Summer Garden

Trei

Trei sighed heavily as the Fae charged towards him. The space was small, so there was only three or four at a time that could enter. That was the only good news. They carried weapons, he didn't. They had the strength of the Fae, which was enough to equal his. On top of which he had to keep an eye on Alphege and Summer. He wanted them both to survive, to get through this.

He had no idea where Tyr had vanished to. He'd made Summer kill Luna and then just seemed to lose interest and wandered away, leaving Summer in a blind rage. He knew the kind of anger she was facing. He'd buried, controlled it, long enough. Maybe that was why being a ghoul had come so easily to him in those first few days. Why he'd managed to take control of his body so easily when it seemed that others just turned into homicidal maniacs. Trei hadn't lived through the war when he was young. His wrath had. He was a monster, down to his very core. He'd kept it contained for so long, and now Summer was being forced to experience it.

It wasn't fair.

A fireball breezed through the air towards Trei, blackening the ground and burning out the air. He punched it backwards at the caster with unforgiving strength. He'd died that way. Not this time. He wasn't the weak willed little human trying to impress a girl that he had been then. He'd been through so much since then. Become so much. He wasn't willing to lose Summer, not again. If they wanted her, they would go through him.

He grabbed the wrist of the Fae before they could cast again and slammed his forehead into theirs with a sickening crack. The Fae slumped unconscious to the ground and Trei turned in time to grab the sword heading for his heart. He used it to pull the Fae towards him, grabbing their wrist and breaking it. He kicked them backwards and turned to the next opponent.

A blur of red shot passed him, screaming. Trei kicked the Fae fighting him in the gut, trying to turn and race after her. To stop Claven from becoming whatever she had.

It was too late.

Alphege screamed, before the sound being cut off.

Trei sprinted, the ground beneath him exploding to dust as he hit it. He froze as he saw the red-haired Fae standing, hands around the elf's shoulders. She was eating her throat, tearing at the flesh and slurping.

He felt sick to the pit of his stomach.

"Claven."

The Fae turned, looking at him with an arrogant expression, "Oh it's the dead bitch. Are you upset? Don't you feel it at all? Luna's dead, asswipe. You don't care do you?"

"I care!" Trei yelled angrily, "Alphege had nothing to do with it. You killed her. As if it... Does it mean anything to you? Are you anything better than me?"

"I am better than you." The Fae spat blood into the air, "I am Fae, and you are not! You are nothing but a shadow! You're the reason everyone is dying! You are the epitome of evil in this world, stupid mortal. Alphege is dead, because she cared about you. Luna is dead, because she cared about you. Astrian is dead, because she cared about you. And now, I'm going to kill Summer."

The ghoul was distant, grabbing it's head and shaking. Seeing Alphege murdered seemed to have given Summer a hand up. Not full control, not yet. But something.

Claven turned to fly towards the weakened creature.

She jerked to a stop in the air, turning to see the hand gripping her wrist in surprise. Trei glared at her, "I won't let you do this, Claven."

An angry hand slashed across his face. Trei didn't flinch as the skin peeled and his eye was blinded. Pain was an old friend. There was no pain that could compare to having your soul stripped into pieces and reconstructed again. He broke the wrist in his hand.

Claven screamed, but her knee flew towards his chest. Trei deflected it with his elbow before moving behind the Fae and slamming his fist into her spine. It broke with an audible snap.

The wings beat, turning as Claven continued to try and fight.

Trei grabbed her head between his hands, "I really am sorry, Claven. But no one is hurting Summer."