The faeries easily knocked Astien away, but he got up and attacked again. Seroteth came in, enraged by the whole spectacle. "You have betrayed the dragons, and this atrocity shall not stand" Seroteth shouted.
"The dragons betrayed us first!"
"GIVE ME BACK MY SON!" Astien screamed.
Cormac drew his sword and charged forward with Marius.
Everything became a blur For Astien. One second he was sitting on the floor, watching two people he cared so deeply for charge in to what seemed to be certain death, the next he was sitting over a dead faerie corpse. He was breathing quickly, and his mind was racing. More faeries had stormed into the room, and Seroteth was casting fireball upon fireball, and drawing up a wall of flame.
Cormac shoved Marius towards Astien. "Stick with him!"
"Cormac," Marius objected.
"Stay with him," Cormac shouted as he fired off a stream of flame from his mouth.
Marius helped Astien too his feet.
As soon as Astien was on his feet once again, he launched himself toward the faeries standing in his way. Apparently this caught them off guard, as he managed to tear through two of them before they pushed him back once more. "GIVE ME MY SON!" Astien screamed once more.
Marius stayed close to Astien as they chipped away at the faeries. Cormac did his best to fight off the creatures.
Finally, finally there were no more faeries coming. Astien sat on the floor next to the dead woman, watching his son move around inside, trying to get out.
Cormac sat on the floor and huffed.
Seroteth kneeled on the floor and pulled Cormac into a hug. "You did fine. But you scared me half to death, rushing off like that!"
Cormac hugged his grandfather. "Sorry, I just wanted to get Aiden back."
"I can understand that, but I can't get you back! Let's not forget, you're my ONLY grandson!"
Garrand approached Astien and the dead faerie. Astien nodded to him, and Garrand began chanting. He places a rune stone in Astien's hand and one on the dead woman. In a flash of bright light, Aiden was returned to the womb he belonged inside. When the light was gone, Astien was once more round and pregnant. He smiled, and clutched his belly as tears of joy ran down his face. "Aiden, my sweet baby boy, you've come home." He cooed. "Ssshhh, don't worry, don't worry. Momma's right here."
"I know. I know."
Marius smiled and kissed Astien's cheek as he pulled him into a tight hug.
Garrand cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention. "The other groups know that the job is done, and they are returning to Falmein. I am glad to have helped you." He bowed. "I will use this experience as a shining example of why my people need change. Farewell, and good luck wherever your lives may next take you." With that, Garrand phased through the ceiling, and was gone.
"Yes, we should get going too. You and I can catch up during the walk, Cormac." Seroteth said with a smile.
Astien tried to stand up, but fell back to his knees. "Marius, could you carry me? My legs feel very weak."
Marius nodded and picked up Astien. "This feels better." He kissed Astien's lips.
"Sounds nice," Cormac said.
As they walked through the woods back to Falmein, Seroteth quizzed Cormac on recent events. "I've had Wyn doing various things, filing old papers, washing clothes, cooking, that sort of thing. I must say, she's a rather… interesting chef."
"Interesting as in a good interesting?" Cormac asked.
"She heard that Quen likes chocolate and spicy foods, so she made him chocolate pudding with little pepper flakes or something in them. We don't have her cook anymore."
Cormac snickered. "She made that for Astien back when he was really depressed."
"Yes, well, mix two things together, you don't always get peanut butter cups."
"True," Cormac chuckled. "How is she doing otherwise? Does she talk about me?"