It was frustrating. Completely and utterly murdering my soul with each second that passed that I couldn't go out there and save Vaden, knowing that every minute I waste in this camp Enrique will be touching her, hurting her, doing who knows what to her...

I leaned against a tree at the edge of the camp staring out in the direction of the Orcs camp. My hand was placed over my heart feeling the hollowness engulf it. Each moment that passed I felt increasingly numb. A chill had set in the camp but I couldn't tell anymore if I was hot or cold. I would even find myself staring out into nothing and would realise that what felt like a matter of seconds were in fact a few hours of me just standing, sitting or lying somewhere until I was interrupted or I finally came to on my own.

Vaden's disappearance was literally fraying my mind to pieces with worry and fear. Oh Vaden... where are you?

I had snuck off one night and went back to the other camp only to find corpses of Orcs hacked apart or ripped to shreds. Among the corpses I found her sword and rhoa az. Knowing that she no longer had these made my worry nearly unbearable that I would have stormed the Orcs camp on my own right then if Athena had not of followed me without my knowledge. I had to take her back to camp so I was unable to follow through with my, admittedly, foolish plan.

It's been a week since Athena, my sister, Anon and Mercy appeared in camp, and frustratingly, nothing besides for healing fairy soldiers has happened. No actions from the Orcs or Enrique has happened. Something keeps interrupting Ashwini's concentration when she's looking through her little portal thing. And Anon has only been able to confirm that the Orcs have settled down and haven't moved or look like they're about to move any time soon, with no signs of Enrique or Vaden either.

Little arms wrapped around my waist pulling me from my thoughts. I looked down at Athena whose grey eyes sparkled like storm clouds on the horizon in the early morning sun that managed to break through the dense carpet of leaves above us.

"Good morning." I greeted her while running my hand over her head feeling her soft hair while keeping her to me. Really, if it wasn't for Athena, I don't think I'd be quite as sain as I was right now.

She's been with me this whole time and would be the one to break me from my sudden pauses if they took longer than a few minutes. She's kept me grounded in the fact that I had to look after her and make sure she wasn't going to run off and get into trouble, though I doubt her time with Enrique would allow her to do that. Then again she did come here when she wasn't meant to. Either way, the youngZ girl has kept me from doing anything stupid that'd get me killed.

"Morning!" She chirped up at me her arms around me tightening. "You weren't in the tent when I woke up."

"I'm sorry if I worried you." I apologised to her.

She shook her head and smiled softly up at me. "It's okay, I knew you wouldn't be far."

I smiled back, well tried to, and continued running my hand over her hair grounding myself in the familiar touch of another living person. "Have you eaten?" I asked her and felt her shake her head in answer. "Are you hungry?"

"No, I'm alright. I want to be here with you." She replied making my heart beat for the first time in what felt like forever.

This time I'm sure I managed at least a small smile down at the girl, she was just too adorable to not fall in love with. "Come on, let's go sit and listen to the forest, maybe we'll learn its secrets."

She looked wide eyed up at me with all her innocence showing through them as I pulled away from her and grabbed her hand, pulling her on behind me. I helped her over any difficult roots and bushes until the sound of the waking camp could just be heard. I found a nice place in between tree roots where we would be comfortable to sit and just be at peace for once.

I sat down first, fixing my skirts comfortably before I allowed Athena to sit on my lap and lean her back against my chest as I wrapped my arms around her. I closed my eyes and just breathed. I breathed in the scent of the forest, full of life and wonder and mystery, only with an undercurrent of death and loss from what the forest has suffered through since the start of the war. I breathed in the scent of the little girl in my arms. I wondered at the life she held within, the curiosity of her young mind and the fragile innocence I would give my life to protect what was left of it.

"Can you hear it?" I asked her as quietly as the breeze that went through the trees, rustling leaves, caressing bark, kicking up fallen leaves and dancing them away before settling them back down with a lover's touch. Not all life in the forest has been taken because as we sat silently I could hear it all. The calm beats of small animals hiding in their dens and burrows, underground waiting out the war in their safety. The brave few who ventured out, greeted each other before going off to forage for food not only for themselves, but for others they were sharing their homes with as well.

