Indigo

Kier’s wing beats doubled, his face turned fierce, his nose wrinkled.

“I can smell her.”

He announced, a grin spreading on his features.

“She’s here!”

Tyrell grinned as well, hopping off Deacon as he turned on a swift dive.

“How are we getting under-“

Deacon began to ask when he was hushed by Tyrell clasping his hands together, and a golden hue appearing on them. Tyrell took a sharp intake of air and suddenly a ball of pure fire came towards him. Deacon instinctively retreated, his legs and arms positioning on their kind’s usual defensive stand. Kier on the other hand stood very still and far away from Tyrell, his arms crossed against his chest. His pale complexion looked even more so against Tyrell’s golden one. From the ball of fire a pair of gigantic, beautiful wings extended. Each feather seemed to be made up of gold, the neck was long and delicate, in both the top of the head and the tail where streams of the most beautiful fire. The creature opened his eyes and they were pure ebony, just as his beak. It opened it’s beak and a beautiful song cut the air in two. The bird turned towards Kier and Deacon, prepared to fly against them but Tyrell tapped his head and seemed to explain something to him in a whisper.

“Is that…is that-?”

“A phoenix.”

Kier said quietly, nodding. Deacon’s mouth fell open. He sat on the dirt and crossed his legs,

“Your chances are disappearing by the second, Kier.”

Kier made a hissing sound at Deacon’s remark but otherwise remained silently staring at the bird and its master.

* * *

“We’re here…are you sleepy?”

Mayari asked Amarantha as they entered a complex made up of concrete and magic of some sort, Amarantha guessed.

“Tired, not sleepy.”

She said between gritted teeth. Mayari smiled, and took Amarantha’s hand and lead her to a room. Amarantha went rather reluctantly.

“I’ll continue to explain…”

Amarantha’s ears perked up as they seated on the bed in a room very similar to the one they had been before. Mayari’s beautiful hair was loose, a breeze that came from nowhere played with it, and it creeped Amarantha out. She looked at her previous headmaster with her ancient eyes, trying to figure out if there was a way she could convince her of letting her out of there.

“ You’re going to be my child, with or without Adlaw. I’m your mom from now on, isn’t that just perfect Amarantha? Isn’t it just-“

Just when Amarantha was about to jump off the bed and yell at the top of her lungs, ‘No you crazy bitch! I’m not going to become your daughter! I’d rather kill myself before I do such a stupid thing!’ there was an earsplitting sound, and the walls started crumbling.

“Amarantha!”

Three pair of voices yelled at the same time. Amarantha dismissed Mayari’s and instead searched for the other two voices she loved so much.

“In here! Kier? Tyrell? In here! In here! In here!”

She continued to repeat. A flash of black and came and in took her off the floor she was about to scream when she recognized the scent and instead buried her face on his neck, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“I’ve got her!”

Kier bellowed. A screech came from below. Mayari was shouting orders at her Nightmares who were easily pushing the rock and dirt aside. Beams of dark light and slimy liquid started shooting in every direction, damaging whatever it touched.

“Shit!”

Kier mumbled,

“Tyrell, Deacon, retreat!. Retreat! Don’t let the beams touch you!”

Tyrell was on the phoenix’s back, which swerved the beams with ease and apparent boredom. Deacon didn’t have it that easy.

“Kier, duck!”

Amarantha ordered as a beam of the horrid stuff almost left them headless. Tyrell’s head turned sharply toward them.

“If you’re not going to take care of her, hand her over incubus!”

Tyrell hissed as they retreated into the woods, the Nightmares following them close behind. Kier threw him an ice stare. Amarantha was clinging to him like she was eight again, still sobbing on his neck.

“You okay?”

He asked sweetly, pressing her close to his chest. Tyrell threw daggers at him, his lips tense and thin. Amarantha nodded, clutching at his arms, chest and neck.
An apparition of glitter and wings battering quickly flew right into them.

“You got her? They’re after you, right?”

As the fairy turned to face them Amarantha and Kier instantly recognized Annie, her features slightly changed as she was in her complete fairy form.

“Yeah, on our heels.”

Kier mumbled.

“We’ll take over. Head to your house, its secured.”

After giving them a loving smile, she disappeared in batter of wings and glitter.

* * *

Tyrell held the sobbing Amarantha for the rest of the ride since it was a long way to go until they reached Kier’s house. The cries of war and magic against magic resonated on their ears. The sky was illuminated with shades of golden and then turned black once again. Amarantha occasionally turned back and her sobbing continued.

“You’re so silent, its weird. Have you gotten soft, Amarantha?”

Kier asked her, a small smirk on his lips. Amarantha faced him, her face red and flustered. She raised her arms for him to hold her, like it was the last time they had seen each other.

“I’m sorry, but I promise I’ll hold you as soon as we get home, okay?”

Amarantha nodded and looked back again. Tyrell stared at the scene, anger and jealousy crawling up his spine. The phoenix sang something for him, short but equally breath-taking. Amarantha stood straight to listen to it.

“It’s okay Blaze…”

Tyrell mumbled, nuzzling his phoenix affectionately.

“So…this is the thing that made you different from anyone else? The one you
didn’t want to tell me about?”

She asked, getting closer to him. He nodded,

“But your secret is much more bigger than mine, if only I’d known I would’ve shared…”

“But you knew about me. You always knew, deep inside you, Ty. You were just afraid of asking…you’re always afraid of asking.”

Amarantha pointed out, cleaning her face from her tears with the back of her hand. Tyrell shrugged.

“Kier, let’s fly a bit up. Let’s hide on those clouds I think we might be followed.”

Amarantha mumbled. Kier nodded and headed up, Blaze and Deacon following. Sure enough, a pair of winged Nightmares appeared a few minutes after.

“How did you know?”

Tyrell asked, amazed.

“My instincts are rather accurate…I haven’t been using my powers in days…I haven’t been able…I’ve been too flustered and confused. That’s no excuse, I know-“

She started, giving Kier a knowing glance,

“but I’m no expert yet.”

She finished. Kier laughed a little but said nothing. Tyrell started playing with Blaze’s feathers distractedly. He hated the bond between Amarantha and Kier. He hated the knowing smiles, he felt odium for the sudden cheerfulness of Kier, detested Amarantha’s clinging towards the demon…He felt a tug of his shirt. He turned around and saw Amarantha’s clear, ancient eyes analyzing him fully. She wrapped her arms around his waist and smiled,

“I missed you too.”