To Destined Hope- maybe. Maybe not. I mean... it's going to get worse. So... yeah ^_^
Time seemed to have slowed down. Nidas could hear his heart beating in his ears, each pause felt like a lifetime. It took him just as long to turn to his wife, saw her hands fall to her sides, head bowed.
"Isa," he croaked, "Isa, no. Don't listen to him. Think about Bibi, we've got to get Bibi out of here." He shifted Bibi, resting her head on his shoulder, using his free hand to pull at Isa's sleeve. "Isa!" He pleaded. "Come on, please!"
"Isa!" Angea cried, tugging sharply on Isa's hair. "Isa, listen to us!"
"Louisa," Luke called, "kill the Fae Queen."
"No!" Nidas clamped his arm around Isa, hugging her to him as best he could. She struggled, eyes blank and colourless. "Isa, you're better than this. Remember what he made you do last time, you're better than this." He glanced back at Luke, saw him talking with Tavian. He opened his mouth to argue, words cut short when the ground rumbled beneath his feet.
There was a victorious yelling behind them. The Queen was free. Isa began to struggle more, pushing on his arm. "No, Isa, I'm not letting you go." He shook his head, holding her tighter. Angea had tangled herself in her hair, screaming, wailing orders for her to stand down. The rumbling below was getting stronger. Some of the others had begun to notice it too.
Atala spread her wings, shedding the last of the ice. She took to the sky, her soldiers close behind. Luke shielded his eyes from the sun, smiling up at her.
"Ah, Queen Atala. I must thank you again for giving me her name," he waved vaguely at Isa, "it's been so very helpful."
"Wait… you…" Nidas looked up at her, brow furrowing. "You gave him Isa's name?"
"I don't have to justify myself to you, imp." She spat.
"Justify yourself to them." Nidas nodded at her soldiers. "You're the reason that Fae town was killed."
"Silence, you filthy creature."
"YOU GAVE HIM ISA'S NAME AND HE USED IT TO MAKE HER KILL THAT TOWN! THEIR BLOOD IS ON YOUR HANDS! THEY HEARD HIM AS MUCH AS WE DID, YOU CAN'T LIE, YOU CAN'T!"
"Y-your Majesty… is… that's… that's not true, is it?" It was Grah. He gripped his sword with both hands, shoulders visibly trembling. Atala whirled round to berate him, but could see the other soldiers lowering their blades in disbelief. "My Queen, please… please tell me it's not true. Say the imp is lying." She floundered for a moment.
"Of-" She choked, hands flying to her throat. She croaked and warbled, battling to get the words out. Nidas gave a bitter smile.
"You can't lie, your Majesty."
"Yes," she gasped, "but you can!" She tried desperately, zipping down to land before him. Isa lunged. Nidas jolted, arm around her waist. Angea screeched. Atala stumbled back. Her Guard had grounded, throwing their swords down.
"You are no Queen of ours." Grah announced, voice heaving with hate. Nidas smirked. Atala gasped, sobbed.
"No…" She shook her head, furiously searching her surroundings. She made a grab for Bibi. Nidas kicked her away, Angea flew out and punched her in the nose.
"Stop the human." He told her. "Stop him or it won't be Isa you have to worry about."
Atala didn't get a chance to respond, one hand over her injured nose. The rumbling in the ground was the loudest it had been. Nidas's ears twitched slightly, he could hear voices down there. He took a few steps back, dragging Isa with him. Seconds later, the earth exploded. Great chunks of sod, dirt and rocks rocketed in different directions. Atala disappeared. The ground all around him began to collapse, folding in on itself, falling away in sheets. The cacophony was thunderous. From the corner of his eye, he saw the Fae Guard taking flight. A heartbeat later, Nidas felt his feet slip, and then they fell too.
"There!" A voice shouted, delighted and instantly recognisable. The slab of dirt they were on jerked to a halt. Nidas raised his head, frowning. They were carefully lowered down. Okia met his gaze defiantly and he did not even feign surprise at seeing her, as stubborn as her mother. However…
"You brought Char?"
"Um, like he would leave. You're welcome, by the way."
"Ow…" Isa groaned, squinting round at them. "Ugh, what-?"
"Okia made dirt go boom!" Char giggled, bouncing excitedly. Nidas gripped his wife's shoulder, examining her eyes carefully. Sea green. Angea dived in, buzzing about their heads as she checked them over.
"Where's Atala?" She squeaked.
"Who?" Okia blinked.
"The Fae Queen, where is she?"
"Oh, that must have been your ghost, Char. Um, we saw it- I mean, her, we saw her fall down… somewhere over there. I think." Nidas helped Isa to her feet and she took Bibi back from him. He followed Okia's point, Angea searching ahead of him.
"Huh." He mused. "Well, you don't have to do what Luke said now."
"Luke?" Isa fumed. "That bastard."
"Mama, language!"
"Not this time, Char. She deserves that one."
"I say it?" He beamed.
"Not on your life. Whoa, what is that?" Okia pointed again, drawing up her fist. A sizeable rock came with it. A baby pink orb had zipped into the gaping wound in the earth, casting a sweet rosy light over everything. Bibi groaned, turning her face into her mother's shoulder.
"No, don't shoot." Nidas motioned to her. "It's Lody." The orb's light expanded. A moment later, Lody was scrambling to stay upright on the dirt. Nidas slid over to help her, gripping her hand and elbow. "Hi. Where did you go?"
"Hi, thank you, sorry, I- oooh, it's filthy down here."
"Hey." Okia pouted, crossing her arms. "Dirt is my thing. Shut up."
"What are you doin' down here, Lody?"
"Um, those Imp Guards are coming over. With that human man."
"Right, then you go with Okia 'n' Char 'n' get out of here. Angea, you too."
"What?" Okia and Lody protested instantly, Angea nodding obediently. Isa shook her head, setting Bibi on her feet next to her sister. Okia immediately grabbed her sister by the arm, hooking it around her shoulders.
"No time to argue. Okia, take Bibi. Nidas-"
"Don't even think about it. I'm staying with you."
"But-"
"I'm staying." Nidas defied. "No way am I leaving you with that." He took her hand, smirking triumphantly. "No way out of it, chica." He declared. Isa saw there was, indeed, no arguing with him, facing her children again.
"Okia, you're in charge, take the others back. Tell Ward ta evacuate the village, just in case. Then you five go out."
"Wait, you mean-?" Okia pointed vaguely, somewhere to her left. Bibi slumped against her, head dipping. Nidas looked to his wife. She nodded, watching the hole above. They could hear shouting now, someone yelling to mind their footing. "What about you?" Okia bit her lip, eyes watering.
"We'll be OK." Isa promised. "We've got strong kids."
"Strong and stubborn." Nidas corrected. "Now go!" Lody scooped Char up, Okia lifted Bibi over her shoulders. Angea saluted the pair staying behind and then she floated alongside the leaving party, ready to go. With a final look back, they started down Okia's tunnel. When the shouting got louder behind them, when they could hear the roar of fire and rush of water, Okia collapsed the tunnel behind them. The only light they had was from the nervous blue flames crackling weakly on Char's head. He was strangely quiet, chin on Lody's shoulder.
"Where are we going?" The fairy asked.
"We were always told that if anything happened to Mama and Papi, we had to leave and we had to find our uncle."
"Wait, out of exile?" Okia nodded. "But what if-?"
"Doesn't matter. No-one is tearing us apart."