Chapter 12

Once I'm tired I slink back against the wall and feel myself moving closer to the ground. My wings fold towards my back and shrink inwards, as do my talons. My skin fades from grey to their usual tone and my legs give out from below me. The Great Dining Hall is filled with fire and the sounds of crackling, and falling pillars and roof segments. The doors are within my view and I notice a purple hue smothering them before they're blown off their hinges and forced to the ground. Sage walks through the door way, stepping over the rubble she's created. She quickly scans some of the lifeless bodies of the Elders on the floor before cursing and sending her palm out towards the dining table in the middle. She sends a bolt of red light towards it and it's flung at the far wall, revealing another body underneath. A long grey beard is poking out from the robe and she steps over the body, not bothering to inspect it. Suddenly her eyes meet mine and I can tell she's spotted me. My naked body is blackened with soot and bruises.

"She's here!" She calls over her shoulder, running towards me. She crouches down in front of me and widens her eyes at the necklace still hanging around my neck.

"Looks like we're more alike than I thought." She says, moving her hands towards me. I moan, and she hushes me, running her hand over my arms, her magic causing me to feel slightly better. She places her hand on my stomach and looks down at me wide-eyed.

"What did they do to you?" Her voice has a hint of sadness. Over her shoulder I see Zilocke rush into the room and run towards us. Sage backs away for him to reach down and lift me into his arms. I moan as I try to get the words out to him. I need him to know that I'm losing someone incredibly important to me. Zilocke carries me towards the door and Sage walks ahead of us, protecting our group from any falling structures or fires that block our passage. We finally get to the courtyard and Felix's face appears before mine.

"Are you alright Lena?" He asks, removing his jacket and placing it over me. I turn my head to the sound of Finn crying to see Laura holding him with a look of concern. She doesn't appear too worried about me but she's clearly upset that Felix is so distressed.

"Give her to me, we need to get out of here." I hear Peter say, walking towards Zilocke to take me from his arms. He looks around the area and I notice many of the Veela are rushing out of the building with surprised expressions. I assume it's only a matter of time before they find out that the Elders are dead and that I'm the one who killed them. Zilocke steps back, moving me away from Peter's reaching hands.

"There's something wrong, she's not healing right. Besides, she's safest in my arms, so I can heal her." Zilocke replies before turning to walk over to Laura. When Laura notices Zilocke walking to her she furrows her eyebrows and pulls Finn closer to her chest.

"My daughter is dying. I need you to help us." He says, his stern tone masks the fact that he's pleading for me.

"I owe you nothing." She says, stepping back from him. I hear Felix close by.

"Laura. Please." He asks her. She looks from him to Zilocke and rolls her eyes before handing Finn to Felix. My eye lids get heavy and at this point the darkness takes over.

I wake up on a hardwood floor. My torso is propped up on someone's lap and when I squint my eyes open I see Peter running his hand through my hair, looking towards my midriff. Zilocke, Sage and Laura are seated in a circle around me and have their hands joined as they chant. My whole body feels numb except for the feeling of heaviness on my stomach. The Queen's Jewel is sat there, shining brightly. Peter's eyes meet mine and he half-smiles to me.

"Stay strong, my Lena." He whispers, kissing me on the forehead. As he leans back he looks to the jewel on my belly-button.

"It'll be okay." He utters. As soon as he does I feel something odd inside of me. The feeling is so powerful that my eyes roll back and I fall into unconsciousness.

Before I open my eyes I run my hands along the soft surface below me. I roll to my side and bury my face in the pillow underneath my head. I feel something heavy move over my hip and open my eyes to see Peter's sleeping face in front of me. He's wrapped his arm around me in his sleep and pulled me closer to him. I remember what he said to me when I found out I lost our child.

"It's going to be okay." I whisper, pressing my lips to his cheek. The sudden sound of a baby crying jerks me to attention so I roll out of bed, careful not to wake Peter. I've been dressed in grey sweatpants that are too short for me and a black long-sleeved top. Thumping against my chest as I move is the glowing Queen's Jewel. I look around the dark room to notice I'm in a small bedroom. The walls are white with basic art and there is a desk pushed in the corner. The alarm clock on the bedside table reveals that it's 6am. I creep to the door and slowly open it, peeking out into a narrow hallway. The sound of the baby crying drones on, so I walk softly towards it. When I open the door to a nursery my eyes meet Finn's. He's red-faced and tears streak down his cheeks.

"Shhh, it's okay." I whisper, placing my hand gently on his head. My other hand moves over my belly, I have to bite my lip to hold back tears. He blinks away his tears enough to look up at me but the crying doesn't stop. I begin to move my hands down to his sides to pick him up but stop when the door behind me opens.

"I've got him." Laura says, a bottle of milk in her hand. I step back for her as she walks to pick up her son, cradling him in her arms and feeding the bottle to him. Finn's cries fade to soft little whimpers and then to silence as he determinately sucks down the milk. I open my mouth to say something, anything, but nothing comes out. Laura looks up at me and has the same expression.

"Have you spoken to your father yet?" She asks eventually. For a moment I'm confused, unsure of who she's referring to.

"Oh, Zilocke. Um, no I haven't. Should I?" I ask.

