76 Casualties of War (2/2)

Aura was standing by the window deep in thought. Her hood was down and her golden hair glinted as the sunset touched her pretty face.

I inwardly scolded myself for my stupid teenage hormones. This wasn't the time to be thinking of things like that.

Mom stirred, but she didn't wake.

I placed a hand on her head and slowly caressed her red hair. This made her stop fidgeting for some reason.

”I'm sorry I haven't been around as much, mom,” I whispered. ”But I promise you… I'm not slacking off. I'm going to bring Luca home.”

”Dean, it's time,” Aura said.

”I know,” I answered.

She didn't really need to remind me as I could already feel the pull of the Fayne calling to me. The sun had dipped low enough.

I laid back on the couch and looked to my friends. ”Will you guys wait until we're gone before you leave…”

”Of course, we will,” Arah answered quickly.

”Yeah,” Ty replied. He looked nervously at the door. ”Besides, I'd rather not go out there until the crazy Japanese guy is gone too…”

This comment earned him a smack on the shoulder from Arah.

”Yow!” Ty hissed. ”What did you do that for?”

”You don't have to remind Dean about the psycho that wants to kill him… he's got enough on his plate,” she hissed back.

”Guys,” I interrupted before their banter got any louder and woke up my mom. ”I am totally cool with being reminded about Azuma. Now, can we table this for when I get back?”

Both of them looked sheepishly back at me and apologized.

Next, I turned to Aura and said, ”I don't want to have to face another family ever again.”

She crossed her arms together. ”I'm not sure that's doable. Unless you're saying you'll quit—”

”—No… I'm saying I understand the problem better now…” I said.

”Problem?” she asked.

”Fairies take advantage of humans, right?” I asked.

Aura nodded. ”Sure. We can't help it.”

”Exactly! because no one can tell you not to do it… No one has the authority to stop the different clans from exploiting humanity,” I reasoned. ”That's our answer—”

”—You'd need enough authority over all the clans to get them to listen,” Arah guessed.

”Wait, doesn't that mean you must unite all of them under your banner?” Ty added. ”But wasn't that the plan all along? To conquer the empty throne?”

I beamed at my two friends. They were very quick on the uptake.

”Yes,” I nodded. ”But now—”

”—Now you have a larger goal than just asking for your brother's freedom and helping my family,” Aura surmised.

I wondered inwardly if I would ever get to finish a sentence again.

”We'll unite all the fairy clans under the Trickster Pavilion and get your brother to make the other fairies to stop exploiting humans,” I pronounced.

”That's going to be difficult, Dean… Why would they give up the resource of human lives,” Arah argued.

”They wouldn't have to give it up,” I reasoned. ”Not completely. ”But a fairer trade an—”

”Equivalent trade,” Aura finished in an excited tone. ”It might be manageable. But only if we make the biggest contributions and show the rest of the Fayne the importance of a mutual partnership.”

”You mean, like the one the two of you have?” Ty considered.

”We just have to do it like that.” I leaned back on my chair and shut my eyes. ”Hey, Aura, how are you getting—”

Believe it or not, no one interrupted me this time. I'd just zoned out just like that as if I was too fatigued to even finish a sentence which certainly wasn't the case. However, despite my claims, I landed feet first onto the Fayne—into a scene of total chaos.