-34
TYSON’S POV
My heart swelled with pride as I saw Aurora perform a hex and spell checker. Living with a witch sister, I had learned to tell one spell from another.
My grip on Tiara tightened slightly. I had almost risked my angel’s life. I vowed to be more careful in the future.
“Everything is fine now.” Aurora cooed taking Tiara in her arms.
Tiara gurgled and flashed one of her best smiles which I believed she had reserved for her mother. It was like being hit by sunshine after weeks of snow.
When Aurora took Tiara close to the tree, she raised her hand and touched the tree of her own accord.
We waited in anticipation for some signal that the portal was open; maybe a rumbling sound, a storm, or maybe a blinding light but nothing happened.
When everything remained the same even after five minutes I had to accept that my idea hadn’t worked.
“I tried now it is your chance, Aurora,” I said before she could tease me. She glared at me but didn’t say anything.
Aslan, Caleb, Zarina, and Aurora kept pacing up and down trying to rack their brains. I sat on a nearby rock and used this opportunity to spend some time with Tiara.
She couldn’t talk yet but her eyes were so expressive. My heart turned into mush every time I looked into them.
“Damn! Why didn’t I think of it earlier! The symbol of Code Red!” Aurora yelled in delight.
I dragged myself up and went to see what was going on reluctantly.
“Come with me.” She said in an excited voice and led us to the back of the tree where a huge symbol was engraved. A four-petalled flower. Each of the red petals contained a symbol; a dragon, a werewolf, two witches. The only difference between this symbol and the symbol of code red was the Heart of magic in the center.
Her eyes lit up as she said, “Isn’t this symbol self-explanatory.”
Zarina, Aslan, and Caleb looked at her dumbfounded. To be honest even I didn’t know what we were supposed to do with this symbol.
She smacked her head and instructed, “Tyson, place your palm on the symbol of dragon….”
She didn’t have to explain the rest. Zarina and Caleb placed their hands on the respective symbols.
Aurora exhaled forcefully and passed by me when Tiara caught her hair. She leaned towards her and I had to let her go to her mother.
Aurora’s hands trembled as she placed her hand on the second petal with the symbol of a witch. My heart pounded against my ribs as we waited in anticipation.
Ten seconds passed then twenty… I was about to remove my palm when Tiara leaned forward. To stop her from falling, Aurora leaned closer to the tree, and Tiara’s fingers touched the center of the symbol.
There was a sudden burst of light and wind started blowing rather powerfully. We were being sucked into a whirlwind.
I was stunned as I saw Aurora hand Tiara to Zarina. She caught Aslan’s arm and they were gone in an instant. I tried to get out but it was too late.
“Tiara!!!!” I screamed with my hands stretched as I was sucked into nothingness.
“Don’t worry brother we will take care of Tiara.” Aslan’s words lingered as everything went dark.
AURORA’S POV
I massaged my head as I cracked open my eyes. The light was so bright that I had to shut them again. After blinking several times, I finally managed to open them.
I squinted my eyes as I swept my eyes around me. I don’t know what I had expected but it was not this… This was just a plain forest with trees and bushed and animal tracks.
“This looks just like a…” Caleb started saying but halted in middle.
“Forest…” I supplied shrugging my shoulders.
“What the hell do you think you did back there, Aurora!” Tyson said, turning me around so that I was facing him. His eyes were blazing with anger.
“I was just trying to protect my daughter, Tyson.”
“Don’t forget that she is OUR daughter. How can you decide something so pivotal without consulting me.”
I was tempted to lash out at him but since he was just concerned about Tiara, I drew in a deep breath and explained, “There was no time, Tyson. It was a split-second decision. Do you know someone had cast a Duse spell on the portal?”
“F***! No!”
“What if someone closes the portal from the outside while we are in? Do you want us to drag Tiara into an unknown place?”
He shook his head, struggling to express his thoughts. “Aurora, I know this might be a dangerous place but at least we would have our daughter in front of our eyes…”
“Stop being paranoid, Tyson. She is in safe hands.”
He gave me a long look before releasing me. He muttered something like ‘Hope my plan works…’ and started walking ahead of us.
Caleb and I almost ran trying to keep up the pace with him.
“He is very paranoid, isn’t he?” Caleb asked falling in step with me.
“Don’t ask me…” I said shaking my head. If it was possible, he would never trust himself too…
“I can’t blame him though… If you have been betrayed by your own mother, it does become difficult to trust anyone…”
I stopped dead in my tracks and asked, “What do you mean?”
Caleb cleared his throat and said, “It is his story to tell, Aurora. Moreover, I have heard only bits and pieces of information.
“God knows if Tyson will ever tell me his story… Can’t you just tell me what you know?” I begged excitedly but he refused like a moron.
Huffing, I raced ahead to catch up with Tyson.
“Tyson! Wait!” I called out to him for the umpteenth time but he only increased his pace.
My lungs were aching for air and I didn’t think I could race anymore with him.
“Ahhh!!!” Grasping my stomach I screamed and sat down on the ground.
Tyson stopped and rushed back to me instantly. Caleb ran and caught up with us too. Now, that I had caught their attention, I jumped to my feet and dusted my hands.
Tyson glared at me and gritted out, “You were pretending, weren’t you?”
I shrugged my shoulders and said, “You weren’t listening to me, What else could I do?”
“Aurora! You!!” He roared making the action of throttling my neck.
“I have been calling out to you for ages but you keep walking faster and faster, what is a weak girl supposed to do?”
He raised his eyebrows and said, “What weak girl? You could just teleport.”
I ignored his statement and said, “I had to stop you since we were going in circles. This is not a simple forest. It looks like one of those mazes, I used to play in my childhood.”
His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “That is not possible. I have never lost my way… like never…”
“That is because you had your keen dragon senses to assist you. Zarina had told me that neither magic nor dragon or werewolf powers would work in this place.”
“And why the hell did you not inform us about it?”
He asked, squinting his eyes.
“I might have forgotten or… maybe, I just wanted you to experience what it felt like to be a powerless human being for once,” I muttered and started walking.
I had expected them to follow me but when they didn’t, I called out, “You might like to follow me. I am an expert in weaving my way through mazes.”
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