Ch.36 Home

Chapter 36

Pain.

It was all Birdie could feel as she fought against the pressure in her chest to take in air. Her eyes fluttered open every few seconds but she had no strength to keep them open long enough to see where she was. All around her were the screaming voices of jinn and fey, their magic colliding against one another like gunpowder.

Birdie wished she could curl up into a ball and squeeze out all the pain from her bones. She wanted to open her mouth and scream as the scolding hot sensation travelled up her arms and spread all over her body. Her tears were seconds away from reaching boiling point as they slid down her face. She felt her broken body weep as someone lifted her up and began to move.

"Why didn't you let him finish?" Someone asked.

"I'll be damned before I have one of his kind touch my granddaughter," Ira spat through her teeth.

"She doesn't look so good," the first voice spoke again. "'Will she make the trip?"

"There's only one way to find out," Ira said.

Birdie's eyes watered once again. She could feel her grandmother's hand holding her as they moved, the ground suddenly sounding different beneath their feet.

"She's not going to make it," the first voice said once more. "You should give her back to that boy-"

"I need to return her to her father," Ira said sternly. "Open the gates."

Baba...

Birdie tried to part her lips to call for her father, but she could not move. The heat in her system continued to frizzle like a chemical reaction, making her break out into a sweat. Her stomach turned as she suddenly began to feel droplets of cool water against her face.

With every ounce of energy in her body, Birdie forced her eyes to open and focus. She caught a glimpse of a crowd, green mountains, grey skies, her grandmother, Azad, and some others she could not recognize.

Wren...

Birdie felt her heart shrivel up. She flinched as she thought about his pleading dark eyes right before Taft's palm had swallowed her.

"She's moving," someone said. "Ira, she moved."

There was a rustle and suddenly Ira's voice was much closer.

"Birdie?" She took Birdie's hand once more. "Birdie, can you hear me? We're going home."

It hurts, Birdie wanted to cry.

The way Ira held her hand and the way she was carried through the rocky grounds made her body scream in pain with each step. Birdie began to feel blood trickle down the inside of her throat as the booming down of rushing water grew and grew.

"We're going home," Ira said once more.

Birdie wanted to push back the agony and ask her grandmother where they were, but she stood no chance against her stubborn body. The pressure behind her eyes built until she could no longer tolerate the pain. Her mind fell unconscious to save itself from the hell it was in.

Ira, unaware of the immense pain her granddaughter was in, held her hand tightly. She knew they were leaving a trail of Birdie's blood as they moved closer and closer to the Splendid Falls. But they had no time to stop. They had to get their people home. And once Birdie was home, she would be taken care of.

"I can't believe it's happening," Azad said, as they neared the cave's entrance.

Ira remained silent, always holding her breath and ready for the unexpected. She did not want to utter a word until her feet had touched the solid grounds of the Tyveer Court.

As the large gathering of jinns made their way into the cave, Ira's eyes searched the walls for the sign of the golden gate. Her eyes were desperate, her heart pounding in her chest. She didn't allow herself to take in a breath until her sight landed on her men holding up the torch to their freedom.

"At last," she said under her breath.

"Did you do a headcount?" Azad asked one of the men at the entrance. "Is everyone from the compound accounted for?"

"Yes," the jinn nodded. "But we have three extra."

"Who?" Azad arched his brow.

"Me," came a very familiar voice.

The jinn turned to find Ebony stepping out from the shadows with two little girls hiding behind her. They held onto her legs firmly as they peaked around their elder sister to see what was happening.

"How did you get here?" Azad asked, arching his brow.

"Birdie told me," Ebony said. "She asked me to come and when I got wind of everyone leaving the compound, I followed."

"What are you going to do on Earth?" Azad asked. "The human women do your job there."

Ebony's eyes narrowed. She had hoped Azad would have a little decency to not bring up her profession in front of her little sisters.

"I'll find something," Ebony said, her voice cold. "If Earth is as great as you say it is, I'm sure the three of us will survive."

Azad didn't answer. He stared at her for a few before turning away and making his way over to Ira's side.

"Are we all ready?" The woman asked, still holding her granddaughter's hand.

Azad looked over his shoulder to where Ebony pulled her sisters closer to herself, "Yes, we're ready."

