Chained

Chapter 28

*Andrew*

The day seemed to blur by. Cross got chained up and the human was finishing up the portal. The rest of us were getting ready for battle. Ani and I swallowed some pills my dad gave us that heightened our senses when in our human form. My parent's and Zita's armed themselves with salt and colorful stones that Nanti handed out.

"They will help keep you out of the fey's charms." she said.

"Done!" Lanny said, brushing off his hands.

The circle wasn't exactly perfect but it looked pretty good. Astreaus pulled out the pixie dust and gripped it in his hands.

"We're going to find her." I told him.

"Why do you care," he said, giving me a cold look. "What does she even mean to you?"

What did Zita mean to me? I thought of her. Her glare she'd give me when I teased her. Her leathery wings when she flew us to my house, her pain-struck face when her wings were being fixed. Her smile.  The way she laughed. The way we kissed.

I shook my head of those thoughts when my heart felt like it was going to explode. This seemed to be happening a lot lately.

"Let's just get this over with." I said.

Carefully, Astreaus pinched some dust between his fingers and sprinkled it over the circle. For a few seconds nothing happened and I thought we were doomed. But then, a flash of light erupted from the middle of the circled and widened to the edge of the barrier.

"Remember," Cecil said. "Everyone put your thoughts on Zita. Hopefully, we'll all find ourselves  together."

"Everyone ready?" my dad said.

"Yeah, let's do this."

One by one, we all stepped in. All the adults first, then Astreaus, and then next was me. Before I stepped in, I looked over at Ani. She stood firm to the ground and didn't seem to be going anywhere.

"What are you doing? Come on! Let's go!" I said.

"No, no i'm staying."

"What? Why?"

"I-I can't face Zita. Not after what I've done to here."

"But that wasn't you."

I grabbed her hands and pulled her to the portal.

"Come on, come with me."

Ani let out a hollow laugh and smiled.

"We already broke up. You don't need me anymore."

"Ani."

"Go. Before the portal closes up."

I tried to tug her again but she pulled away from me and pushed me into the portal. I watched her smiled widen and tears fall down her cheeks as the portal consumed me.

"Zita." said a sudden voice in my head.

Right. I thought of her. Every moment of us together. Everything about her. The portal's bright light around me seemed to flicker and I panicked. Was I doing something wrong?

"Almost. More." said the voice again.

What more could I think of? I closed my eyes and concentrated on her. That angry face of her's that I suddenly thought was cute, how stupid I thought her hair looked when I saw her at school, the way she looked on her wedding day. Our wedding day.

Almost instantly, a flash of cold air shot through my body. I opened my eyes and saw a field of white and blue. For a few minutes I didn't know where I was. But as soon as the white looked more fluffy than flat, I knew what was happening. I was falling.