Ch. 37 Lost in Time

Chapter 37

Heyder sat holding Birdie's hand, his eyes fighting with the slumber that threatened to take him under. He did not want to fall asleep. He needed to stay awake incase she opened her eyes.

"Heyder,'' a familiar yet foreign voice came from the doorway.

The jinn looked up to find his mother standing outside the, her long hair tied back in a thick braid that fell down her back. She had changed into a comfortable long kaftan that grazed the floor as she walked.

"You really haven't aged a day, have you?" Heyder said, his eyes looking at his mother as she moved closer.

"You know we don't age like the rest, sweet baby," Ira chuckled.

"Yeah," Heyder nodded, feeling the tiredness in his bones and the years weighing down his shoulder. He did not know how to tell her he was aging like the ones she was looking down at.

"Did your men get everything they needed?" He asked instead.

"Yes," Ira said. "Their living relatives have been informed. They will be staying at court until we grow accustomed to this new....environment."

"Nothing has changed," Heyder said, leaning back in his chair and crossing his ankles beside Birdie where his long legs rested. "The Tyveer court is still the same. Every single brick."

"Everything has changed," Ira said, her voice laced with irritation. "My son...is the Sultan. How does that happen?"

"It's a long story," Heyder shrugged.

"And you're married to a witch?"

"She's the Witch Supreme, actually."

"Witch supreme or witch vermin," Ira rolled her eyes. "All the same breed."

Heyder instantly felt proud of his idea to have Maya and Hayden leave court. He knew they would be pissed when he returned but he was growing old and his chaotic mind could only handle one battle at a time.

"It's another long story," Heyder said, letting down a deep sigh. "And no, they are not the same thing."

"That's all you seem to be saying these days," Ira pursed her lips. "A long story."

"What else do you want me to say?"

"Where are the elders?" Ira asked, her eyes filled with suspicion. "Why are our resources going out of the veil and what is Ali's son?"

"Excuse me?" Heyder arched his brow.

"What is he? What is she?" Ira pointed towards Birdie.

"She's my daughter," Heyder, calmly and slowly as if he was speaking to a child. "And Adan is my godson."

"But what are they?" Ira asked. "How long have our kind been mixing with the others?"

"For a while now."

"And as Sultan you allowed it to happen?"

"Don't you think it would have been hypocritical if I didn't allow it to happen while both of my offspring were hybrids?"

"So your son is this way too."

"Yes," Heyder said, looking at his mother. "And?"

Ira's eyes narrowed, "What do you mean and?"

"You seem to have something to say about my children," Heyder placed his mother in the centre of his attention. "You can speak freely. After all, we're family."

Ira's jaw tensed as she stared at her son. Her narrow eyes were like a viper, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

"What happened to you?" She asked.

"Life," Heyder gave a humorless chuckle. "Life happened to me, Ma."

"You are not the timid little boy I left with Maaz."

"No," Heyder almost laughed once again from the pressure in his chest. "I most certainly am not the timid little body."

"Do I want to step out of the veil, Heyder?" Ira's face hardened.

"No," Heyder shook his head. "I don't think you do. Not yet at least."

"Your wife and your son have not come to greet me yet."

"I asked them not to come."

"Why?" Ira asked with irritation. "I am his grandmother."

"You are her grandmother too," Heyder said, motioning towards Birdie.

"Yes," Ira nodded. "I brought her home."

"You didn't heal her."

"Excuse me?" Ira's brow arched.

"In the time it took to bring her to the portal, you could have healed her," Heyder said as he toyed with his wedding band around his finger. His brown eyes watched the gold ring spin around and around. "But you didn't."

Ira's dark eyes did not leave her son, "You know the consequences for healing. I was leading an entire race who were under the threat of the fe-"

"She's your granddaughter," Heyder stopped her, not lifting his eyes from his ring. His brows knit together as if he could not understand why Ira hadn't healed Birdie. "What use is our magic if we can not save the ones we love?"

