The Fray of Werebirds [Discontinued]

Chapter 32 - Dispute

Recap: Tamara still has the flock under her thumb and somewhere out there Queen Isabella planning to attack with her army of jailbirds. Our protagonists have managed to beat Tamara's followers, but Sirena ordered them to retreat for an unknown reason - a reason that will be revealed in this chapter!

Even the walls gasped when she finally spoke.

"Queen Olivia – my mother – she's alive."

As soon as the words left her mouth, Sirena was bombarded with a parade of questions and demands.

"What? What do you mean alive?"

"Alive as in breathing alive? Or alive in our hearts – the emotional way? Surely you didn't mean the breathing way?"

"Didn't you say she was dead? That she had passed away of sickness?"

"That's what I thought!" Sirena burst out. "That's what everyone still thinks, apparently. But she's not, she's alive and she's certainly breathing, except that she can't wake up because Tamara has her under a sleeping spell."

"So Tamara's been lying to the entire flock and none of the birdbrains even suspected there was something wrong?" Gregory lifted an eyebrow.

"According to what I have seen so far, yes."

"This is exactly why I'm not fond of this flock – or any other flock, for that matter," Gregory scowled. "Where has she been keeping Queen Olivia?"

"In a glass coffin, hidden underneath the House of History."

"House of what?" Brock interrupted.

"Not only that," she either didn't hear him, or didn't feel like acknowledging his question. "Tamara is willing to end my mother's life the moment I reveal myself to any of the flock members who aren't aware that I am alive. In other words, those who aren't part of her plan and still think that she has rightfully gained access to the throne."

Sirena ran her fingers through her hair in frustration.

"She gave me a chance, a ticket to retreat one last time without harm, and I took it."

"So what now? What do we do?" Jay asked.

"We fly straight into Skylar City and show all the werebirds how much of a liar Tamara is."

"But if you reveal yourself–"

"I know. But we have no choice. It's mandatory that the flock sees the truth, and it needs to see it now before Queen Isabella launches her attack. Even if it means her death, I'm sure this is what my mother would have wanted."

"Are you sure this is what you want, Lady Sirena?" Gregory asked carefully.

"Yes. It may not be the best option, but it's certainly the rightest option available. It's either Queen Olivia or the entire population of werebirds. I'm sure if my mother was in a similar situation, she would choose to save the latter."

Gregory nodded. "Then let's do this."

"No."

I may no longer be human, but I was once, and if there was any trace of humanity left in me it was time for it to emerge – even if it meant going against what Sirena had decided.

"Lady Sirena," I said. "If you genuinely believe that this is the right thing to do then you are absolutely wrong. No one deserves to die if there's a chance, if only the slightest chance, that they can be saved. Not to mention that this person we're talking about is your mother."

Suddenly aware of all the eyes on me, I knotted my fingers together, feeling slightly self-conscious.

"I agree with Caleb," Jay said unexpectedly. "I may not be very fond of Queen Olivia – she was, after all, the reason behind our seven-year imprisonment – but I also won't allow her to be murdered. As long as she is alive, she's the leader of our flock, and nothing will change that."

Jay and I locked eyes, and for a moment an understanding passed between us. I never liked him much, but now that he was on my side of the argument, I was starting to reconsider. His intervention gave me confidence. I smiled at him, took a deep breath, and kept going.

"Sure Queen Olivia may want the flock to be saved, but wouldn't she want to be saved as well?" I looked at Sirena. "I don't know what mother-daughter relationship you two had, but I know that she raised you. And it's clear from your dedication to your flock that she worked very hard to mold you into becoming a faithful soldier of your flock. After all that, doesn't she deserve if only a small piece of that faithfulness she embedded into your soul?"

Ethan's mother clapped enthusiastically, breaking the silence that followed my speech.

"Caleb, I did not make this decision lightly," Sirena said quietly but firmly. "I am not denying my love for my mother, but we're in a dire situation and we can't let emotions get in our way. Please don't argue any further, as it would only serve to increase the guilt weighing me down. Yes, I do feel guilt, buckets of it, but I repress because it is what my mother trained me to do: to place my duty before my personal feelings, to live by my priorities even if I don't like them."

I pursed my lips, defeated.

"Speaking of priorities," Gregory said. "If Lady Sirena does reveal herself surely a riot would arise. At a moment like that Tamara's main concern would be to put everything back under her control in order to preserve her position, and she can't possibly be murdering the queen at the same time."

"Meaning?" asked Millicent.

"What I'm trying to say is that Tamara might be bluffing. What would killing the queen benefit her when she loses her flock's trust? It'll only serve to waste her time. If I were Tamara, I would deal with the mess caused by Lady Sirena's appearance first, and then I would have thoughts and plans about murdering sleeping beauties."

"So there is hope? Even if we do crash Skylar City, there is hope that Queen Olivia may not be killed?" Jay asked.

"I think there is," Gregory said.

"I'm hanging onto that thread of hope, then." Sirena admitted. "If Tamara comes to deal with me personally on Skylar, one of you may be able to sneak into the House of History to retrieve Queen Olivia. But for now our main focus is gaining the flock's trust, so that we'll be ready when Queen Isabella arrives. All agreed?"

No one argued any further. Ethan pecked his mother goodbye on the temple and promised to be back before we filed out of the little house. Silently, we spread our wings and soared under the bright morning sun.

It was time to invade Skylar City.