by S.A. Waters
“Come on, kid.” He said. “Let’s get you out of here.” I didn’t see them leave the building, nor did I want to in case my plan didn’t work. I crouched down to Dylan.
“Dylan!” I said.
“Kody found us and made a hole I was only able to get out of,” Dylan explained. “Eli’s laser eyes aren’t working with the metal he’s trapped in. They are stuck in the interrogation room! No powers work in there!”
“Come on then! Lead the way!” With all the strength Dylan and I had left, we sprinted across the building. I could feel my lungs fill up with ash and my struggle to breaths increased; at one point I had to carry Dylan to prevent his small little lungs from giving out. Soon, however, we found the interrogation room. I tried the door, which was obviously locked; they were trapped. I could see it through the door’s window; the flames caving Eli and Star into a little corner. I took a few steps back, and used my force to attempt to knock the door down. I was knocked to the ground (it didn’t hurt of course), and when I got up, I realized the door was still closed and locked. I noticed Dylan started scratching at the hole Kody had made earlier, trying to make it bigger.
“Need a hand?” I heard a voice. James.
“What do you think?” I sarcastically responded with a smirk.
“Together.” We took a step back. “One, two, three!” Together we clashed into the door, breaking it down. We rushed in. My training over the summer made getting Star over my shoulders much easier, except this time she was deadweight. James took Eli. Both of which were unconscious. James grabbed Dylan too.
“Alright, kid,” He said. “The exit is down the remainder of the steps and then a left.”
“I thought it was longer.”
“It was until the walls were burned. Now come on let’s go!” I followed his direction, and I found myself getting weaker and weaker with every step I took. I could barely hold Star anymore! However, a stair way and a left later, we were out of the building. And I dropped to my knees, and fainted of exhaustion.
Chapter 20
When I woke up, I had no idea where I was. Last time this happened I woke up in Lybria for the first time. Now, I was in gray room on a bed. Or, at least I was to my knowledge. I was wearing new, fresh clothes, and I was alone. Until a wolf then opened the white door, and walked into my room. Fang.
“Hey,” He said to me, walking to my bed. “I’m glad you’re awake.”
“Thanks,” I muttered. My voice was still shaky. “Fang, right?”
“Yeah. One of Kody’s guardians.”
“What happened?” I struggled to sit up, gasping for air with every move I made.
“Don’t move around so much. When you and James got out of the fire, you collapsed on the ground. We moved you to another city in this country, called Guistick, to get you healed.”
“How is James?”
“In better condition than you. He can sit up just fine and move around with assistance.”
“And my guardians?”
“Great. All of them. Star was looking the worst. She was on death row, but you saved her. Eli was pretty bad, but he was fine a few hours after the fire.”
“Wait, Drew. Drew was also dying. And did Dakota get her guardians out? Is Kody okay too?”
“Drew, as you said, was in critical condition. He awoke just minutes before you. And I was told that he doesn’t look any better than you do. Kody healed his knee wound, and patched up some of the open skin. Dakota is safe with Aria and Juliet. All of which are fine. A few burns and sores, but overall, just fine. Kody is the same. Few burns and sores, but he is debriefed and anxious to see you and Drew.”
“That’s great to hear. How long was I out?”
“A day and a half. Not too bad. You may have durability on the outside and can’t feel the burns on you skin, but your lungs could barely hold you up.”
“I’m so sore too. Hold on, in the fire I gave my shirt to Drew for his leg, and my pants had been burned. Where did I get these clothes?”
“Jasper, Drew’s ocelot, had a wardrobe arrangement for all of you.”
“When will I be ready to get back out there?”
“I’d say we’ll be fine by next week. Your guardians want to have a word with you. You can see your friends tomorrow.” Fang turned around to leave the room until I stopped him.
“Fang?” I asked. “You sound really young. How old are you?”
“Twenty-three. I died in a war. This war, actually. A few friends and I fought in a battle called, The Battle of Startogan. We felt that the Light didn’t really exist and was just a stupid prophecy. So we decided to try and fight off Alpha ourselves. Stupid idea. Then I met you, and I knew you would do great things to our world.” And with that, Fang gave a head nod, and walked out the door, letting my own guardians in. All three of them. Alive.
“Carter-Adrian Nicholas Breese,” Star said, taking a seat next to me. “My hero.” Eli flew over and sat on my bedpost, and Dylan took a seat right next to me on my bed.
“It was nothing really,” I smirked, trying to sound humble.
“Don’t be modest, kid.” Eli said. “You and the others did a great deed, coming after us like that. By the way, your friend, Drew, wanted to give you back this.” From behind him, Eli pulled out my shirt. The one that I had used for his leg in the fire. It was full of holes and stained maroon from his blood. I thought Drew was just going to throw the shirt away when he was able to walk, but I guess he preserved it long enough to return it; just as a great friend would do. Drew, was a great friend.
“Tell him he can keep it.” I gave the shirt back to Eli. “So is that why you guys came in here? To give me back my shirt?”
“I think you missed the first part.” Star chuckled.
“Oh yeah. What did you call me again?”