I opened my eyes and looked down at Athena who had her eyes closed with a concentrating scrunch to her face that was just heart warmingly cute. "Relax..." I breathed to her wrapping my hands around her smaller ones to run my thumb over the back of them calmingly. "It'll come to you." I assured her.

"What am I meant to be listening for?" Athena asked her face smoothing out but her eyelids staying down.

"Everything, anything..." I answered vaguely not expecting her to understand. I've had two hundred years to sit and listen and watch, no seven years of life can match my experiences.

"I don't understand..." She frowned before she took me by surprise and turned in my lap to rest her head against my chest, a soft smile on her pink lips. "I can hear you now though." She told me, opening her eyes and looking up at me. "It means you're here, in this moment with me. I'm glad you're here with me Tricy."

And I'm sure she could hear my heart quicken its pace while at the same time it wanted to combust and crumble in love for this little girl. My eyes stung as I closed them and bent down to place my lips to the top of her head. I hugged her to me tightly while my mind went to my violet eyed Mate.

I sighed at the imaginative feeling of familiar arms wrapping around me from behind, her head resting beside mine with her chin on my shoulder. She would wrap her arms around the both of us, keeping us safe and protected. Assure us with soft comforting words as she placed soft kisses to the side of my head making me relax further back against her. I'd look down at the girl in my arms and see Vaden entwine her hand around Athena's while her other would entwine with my own, connecting the three of us in a bond of touch as gold thread would weave around us, binding us on a psychic plane no one could see.

Warm, safe, loved... Athena and I fell asleep under that tree with thoughts of Vaden being here with us.

*

I jolted up in shock feeling suddenly disorientated and light headed. I looked around me to see that it was night time... how was I able to sleep for so long?

I then started to panic when I didn't feel Athena's light weight on my lap. "Athena!" I called rising to my feet quickly in worry.

"Tricy!" Her voice carried to me from close by and I breathed a slight sigh of relief that she didn't sound in trouble or scared.

I went to where her voice came from and I found her dirt covered and playing with a large blue/grey wolf I recognised as Anon, which allowed the rest of my mind and body to relax and let go of the worry.

"I'm sorry I fell asleep for so long." I apologised to them both as I knelt beside Anon.

He gave me a wolfish smile before touching my cheek with his cold wet nose, surprising me. His blue eyes were soft as they looked at me and for some reason I felt like I now had more of the shifters respect. Maybe it was because of my Mating with his alpha.

"It's alright. I knew you didn't sleep at all last night and it looked like you needed it." Athena answered me with a bright smile as she brushed off her dirty dress before coming to me and hugging me, which I returned immediately.

"You know, Nightwalker's don't actually have to sleep. It's just comfortable for us to so it feels like our life of eternity will go just that little bit quicker." I told her with a soft smile.

Athena smiled up at me. "I know, but back at the castle it was rare for Nightwalker's to sleep, so I'm still not use to it. I like when you, Vaden or Anon sleep with me though. I feel safe and warm. It reminds me of when Sylvy would hold me at night."

I hugged her tighter and kissed her head, feeling both sad and happy. Anon suddenly started growling making me go on alert, standing up and pulling Athena behind me while facing in the same direction as Anon.

"What's wrong?" I asked him then realised her couldn't really reply in his current form.

His growled louder and snapped his jaw viciously. His fur rose up from his back making him look bigger and more threatening. I extended my senses as much as I'd allow myself to and finally heard what Anon must have. It sounded like a herd of giants running towards the camp.

"What's happening?" Athena asked scared as she tugged my hand.

"Athena you need to listen to me alright?" I told her picking her up and holding her to me. The stench of Orc swept over with the breeze making me both angry and scared. "I need you to hide and don't make a sound." I went over to a tree where the roots lifted the ground enough for a burrow to form under the tree and wasn't terribly visible. "You need to hide in here. Don't speak and don't move. I will come and get you and that will be the only time you can leave, alright?"

"But what's happening? Why do I have to hide?" Athena asked large eyes going dark with fear.

"Shh, it'll be alright Athena." I told her hurrying to get her into the burrow and head to the camp. She lay down in the small hole looking up at me with tears in her eyes. "It's okay Athena. It won't even take that long, I promise." I told her with a soft smile, which faulted at the sound of shouting coming from the camp. "I have to go. Stay here and I'll be back."

"But-!" Athena tried to argue more as her tears rolled down her face.

