Splendid Fall

Ch.27 Monsters

Chapter 27

With aggression, Ira wiped off the glass sand from Wren's cuts and healed the fey back up. Her mouth was set into a firm line of disappointment as she gripped the boy's hand and jerked him around. The smirk that had appeared on Wren's face the moment Ira entered the room had not disappeared.

"Did you know?" Ira asked.

"Did I know what?" Wren wondered.

"Did you know she would feel it?"

"Yes," Wren lied.

He had no idea the autura was still present between Birdie and him. He wasn't a fan of the chatter box, but that didn't mean he wanted her to feel the agonizing burn of the glass sand. He wouldn't even wish that upon his worst enemy.

My worst enemy, Wren thought. Birdie was his worst enemy...

"Where is she?" He asked, looking up and focusing on Ira.

"You do not need to worry about that right now."

"Does she know where I am?"

"Why do you ask?" Ira arched her brow.

"Because I'm pretty sure you wouldn't want her walking around this place on her own when she starts looking for me."

"And you're just so sure that she will come looking for you?"

"Oh, she will," Wren laughed. "She'll come looking for me."

With her nostrils flaring and her eyes boiling mad, Ira stood up and walked out of the room. Wren sat against the cinder walls and leaned his head back. He couldn't explain the restlessness inside of himself but Ira's visit had put everything into perspective. If the autura was still present between him and Birdie then it was only a matter of hours before she came looking for him. Her mind was as restless as Wren's heart.

Shutting his eyes, Wren filled his lungs with the damp air of the compound and willed his mind to locate the starting point of the autura. If he could find the start, then like a string, he could follow it back to Birdie. Wren had never tried to trace an autura before, not that he even had one. He sat for many hours struggling with nothing but his own magic and the hellish dragon scale cuffs.

But little to his knowledge, on the other side of the compound, Birdie could feel the tugs and pulls Wren so carelessly made. She sat at the round table with her grandmother, Azad and Omar as her back warmed and chilled all at the same time. Her hands were ice cold, yet she had droplets fo sweat at the base of her neck. Birdie could feel the tugs in the middle of her chest that made her want to sit up straight and inhale for as long as she could.

"Are you alright?"

Birdie flinched and jumped out of her seat as Ira placed a hand on her shoulder.

Everyone around the table froze and looked up. The chair Birdie had been sitting on fell against the floor with a loud bang, demanding everyone's attention.

Instantly, Birdie's cheeks began to warm. She could feel the tips of her ears and nose changing color as all eyes in the room landed on her.

"I'm alright," Birdie said. "You frightened me. Sorry."

Azad leaned over and lifted the chair back into position. He cleared his throat and held it out, waiting for Birdie to take her seat.

"Thank you," Birdie muttered quickly as she sat back down.

"As I was saying..." Ira started at her granddaughter as she began to walk around the table once more, her eyes were full of questions and curiosity. "The collector does not have the key."