Splendid Fall

Ch.44 Surviver

Chapter 44

"I will talk to her," Heyder said once more as he tried to calm Maya.

"No, I'll do the talking," Maya pushed his hands off of her. "She's mental if she thinks she can get away with this."

"Sweet baby, I swear I will straighten this out," Heyder sighed, taking her hand once more and pulling her back from the portal she had opened. "Just stay here. Let me handle this, Maya."

"She's crazy!" Maya yelled. "She's using her own granddaughter to threaten her son!"

"It's not for baba," Birdie spoke up from where she sat with the dead bird in the box.

Maya and Heyder turned towards her as Hayden looked up. Nora, who sat beside her husband holding his hand, turned towards Birdie.

"She sent this for me," Birdie lifted the box. The blood from it stained her hands.

"Why..." Nora frowned. "Why would she send you a dead bird?"

"She's trying to scare your father," Maya said. "Heyder won't take her council so she's threatening you no-"

"No," Birdie shook her head. "She wants control. She no longer has control of the court or of the Sultan so she's turned towards me."

"What are you talking about?" Hayden slowly sat forward, his green eyes watching his sister.

"This bird...." Birdie felt her stomach twist. Her chest shook as the pain inside of her surfaced to her eyes. "It's a wren."

Startled by the sudden emotion in her voice, Maya moved towards her daughter.

"Birdie..." as Maya's hand reached out, Birdie looked up. Her eyes shimmered with tears as her shoulders began to shake with sobs she could no longer contain.

"Mom," Birdie cried out, holding her arms out for her mother.

Hayden and Heyder looked at each other as Birdie threw herself into Maya's arms and buried her face in her mother's hair. Nora let go of Hayden's hand and moved to sit beside the women. She reached out and took Birdie's hand and placed a small kiss upon it to let her know she was right beside her.

"Baby....what's wrong?" Maya could feel her own heart shake with fear.

She knew something was wrong. She had known it since the day Birdie had returned. Her baby was different. The light in her eyes was different. If Ira had hurt her, Maya would not spare the jinn.

"Tell me what's wrong, baby," Maya pulled back to look at her daughter.

"Mom....he.....Wren...." Birdie could barely speak through her sobs.

Somewhere beneath her skin, Maya felt her fey magic stir. She knew the ancient magic in her was always protective of her children. But the way the energy rose to the surface was new and different. It was almost as if it wanted to come out and hold Birdie. Maya's eyes fluttered up as she saw Nora check her arm beside her. The fey mark on the girl was shimmering beneath her skin too.

"Grandma keeps threatening me that she's going to tell you I did horrible things when I was in Pangea but it's not true," Birdie cried, her shoulders shaking with each sob and each word. "It wasn't like that. She's twisting the whole story."

Maya's fiery gaze snapped up towards her husband. She watched as Heyder's hands balled into fists and his eyes darkened.

"How long has this been going on?" Nora asked.

"A few weeks now," Birdie turned towards her sister in law. "Nora, I swear I didn't do anything bad. Don't believe her, she's twisting everything. Wren was helping me."