Chapter 24: 24__Two of the same

A cold chill swept through her body, started from where the clammy hand tightly gripped Maia’s arm.

She stared up into a face that was Aiden’s but was not Aiden.

He couldn’t be! Aiden was Rogan’s friend. He wouldn’t do this to him.

“W-who are you?” Maia asked, her voice nearly a whisper as she forced it out of her clenched throat.

The man threw his head back with a laugh. “Me?” he asked her. “Why, I’m King Aiden of course! Now come with m—”

“Let me go!” Maia yelled, drawing back her leg and delivered a swift knee to the man’s groin.

With a gurgling cry, he loosened his grip on her and dropped to his knees. Maia didn’t waste another second before she took off running into the night, pushing through the gigantic Gemini flower bushes that surrounded Rogan’s property in a maze of plants. Her heart weighed heavy in her chest, beating so hard it was nearly painful.

Thorns poked into her bare feet after every few steps and Maia cringed with the pain, but continued to run.

When she was surrounded by tall bushes, seeing nothing but largely bloomed Gemini flowers all around her, Maia crouched and clamped a trembling hand over her mouth.

She burrowed against the base of the bush behind her, trying to blend into its shadow so the moonlight didn’t expose her.

Her heart slammed an off rhythm beat against the bow tightly clutched to her chest. Maia tried and failed to swallow her fear.

What was going on? Where the hell was Rogan?!

Biting her lip, she held back a whimper of pain. Her feet were on fire.

The crackle of leaves sounded nearby, making Maia freeze. With wide eyes she looked around her. She couldn’t stay here.

If he found her, she’d be cornered and there would be no escape.

Darting out of her little shadowed corner, Maia started sprinting through the tall maze.

“Maia!” said a cheerful voice. “There you are!”

Reaching back, Maia snatched an arrow out of her quiver and spun around, stretching it back on the bow as she aimed for her pursuer.

Aiden tilted his head with an uncertain smile. “Woah… come on now. Let’s not be like this. I’m a friend.”

With a snarl, Maia shot the arrow directly into the man’s thigh, satisfied when he grunted in pain.

“Goddamn it!” growled Aiden, clutching his limb.

Maia grabbed another arrow and stood, poised to shoot the moment he made another move.

The sudden rustle of bushes behind her made Maia jump to the side, keeping both sides in her vision and moving her aimed arrow back and forth between the bleeding man and the rustling bushes.

Someone came stumbling out of the rustling bushes, nearly falling before Maia and Aiden.

Maia’s jaw dropped open when the man straightened and smiled at her, his silver eyes twinkling.

Another Aiden.

“Maia! Finally found y—”

“What the hell?!” muttered the other man glaring at the newly arrived Aiden.

The second Aiden looked back at the first with narrowed eyes. “Who the hell are you? What is this cheap impersonation?!”

“You’re the one impersonating, you toad-headed imbecile!” snapped the first Aiden.

Maia moved her aimed arrow back and forth between the two men, more puzzled than a puzzling riddle.

“You’re the toad-headed imbecile!” the other Aiden snapped back.

“I’ll kill you, you bastard!”

“You dare speak that way to the King of Geminor?!”

“I’m the king of Geminor, you asshole!”

Their bickering wasn’t helping her at all and Maia looked at them in frustration. “Stop!”

Both men stilled and looked at her.

“Maia, I’m the real Aiden,” said the first one, clutching his thigh.

“Rubbish!” said the second. He looked at Maia, his silver eyes earnest. “Maia, I’m Aiden. Not that fool! He’s just a Shifter, pretending to be me!”

“Stop. Both of you!” Maia said again, moving her arrow back and forth between them. “I can move and shoot an arrow in less than a second, so don’t try anything stupid. Both of you, stay really still.”

The first Aiden grunted, clutching his thigh, but stood still nevertheless.

“Now,” continued Maia. “I want both of you to tell me, right this moment.” She narrowed her eyes. “What flower does Rogan seek?”

Both Aidens blinked at her, seemingly stunned to hear her ask that question.

Looking at the Aiden clutching his bleeding thigh, Maia raised a brow.

“You first.”

Aiden tilted his head at her. “I can’t tell you that. It’s something very private that only Rogan and I know. I can’t be sure that you truly know which flower he seeks… or why.”

