Sixty-six

Roan was sleeping when he heard a scream. He sat bolt upright and glanced around. June was also looking around, a look of shock on her otherwise calm face. The scream came again and Roan got up and ran over to where Zahra and Aspen were lying down. Somehow, Zahra had moved from her place a few yards away and over near Aspen, who had been guarding the children.

It was Zahra who was screaming. She twitched in agony, her neck straining as her head went back and her mouth hung open. She took a breath and screamed again.

"What's going on?" Roan asked June.

"I don't know. Aspen must be with her, though, or he would have woken up by now."

Roan knew she right, but he still wished Aspen was awake so he could tell them something. "Zahra!" he called her name, grabbing her shoulders and pulling her body into his chest, holding her tight. "Zahra, it's okay! Shh."

She screamed again, and started to push against him. Roan held on, making sure she didn't hurt herself. But her fingers dug into his shoulders and back, her legs began to kick, trying to get herself free.

"Wake him up!" Roan growled at June. "Get him here to help us!"

June fell to the ground and began to shake Aspen's shoulders, begging him to wake up. Roan waited, but Aspen didn't move. Zahra groaned, still struggling.

"Zahra, fight it. Fight whatever is happening. I'm here. I'm right here for you, little sister. I'm not going anywhere. No matter what."

Roan held Zahra for another five minutes while June continued to try and wake Aspen, but without any luck. Roan didn't know if Aspen was was alright, but he sensed that he was with Zahra, helping her.

Zahra finally stopped screaming and went limp in his arms, eyes closed and breathing even. Roan pushed some of her auburn hair from her face and cupped her cheek. After so many years of going after her and their father taking her away, Roan was not about to let her be taken away by anyone else. He wouldn't allow her to disappear again.

"Roan!"

Roan glanced up and saw Aspen waking up. He looked like he had a nightmare, but still groggy. "Aspen?"

Aspen rubbed his face and looked around. He saw Zahra In Roan's arms and blinked. "She's okay. She's now sleeping."

"What happened?" June asked.

Aspen grabbed a skin of water and drank greedily. "She managed to take Marin's block and open a hole for me. But he felt it and tried to kill me."

"Can that happen?"

Aspen nods. "If I am away from my body, yes." He paused. "Then Marin tried to take control of Zahra. He turned her mind into a wasteland of chaos. I managed to free her and encourage her to fight back. And she did."

"Is that why she's been screaming?" Roan asked.

"It wasn't Zahra." Aspen smiled a little. "It was Marin who was screaming because Zahra had been stabbing him. When he finally stopped controlling her body and came back, his power was too weak. Zahra threw him out of her head. She was exhausted though. I told her to sleep, and that I'd let you all know she was safe."

Roan sighed a breath of relief. "So, he's actually dead?"

"Yes. Marin will not return."

When morning came, they all packed up and finished their journey to home. Roan held Zahra in his arms as he rode, making sure she was still breathing. She didn't wake the whole ride, didn't wake as he carefully laid her down in her bed and covered her up early afternoon. Roan didn't want to leave her, but had to go see Damon, had to figure out what to do with Lucas.