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I need a distraction from Aiden and my thoughts about him. The screen pulses, waiting for me to view it. The scene shows me a sleeping Shay on a teak bench. I know he was just with me in a Dream Walk. He’s been mumbling ever since the dream ended. His body has been moving on autopilot.
Everyone seems to be waiting for something to happen. Vash is pacing, and Kieran stands perfectly still.
“Hey, Vash.” Kieran nods. “How do you think Shay is handling this?”
Yes, sound!
“Better than I would be.” He’s sitting on the fountain ledge, running water over his fingers.
“I can’t say if I would be or not. I’ve never known love like what they have.”
Oh, K. What Shay and I have goes beyond what normal people have. But what you and I have will always hold a special place in my heart. You’ve been, and forever will be, my best friend.
“You’ll find it someday, Kieran.” Vash pats his shoulder. “It’s whoever you’re meant to be with. I know you love Zoe, and you thought you were in love with her at some point. But you’ll know when it happens. The earth will literally move and tilt on its axis. Your heart will pound every single time you see her. Your mouth will spew incoherent words when you’re around her. Mushy thoughts will consume you. And they’ll be what you think about when you wake, right before you go to sleep, and everything in between.”
“That sounds wonderful.” He closes his eyes.
“It is.”
Kieran is thinking about something or someone. I hope it’s the latter. Maybe something will go beyond friendship with Sidelle. They’re both Eternals. But she still has Finn whom she keeps at arm’s length.
“Kieran,” Vash says. “You have a huge heart and generous soul. And we all love you for it. Someday, hopefully soon, you’ll find what Shay and I have. It’ll come. I know it will. You, of all angels, should know that.”
“Maybe I’m destined to be alone.”
“You’re never truly alone though, are you?”
“No. I guess not.”
“You are closer to Him than any of us are or will be. Find comfort that He knows best.”
“Thanks.”
Neither of them says anything for a long time.
A blue light floods the area, coming from the trellis. A mirror-like surface covers the inner circumference and out steps the Winter Queen. She’s dressed in a tight-fitting blue gown that flares out near the bottom. Her black hair is swept into an intricate up-do. A sneer mars her beautiful face. A step behind her is King Oberon. He’s regal in his green robes.
Oh, so that’s whom they’ve been waiting for. The Fae Royals. Are they offering help?
“I hear that you need our assistance,” Queen Mab says. Yes, do they ever. “Revenge is a dish that I’ll be serving as the appetizer, for the main meal, and dessert. I’ll obliviate the earth of its demons,” the queen continues.
“Calm down, Mab,” Oberon says as he tries to lay a hand on her icy shoulder.
“Do not tell me to calm down, Oberon. You didn’t have hundreds of your subjects’ lives extinguished from your realm. Did you?”
“No, I didn’t. And I’m sorry I wasn’t there to send aid sooner. Like I’ve told you before, if you would have made the distress call quicker, Summer could have helped.”
Fury rocks the queen’s expression.
“We sent word to my father as soon it was possible,” Sidelle says as she steps through the porta. “It’s not his fault.”
“Don’t you dare speak to me like that,” the queen hisses.
“Sidelle is my daughter and while I’m here, you will address her in kind.” Oberon scowls at the queen.
“Thank you for both coming to earth’s aide,” Kieran says. “Has Sidelle filled you in on the goings on?” He addresses each royal. They both nod. “Good, I don’t have to tell you what’s at stake here. Besides all the human souls departing, if things continue to unfold, there will be no earth left, and Sammael will breach into Fairyland and do the same to yours.”
“What do you need me to do?” Oberon asks.
“We need to stop the rain that’s causing the flooding and landslides. Sidelle managed to address the wildfires that have been burning across the Midwest.”
“The souls we cannot replace,” Oberon says. “But we can restore the earth as it was before the devastation. I will do all I can.”
“What do you need me to do?” Mab asks.
“The volcanoes need to be silenced,” Vash says. “And any demon you run across can be killed.”
“Ah, the new Alpha. Vash is it?”
“Yes.”
“Very well. At least you and I are on the same page. I’ll do what I can for the earth, too.”
The earth suddenly shakes. Vash loses his footing on the ground. Shay rolls off the bench, now wide awake.
“What’s happening?” Shay asks.
“Earthquake,” Oberon says. “We have these in Fairyland. It’s never a good sign. The earth is fighting back the only way it knows how. With the excessive water and everything burning, the land can’t sustain itself. It’s trying to reset, but by doing that all the crops will be destroyed. Worldwide famine will take hold. Not only in the third-world countries, but in your own backyard.” He stretches his arms wide. A deep, emerald green, swirled with browns and tans, surrounds him. His baritone voice chants an old-world language. He opens his eyes, but they are not his own chocolate coloring. Instead, they are solid white.
The ground continues to shake; decorative stone walls crumble as trees topple over. The limestone fountain begins to crack. Water seeps through, drenching his feet. A shock wave is emitted from the King of Summer. His eyes flash open, returning to normal.
“The evil runs deep to the earth’s core,” Oberon says. “There are many who work against us, and all is fixed for now. We shouldn’t have any more quakes. A few small tremors, but nothing that will cause damage.” He fixes Queen Mab with a stare. “We are needed to mend some of the wrongs done here, and we are needed in the far north.”
“What did you see, Father?” Sidelle asks.
“The Marqs are on the move toward northern Canada. I didn’t see their plan, so we should have enough time to stop the flooding rains here and find them.”
“How far north?” Mab asks. “I can go there now and head them off.”
“We can go, too,” Kieran suggests.
“No. It’s too dangerous. There are too many of them and not enough of us.”
“This whole mission has been nothing but danger for us,” Shay says. “It’s what I was created for.”
“I may need Mab’s assistance,” Oberon says. “My glamour is straining now because of the effort of stopping and shifting the fault lines back to the way they were. I won’t know if I can handle it on my own or not. And if she goes, and I can’t stop the evil here, she’ll be called back. It’s better to wait thirty minutes and we all go.”
It’s a good enough plan. I silently send prayers toward my friends. The TV screen fades to black.