I quickly kissed her head before standing up. "Please Athena. I need you to stay hidden until I return. Vaden would only blame herself if anything happens to you. So please, for her and for me, stay here."

With a hesitant nod of her head Anon and I quickly ran to the camp. I was shocked to find that the hundreds of Orcs were running towards the camp once we arrived. The injured were helping each other to leave the camp while all healed or partially healed fairies were getting ready to fight.

"Archers! Aim and fire!" I heard Candy's voice shout from near the front of the army.

I pushed through the army with Anon right behind me arriving at the front just in time to see Orcs fall over each other as arrows flew and hit the front lone of the Orcs. "What's happening? Why now?" I asked quickly as I arrived beside Candy.

"I don't know but we're not prepared!" Candy gritted her teeth together looking both scared and angry. She pulled her sword out from her waist as she shouted at the soldiers behind us. "Get ready!"

The soldiers cried a war cry that made the ground beneath my feet tremble more than the loud footsteps of the approaching Orcs did. I breathed in and used my mana to create a sword of my own from ice and held it up in front of me ready to kill as many of these evil creatures as possible.

But something wasn't right...

I couldn't place my finger on it until I noticed the lack of weapons they were carrying and the way they were running was like they were running away from something instead of in an attack. Then, as they hit the front line of fairy soldiers, I finally noticed the fear in their eyes.

"Wait! Don't attack them!" I shouted seeing the fairies fight against the Orcs who weren't even bothering to fight back or even defend themselves.

"Are you crazy? What are you talking about?" Candy asked grabbing my shoulder in a tight grip.

"Can't you see? They're terrified and running from something." I shouted back at her over the noise of their thundering footsteps and the shouting. All the Orcs were trying to do was push through the fairies not caring that they were literally running through tents, stepping on fires or even on their brethren's corpses.

"What the hell?" I managed to hear Candy breath as her grip loosened on my shoulder. "Stop! Stop fighting them!" She started shouting waving her hands to get her soldiers attentions.

The soldiers seem to notice the same as I did. The Orcs weren't fighting back. So they stepped out of their way and watched as Orc after Orc stormed through the camp without even a glance backwards. A few tents caught alight from the still lit fires, lighting up the area like it was suddenly daylight.

A roar of pain sounded from the back of the stampeding Orcs and it put me more on edge than even the anxiety of war did. One last Orc stumbled out of the forest, black blood spraying out of a stub that was meant to be his right arm. I could see actual tears falling from his terrified eyes as he stumbled and fell over a corpse. Even then he started to crawl across the ground.

I was frozen in fear as something walked out of the trees. It was smaller than an Orc and I wondered if this was what they were running from. I immediately understood that it indeed was when the creature grabbed the crawling Orcs foot and pulled him back to it. The Orc screamed and cried for what sounded like help in his own language but it was suddenly cut off when the creatures arm went right through the Orcs thick neck like it was nothing.

My blood froze and it seemed like I could hear nothing at all besides for the laugh that rang out from the creature. It was horrible. It was filled with insanity. Nothing but evil sung out from the notes that would have been sweet to listen to if it came from anyone but this... thing. But what was worse above all the insanity, the evil and the blood, was that I recognised that laugh. I... I knew that laugh because I fell in love with it and who such a beautiful sound belonged to. I knew exactly who this creature was and it teared me to shreds knowing it, seeing it... hearing it.

Tears wet my face but I couldn't look away. I couldn't stop looking at the blood soaked creature with a pain in my heart that was worse than having it ripped out while it still beat. I couldn't stop listening to that agonisingly sweet laugh that was razor edged with insanity, even as it tore at my already shredded heart. I just couldn't.

She stood there on a pile of Orc corpses, a sword just as blood soaked as she hanging from a hand as she looked out at the soldiers in front of her with her blood red eyes tinged with black. A smile that was all teeth and wickedness on her face spoke only of promises of death and excitement because she'll be the cause of it.

I walked forward making those eyes I couldn't recognise look right at me. I don't think I could handle any more pain, but the sight of not even a glimmer of recognition in those strange eyes as they looked at me hurt. Hurt more than I could ever imagine because it told me that all my fears have come true.

Vaden was truly lost to me... and I'm not sure she was able to be found anymore.

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