He walked over to me, slower and more cautious than he had before. I flinched and took a step back, and he paused, then continued. "I have to know the truth. For me to find out, you need to stand still."
A lump rose in my throat, and I swallowed back the apprehension. Tristan hadn't ever harmed me, but he'd threatened me. He worked for Terra, and I didn't trust him. But there was no fighting against the realization that was rising inside me. I could tell from the way he looked at me that he was just as certain as I was. He was my father.
Tristan stopped moving in front of me and reached a hand out, resting it on the side of my head. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
I opened my mouth to speak, but as I did, a memory flashed through me. In rapid-fire momentum, I watched as nurses surrounded me, the cries of a baby heard but not seen. Blinking, I looked around as icy fear filled my veins. A woman was sprawled out on blood-soaked white sheets. She wasn't moving.
My heart raced, my breathing quickened and an uncontrollable rush of every emotion I had inside me filled me at once. I dropped to the ground as the vision faded, then threw up.
I sat down on the dirt and let the tears come. It was as if twenty years of built up sorrow was all pouring free from me at once.
Tristan sat down next to me and rested his hand on my knee. The weight of another person there with me helped me to slow my breathing, and the cries no longer came out in gasps.
Wiping my eyes and my mouth, I turned to look at him. His eyes met mine, and it was as if we exchanged a silent agreement. For the first time in my life, I was mourning my dead mother, the person I was supposed to love like no other. He seemed to understand, he shared that love for her. While my feelings regarding him were still a jumble of confusion, there was no denying the pain I was feeling for the woman who had died to give me life.
We sat in silence for several minutes, until all the tears were dry. Without speaking, Tristan stood, then offered his hand to me. Numbly, I took it. This time, when the birds circled the two of us, I tried to embrace it, wondering if this was my legacy.
We landed in the last place I expected, the street in front of Terra's place.
My stomach twisted into knots. "What are we doing here? Why did you bring me here?"
He glared at me. "You might be my daughter, but there's a war to win."
Throwing open the door, he pushed me inside.
Terra was waiting for us. As if she knew all along exactly when we would walk through those doors.
I stood frozen in place, my feet unable to move. Last time I'd seen Terra, I'd used magic against her. Could I do that again and run?
"Sit down, Ara," Terra said.
One of her wolves, in human form, shoved a chair into my backside. Three more of them stood in front of the door. I wasn't getting out of here easily. Whatever I did, it was going to involve some serious planning. I sat down and waited for her to talk.
Tristan moved in front of me, blocking my view of Terra. "You knew the whole time."
"Of course I knew, why do you think I've been looking for her?" Terra's voice was smooth and disinterested. "It never mattered if we had a member of the old Sayge line, what made this one special was her duality. Half Dark-Fae, Half Sayge. She's one-of-a-kind."
"You knew how I felt about Mina."
"Which is why I didn't tell you she was pregnant when I sent her away. She was supposed to go to a safe house, where I would be able to claim the child after it was born, instead, she ran." Terra took a step to the side, bringing her into my view. She wore a smirk on her face, seemingly enjoying the reaction she was getting from Tristan.
"You sent her away? What else are you hiding, you deceitful bitch?"
"Don't you worry about that," Terra said. "Now that she's here, we can finish the spell and go home."
"What makes you think I want to help you?" Tristan said.
"I don't need your help, Tristan. I was planning on eliminating you and all your kind once I steal Brenon's magic." A blue light shot from Terra's fingers, striking Tristan.
He cried out and doubled over for just a second before righting himself. Behind me, I heard growls just before the wolves launched themselves at Tristan. He spilt into a hundred crows, all flying in different directions, and the room was filled with yelps and caws as the animals attacked each other.
I jumped from the chair and ran toward the door, only to find Terra standing in front of it, blocking my exit. "Where do you think you're going? Back to that no-good brother of mine? You think there's anywhere you can go where you'll be safe from me?"
I stood there, feeling too overcome to process anything. There wasn't any way out, and even if there was, did it matter? Could I ever fight Terra?
A dark cloud of beating wings passed over me, and I covered my face as the mass of birds engulfed me. When I moved my hands away, I saw Tristan in front of me.
He lifted his arms, and a black mist flowed from his hands, as it spread, darkness swallowed the room.
Arms wrapped around me and I screamed. A hand slapped over my mouth and lips brushed against my ear. "Run, Ara. Run."
Tristan shoved me, and I blindly reached out in front of me, moving as quickly as I could through the room. Chairs and other furniture blocked my path from time to time, but I kept going to what I hoped was a rear exit.
Shit. I tumbled to the ground after catching the edge of a table leg with my foot. As I started to push myself up, I realized I could see down here. The mist was rising, leaving about a foot of visible space on the ground. Crawling, I made my way to the hallway. There wasn't any of the dark smoky substance here, so I stood and ran.
There was only one thought in my head as I flew through emergency exit doors, siren wailing in my wake, I had to get to Brenon.
Chapter 9
After a few blocks of running, I slowed down and tried to figure out where I was. Cars rushed by and somewhere in the distance, I heard the sounds of construction workers hammering away. It was like the whole world kept going, but for me, everything had changed. How was it that none of these people knew what was hiding around them in plain sight? How had I avoided finding out sooner?
A VW Bug that looked like it had been teleported here from the 70's pulled over to the curb next to me. Chills ran down my spine, and I spun on my heels, heading the opposite direction. I couldn't see any of Terra's cronies driving a car like that, but the last thing I needed to do was drop my guard.
"Ara, turn around and get in the damn car."
My heart pounded, and a rush of cold fear rose through me. I should run. Get away from here. But the voice was oddly familiar, and curiosity beat out reason. I glanced behind me to see a woman standing by the driver's side door.