Chapter 34

Hayden tried to hold onto Nora's hand as she pushed him away and took three quick strides towards Afet.

"How could you?" She asked, her brown eyes clouded with rage and tears. "You said she was your best friend. You said you promised her you would take care of me."

"Did I not take care of you?" Afet looked over her shoulder and asked.

"No!"

"That's a lie, Nora," Afet sighed.

The fey paused in the middle of the dirt road and turned around. The other fey guards stilled and leaned their spear forward. Hayden halted but he could still feel the guard behind him nick him with the pointy end of the iron spear. He bit down on his jaw and kept his calm, all his attention focused on Nora. He would lose it if any of them dared to lay a finger on her.

"That's very rich coming from you, you....snake," Nora spit out.

"I have done nothing but take care of you since you got here," Afet shook her head. "I do apologize for the little drama last night with Nico, but trust me I had no idea the spell would work so well."

"I can't believe you," Nora felt her ears start to ring. "You......"

Afet took a step forward and lifted her hand. She tucked back a strand of Nora's hair as her eyes locked with Hayden.

"You don't belong with him," she said, her voice so soft and gentle it was as if she was speaking to a sleeping child. "You belong with someone who can help you fulfil your duties."

"And what are my duties?" Nora stepped back and smacked Afet's hand away. "To have babies with Nico so you can bleed them?"

"It's for the children, Nora," Afet groaned.

"You killed my mother!" Nora yelled. "Was that for the children too? What about my dad?"

"No," Afet said sternly. "I did not kill her. She lived a very happy long life."

"What?" Nora asked in disbelief.

"How do you think we kept the Shajara alive for so long until we found you?"

"Where is she?" Nora felt her heart racing. "Is she on this island? Where are you hiding her?"

"Lived," Afet said as she looked down at Nora. "Past tense, Nora."

"When....when did she die?" Nora's head felt fuzzy and every muscle in her body suddenly felt as if it was made of steel.

"A few years ago."

"Did you kill her?"

"No."

"I don't believe you."

"I didn't kill your mother," Afet said, her calmness pissing Hayden off. "But I did kill you father."

Hayden's hands flew up and caught Nora as she flinched back from the fey in disgust.

"No more secrets," Afet smiled. "Now that the illusion is broken, I'll tell you everything you want to know. I hate secrets."

"What are you planning?" Hayden asked.

The smile on Afet's face grew wider.

"You said you'll tell us everything we wanted to know," Hayden reminded her. "Now, tell us what you're planning."

"My plans for Nora are grand," Afet said. "Big wedding, adoring husband, lots of kids, a big house by the sea."

Nora's body recoiled. She turned her head and buried her face in the crook of Hayden's face as if the evil standing in front of her will disappear if she couldn't see them.

"And for you..." Afet looked at Hayden. "And your mother....you two will be our....guest....until we figure out how to extract the fey magic from you."

Hayden's eyes narrowed. He felt Nora shift beside him and lift her head as he hooked his arm around her and tried to push her behind him.

"And once we have what we want..." Afet continued. "The elders will decide what they want to do with a jinn and a witch."

"You have no idea who you're dealing with," Hayden said, shaking his head slightly. "Touch my mother and we will blow this island off the face of the Earth."

"We shall see," Afet straightened up and turned on her heels.

As she began to head toward the castle, thenguards behind Hayden shoved him forward. He jerked them off, causing them to raise their spear and aim for his head. As the one closest to Nora lifted his spear, the shiny metal tip grazed up her arm and drew blood.

Nora yelped in pain, biting down on her lip. Her eyes filled with tears as she felt the warm blood soak into the sleeves of her shirt.

But before she could look down to inspect how bad the cut was, Hayden yanked the spear out of the fey's hand and aimed it towards the guard's throat. The rest of the guards aimed their spears at Hayden.

"Big mistake," Hayden said to the guard he had pinned at the end of his spear.

With a loud gasp, Nora shut her eyes and flinched as Hayden pushed the iron spearhead into the fey's throat. The agonizing sound of the guard gagging on his own blood made goosebumps rise on her skin. The chilly air around them filled with the sounds of metal clashing and mean grunting as the guards stepped forward in unison to force Hayden down to his knees.

"Gently," Afet reminded them from where she stood a few feet ahead.

