The Definer

Chapter 11: Dean

I fought the horrid creatures with Joel at my side. We fought hard to keep the people in the cave behind us safe. Eventually all the tevits in the area had either fled or were dead. I walked around the cave to make sure no one was injured. Fey were cuddled up with their families. Most were crying or shivering and others were trying to comfort them.
"You stay here with them." I said to Joel. "I'll go out and make sure there are none left anywhere else."
I turned on my heel and ran off in a different direction. As I was running, I realised an ache in my leg. I looked down and noticed a giant gash across one of my legs. The Crimson liquid was leaking down my leg so I closed my eyes and focused my healing on it. The wound healed in seconds and I continued running again. Suddenly, a limp, weak and torn up Ariana appeared in front of me. I stopped in my tracks and instantly knelt down next to her.
"What happened?!" I asked worriedly.
That's when it struck me. Fear struck every part of my body and my limbs fell weak.
"Jessica?" I asked quietly.
Tears began pouring down her cheeks and she put her head down.
"I'm so sorry. I tried as hard as I could to keep her safe! They were too strong though. There were too many of them." She looked back up at me with fear in her eyes. "... And there was a pyrotoser."

I gasped and it felt like the world was spinning around me. My Jess was in the hands of evil. The Definer was in the hands of evil. Our only chance of victory was now useless to us. I turned back to Ariana, the fury now growing inside of me.
"How could you let them take her?!" I shouted at her.
"I'm sorry, Dean. I would have given my life to protect her. You know that!"
"I'm sorry?! That's all you have to say?! They're going to kill her!" I cried.
The tears began pouring down my face even more. Suddenly, Emane appeared right next to Ariana.
"I have bad news." He gulped. "I did some researching and the only Fey prince is... Is... Daniel."
As soon as I heard that wretched monster's name, I gulped. That was over the line. This wasn't happening. It couldn't be. I dropped to my knees and put my head in my hands. I had to do something. I had to find her and I had to rescue her.
"I'm going after her." I announced.
"Are you crazy?! They'll kill you before you can even get into the same building as her." Emane exclaimed.
"Building?" I asked.
"Or wherever they're keeping her." He corrected.
I looked down at Ariana and her face was pale and scarred with scratches and gashes marked her chest and limbs. I felt a sudden pang of guilt come over me. How could I have yelled at her. She had almost died trying to save my love and I should have been thanking her for that. I wrapped her arm around my shoulder and lifted her onto her feet.
"I'm sorry." I mumbled.
She was weak and limp and her feet dragged on the ground as Emane and I carried her back to the palace.

When we got there, it was a horrid sight. Emane clasped his spare hand over his mouth and let out a small gasp. The front of the building was torn and a large hole was struck in one of the walls. Ariana was now completely limp in my arms and so I quickly flipped her up into my arms and Emane immediately jumped through the door, looking around frantically. I saw Aleric through the broken door and he ran out and grabbed Ariana from my arms. Then he was gone. I ran inside and looked around. Bodies littered the floor and nurses and servants were rushing around the halls. I ran around the room, scanning each of the faces as I went. I saw Mark sitting against a corner with blood dripping from his head. I rushed over to him. I didn't know him personally but I did know that Jess got along well with him.

"Are you alright?!" I asked, shaking his shoulders violently.
He mumbled under his breath. Faeries were not as good at healing as we were and he certainly needed a vampire. I found his largest wound on the back of his head. I held my hands against it and focused all my healing on him. I felt the power surge down my arms and out my fingertips. He jerked at the pain before his eyes flicked open and looked at me.
"Thank you." He said.
I nodded my head and moved on. Luckily, most of the bodies were tevits and I even found one pyrotoser. I had thought they were long extinct but obviously not. I found one vampire on the floor that I had once worked with. He seemed like a good guy and I knew for a fact that he had a family in the Human Realm. He talked about them all the time. The attack was disastrous and many people had lost their lives today. One person though, was taken... My love... My Jess. I ran all the way back to my house. I was glad that the tevits hadn't reached town and only about three houses were even touched. I ran inside and laid on the lounge. I curled up in a ball and put my arms over my face. This was by far the worse day of my life. First, the palace was destroyed, then my beautiful was taken, and then, to top it all off, I find out that MY love, is destined to marry my arch enemy.

I turned to my TV and thought up the happiest thoughts I could think of that included Jess. It didn't work. First, it showed me the day I had to place the spell on her at school and she passed out for almost four hours. Then, the fear and trust in her eyes as I bit down into her beautiful flesh and almost ripped the life from her. Then something strange happened. I saw her and Ariana standing under a shield with a heap of tevits all over them. Ariana counted down from three and then Jess ran. She had barely gotten five metres before one of the creatures jumped on her. The screen went black for a few seconds before it gave me a picture again. She was falling! The ground was a great distance away and she was just falling straight towards it. Her arms waved around by her sides and she let a fearful scream. That was it, she was dead. Just when I thought all hope was lost, she landed on the ground with a loud thud. She got up though, after about five minutes and looked around. There was a lake... And a forest... And... And there was Daniel. She spoke to him but their voices were so muffled that I couldn't understand them. They spoke for a little while before she turned on her heel and ran. He instantly ran in front of her, blocking her way. She turned again and ran. He waited a few seconds before catching her and throwing her against a tree.
A very healthy looking Ariana walked into the room.
"What's Tha-" then her face scrunched up in confusion.
My eyes never left the screen as Daniel hit my Jess in the back of the head with a rock, sending the screen black again.
"Dean, where are you in these memories?"
"These aren't memories. It's probably something my mind has conjured up and it just appears on the screen."
She still looked confused and bit her lip as she paced back and forth along the opening from the lounge room to the kitchen. Suddenly she stopped and her eyes widened.
"It can't be." She whispered so quietly that it was almost inaudible.
"What?" I questioned.
"Some people are known to have a connection with the one they love..."
"Well then that is probably what it is. I love her with all my heart."
"But only if it's true love." She finished.
"No. It's true love on my end but not on hers. She is destined to marry someone else. Maybe this is all just one big act. Maybe she is pretending to side with us."
"I don't th-"

Before she could finish, the TV flashed back on. She was sitting in a dimly lit room with dirt walls. Her wrists and ankles were tied to a chair and her beautiful hazel eyes flipped open. She blinked a few times before scanning the room. Daniel was also in the room. As soon as she saw him, anger crossed her face. Once again they talked in muffled voices... Then suddenly. Something came out clearly.
"I would marry him? It couldn't be. He was an evil creature... a monster. I would never marry someone like him. Or would I? What if I did join this side? What if I couldn't help it? I loved Dean with every single piece of my soul and that would never change." She said, except her mouth didn't move. I watched them speak in muffled voices again until everything went black, but this time, the screen went off.
"It's a shame they didn't speak clearly. I don't know about you, but I couldn't understand a word they were saying." Ariana said sadly.
"Why didn't her lips move when she said that one bit clearly though?" I asked.
"What? She didn't s... Oh my Gosh. You can read her mind too now?!"
I thought about it for a moment. That sounded right. At least I was now reassured that she did love me. I think maybe even as much as I love her. I smiled at the thought.

She was my everything and I was going to get her back!