Summer Garden

Ashwen

She held up a fist, signalling the unit to stop moving, and floated upwards, moving forward slowly. She'd been able to trace the survivors of the garden to this location. To the mortal world. To the ruins of a city that had quite obviously been attacked by Summer. There was no one else who could destroy an entire city. Wipe out an entire kingdom. No one else had that kind of power.

No one else was stupid enough to unleash that kind of hell.

The Fae winced at the smell as she approached the square ahead, hidden by debris. It was the smell of death. Of copper and the beginnings of putrefaction. She could hear the flies already. She paused at the edge of the debris, looking down at a small dirty trail of blood pouring into a nearby drain. It was only a trickle, but showed no signs of stopping anytime soon.

Ashwen hardened her stomach and drifted into the square.

The smell hit her like a sledgehammer between the eyes, and she vomited immediately. She didn't have a choice or chance to hesitate, her stomach just hit the eject button.

The walls were painted with intestines, bone fragments were scattered over the ground which was soaked in blood, pooling here and there. She could see shattered skulls here and there. There was no way to make a body count. There was nothing intact enough to be called a body. People had died here, mortals.

Near one of the ruined walls she saw what she'd heard earlier. The gentle thump was caused by someone sitting with their arms around their knees, rocking and hitting their head against the wall. They were coated, head to toe. She couldn't make out what colour their hair had been, not with the flesh and blood tangled throughout it. There was no weapon in sight. If this person was responsible, she couldn't see how.

Ashwen drew her sword, the scabbard chafing and echoing. The figure didn't react, as if they couldn't hear her. This death would be a mercy. Whatever this creature had witnessed was beyond what a mortal could cope with.

She drifted over, holding her breath, and went to stab downwards at the base of the spine.

Ashwen breathed involuntarily, gagging, and dropped onto the bloody ground with a soft splash.

This wasn't a mortal.

On the back were two blood-drenched wings, curled and flattened by the gristly material soaking them. But all the same, wings.

This was a Fae.

"Who are you?"

The girl stopped banging her head, turning slowly, and looking up, "I didn't mean to... I didn't... I... I... I killed... I didn't mean it!"

Ashwen crouched slowly, sheathing her sword, "It's okay. You're going to be okay."

"It's not okay!" The Fae cried, "I killed them! They just wanted to be safe!"

She had no idea why the Fae would be trying to help mortals. If it was mortals. "Who did you kill?"

"Them." The Fae bawled, punching a hand into a bloody puddle, "They just wanted to be safe. We took their homes... They just wanted to be safe."

So, mortals, then. Ashwen couldn't bring herself to feel for any mortal stupid enough to get in a Fae's way. They weren't Fae. They were just halfmad creatures without strength or intelligence. However, it had moved this Fae. Moved her into madness.

No.

Something had driven her mad. This was just a result.

"What happened?"

The terrified Fae froze, looking at her quietly, as if seeing her for the first time. "Lady Ashwen?"

She frowned, "Do I know you?"

"No one does." The Fae said sadly, looking down, "No one knew who I was. No one paid attention. Not until her. She showed me magic. The rest of you ignored me... But she gave it to me."

Ashwen hedged her bets, "Summer?"

"Luna."

Those two syllables tumbled into the air with a reverence and emotion that Ashwen hadn't heard in a very long time. The pain that was mixed in told her everything she needed to know. Everything that there was to know.

"Luna died." Ashwen winced, "She was a great woman."

Angry blood-stained hands seized her head, and fangs flashed in front of her face, "She was mine!"

She was towing a line here. It would be safer to kill this Fae, and move on. Every reward had risk. A Fae this angry, this hurt, could be a powerful weapon. A weapon she could use to gain the upper hand on a Fae who had just levelled an entire city.

"Summer should have protected her." Ashwen growled, "Where was she when her sister died?"