The woman's voice caused Nora's skin to boil. She opened her eyes and raised her hand, not waiting for Hayden or anyone else to say or do anything as she let Hayden's magic flow through her veins and send out a blast.

"Okay, I guess that's what we're doing now," Hayden said as he dropped the spear and raised his hands.

They stood back to back with their hands raised and glowing. Their eyes scanned the feys in front of them as their breathing labored, ready to release if anyone dared to move.

"Hayden," Afet called to the half jinn. "Think of your mother. She's alone right now inside the castle. And the medical team you bought here?"

Before Hayden could reply, the gray sky overhead lit up with blazing streaks of light.

The deafening sound roared through the trees and allies of the town, drawing people out of their homes and shops. Nora lifted her head like the rest and looked up to the skies.

"Hayden..." Nora reached back for his hand.

"Nora," Hayden gripped her hand as he peered up at the jinns in the sky. "Promise me you will take the first portal off this island as soon as we figure out how to open one."

"No!"

"Of cou-"

The jinns in the sky all began to move at once. They dove down towards the island, head first, fists out, eyes ablaze.

Everyone standing on the dirt road watched in horror as they flew through the stone castle, tearing apart everything in their path and setting fire to the rest.

Screams from the town below filled the air as the second group of jinns began to demolish the small fishing town. Afet looked both ways in anger and rage before waving her hand through the air and summoning a whip made of pure light. She turned her attention towards Hayden and threw out the lash but Nora pulled Hayden to the ground.

"There were children in there!" Afet screamed, her pale face turning red.

Hayden flipped onto his back and casted a shield over Nora and himself before pulling Nora back and switching to his flame form. The guards all raised their hands and summoned a whip similar to Afet.

Nora looked around in fright as she tried to open her mind-link desperately. She had her hands raised, feeling Hayden's energy burn the palm of her hand. Her eyes were glued on the guards, making sure no one got too close.

"They're going to kill every last one of you," Hayden said to Afet. "There will be nothing left behind...no Shajara, no guards, no children....nothing."

"Your mother is in there," Afet jeered. "You probably just burned her alive along with the innocent childre-"

"I can hold my own," came Maya's voice.

Afet suddenly fell to her knees as a spearhead pierced through her chest from the back.

Nora felt her pulse rise with relief as she spotted the blonde witch behind the fey.

"Get the fuck away from my son," Maya said through her teeth as she glared at the guards.

Hayden pulled Nora to the ground as he blasted back two guards while Maya summoned a spell and crushed the heads of two other guards inside their helmets. The remaining two threw out their whip and captured Hayden's wrists, making him groan in pain as his flames began to flicker.

Nora looked up in fear as Hayden loomed over her, his face flickering in and out from the flames. She reached up without thinking and touched the edge of his face, feeling the warm fire wrap around her hand.

But she hardly had time to process what she was doing when she caught sight of Afet from the corner of her eyes.

"No!" Nora yelled as she blasted the woman before she could wrap Maya's ankle with her whip.

Maya jumped out of the way and picked up a spear off the ground. She sent it flying through the air as the iron tip began to glow from the enchantment she had casted upon it. The spear flew into one of the guard's heart, causing the whip of light to go out.

With one hand free, Hayden blasted the second fey as Maya turned her attention to Afet.

"Heyder was right," she said. "Your kind could never be trusted."

The muscles in Afet's jaw tensed as she tried to climb to her feet. Her dress was soaked with blood, her legs shaking. But the hatred in her eyes was so powerful, no one would have guessed she was at the mercy of the witch and half jinn in front of her.

"If you want me to beg and plead for my life then you'll be holding your breath in bane," Afet said, dragging in her breaths. "I will not beg or plead to Moors."

"You've lost," Maya said. "It's all over now."

Afet's nostrils flared. Her poisonous eyes stayed glued on Maya and Hayden as the air around them crackled with energy. Nora could feel the hair on the back of her neck stand on their ends. She watched Afet slowly raise her hand and push an invisible wall in front of her, causing the air to ripple out like the surface of a still lake.

Whatever the fey did could not have been good. Maya immediately raised her hand and shielded Hayden and Nora as Hayden added onto the forcefield and strengthened it. For a brief moment Nora thought they were safe. But as the ground beneath her feet began to crack and split open, she grabbed Hayden's arm and stepped closer to the half jinn.

