The Trust

Chapter Nine

I didn’t know what to think. Teron had let Trina plummet to the ground, and then he had, of all things, stepped on her.

“No!” I screamed, my voice going out. There was a broiling heat in my chest, and it coursed through my veins, bringing my heart rate so high that it felt like it might explode.

Glowing light, so bright I might have gone blind, surrounded me, and then, I was sprinting toward Teron.

The dark lord gave a look of panic as I lunged, and a blast of wind lashed out at him as I raised my fists.

As I repetitively swung my fists at his face, tears stung my eyes.

“What have you done?!” He was roaring, his body glowing red. He began to crack like a rock, and with a great explosion, shards of red glass were falling through the air, shattering as they hit the earth.

The impact sent me flying backwards, and I was knocked out cold as I collided with a brick wall.

Groggily opening my eyes, I recalled what was happening. The sky was dark, and rain was pelting the ground.

I picked myself up, moving as quickly as I could to the place where Teron had been vanquished.

A huge, charred crater filled most of the street, but it wasn’t what I was searching for.

Somewhere, among the ruins and debris, I found Trina.

            I gently picked her up, holding her close, tears pouring from my eyes. “I’m sorry,” was all I could say.

            It was then that I realized that she was still breathing. As shallow as it was, it was there.

            Clutching her tightly, I closed my eyes. There was hope.

            As the rain refused to let up, soft shimmers of light hit the ground, circling us. I opened my eyes in time to see Trina’s body illuminate eerily. Suddenly, it was enveloped in a painfully bright light, growing and pulsing.

            Fading, where the light had been, Trina was gone. As my vision cleared, it dawned on me that my arms were full. I snapped out of my trance and looked at her face. She was a human…

            An immaculate white dress covered her, cut off at the knees and elbows. As she lay limply in my arms, I held her close.

            Leaning back against a lamp post, I felt my eyes closing. Before I fell asleep, her soft voice reawakened me.

            “Seth?” She whispered. Gazing down into her crystal blue eyes, I smiled.

            “What happened?” Comprehending that she wasn’t a fairy anymore, she stood up, confusion in her eyes.

            “Teron is dead,” I stood as well.

~ ~ ~

            If I had still been a fairy, those words would have meant a lot more. But I was a human, staggering around without my wings to balance me. The ground was so far away, and I felt myself panicking from exhaust and confusion. A wail escaped my lips. I began to fall backwards, but Seth caught me, his hands holding mine.

            “I’m… I’m scared,” I mumbled.

            “I’ve got you,” He spoke. Turning slowly to face him, a thousand emotions filled me. I let myself topple forward, my arms embracing him. He in turn wrapped his arms around me, a sigh escaping him.

            “I’ve lost everything I love,” I trembled. “My home… my parents, my friends, my identity… and then… there’s… you.” My eyes automatically met his.

            We stared at each other in silence, his cheeks a bright red. “What do you mean?” He finally asked.

            “I guess that… that…” I blushed shyly. “I…” I could barely speak, but his gaze softened, and he whispered, “I guess I love you too…”

            I laid my head against his shoulder, so happy that I could burst. His hand lifted my chin, and then he leaned forward, his cold lips pressing against mine.

            After that kiss, we were probably hugging for ten minutes. Seth finally took my hand, leading me down the road. We came to a place filled with broken glass everywhere, and it took me stepping on a sharp piece to realize that I wasn’t wearing shoes.

            Seth helped me across, carrying me the rest of the way to the destroyed town square. It was there in the middle that we saw her.

            Seth approached the little girl, whose eyes were red with tears.

            “I was looking for her. Her parents were killed…” Seth explained as he picked her up. She wrapped her short arms around his neck, whimpering.

            “The portal is going to close soon,” He looked at me in worry, gesturing toward the beam of light that shot vertically upward.

            “Teron said it took up a lot of his powers to get you through. It’s probably the same for her…”

            “What’s her name?” I asked.

            “I don’t know,” he responded.

            “What about ‘Ellie’?”

            “I think she likes it,” Seth smiled.

            As we approached the portal, Seth took my hand again. We stepped through, and he let go. The last I saw was him holding Ellie as tightly as he could.

            Opening my eyes, I found myself standing on a great stone circle.

            Seconds later, Seth and Ellie appeared. Seth gasped for air, setting her down. “That did take a lot of energy.”

            “What now?” I could only say.

            “Evil will run rampant until someone can get it under control,” Seth responded.

            “What about Ellie?” I asked.

            “She stays with us until someone better suited can take her.”

            Silence.

            “What about us?” My voice was barely audible.

            “We stick together and fix this mess.” He took my hand.

            With a shaky sigh, I whispered, “I’m scared.”

            Seth caught my attention with his eyes locked on mine. “You’re just gonna have to trust me, Trina.”

            And I did.