EMERALD WINGS
CHAPTER 6
CONFLUENCE
Space Sector 2814
Planet Earth
The Skies above Paris
He flew closer and closer to her. After losing her that day he had felt incomplete. They were a part of a whole and he would make sure that they stayed that way. They had fought honourably against the Gordanians and knowing that she was at the helm, he knew that they were not in any danger from the Thanagarians. Earlier on he had felt her powers and he knew that she had increased in power. It seemed that their time apart had seen them undergo changes. They were no longer just a man and a woman…
Once they had reached the Earth he had been shocked to find that he could communicate with Shayera telepathically and he had felt some her thoughts. That was why he had actively contacted her. He had felt that she wanted to leave but he could not let that happen. She was destined to be his wife, the mother of his child. There was no way he could let her go again.
She was wearing a heavy black cloak with an intricate design of a hawk on it. It seemed to ripple like liquid when she would flap her wings. He also noted how her wings seemed to be fuller.
She wore a crown like helmet that was in the shape of what seemed like an Eagle. Her green eyes blazed with an inner energy he could not describe. All in all she seemed regal and magnificent.
His heart began to race as he approached her. He floated in front of her and said the words he had been waiting to say for so long.
"I love you Shayera and I want you to come home so that we can be together." there was no need for preamble. He had said what he wanted to say and he could not make it any clearer.
She seemed to be blown over by his statement. She was silent for a long time. John could clearly see the internal struggle reflected in her deep green eyes. He wanted to reach out and comfort her but he knew that if anyone was to make the first move it would be her.
"No John." She finally forced out.
It was his turn to be floored.
"There can be nothing between us anymore John. Confluence. Our paths crossed intertwined as destiny chose, but it was up to us to stay the course."
"We can still do that Shayera. It's not too late." He said to her.
"No John… it is. What's that Earth saying, 'it's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all'." She said with a wry smile.
Gone was the military commander, before him stood the woman he loved and she was slowly slipping away from him.
"I don't want to lose you Shayera."
"You already have… goodbye John" she slowly approached him and placed a kiss on his cheek and then she was past him.
He did not turn to follow her instead he telepathically sent a message.
What about Rex…
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'Did he know' Shayera thought to herself.
She couldn't turn to face him. Throughout their whole conversation her heart was breaking and there was nothing she could do to top it.
She had to hand it to John he really knew how to get to her. There was nothing she could say to his last question, knowing that at this moment she carried hers and John's child.
She could not lie to him not after what they had been through but at the same time because of that she could not tell him the truth either.
She realized that this is what John was going through the whole time. He had travelled to the future, discovered that they had a son. The decision to tell her or not to tell her must have been agonizing.
She understood completely now…
'The stigma of meaning ever comes later, like a brushing away of dust to shapes in stone'.
She had read that in an Earth book by Steven Erikson. House of Chains it was called. That was what it felt like. It felt like she was in a House of Chains.
Who could help her break them?
She saw movement from the Thanagarian lead ship and the movement resolved into a figure flying up to their location. As it got closer she realised that it was Carter.
It seemed John had also noticed him and she sensed him turn around.
When Carter arrived John was the first to speak.
"This doesn't concern you" he bit out in a dangerous tone.
Carter completely ignored him and he spoke to her.
"Shayera" he said not using the usual formalities due to her position of commander. Instead by addressing her by her name it signalled the level of closeness that they had.
"Yes Carter" she said relaxing slightly as the tension left her body.
"We have received a message from High Command."
"What is it?" she asked.
"It's classified" he said in a tone indicating that it was for her ears only. "Could we return to the ship to discuss the message?"
Shayera hesitated knowing that her conversation with John was not over but at the same time realising the opportunity this new development allowed. She could get away from John and hopefully keep her secret.
Unfortunately the Green Lantern was not going to take a disturbance in their conversation lightly.
"We're not finished…Hawkman. So why don't you take off your pretend wings and get away from here, before I do something I might regret" The threat was implicit and John's tone sent a shiver down her spine.
"Last I checked Lantern, you weren't the boss of me. So unless you want trouble you should keep your mouth shut. Oh and don't you need recharging or something you seem kind of low on juice there."
Shayera turned to John and she saw what Carter was talking about. The green aura that surrounded his form seemed to be flickering violently and the look on his face indicated that he was concentrating very hard.
"John, are you alright?" she asked unable to mask the concern in her voice.
Suddenly his look of concentration changed into one of absolute shock. Shayera saw John move towards. She knew he was moving extremely fast but to her it seemed like it was in slow motion.
He stretched out his arms and pushed her away and in the same kind of slow motion she saw a yellow beam of energy rip into John and carry him down to the earth.
Mind numbing shock followed as she witnessed the love of her being critically injured.
She saw the beam impact with the ground in a blazing display of yellow energy.
It had all happened in less then seven seconds. Seven seconds in which everything changed again.
Snapping out of her shocked state Shayera flew to the impact crater. Even as she passed the command ship she saw the Alpha guard and the Justice League mobilize against the enemy that had attacked.
All of that didn't matter. All that mattered was getting to John.
They were cursed, pure and simple.
She had wanted a break. It was to be a bitter sweet passing to serve as pathos to their relationship. But that was not to be. In her desperate mad decent she decided to let it all go. She could not live without this man and she was just fooling herself thinking that she could leave him.
She loved him and he loved her pure and simple.
As she plunged into the dust and debris she called up an aura of power to blow it all away.
Shayera suppressed the urge to scream when she looked upon the broken form of the love of her life.
His leg was broken and it lay at an awkward angle. Severe burns covered his body and his right arm was also broken.
Shayera landed next to him and checked his vitals.
His pulse was weak and his breathing was laboured. She realized then that John must have sensed the attack and he had given all his power to his speed to push her out of the away and he had not had enough time to put up a suitable defence.
"John" she said trying to get him to wake up. "John!" she said louder.
Heard him groan and then slowly his eyes began to open revealing unfocused emerald orbs.
"I'm glad you're alright" he said with a weak smile.
"Save your strength John' she whispered. She heard people scrambling down the sides of the crater.
"I don't have much time left Shayera. I want you to know that I will always love."
"Don't leave me John!" she pleaded. "Don't leave us. I need you! Our son needs you!" She gently took his hand and removed her cloak and placed it on the bump on her stomach. "Rex needs you" she said.
He looked her in the eyes. "I'm sorry Shayera." He said and then his eyes began to slowly lose the emerald colour until they reverted back to their original onyx and finally they closed.
John Stewart was dead...