As Nora backed away, the mud and pebbles from the ground began to rise and take the form of hands with long slender fingers and crooked nails. Maya's eyes flickered down to see what was going on while also keeping her eyes on Afet.

One of the hands from the ground sprouted beside Nora and grabbed her ankle. She screeched in fear and kicked with her free foot. The figures were as strong as stone. Nora tried to shake off the hand and stomp it out but it was like trying to move a boulder.

Seeing the ground slowly take form, Hayden summoned his jinn magic and concentrated on the energy running through the earth below him. He gripped onto Afet's spell and squeezed it with all his might, suffocating it with his strength. He felt Afet push back, making the pressure in the back of his eyes amplify.

As Hayden stood battling Afet's spell, Nora could feel this energy flicker through their mark. Her eyes watered as she looked around desperately, trying to figure out what to do to help.

All around them, things were blowing up and catching on fire. The town filled with screams as Jinns marched the street and dragged feys out of their homes and tossed them into the great big bonfire they had started in the center. Back at the castle, the guards and the remaining feys did their best to keep out as many of the invaders as they possibly could. But half the castle had fallen.

"Hayden, focus," Maya said, pushing the shield forward to try and physically get closer to Afet. "Don't wrap around her spell. Weave in and out, pierce through it."

Nora felt her heart sink to the bottom of her feet as Hayden gripped her hand and pushed at Afet's spell harder. She looked down and realized the mud had risen to her knees and it was starting to crawl up Hayden's dark jeans as well.

Not knowing what to do or how to help, Nora focused on the mark on her wrist. She rubbed at her skin, making the blue light flicker beneath the surface.

"You're okay, you're okay," Hayden assured her. "I won't let anything happen to you."

And what was when she noticed the direction in which light traveled.

The mud was solidifying around her legs. The pain should have been unbearable. But Nora felt nothing...

The pale blue light in her wrist was traveling upward.....as if drawing charge from it's main source of power...

"No," Nora's eyes flickered up.

She grabbed both of Hayden's hands and took in a deep breath before forcing all her energy on the light on her wrist. Nora willed the light to change its course and watched it pour out of her and into Hayden's skin.

"Nora," Hayden said through his teeth, unable to take his full attention off of Afet's spell.

Nora bit down on her bottom lip to keep her whimper silent as her legs began to ache from the way the mud trapped her. She tried not to distract Hayden as his eyes flickered silver and his jaw tensed.

"Hayden, now!" Maya shouted as she lowered the shield and threw a spear at Afet.

Nora dropped Hayden's hand as he aimed one hand to the ground and the other at the fey. A buzzing, like electricity, filled the air as a streak of light wrapped around Afet and plunged into the ground.

The fey fell to the floor as Hayden burned out her spell and trapped her with his own. Maya quickly picked up the fallen spear off the ground and plunged it into Afet's skull as the mud from around Nora's legs melted, setting her free.

"You stupid girl!" Hayden yelled, catching her in his arms as she fell forward, her eyes glued on the spear sticking out of Afet's skull. "Why the fuck did you push out the energy?"

"Hayden," Maya stepped in front of Afet's fallen body to cut off Nora's view. "Check her legs."

"Do they hurt?" Hayden asked Nora, shifting her around to look at her face. "Can you stand?"

Nora couldn't make words. She could still hear the sound of the spear breaking through Afet's skull.

"I think she's in shock," Maya said. "Hurry and check her legs. Make sure nothing is broken."

"I'm on it," Hayden said, sitting Nora down on the ground and rolling up her jeans.

Just then, right near Afet's body, a jinn slowly descended down to the ground like a rocket ship landing on the moon.

Maya looked over her shoulder as the jinn looked down at Afet and then shifted his attention to Maya.

"All taken care of," she said. "We need to get the medical team out of the castle. Honestly, what the fuck was Heyder thinking attacking like that?"

The jinn stared.

Nora stared back as Maya pushed her messy hair out of her face and looked around, trying to catch her breath.

"Gather your team and follow me," she said. "We need to get the medical team out as soon a-"

Nora flinched in Hayden's arm and screamed as the jinn grabbed Maya's throat.

Startled, Hayden looked up and turned to find his mother dangling a few feet off the ground. He jumped to his feet as the jinn holding her pulled her closer.

We don't take orders from your kind. 

Sorry about the delay :/ there's a lot happening in life right now.