Summer Garden

Luna

Luna pushed Claven aside, glaring at her sister, "Get out? And let you claim him?"

Anger rolled over her like the waves of an unending ocean. It swallowed her. Enveloped her. It took her and made her its own. The hatred rose up like bile in her throat, colouring the world. She looked at Summer's thoughts and aura, riding the waves and pinpointing weakness. Summer was hesitating, deeply embarrassed, expecting a torrent of hateful words but nothing more.

Black dust shimmered in the air for a moment as it cascaded off Luna.

She dashed forward, a void forming in one hand as she lashed out towards her sister. Luna gasped as the world slowed to a crawl, trapping her in the air. A strong hand gripped her wrist, and she flashed a glare sideways, staring in astonishment.

The black-eyed Fae standing there yawned, "You know, I always thought Summer was the more impertinent of the two of you. Maybe that assumption needs to be reviewed."

Luna struggled, trying to pull away, but she couldn't. She felt as if she was trapped in sap, barely capable of moving at all. The Fae sighed heavily, "I don't usually interfere, as a rule. However, I cannot allow you to attack your sister. If you were to succeed in injuring her, as you are about to, then Summer will kill you."

She swallowed nervously, instantly regretting the mistake as the instinctual process began to slowly move, giving her the impression of drowning.

"You are a critical piece in this game that is playing out." The Fae said, smiling at her in a none too reassuring way. "In fact, I would go so far as to say that none of this will succeed if you die here. You could ignore me. You have before. And I come back here and tell you, time after time, that you cannot stop Summer. Her current ambient level of magic is beyond the greatest you could channel. Even taking her by surprise is not enough. Look, now, in this tiny fraction of a moment you've been moving towards her."

Luna flicked her gaze slowly towards her sister. There was a light shimmer forming around her. A pattern of light that indicated not just a spell, but a nearly formed ward. Her attack would slam into the shield, she would be rebuffed, and Summer's next move would kill her before she could react. How was it possible? How could Summer have already generated the spell?

"Janus has been attempting to kill your sister for five hundred cycles." The Fae said, squeezing her wrist painfully, "What chance do you have, petty one? Trei was already promised to another. And he made his choice. You need to live with it. Imprint or not, in no future, in no timeline do you end up with him."

Luna felt her magic vanish as her heart broke.

The Fae released her and time slammed back into her. Luna crashed into the ward and was rebounded into the floor where she curled into a ball, wings wrapping around herself as the tears hit her, and she felt her whole body rock with anguish. The sob moved through her spasming her muscles and ignoring her efforts to stay in control. She didn't want to be crying. She didn't want to be the useless ball lying on the ground.