The Lonely Ones

Chapter Fifty-Three: An Attempted Rescue

Ima stands in the throne room as calm as ever. She hasn't aged a day, appearing as if she left yesterday rather than over a decade ago. Her gaze lingers on Artemis momentarily then drifts to the High King. His wicked grin remains, now fixated on Ima.

"You're still alive," he says around a deranged chuckle. "And here I thought you'd find a way to follow after that pathetic human of yours."

Human? Artemis wonders, gauging Ima for a reaction. Her hands, that are clasped in front of her, tense briefly.

"I'm not here to discuss the past," Ima claims. "Although I still see that you cling to yours, torturing a mortal because your son has fallen for one even after that very son brought you victory over the Ashen Plains."

"Are you implying that he deserves a reward?" the High King scoffs. "He is the one who worsened the tension and even brought about this war. Ending it is the last he can do."

"Although you've always had the power to destroy the Ashen Plains, you never did. That's because we both know you craved the tension. A tension that led to more than a few interesting occasions. Had Wren lost though, you would have been in trouble, seeing as you're so close to slumber."

The High King snarls.

It seems more people know of his upcoming sleep than anyone expected, although Artemis can't fathom how Ima found out. She sounded like she never wanted to return to the Grim Woods, yet here she is. Why?

The High King turns his attention to Artemis. His leer grows.

"He's related to her, isn't he? That's why you're here," says the High King. "Even more reason to kill him."

The roots around Artemis tighten. One snakes around his neck. He thrashes about uselessly. The roots dig into his skin, twisting around his neck until he can't breathe. The world blurs. His lungs ache.

Ima lunges forward at the High King. A thin sword appears in her grasp. She swipes at his neck. The High King dodges, his wide grin damn near ripping open his cheeks. Ima throws her sword, slicing through the root around Artemis' neck. He gasps and fights more against the roots, hoping Ima's distraction will lessen the High King's attention. While the roots haven't gone for his neck again, they aren't letting up either.

The roots lash out at Ima. She jumps through them with grace, not letting one so much as graze her flowing robes. The High King laughs within the darkening chamber. The roots fill up the space, lashing out at Ima until there's no where for her to run. With two more blades in her hands, she cuts them up even as they grow back time and time again.

Raising her blades that begin to glow fearsome red, she slashes them outward, sending a giant wave of power through the room. The power slices through the roots, opening the room once more. Ima pursues the High King hidden among the thorns. His laughter grows when she cuts at the cocoon protecting him.

"Your desperation to save him proves I'm right," he calls. "But I fear you won't be here to see his death. My son will be here soon so it's better if I get rid of you now."

Ima screams when thorns burst forth from the floor. Too many to block. They lock her in place. Smaller thorns grow to pierce her skin. Her arms go slack as blood trickles through her ripped clothes. Her red eyes glare bright within the consuming dark.

The High King approaches her. His nails elongate into one fearsome claw that he rests along Ima's neck. Artemis watches in pure terror, incapable of doing more than watch. He fears, should he call Ima's name, it will only encourage the High King to move faster. But when the High King raises his arm, Artemis cries out, "Stop!"

Grinning, the High King swings his arm down.

A pillar of ice rips through the throne room. The High King dodges almost being impaled. Ima drops, freed from the thorns. Artemis isn't sure if he's relieved or terrified when Wren appears, eyes blazing with rage. More so when he spots Artemis trapped among the briars. His lips twist into a vicious snarl. Behind him, Dust follows, looking as apathetic as ever, but his hands rest at his side, seemingly prepared for the fight.

"Moving around like this at your age is never a good idea, Father," Wren spits. Frost forms across the thorns until they wither. Cold air surges through the room, beaten back by heat emanating from the High King. The wind clashes at the center, creating a vortex of air that rips the roots from the ceiling and sends them spiraling through the room.

"Come to save your lover, Wren?" The High King chuckles. "Do try. This is the most fun I've had in a millenia."

Wren surges forward. The High King meets him. Their clash sends waves of power through the room. Roots crumble from the ceiling. Dirt and debris causes smoke to whirl through the room. Artemis barely sees the battle within the dust, spotting all four of them clashing inside. Flashes of light and wild snarls grow louder, but it's small movement along the edge of the room that catches his eye.

"Maggie?" Artemis whispers, spotting the girl crawling through roots that tear at her dress.

Covered in dirt, she smiles nervously at Artemis. Her cut up hands grasp the roots, easing her up until she's at Artemis' side. She has the sword tethered to her waist.

"What are you doing here?" He hisses, glancing sporadically between her and the battle beyond.

The High King slams Ima into the dirt. She howls like a wounded animal. Dust battle back the roots as if they belong to him rather than the High King. Wren slashes at his father's abdomen with an icy blade. The moment the blade touches him, his skin heals as if it never happened to begin with. All the while, the High King laughs like everything is a game. How are they meant to beat that?

"We're rescuing you, obviously," she replies, using the sword to cut through the roots. Artemis is surprised to find the roots react to the sword as well. They shrivel up as if they've been burned. Artemis drops to the ground. He holds his hand out for Maggie, which she takes gratefully.

"Come on, there's a hidden tunnel this way." She tugs Artemis to the left, where she crawled from. "Wren said to get you and get out, then they'll bolt."

"But he's the High King. He'll find us wherever we go," Artemis argues, but still follows Maggie around the outskirts of the room. They can't escape the disaster happening within. Debris from the battle fly through the room. Maggie pushes Artemis against the wall, preventing him from getting impaled by a broken root.

"Wren said we'll figure that out later," Maggie says a little breathlessly.

This doesn't sound like a well planned rescue, but Artemis doesn't have a better idea. He holds tight to Maggie's hand. They move quietly through the battle. He winces after every shout, tries not to look over, otherwise he may run to Wren. Ahead, he sees the briefest glimpse of a possible exit among the untangled roots. They're almost there.

"Artemis!"

Artemis spins at the call of his name to discover a spire of roots aimed right at them. He tries to run, but the roots beneath his feet grab fast to his ankles.

This is it. He's dead.

He clenches his eyes shut for the inevitable.

Warm liquid sprays across Artemis' face. His eyes open, horrified to be faced with Wren's dim eyes. Blood floods his mouth, spilling over his parted lips in a terribly gasped breath. Artemis whimpers when he gazes down at his bloodstained clothes, at the root piercing through Wren's heart.

"W-Wren," Artemis cries, but when he reaches for him, Wren's whipped back.

Artemis screams as Wren's limp body is thrown across the room. He drops among the debris, motionless. Dead.

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:✧*⋆.*:･ﾟ✧.: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆ ☾

Ima came to the rescue, but what could the High King meant about bringing up Ima's "pathetic human"? And this rescue attempt doesn't seem to have gone according to plan. Wren... what's going to happen now?