Lost Wings

21~ Communications

Previously on LW:
At the fairy tribe's village, while Hailey discovers her mom is now part tree, Autumn finds out Aric has been hiding something. After he admits to communicating with the commander of the Outlander army this whole time, going against their backs and potentially endangering their lives and those of the fairies, Autumn storms off.

Chapter 21

    Aric buried his head into his hands as Autumn left, his shoulders bent and heavy.

    "You can wallow in self-pity later," Chase said. "What's the damage?"

    "They know where in the forest we are. That we're with fairies. Roughly how many of them there are. And that the princess is here." Aric didn't lift his head. "That's who he wants. The princess. He's been trying so hard to get her -some say he even sent his best general, but he never came back. If I found the princess, I could get anything I wanted."

    "What does he want the princess for?" I asked. I felt like we weren't talking about me personally, but about the princess as a symbol.

    "Dunno."   

    "I have a few guesses," Chase said. "Do they plan on coming here themselves?"

    Aric nodded, head still buried in his arms.

    "Look up when I'm talking to you," he snapped. "I want numbers, and I want a time."

    He raised his head, but refused to look at him in the eye. "I'd say a day. Maybe more. Not too much. Three hundred? They want an easy victory."

    "Lark?" Chase called.

    Aiden's head whipped up. "Yes, Sir!"

    "Find me that Elder-fairy. We need to organize a defensive. Go!"

    Aiden sprinted off to the nearest group of fairies.

    "What else do you know?" Chase asked Aric.

    "That's all. Do you really think they would tell me anything important?"

    "No. You're just a pawn, a coward, and loyal to no one." Aric visibly winced at Chase's words. "But if you want to live to see that sister again, you'll help."

    Aric hesitated.

    "I just saw that my father was turned to stone and that my girlfriend's mother became a tree. Do you really want to see if I'm in the mood for jokes?"

    "They're bad with the forest," he rushed out. "I mean, they're not used to it, because the Outlands are so bare. That's their weakness. They'll never have seen a fairy before and won't know what kind of battle tactics to expect. Nothing I've written could have led them to believe they were anything else but a naive, peace-loving people. They know that there are children. They don't know that parts of the Elder Tribe roam the forest freely. They don't know about the sleeping darts. They don't know who you are. I just said the princess was accompanied by two Winged guards on a seemingly diplomatic mission."

    "Suddenly you speak pretty well," I observed. "Two guards and a princess, but what did you say about Autumn?"

    "I didn't." He sighed. "They don't know she's here."

    Chase held his hand out to me and helped me up.

    "What is going on?" The Elder One chose this moment land next to us, flanked by Aiden and three other fairies and followed from a distance by a flock of curious children.

    "I'm sure you are aware of the war going on outside your forest between the Winged?" Chase asked.

    "These matters do not concern us." The fairy crossed his arms.