"Would you rather me save one life over a few hundred?"

"She's family," Heyder said. "She's my daughter."

"You're a Sultan," Ira's lips pressed together. "You would have made the same call?"

"Yes," Heyder said without hesitation. "I would have saved my daughter."

"Then you should not be Sultan."

"Forgive me," Heyder said dramatically. "Forgive me for not being able to fight my selfish needs."

______________________

"How is she?" Maya asked as soon as Heyder stepped through the portal.

"Are you asking about my mother or about our daughter?" Heyder arched his brow.

"Obviously about our daughter," Maya frowned. "Your mother still sends shivers down my spine."

"She recognized you," Heyder said, pulling his wife into his arms.

"Birdie?"

"No," Heyder shook his head. "My mother. She recognized you from when you took the whip from her."

Feeling a chill run up Maya's spine, Heyder pulled her closer and placed a warm kiss on her forehead.

"It could have been me," Maya said, her voice muffled by the jinn's shirt. "I could have fallen into Pangea."

Hearing the words spoken aloud caused Heyder's heart to contract once more. He was beginning to consider the very real possibility that he might die due to a heart attack.

"I brought the key back," Maya shook her head, slowly pulling back to look at Heyder. "I should have never taken it from court all those years ago."

"There is nothing we could have done, sweet baby," Heyder sighed. "Our destiny was written a long long time ago."

"Our destiny pulled Birdie into this mess," Maya's eyes fluttered up with worry.

"Or Birdie's destiny brought you out of that portal with the key," Heyder said gently, brushing the back of his fingers over Maya's cheeks. "Don't be sad. My world stops when you're not happy."

"How can I be happy?" Maya rolled her eyes as she took Heyder's hand. "You won't let me see my daughter."

"It's best this way, trust me," Heyder sighed. "My mother needs time to adjust to all this."

"I want to see my baby," Maya said, stubbornly.

"I know, I know," Heyder took her hands and placed a small kiss upon each. "I promise to bring her home as soon as we know it's safe to move her."

"But how is she?"

"She's stable," Heyder turned Maya's hands and placed a kiss inside her palm. "She's almost healed. We just need her to wake up now."

"Has she said anything else in her sleep?"

"No," Heyder shook his head. "Just the same word over and over."

"Wren?" Maya frowned.

"Yeah," Heyder nodded.

"Did Ira say what it could mean?"

"She said a wren is a bird," Heyder rolled his eyes. "It doesn't take a genius to know that."

"Wren..." Maya pondered. "Why wren...what could it mean?"

"I don't know," Heyder's shoulders slumped. "I just need a few minutes of sleep. I don't like leaving her there alone."

"Ali and Adan are there now?"

"Yeah," Heyder said. "But it should be me."

__________________________

The fire had been put out.

It drowned under icy cold water that rained on Wren's balcony.

Birdie stood with her face lifted to the clouds and her lips parted as the droplets gathered on her lips. She felt a shiver run up her spine from the rain that touched her back beneath her dress but she knew she wouldn't be cold.

Before the drop of water could reach her lower back, a warm finger caught it and traced it off Birdie's skin. She melted into the touch as Wren wrapped his arms around her and placed a kiss behind her ear.

"Wren..." Birdie held onto his hand, desperate to keep him beside her.

But just like every other time, the cruel wind blew and washed him away like smoke. Birdie's heart contracted, making her breathless as she plunged into darkness.

But unlike before, something about the darkness was different this time around.

Birdie felt as if her heart was beating for the first time in a while. She could hear people speaking all around her. The darkness made it impossible to tell if she even had her eyes open. Her head turned this way and then that way, following the voices and whispers.

"The elders will be at court soon."

Ira.

Birdie turned towards the voice.

"I don't understand why my son would have them sent away," Ira continued. "They belong here, at court."

"Things are not what they were," Azad replied.

Birdie inched closer and closer. She did not know in which direction she walked but she knew the voices were getting louder.

