The Fray of Werebirds [Discontinued]

Chapter 34 - The Fray

For some reason I can't change the song above, but for a better and clearer version of it click on the External Link! I found it very suitable for this chapter :)

"Caleb, wait!"

Ignoring Jay, I took on my feathery form and shot down to the balcony where Sirena was lying in a pool of her own blood. I cursed under my breath when I spotted the weapon that hurt Sirena – a metal boomerang lodged mercilessly between her shoulder blades.

I bent down, held Sirena by the waist, and gently turned her over, careful not to leave her back pressing against the floor. In that blissful moment her eyes fluttered – a sign that she was still alive, and yet not exactly a guarantee that she will remain so.

Werebirds may be powerful, but they sure aren't immortal.

I was beginning to panic. I had no idea how longer she may be able to hold out before death claimed her. First, I needed to take out the stupid boomerang.

Stupid. I'm stupid. I should've noticed it shooting towards her. How can it be so hard to miss? Was her speech that mesmerizing, that I stupidly let my guard down?

"Caleb, duck!"

It was Millicent, calling out from the neighboring balcony. Just in time I noticed the boomerang whirring in my direction. I threw myself to one side as fast as possible, dodging the worst possible case scenario – which was being killed – but definitely not avoiding the horrible scenario that occurred next.

I didn't feel the pain, not until I saw it happen.

One moment I had five fingers in my right hand, the next I had three. My pinky dropped first, followed by my ring finger. The fingers that were once mine stiffly hit the ground and I could only watch with incredulity as my own flesh and bones rolled farther away from me.

My hand, the hand that once held my mother's, the hand that once wrote with a pencil, was now mutilated and soaked in blood. Someone screamed in agony. The same person held his hands together as they shook. Shook in fear, disbelief, pain, shock. I felt as if I were detached from my own body. I was no more than an outsider watching with pity a boy mourning over the loss of his fingers.

They're gone. Deep breath. There's nothing you could do about it.

The boomerang made a U-turn and whizzed back to its owner. Reluctantly, I looked up. I wasn't sure whether the double doors on the balcony were open beforehand but they were now and I could see the inside of the palace. Standing there were over thirty werebirds.

If their ragged clothes and wild eyes weren't enough to point out the fact that they were jailbirds, Fernando was standing in their midst as proof. He was carrying an axe over his shoulder and his lonely eye was glinting with ecstasy, as if the sight of my bleeding hand raised his spirits. Each of his followers had a weapon or two of their own.

Great, more stupid boomerangs.

"I sure am grateful to your damsel right there," Fernando said. "Her touching speech sure made sneaking in a whole lot easier."

Fernando guffawed and so did the jailbirds. I knew I couldn't fight back, not when there were so many of them, not with Sirena injured, and especially not when my strong hand was malformed.

So I did the one thing every mother warns her child not to do – I jumped off the balcony.

I made sure to hug Sirena tightly with my good arm. Neglecting the pain, I rested my other elbow on the railing. My feet sprung upwards and I hopped over the railing. Gravity yanked me and sent me rocketing downwards at the speed of light. I knew I couldn't transform at this rate, so I held my breath and hoped that someone, anyone, would save us from crashing.

It was Millicent who grabbed my leg with her claws. Thanks to her we landed safely on the ground. Around us, the conflict between the flock's werebirds was arising once more, and just when they started quarrelling the jailbirds gushed like a river out of the palace, attacking everyone gathered.

The war Sirena had worked so hard to prevent – this was it.

The air grew thick with the scent of demise. Like lava, blood seeped in between the cracks. Skylar City was no longer the beautiful city it was earlier this morning. Destruction ruled it. Chaos reigned it. It was now soiled with the will to kill, blemished with loathing, stained with the cries of pain, scattered with lifeless corpses, broken wings, rumpled feathers.

Werebirds were killing and being killed. What was happening – I could think of one name for it.

The fray of werebirds.

I decided to block everything out and focus my energy on saving Sirena. Millicent helped me wrench the boomerang out of Sirena's back. The action made her groan and writhe in pain, and although I wanted more than anything to stop, I knew this step had to be completed in order to heal her.

Once the gory boomerang was out, Millicent pressed both her hands against the injury to heal her, insisting that I should stop the bleeding in my hand in the meantime. As we were working, the one-eyed nightmare approached us, seeming quite proud of the turmoil he and his troupe had brought about.

"I don't mean to interrupt," Fernando grinned maniacally. "But I was wondering where the red-haired Bogus is. I still have some unfinished business with him, it may involve some... eye butchering."

"You wretched bird," Millicent snarled, standing up to face him. "Don't you think you've already done enough?"

"You'd soon be wretched yourself when Queen Isabella takes over. It won't be long before she does. In fact, she's currently at the House of History, dealing with–"

SMACK!

Millicent had sent a punch at the jailbird's face. "I don't care where your lame queen is."

Fernando, now fuming, lifted his axe and hurled it at Millicent. The weapon flew out of his hand, only grazing her leg. Millicent made a move to grab the axe, but her foe had already drawn a second weapon from his pocket. Fernando pounced, aiming a knife towards Millicent's chest.

Her heart was wide open.

His timing was spot on.

And yet Millicent wasn't meant to die just yet.

A werebird stepped in between, receiving the knife in his heart instead. Millicent screamed and, in attempt to prevent his fall, she embraced her savior. The werebird slumped in her arms nonetheless. He slowly slipped out of her grip until he was lying on the battlefield. All the while Millicent hollered, face crumpled by tears.

Jay lifted his hand and brushed Millicent's wet cheek gently.

"Don't go," Millicent sobbed. "Don't you dare."

She pressed her forehead against his, her eyes attempting to grasp the life in his, and yet Jay's eyes glazed over. The light that once shined in them smoldered, dying like fire in the rain.

His hand dropped limply onto Millicent's lap and, with that, his soul departed, leaving behind only a vacant body listening to the cries.