“Alright, smart ass, I called you my hero. And I don’t think anyone of us can disagree.”
“Ah, there it is. Well, I’m flattered, And with everything that you’ve done for me, it’s the least I could do. Without you guys, I wouldn’t be here today, and this world would be in more of a wreck.” I meant exactly what I said.
“That means a lot, Carter. Now, we do have some business to discuss with you.”
“Tomorrow,” Eli took over. “We will have to have you start walking on crutches. The next day you’ll have to be able to go without them. And the day after, you have to be in almost perfect condition.”
“What comes after that day that I need to be better so soon for?” I asked.
“Then, we go to war. Alpha bombed us, remember? That’s how Austin, Timothy, and Darius got out alive.”
“Oh. I see. What’s the plan for that to happen?”
“We will discuss that in the meeting taking place in three days time. For right now, you rest. But take Mr. Van Unen’s shirt back. You give it to him.” Eli tossed the shirt back over, and I smiled as they left.
“Thanks, guys.” I told them; Star looked back at me and gave me a brief nod, closing the door behind her. Before I knew it, I laid back down and fell asleep.
I awoke early the very next morning. Star came into my room with a brown cane. “Hey,” I greeted her with a smile. I liked having her keep me company. “Is that for me?”
“Yes it is,” Star said. “How are you feeling?”
“Fine. I’m not very sore, and I can move around just fine it seems.”
“Great. Let me help you out of the bed. Come on, grab my shoulder.”
“You have a shoulder?”
“I’m a tiger, Carter. Not a plant. The shoulder blades on my back; grab them for support as you get up.” I laughed, wheezing as I turned to grab her smooth fur. It took more effort than usual getting up, and having Star and the cane there definitely helped me. I felt like an old man who had little use of his legs.
Star guided me out the door into a widened hallway with light blue checkered floors and white walls, very similar to a hospital. I made sure I had Drew�
�s shirt in my back pocket to give to him. “Carter!” I heard someone yell from across the corridor.
“Dakota!” I called back to her, opening up my arm that didn’t have the cane in it. She ran over to me and gave me a gentle but grateful hug. I gave her a quick kiss on the lips. She then wrapped her arms around my neck and asked, “How are you?”
“Great now,” I replied. “Do you know if Drew is awake?”
“I think he’s in his room. Why?”
“I need to give something to him. I’ll meet you later, okay?”
“Of course. I’m glad you’re okay, Carter.” I gave her a sincere smile and let go of her, approaching one of Drew’s guardians. A dingo named Bentley.
“Bentley!” I called to him. He stopped talking to another guardian and turned around.
“Oh,” He responded slightly blunt. “I see you’re up. You all right?”
“Yeah, I’m doing well.”
“Good. So what do you need?”
“Can I visit Drew?”
“Yes, I believe he’s awake. His other guardian was planning to get him pretty soon. Why?”
“I need to give this to him.” I said, pulling the shirt from my pocket.
“I suppose you can. While you’re there, get him out of bed. Jasper the ocelot has what you need. She’s over there. Do you see her?” I looked around the hallway. I saw an ocelot just about to leave to another room.
“Yeah, I see her. Thanks, Bentley!” I then dashed as fast as I could after her, yelling her name with every step. Finally she turned around and walked towards me.
“Hello, Carter,” She said. “I can see you are doing better.”
“Yes I am, thank you. Jasper, can you please take me to Drew’s room? I want to give him this shirt, and to help him out of bed. Bentley told me to go to you.”
“Yes of course. Follow me.” Jasper led the way down another corridor with less light in it. Last door to the left, a sign read DREW ETHAN VAN UNEN. Jasper handed me a pair of crutches. Not the type one normally gets when they break a bone, but the kind a leg amputee would receive. The thinner, smaller crutches with slots for your hands. “Give him these when you get him up.” Jasper said. “He just awoke, go inside. Quickly.” I thanked her and opened Drew’s door. As predicted, he was almost fully awake.
“Hey,” I said softly, gently closing the door behind me.
“Carter,” He replied with a vague grin. “What are you doing here?”
“What? You don’t like seeing me?”
“No, I love seeing you. I’m just a little surprised to see you instead of Jasper.”
“I asked her if I could get you instead.”
“Why?”
“Because I want you to have this.” I pulled out the shirt from my back pocket and placed it in his hands. “I want you to look at that shirt and remember the fire. I want you to look at that and remember our pain and struggle through the flames. When you look at this shirt, remember how we used teamwork, perseverance, determination, and love to make it out alive. I want you to look at this shirt and remember not only the fire, but everything we’ve been through these past few months, our whole life spent together. And how despite out exhausting efforts and tears, we will make it out alive as we did in the fire.”
“I’m speechless,” Drew said, looking at the shirt. “How long did it take you to come up with that?”
“Just now. Seriously though. Keep it.”
“I will. Thanks, Carter. For everything.”
“I promise that the five of us will fight through this even in situations such as this where we can’t even walk properly, we will be together. You ready to get out of bed?”