With a deep breath, Ira pulled out the key and placed it in Azad's hand. She followed him like a shadow as they moved to the door and the jinn pulled out a small dagger.

"Even with the key and the stones, they would have never been able to open my seal at the end of the gate," Ira said as she ran the dagger over her palm and drew blood.

Azad pushed the key into the key hold just as Ira held her hand over the gate and spilled her blood. The ground rumbled and a hush fell over the crowd. Everyone gathered their loved ones as Ira's seal began to glow and the golden door cracked open like thunder in the sky.

"Let's go home, sweet baby," Ira said as she held Birdie's hand and stepped into the blinding light.

__________________________

"Have more men sent to the site," Heyder said to Ali as they stared at the map of the veil in front of themselves. "They can stay until reconstruction is completed."

"Will do," Ali nodded.

"How many miles did we lose this time?" Heyder leaned forward to peer at the mountain range.

"I would say about three mi-"

Suddenly, the door to the sultan's chambers burst open just as a man with a long red beard stepped out from a portal at the centre of the room.

"Yes, come right in, why don't you," Heyder said, looking at everyone. "Make yourself at home."

"Your grace," the jinn stepped around the Viking from the portal. "The seventh floor-"

"There has been another disturbance in the time veil," the man with the red beard stepped forward.

"One at a time please," Heyder shook his head. "One crisis at a time."

"It's the same crisis," the Viking said, a little out of breath.

"He's right," the jinn confirmed. "Your mother's seal opened on the 7th floor. People are coming out of it."

"Oh fuck," Heyder groaned. "What spanking new hell is this?"

"Call all the jinn back to court," Ali commanded as they all rushed out of the room. "What's happening?"

"I don't know," Heyder said, his chest tightening as he neared the seventh floor. "This can't be good if people are coming out of the sea-"

Heyder halted in his tracks.

His heart grew still as the night as his eyes fell on his mother's face, standing in the middle of the room.

"What the fuck," Ali said under his breath, looking around at all the people walking out of the portal.

Ira looked up and her eyes began to scan the room. Her gaze narrowed as her lips pinched together in a very familiar way.

"Ma..." Heyder took a step forward.

Ira's eyes moved to the jinn. A hint of a smile spread across her lips as she worked hard to match the face of the little boy to the man standing in front of her.

"Heyder?" She asked.

"How....what?" Heyder felt the wind on his lungs deflate.

"We can talk about this later," Ira called to Azad as she patted Heyder's shoulder. "But first we need to save her."

Heyder didn't understand what was happening as the crowd began to part. Ali came to stand beside him as a tall jinn began to make his way over to the Sultan.

"Heyder," Ira called to her son, her voice calm and controlled. "She's hurt. We have to get her some help. Maybe we can call the wolves. They have healing clay that may work-"

"Birdie..." Heyder's eyes grew wide on his face as all the blood drained from his body.

His blood ran cold as every broken piece inside of himself rushed up to the surface and pierced into the shield he had spent years creating.

"Birdie!" Heyder dove forward and pulled his daughter away from Azad. "Ali!"

'"I already called Maya and Clare," Ali said, catching the girl along with his best friend as they sank to the floor. "Everyone! Back away!"

"Birdie!" Maya's voice suddenly cried out over the crowd.

Ira turned to find the Witch running forward with tears rolling down her face. She stepped back as Maya fell to the floor beside Heyder and cupped Birdie's still face in between her hands.

"Birdie, open your eyes," Maya cried. "Come on, baby."

"Everyone," Ali jumped to his feet. "Follow the nice young man by the entrance. Make your way down to the grand hall. You will be taken care of there. Follow the nice young man."

"Heyder," Maya's lips trembled as she looked up at her husband. "Heyder, she's barely breathing!"

"I got her," Heyder said, summoning his magic to the surface. "I got her. I got her."

"Come on, baby," Maya kissed Birdie's forehead. "Come one, my love."

"Ali," Hayden rushed out of the portal as the last of the crowd vanished from the room. "Where is sh-"

"Hayden," Maya picked up her head.

Her heart shattered once more as looked at the heartbreak 9in her son's eyes.

They all wore the same expression of relief, fear and pain in their eyes.

Their baby bird was back home in their arms.

I know it's short but I wanted to give you something <3

What now? Where is Wren? What will Birdie do?