Picking Petals:

Chapter 29: Killing me Softly

   Rone and I were both at a loss for words when we made it to the gates to find Orion completely unharmed, after an hour of searching under dead demons and Fae bodies for him. "Where the hell have you been?" I snapped, resisting the overcoming urge to grab him.

   "Oh I dont fight, I made myself scarce" Orion said simply as Rone, Musho and I walked up to Orion.

   "What do you mean you don't fight, you were a demon for crying out loud." I tried holding my anger together but there was no point. "I thought you were dead you stupid man!"

   "Yes, I was a demon nice of you to remember," Orion said rolling his eyes. "Anyways I am useless in my natural form." Rone only scowled over to Orion, his jaw clenched. "How many did you lose?"

   "Six, four humans the other two were new Fae, only 18,"" Musho said beside me.

   "I'll go with you to deliver the news to their families, it's the least I could do, offer whatever help I can," Rone said as we all looked over to the bodies we laid in cots, black sheets covering their dismembered bodies. "You need to do something with Josephine, she's still hysterically crying," Rone said to me as he picked up a cot with Musho, "I'll see you as soon as Musho and I are done, I'll be calling a council meeting for tomorrow morning."

   I nodded not really paying attention as I watched them carry James. "You loved him?" Orion asked bitterly, his dark eyes looming over me.

  "We all did," Gregory said coming up beside me, I looked up at Gregory, his eyes wobbling with un shed tears. Unlike Berella who I had meet as a recruit, James, Gregory and I grew up with each other. I was always the one to follow Gregory and James, begging to be included in their games.  We went from young kids, to teenagers with a purpose, to now, the beginning of everything and James wont be there. I know I prepared myself for this, we all do, it's just hard, every loss gets harder and harder to cope with.

   "What do we even say to Berella?" I asked numbly.

   "The truth," Orion said, "She deserves the truth, and she'll need her friends." He was right.

   "Will you meet me at my room in half an hour? I need to lock Berella back up," I said to Gregory. I guess I was a lot more loopier then I thought as my boot got pinched in a crack and I went tumbling forward. Gregory caught my arm mid fall, helping me back up as I rapidly blinked my eyes into focus, supporting my weight by leaning on Gregory.

   "You dont need to be going anywhere alone," Gregory said. "You used a lot of magic tonight, I'll help you get Josephine into her cell and we'll talk to Berella together," he said as we started walking.

   I looked behind us at Orion who was standing still staring at Gregory and I weirdly. "You're coming to," I stopped in my tracks waiting for Orion.

   "Oh, right, very well I guess I have nothing else to do," Orion said passing Gregory and I it was almost unbelievable he could have ever been my son, he was infuriating, just like someone else I knew...

   Josephine refused to get up, she was like a crumbled doll broken with no senses. Gregory had to pry her off of the ground, carrying her into the palace. "I don't know how much longer I can handle all this crying," Orion hissed glaring at Josephine who hung upside down off of Gregory's back.

   "I just killed her mother," I told Orion, "The crying is justified."

   "Cant you make her sleep? That would be pleasant" Orion groaned as Josephine let out another dramatic wail, maybe she was milking this. I mean I'd be in a wreak if my mother was killed, but she just didn't care, she just gave up entirely.