The answer seemed to ring with sincerity, but it wasn’t exactly correct, so Maia wouldn’t accept it just yet. It could have just been a really smart lie.

“I’ll come back to you,” she told him.

Turning to the second Aiden, she raised her bow and arrow. “Answer?”

This Aiden looked at her for a moment, shifting his weight from foot to foot. Finally, he nodded. “Oh, yes, of course. I remember going to find some with Rogan just the other day.” He smiled. “Roses?”

Maia immediately sent the arrow went flying through the air, satisfied when it pierced where she’d aimed for and the man crumpled to the ground, the arrow sticking up out of his chest.

“Roses? Like hell,” she whispered. She’d nearly believed him! Especially when he called the other Aiden a Shifter.

The other Aiden…

Slowly, Maia turned around. Looking at her with sizzling irritation and still clutching his thigh stood the real Aiden.

Maia gulped.

Fuck.

She’d shot the King of Geminor.

*********************

Maia winced with every step she took, her feet aching even more with the King’s weight on her.

With his arm slung over her shoulders and hers around his waist, they limped through the maze that was Rogan’s vast property.

Damn, the man was heavy! But Maia didn’t dare complain. The wound in his thigh was all her fault anyway, so she’d be lucky if he didn’t shove her into a cannon and shoot right out of his kingdom.

They walked in silence, Aiden’s gritting teeth the only sound Maia could hear. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye, feeling far more uncomfortable than she was letting on.

What kind of situation was this? Where the hell had Rogan gone to?!

Biting the inside of her cheek, Maia glanced at Aiden again. Speaking of Rogan, he hadn’t told her whether Aiden got angry about his bringing Maia into Geminor.

Well, even if he hadn’t gotten angry. Maia glanced at the King’s bleeding thigh and sighed. He sure was pissed now.

Anyway, she should take this chance to make sure Aiden didn’t stay mad at Rogan.

“Uhm… you royal highness, sir?” Maia began quietly.

Aiden didn’t answer.

She glanced at him. The man seemed to be overcome with fury. Maia pursed her lips. “G-Geminor is such a lovely Kingdom!” she went on. “It’s really pretty here and all the subjects are so beautiful in their Gemini form! What’s your Gemini form, by the way?”

She looked up at him, blinking innocently.

Aiden only released a heavy breath, not answering her question.

“Well, whatever it is, I bet its super awesome!” Maia chattered on. Puckering her lips, she snuck a sly glance at him. “Rogan… Rogan’s a huge fan of your Gemini powers! He told me so!”

Aiden scoffed. Maia looked at him. Finally! A response. A scoff wasn’t what she wished for, but she’d take it. “He did! He said… he said…” She trailed off, her lies running out when she couldn't think of anything.

“What did he say?” Aiden asked, his tone slightly mocking.

Maia’s eyes widened. Dammit, what could sound like something Rogan said??

“Uh, h-he said… he said, ‘Fuck, Aiden’s got some goddamn awesome powers! F-fuck!’ That’s what… he said.”

She bit her lip silently, internally screaming at the horrible sentence she’d just made up.

Maia blinked when, suddenly, Aiden’s body started to vibrate around her.

Very soon, the silent vibration became a rumble in his throat and he let it out in loud laughter.

She stared at him as he laughed, wondering if he’d believed her or if her silliness was obvious, thus making him laugh.

“Maia!”

Maia froze at the sound of her name, Aiden stopping with her. Out the shadows around them came stomping a very furious looking Rogan.

“Where the hell are you going?!” he demanded angrily.

Wide-eyed, Maia stared at him, gasping at the wounds that had reopened all over his body. “R-Rogan, what happened? Where were you, I had to fight—”

“Who the hell is that?” Rogan interrupted.

Maia looked at him to see Rogan staring at Aiden with narrowed eyes. She glanced at the King who also stared suspiciously at Rogan.

What the hell was going on here?

“It’s Aiden,” Maia said, puzzled.

“Get over here, Maia,” Rogan said, his eyes not leaving Aiden’s face.

Maia blinked, looking up at Aiden in fear. Was he not Aiden?

Rogan raised his hands, purple power aglow in both palms. “Maia, get over here! That bastard’s not Aiden.”