The Weeping Willow

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

Aurora and Ryker

They had searched the entire grounds for hours with no sign of Wren anywhere. Her eyes were swollen from crying and her brother hadn't left her side since they left the Willow tree. They both knew she was no longer in this realm and they would need to do whatever it took to find her. Aurora didn't care what laws she broke or what she needed to do to accomplish her mission in finding her sister, but she was going to do whatever it took.

"Rora, breathe. You're not helping the situation by constantly holding your breath." Ryker said at her side as they walked into the estate. Aurora looked at her brother and tried to smile because of course he was right. When she got nervous or under pressure, she would hold her breath to feel the numbness take over as her brain didn't receive the appropriate oxygen. The two walked into the estate at the back entrance and shook of their jackets, hanging them on the hooks before slipping their muddied boots off and leaving them by the door. The house was warm thanks to the fireplace as the two walked further into the house and towards the study where the fire grew warmest.

"Any sign of her?" Nadie said as she saw them enter the room. Aurora shook her head as she looked down at her feet as she crossed the room and planted herself before the fire in the armchair closest to the flames. Ryker eyed as his parents as he approached them and saw that they were sitting at a desk with a large book opened in front of them, the pages tattered at the edges and the scripture of an unknown language. Aurora watched her brother move around the table to stand next to their parents as his eyes scanned the book in front of them.

"What is this?" Ryker asked as he looked away from the book and looked in his father's direction since he had been quiet since they had entered the room. Nadie looked away from the book and towards her husband as they exchanged a look. Aurora stood from the armchair and slowly crossed the room to join them at the desk where the book lie open, the temperature in the room growing warmer as they all huddled together in the study.

"You're not telling us something. Do you know something about Wren that we don't?" Aurora questioned as she walked to where her brother stood. The two faced their parents on the opposite side of the desk and waited for an answer that was clearly caught in their throat, because Nadie and Sien looked like they were hiding something.

"Please understand that we couldn't tell you because we were sworn to secrecy." Nadie began to speak as her eyes drifted between her children and then to the book in front of her. "Wren is more than meets the eye. She is more valuable than you can begin to imagine and we were bestowed with keeping her hidden and safe here in the human realm." Her voice growing more cautious as her eyes moved to meet her husband's.

"Wren is the daughter of Harmonia and Váli. I know you two know who these two figures are in the realm of the Gods and demi-gods." Sien began to bellow as he stood from his seat beside Nadie and he placed his hands on the book on the table and his eyes met Ryker's. "She is the Princess of Asura and the heir to the throne. Not only that, but she is the daughter of evil and a key to the destruction of the almost every realm." Sien explained as his eyes moved to meet Aurora's.

Ryker's eyes widened as he listened to his father speak and uncover the true identity of the woman he fell in love with. He felt his sister press into his side as she too listened to what was being said.

"Váli has been searching for Wren since she was hidden in the human realm. The only reason why she was left with us is because he would never look for her here. Out of all the places, why a demi-god would be brought to live in the human realm..."Nadie began to explain as she tried to keep her composure. "You have to understand we were protecting her. We were trying to give her a life that she could appreciate and learn to love. She is like a daughter to me and I would never, never let anything bad come to her."