Aelburn (WATTY'S 2020)

.fourteen.°°

"A bond between souls is ancient - older than the planet."
Dianna Hardy, The Witching Pen (The Witching Pen Novellas, #1)

December 31st, 2199

LUCAS

Chris's communication holo dinged at 12:30 p.m. as Yarrow maneuvered the SUV through sprawling trees and mounds of falling snow. Withdrawing it from his pocket, I heard his soft gasp and turned in the passenger seat to look at him, everyone else doing the same. The muscle in his jaw jumped as he clenched his teeth, fingers shaking on the small orb before opening his mouth.

"President Lancaster sent out an announcement to all of Aelburn's military, security...everyone important." He said, swiping his pointer finger up the screen, sending the holograms up into the air. "It's happening tonight." Reading the announcement, I couldn't help but clench my teeth, my hand tightening on the leather of the seat beneath me.

Airing the old to bring in the new, a special Diangen execution will take place at the stroke of midnight January 1st, 2200.

Jai raised his eyes to mine and we stared at each other for a moment before his eyes turned to Yarrow.

"Already on it." Yarrow said before Jai could even open his mouth and we were thrown back in our seats as he slammed his foot down on the gas. I looked back to Jai once more, his elbow resting on the window sill and his knuckles pressed into his nose. Lavender placed her hand on his knee softly, stopping his jumping leg as he closed his eyes. The air in the SUV was tense, desperate and negative, all of us now understanding exactly how real this was.

My hand moved to my wrist as my finger tapped an anxious beat on the console between the driver and passenger seat. My nerves felt like molten fire, blistering my insides and sending the hairs on my arms into a straight up position as I clutched at my wrist, cursing my nerves for exposing themselves.

Humming started behind me and my shoulders tensed at the melodic sound, my head turning slightly to Lavender as she interlaced her fingers with Jai's. She didn't sing words, only opened her mouth and sang a calming melody that made Jai turn to her and Guen's lips parted as the youngest Aellana vocalized the most calming, yet haunting melody I'd ever heard. Lavender's voice wasn't perfect, like the singers I normally heard. It was raspy, a little flat and lacked the confidence of a professional though it calmed Jai, his shoulders visibly becoming more relaxed as he squeezed her hand.

She had this affect on the entire car, even Yarrow couldn't help but smile the smallest bit at her attempt to comfort everyone around her. Despite everything she had gone through, she was still collected. Still attempting to comfort us, regardless of her personal demons. Her voice was warm, caring and wrapped around my body like a hug, even though her melody wasn't intended for me. Jai pressed his lips into a thin line, leaning forward and laying his head against her shoulder. Lavender hugged him softly, running her fingers through his hair with a delicate touch.

"We'll get her." Lavender finally said, tears in her eyes. "We have to."

"Thank you."

It was Chris who spoke, my eyes moving to him as he wiped his nose. "Before we face this, I...I just want to say I'm sorry. For everything I've said to you all."

Lavender looked to him before she smiled softly, pressing her cheek against Jai's head. "There's no need to apologize. We'll all make this right."