remembered well.

“Where will this adventure take us now?” Asked the youngest of the group.

Evera’s lips tightened. William knew her well enough to see danger was upon them.

“What is wrong?” William came closer to Evera and wrapped his arms around her once more. He heard her sigh in defeat while she mustered her courage to tell them all what had happened.

“I was not let free.”

“What do you mean?” William questioned. The man let loose his grip which Evera slid out from.

The two listened intently as Evera explained her days after William’s departure. She showed her new strength and powers by demonstration, leaving both Human and Angel speechless. She called her wings out with a simple nod and shuddered with the wind before pulling them back to the blue designs covering her shoulders. Once done, she sat down solemn with heavy words flowing into the night sky.

“The Fae woman that brought you to see me,” the young Fae started. “She is mad for power. She is the strongest and deadliest of the Unseelie and yet she desires more. I do not understand her true need.” Evera clasped the stone around her neck for comfort. “I believe she wants the Raven Necklace for herself.”

Silence hung in the air after hearing the accusations. Anyone willing to steal a necklace of God could not be in clear mind and a Tae whose strength was as strong as Kella’s was trouble for all. Ilayda shifted uneasily across the fire, readjusting her dress several times. This was the only time William has heard her stay quiet for more than a few minutes.

“What are we to do?” Ilayda asked with her ice blue eyes looking over with intensity. Her sweet nature faded into that of defense. She no longer seemed like a person of good, but an Angel not to be toiled with. The adventure must be weighing heavily on her, William thought.

“We must return the necklace to its rightful owner.” Evera gazed at her two companions. “That is the only way we can make it sure of its safety.”

William scratched his head with worry but said nothing. He nodded his answer and looked to Ilayda.

“I have not a choice, have I?” She stood and walked to the horse she loved and took a brush to its mane. Her hand shook and her lip quivered with hidden words behind her teeth.

“Why would you think you cannot choose?” William's words scoffed half-heartedly at the young girl, only causing further torment.

“I must stay with my master,” Ilayda spoke. She tried to hide her sorrow with anger but hardly succeeded. This time Evera addressed the confusion.

“Master? You surely do not mean me?” Evera held the necklace against her chest. “Fallen Angels are their own masters, are they not?”

“Not when they have been touched by a Human.” Her eyes pierced William’s in resentment before she turned and continued to brush the horse.

“Ilayda—“ The young girl silenced him with a wave of her hand and sighed heatedly.

“So when do we leave, Master?”