"Yes, you should." She says, rocking Finn side to side. I look down at the infant in her arms and inwardly curse. Why does someone like her get a baby but I don't? I tear my eyes of Finn and head for the door. I stop to look behind me at the nursery. There are blue elephants painted onto the walls and almost every surface is brightly coloured or plush. A dark thought creeps into my mind and takes me by surprise. The voice in my head is mine, but I sound cynical and deceiving.

'Maybe if you marry Felix you can have your own baby. Little Finn could be all yours.' The voice says. I widen my eyes and feel a surge of energy from the jewel. I have to rip it from my chest to prevent myself from going harpy again. Laura turns to look at me with wide eyes and I try to calm my heavy breathing. Laura looks at the jewel in my hand and then back at my face. I feel so guilty for the thought I just had that I leave without a word, closing the door carefully behind me. I slide the jewel into my pocket and walk back towards the guest room. When I push the door open, I see Peter standing shirtless and facing the window. He turns around and his smile grows.

"There you are." He hurries towards me and I give him a smile, opening my arms. He picks me up and I wrap my legs around his waist, kissing him firmly. He places a hand firmly on my belly and I lean back to look at him.

"And there you are." He says, smiling at my belly. I go silent. He looks back up at me with his smile and I unwrap my legs from him to slide down.

"I didn't lose the baby?" I ask, shocked. I'm nearly speechless. He shakes his head, keeping his smile.

"I guess I'm once again in debt to you father. If it weren't for him, Sage and Laura we wouldn't be able to start this new adventure together." He says, his hands moving to hold my sides gently.

"I'm going to be a mother?" I ask, all my emotions blurring into nothing but worry. I barely even notice that Peter has pulled me to sit on his lap as he sits on the bed.

"I do know one way I can start to repay my debt to Zilocke, actually." He says. I move my eyes to his, still stunned.

"Marry me?" He asks, still flashing his brilliant smile. I close my mouth and widen my eyes.

"Um-" I begin, cut off by a sharp knock on the door.

"One minute." Peter says, but my voice is firmer.

"Come in." I call. The door opens and Zilocke walks in, looking uncomfortable at the sight of us together. I stand up, off Peter's lap and he picks up his grey shirt from the floor and slides it on.

"We should have a discussion about what happened in the Aerie." He says. I nod briefly and walk over to the door, following him out. I don't look behind me but I hear Peter following behind. I sigh, glad to be out of that situation.

"So?" Peter's voice is low in my ear. I sigh and open my mouth to talk but, again, Zilocke cuts me off.

"Here seems fine." He says. We walk into a mid-sized lounge room and I see Felix sitting on an armchair. He smiles as he sees me and stands. I walk over and he pulls me into a hug.

"I'm so glad you're okay. And congratulations." He nods to my midriff. I smile.

"Thanks, I'm happy you're okay too." I say, turning to Zilocke.

"From what I remember, I imagine I caused a bit of damage?" I ask. Zilocke's expression is serious and he simply nods. I feel my heart sink so I back up to sit on the couch.

"Did I hurt any of the other Veela?" I ask.

"No. They're okay. You did, however, murder most of the High Court of your race." He says, sitting on an armchair and leaning forward, his elbows on his knees.

"I killed the Elders?" I ask.

"There are some survivors but they're injured. They're not injured enough to send some bounty hunters after you, though. They're angry, Lena." He says.

"You can't blame her, Zilocke, they were trying to cause her miscarriage. She went harpy and didn't know what she was doing." Peter says, walking over to sit beside me on the couch. He places a hand on my knee but I'm preoccupied with the dark voice that's come back in my head.

'You knew what you were doing. You meant every flame and every swipe of your talons.' The voice is so persistent that the words escape through my mouth.

"I meant what I did. I should have finished what I started." I say, surprising everyone, including myself. Zilocke's expression changes- he looks disappointed. I look to my side to see a fearful Felix and a worried Peter.

"But, I mean- Peter's right. They were trying to hurt me, the other Veela have to know that. They have to know that it was self-defence. The Elders were horrible too, the girls would agree with me on that." I say quickly.

"Even if they did agree with you, why would they side with a witch?" Sage asks, seemingly appearing from nowhere. I look up at her, wide-eyed, and she continues. "You were able to harness the power of the Queen's Jewel. That's how you turned harpy even with calming potion in your bloodstream. You have more witch in you than they would like." She says.

"She's right." Laura says, walking into the lounge room from the hall. "I've been getting calls from my coven non-stop asking about the Veela-Witch Queen, word is spreading." She says.

"Hold on." I say. "So the Witches don't trust me because I'm part Veela. But the Veela don't trust me because I'm part Witch? Who the hell is my ally in this?" Peter places his hand on mine.

"We are." He says. I shake my head and run my hand through my hair. The Jewel in my pocket emits a high pitch sound that gets louder as my stress increases, it's almost like it's trying to provoke me to go harpy. I move to my feet, reach into my pocket and hurl the jewel at the ground. Everyone goes silent as I do it. I sigh.

"I need a phone, I need to call Emmeline." I say, holding my hand out. Everyone stays silent and I move my eyes to Zilocke. He looks concerned.

"There's something you need to know, Lena." He says finally.