"Ira..." Azad paused. "Look."

Birdie felt someone touch her hand. She flinched from the shock as her eyes were blinded by a bright light.

"Birdie," Ira gasped.

Birdie sat up gasping for air as her lungs suddenly decided to stop working. She began to cough as Ira grabbed her shoulders and kept her from falling off the bed.

"Azad, call the sultan," Ira commanded.

"Right away," Azad said as he zapped out of the room.

"It's okay," Ira turned back to Birdie. "It's okay. We're home. We made it."

The pressure inside Birdie's chest was beginning to reach her head. She felt dizzy and weak as her hands shook and stomach churned.

"Wren..." she managed to speak, her lips and throat dry. "Where..."

Ira pretended not to hear. She reached for the glass of water by the nightstand and brought it up to Birdie's mouth.

"Here," she said. "Drink. You need it."

Birdie shook her head, "Wren....Where's Wren?"

"Have some water first," Ira said softly.

Birdie did not know why her eyes began to water. She lost her breath once more as her lips began to tremble. She let Ira tilt the glass and pour the water into her mouth as the tears ran down her face. Birdie couldn't look away from her grandmother.

"Where's Wren?" She asked once more as she pushed the glass of water away.

"You don't have to worry about him anymore," Ira said. "We left all that behind."

"What happened?" Birdie asked, more tears gathering in her eyes. "Where is he? Is he here?"

"No," Ira looked shocked. "Why would he be here?"

"You left him?" Birdie's voice cracked.

"I had to," Ira said, tucking back Birdie's locks. "Sweet baby, he's not like us. And pulse, there was no way of saving him."

Birdie's ears began to ring, "What do you mean?"

"Darrian was standing over his body with a sword plunged into his chest."

"No..." Birdie shook her head. "No, that's not possible."

Ira looked into Birdie's silver eyes and reached for her hand, "I know you think he helped you, but he was using your for his ow-"

"We have to go back."

"What?"

"Wren's mother would never let Darrian touch him," Birdie tried to get up from the bed. "We have to go back for him."

"We can't," Ira stopped her. "Birdie, stop. You need to rest."

"I can't," Birdie pushed. "I have to go back."

"My darling," Ira grabbed her shoulders and sat her down. "He's dead."

Birdie refused to listen, "No. No. No, he's not."

"The prince is dead, sweet baby."

"I don't believe you," Birdie pushed away her grandmother's hand. "No."

"We're jinns," Ira reminded her. "We can not lie. Wren is dead."

"No!" Birdie shouted. "No, he's not!"

"Calm down," Ira tried to hand her the water once more.

"No, no," Birdie pushed.

"It's okay, it's okay, calm down," Ira patted her back.

"You're lying," Birdie pleaded with her grandmother, her eyes red and watery and her lips trembling. "Tell me you're lying."

"I wish I could Lie," Ira frowned.

"No," Birdie cried. "You're lying."

"Let's calm down first," Ira took a deep breath. "Have some water."

"I don't want it!" Birdie shoved, causing the glass to slip from Ira's hand and shatter against the floor.

"Birdie!" Ira's voice hardened just as Heyder walked into the room. "That's enough, young lady."

"Hey!" Heyder snapped instinctively. "What's going on?"

Birdie turned towards her father and let out an agonising sob. Her heart filled with all sorts of emotions as she jumped out of bed and ran into her father's arms.

"Baba, he's gone," She cried as soon as Heyder wrapped her in his arms and shielded her from the word. "He's gone."

"Shhhh," Heyder held her tightly to his chest and kissed her head. "It's okay, baby bird. It's okay. You're home."

Birdie felt half her heart throb in pain as the other half was lost somewhere in between the veils of time. She pulled herself closer to her father as she shook with sobs, wanting to rejoice in her homecoming while also wanting to mourn for her loss.

"Let's go home," Heyder whispered to her as he figured she needed to be away from everyone and everything at court. "Mom is waiting for us."

R.I.P Wren