Golden Wings

Chapter 17~ Present Day, The Blue

I open my eyes in the darkness.

My bedroom takes shape around me, and I lick my dry lips.

Edward and I kissed. Kissed.

I roll onto my side, a smile playing on my lips. I try not to let it show, but I can't quite help it. That's when I notice something sticking erect out of the pillow beside me.

I sit upright immediately, my hand grabbing the unlit candle on my bedside table. I snap my fingers and the wick ignites. I inspect the item on my pillow.

It's an arrow. Handmade, with the bark of the tree crudely stripped off.

I pull the arrow out of the pillow and noticed a note underneath it. With shaking hands, I picked up the note.

'Clares,

I know how much you miss me. And trust me, the feeling's mutual. More than mutual. But, don't worry. We're almost done here.

Your day sounds exciting. Mine? I sat, all day, in this shack. Sound familiar? Yeah. Nothing really changes out here. I sit, I wait, I watch.

Repeat.

Nice magic, by the way. You've definitely been working at it. Maybe you can teach me when I get back. You're good enough for it.

Yours,

Kyle.'

My hands began to shake and my throat clogged up. I flipped the note over, and looked in horror as I saw, written sharply in dark red ink,

'They both fell.'

My eyes wander to the arrow and saw that the fletching was compromised by shimmering golden feathers.

Soaked in blood.

I scream.

~

"Sam! Sam, go get someone!" A small voice causes my eyes to flutter open, and I see Raf's blue eyes staring down at me. His hand presses down on my forehead, and he looks at me in concern. "Claire? Claire, are you alright?"

"Raf... I- He-" I bolt upright, looking to make sure the arrow and note are still there.

They are. I catch sight of the fletching again, and scream, falling out of bed and scrambling away.

Raf crouches down and wraps an arm around me, murmuring worried, 'It's okay's and 'Calm down's. "Sam!" He yells again.

My breathing quickens as I look at the arrow, and I begin to hyperventilate.

"Claire, hey, hey, hey. Claire, look at me, look at me." I hear Raf say, but only distantly.

"I- He- Kyle-" I gasp out, reaching out for Rafs hands.

"I know." He coos. "It's okay."

"It's not okay!" I scream, and I feel Raf begin to shake.

"Sam! Please!" Raf yells again, a tremor in his quiet voice.

"What's going on here?" A voice calls from the doorway, and Raf turns quickly, standing.

"Edward- It's Claire, she..." He takes a deep breath and tries again. "Somethings wrong."

"She needs to see the king," Edward says with a sense of authority. I hear him step forward, then hear Rafs smaller steps coming forward to block him.

"No!" Raf says, "She shouldn't be moved. It could-"

"We have no choice," Edward says gruffly, sidestepping him. I feel his arms around me and then I'm lifted into the air.

My breathing has gone from quick, harsh breaths of nothing too deep, pained sobs. I grab onto Edwards shirt like a lifeboat, and sob desperately into his chest.

Edward murmurs something, and then we're outside the infirmary. He pushes open the doors so forcefully that they ram into the walls on either side of the doorway.

The nurse, Cathrine, looks up from her desk, startled. She quickly stands when she sees me and rushes over.

"Oh- Oh my dear- Clarisa-" She frets, but Edward practically bowls her over as he rushes to the nearest bed.


"Can't you do something?" He yells, his voice almost a roar.

"Why- Of course- I just" Cathrine stutters, but quickly rushes to do her job. She scrambles over to me and looks me in the eyes as my sobs slowly begin to die down. "Clarisa," She says calmly and tranquilly, "Can you tell me what happened?"

"I-" I manage to choke out before I can't breathe again. "I- I can't-"

"Shh..." She coos and urges me to lie down. "You're okay. It's okay."

"I-" I try again, but begin hyperventilating.

"Clarisa." She says and stands. "I'm going to get you a drink, okay?" She walks away before I can respond, and I roll onto my back to see Edward looking down on me with concern.

"It's okay, Claire." He says softly, a smile playing on his lips. "It's going to be okay..."

"Edward-" I choke, but he just shushes me and looks to Catherine.

She dashes back over with a glass and helps me sit up to drink it. "Go on, dear." She says.

I take a sip, and immediately my breathing slows.

She helps me lie down on my side, and I feel my eyes begin to droop.

I feel Edwards hand on the small of my back, and I take one last shuttering breath before my eyes closed and I drift into a dark and dangerous sleep.