Flash Fiction Friday (18)

Dottie over at Tink's Place have come up with the idea for a Monday Morning Flash Fiction challenge. Each Monday a new picture prompt will be posted and if you choose to participate you post your story on Friday - 350 words, give or take.

I have to thank Blodeuedd at Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell for introducing me to this fun meme. I don't know if I'll be able to keep up with every week, but I'll give it a try from time to time.

The Image This Week:

This is the conclusion of our story with John, Sinn, & Sheen.
If you would like to read the previous parts of the story:
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7

By Melissa

Priestess Sasha turned to them putting her hand up halting their movement saying, "Wait here. Lady Cataline will be with you shortly."  With a smile she finished saying, "She is very much looking forward to meeting you three."  Then turned and sashayed away behind a broken stone wall.

John turned and looked around what seemed to be an ancient broken city.  With no feeling in his voice, "So this.  This is the famous home of the Stair of Aither.  It's so broken and looks as if there was once a city here."

Sinn turns to John, "Think about it.  People come to worship the small god Aither and needing a place to stay start building small huts.  Then more people come.  It grows over time."  With a touch of sarcasm Sinn questions, "You know how that works, right."

Tipping his head to a set of stairs off to the right going up to a small platform John mumbles, "I suppose that is the legendary Stair to Aither."

Before Sinn or Sheen could answer they heard a caressing womans' voice, "Ahh, our guests have arrived.  So nice to see you in person."

All three turned to see a woman veiled in black sheer lace from head to toe.  She almost blended into the shadows cast by the full moons light around fractured walls.  The only part of her body not covered was the triangle of her face, as there was a veil covering to her eyebrows and around her face leaving just her emerald eyes, cheek bones, nose, and putty mouth visible.  Her delicate hands were bare, in front her holding a glass bottle with a stopper.  But what was in the bottle was what caught their eyes.  It was green.  The same color of the magical haze in Neither.  But this looked part haze and part liquid.

"Mmm, you have noticed my little mixture here.  Well, this is the last piece of the puzzle.  But, it's not any of your concern."  Lady Cataline looks from the mixture to them, "I knew you would be here one way or another.  So why not call you in?  I will offer you one chance to live, that is all.  You can join us, as I could use great allies like you," she tipped her head ever so slightly toward Sinn.  "Earth and Air were once great friends.  Hegemone and Aither, like sisters once."

Sinn didn't answer Lady Cataline, she just stared.

"Fine.  I see you live by the new laws, not the ancients.  If that is the answer for all of you we can end this here."  Then a little louder, "Priestess Sasha, bring the pets."

Priestess Sasha appeared from around the broken building and what followed here shocked the three of them.  John felt his hands tingle with the power before he knew he was calling it.  He could also see a faint glow from his left side where Sheen stood, ready to send their volley of shots to the group of vampire fairies lead by Priestess Sasha coming for them.

John and Sheen started throwing lightning balls and spells at the fairies, Sinn never moved.  The men did their best to protect Sinn and fend off the evil fairies as they flew at them.  Lady Cataline was making her way to the stairs of Aither.  Sinn just watched as she walked lost in some deep thought.

The night was bright with the full moons glow, but flickered with colors of spell balls being cast and filled with screeches and screams as the spells hit home on the fairies.  The leaves of the trees behind them where rustling, but no wind could be felt.

Just as Lady Cataline takes the first step of the stairs a bird dove at her, but at the last minute pulled up and poured water from a flask left at camp over her.  Lady Cataline stopped and turned looking confused at the battle going on.

Sinn took her moment, using the tree saplings and wild vines growing from lack of care in the abandon city,  calling them up.  The vines and trees grew as they twined around Lady Cataline, tieing her down and pulling her to the dirt and wreckage of stone path.  The wind was now picking up, strong winds blowing leaves and dust in their faces.

Sinn now on her knees, covered with sweat, now paling in color still stared on.  Lady Cataline now screaming from the tight vines and saplings squeezing her.  She chocks as a branch pushes its way into her now vulnerable mouth and lungs.  Growing into her claiming her as part of the ground.

As John finished his battle with the last vampire fairy, he turns seeing Priestess Sasha vanish into the woods. Sheen's laying on the ground in a pool of his own blood with a dagger in his back, and Sinn's laying on her belly staring in the direction of Lady Cataline.  Or, as John now notices, what was Lady Cataline, now a huge vine covered Weeping Willow tree.

John ran to his friends, pausing for a moment at his old friend Sheen.  He was gone.  A clean stab to the heart.  Then darted to Sinn, who was wheezing short breaths.

John didn't think, he pulled Sinn into his arms holding her where he knelt.  She flinched at first afraid of the images and pain from his touch, but didn't whimper.  She curled up to his chest grasping the edge of his jacket as it was a life line.  She had used all she had left to take Lady Cataline down, and ground her as Sinn had said she would.  John had used about all his reserve on the vampire fairies but he dug deeper than he ever had before and tried to grow a sapling beside Sinn to help her heal.  It started to pop out of the ground dropping specks of dirt around it, but then shriveled and died.  And seeing that scared John more than his own loss of life, thinking that sapling was Sinn leaving him as she did have the bones of wood... of trees.... from trees.

John heaved himself to his feet with Sinn laying in his arms and stumbled into the forest around them.

*****

John finished with the paperwork filing it away in the cabinet for his clients.  Walking into the woods behind his home he thought about that poor boy and his family.  He felt bad, he didn't find their son before he was taken from them permanently.  But he felt justice had been done, even though the parents didn't get to see it as they are use to, in the justice system.  But he was able to let them know the murder paid the price.  He found the ancient Maple tree and hidden door, walking through it.

As he walked into the magical emerald haze he saw her coming toward him.  Gods and Goddesses was she beautiful.  The wooden crown she wore now had flowered and she was smiling.  He had almost lost her, and that hurt.  But he found a way to save her thanks to the woods she was one with.  They, the trees, helped bring her back to him.  Sinn walked up to John and stopped a foot away.  Her dark eyes sparkled at the sight of him.  Sinn raised her hand to his cheek with a feather touch, and with a low soft warm summers breezy voice that catches all young lovers, "So John, are you home to stay.  With me."

John smiled as she new the answer to that.  They had talked when she felt better and decided he could come home to her now that the danger of death was no longer in the visions when she touched him, or he her.  Then he closed the distance between them with a delicate kiss to her nose, her cheek, then pausing an inch away looking over her face.  Gods had he missed her touch.  As she smiled he claimed her lips as his.