“Yeah. I’ve got this.” I reached out my hand and helped him out of the firm bed, handed him a crutch with each lift. He was soon up and able, and we both hobbled out of his room, where we were greeted happily by Kody, James, and Dakota.
“Drew!” Dakota exclaimed, giving him a friendly hug.
“Hey, Dakota. You’re looking well for someone who just saved her guardian from destruction.” He replied. “Kody, I can see you’re all right.”
“Pretty much. I’ve still got some cuts and stuff from saving your ass out there.”
“My ass is very appreciative. James!”
“Hey, buddy,” James happily replied. “I can see you and Carter are both crippled.”
“And I can see you’re not.” I chimed in, giving a slight nod of recognition to Kody as well. “Thanks for helping me back there.”
“Don’t worry about it. I wish I could’ve fixed you two up faster. Especially you, Drew. You were in terrible shape when Kody brought you in. I thought you weren’t going to make it for a while.”
“Well I’m here,” Drew grinned. “And either way, I would’ve been fine. I would’ve come back in three months.”
“Without you, Mystic won’t be around in three months. So we’re glad you’re back.” Then we heard another voice clear her throat. We all turned around to see Star beside me.
“I hate to interrupt things,” She started. “However, we need to start all of your guys’ training. You know, before this place gets bombed too. Follow me please.” And that’s where it began. The three days of training that would lead to destiny.
Chapter 21
We were all ahead of schedule, healing faster and making training easier. Training was kind of a condensed version of what I had this summer; and it helped that I was working with four other people, and the other guardians. I found out that Eli has laser vision as a power, which I thought was pretty cool. We did a lot of conditioning, to rid our muscles of the sores.
It was now the third day, and the day Code of Law would have to leave for battle with Alpha Maximus. There was a meeting in the morning, and I was supposed to speak.
The meeting room was in a similar set up as Severn Court, however, not as nice or secured. The walls were still gray, the tables and chairs were plastic, and the room was slightly cramped.
At 10:14 am exactly, Eli began the meeting.
“We are here this morning to discuss our plan of attack led by Carter-Adrian Nicholas Breese, against the foul and terrible Pacts, led by Alpha Maximus,” Eli started. “Before the unfortunate explosion last week in Titan, Star was able to get some information out of Darius Ramer, Alpha’s former leading spy. Star, please tell us what was learned.”
“Yes,” Star stood up and said. “I, as well as two others, did interrogate Austin DeLuca, Timothy Swanson, and Darius Ramer. Before the bombing, we were in the process of interviewing DeLuca, as we had already gotten through Ramer. Ramer talked, saying that Alpha’s castle was located in Pact, in the country of Crash. He possesses the power of the senses. Ultra senses, to detect anyone’s mood or presence. When we met with DeLuca, we were unable to receive information. With the information we did get, I now address The Light himself to give us his plan.” Star looked at me. “What am I supposed to say?” I thought to Star.
“That’s up to you. You’ll be great.” She thought back. I sighed and stood up.
“Alright,” I started, my voice a bit shaky. “So does anybody know if we still have our Pegasus? Eon?”
“Not here,” Eon answered. “However, when called by thought, they will come to you. To call, say their name, and your sign. “
“Thank you. So besides Kody, James, Dakota, Drew, Eon and me, how many of you have a Pegasus to ride?” I looked around the room, seeing only two other hands go up. Star was one, and another from Dakota’s table.
“Okay then,” I sighed. Then looked up at the Dalmatian. “What is your name?”
“Danny,” He said, lowering his head.
“Alright then. So Danny, Eon, Star, James, Drew, Kody, Dakota, and I will take our Pegasus to get there. All the birds will accompany us in the sky as well. The rest of you will be led on foot. Fang from Kodiak’s table and Dylan here will lead the way. How long will it take you, at your fastest, to get to Alpha’s castle
?”
“A day,” Star spoke up. “Where we are now, Guistick, is very close to the border of Pact.”
“A border?” For some reason that shocked me. I knew there was a border, but just now it dawned on me that Pact would be heavily guarded from any Mystic that wanted to place a single toenail in their land. And if I or one of the Code of Law members tried to enter, I cannot even imagine what would happen to us. It would be best to find out what we’re up against before I make any plans set in stone.
I collected myself and spoke again. “Has anyone seen the border of Pact? Or know anything about it?” Eli cleared his throat and stood up.
“The Pact border is similar to that of the Northern Border,” He said, his voice becoming slightly weaker. “Not that any of you have seen it, but the walls are at least ten thousand feet high, and is made up of fine stone, marble, steel, any hard substance pretty much put together. There are guards every fifty feet along the bottom width of the wall. Every one hundred feet up there is a platform with another guard. It will be very difficult to get over the wall.”
“Then I guess we’ll just have to beat the odds. How do you know so much about the Pact border?”
“I just do!” Eli raised his voice to the point where the room almost shook. We all took a step back, and Dylan bit him. There was something they weren’t telling me. I cleared my throat and continued to speak.
“So we go as fast as we can when we cross the border. We will be attacked according to Eli’s information. However, I’ll go in the border first. I know then I will be greeted by Alpha.”
“What about us on foot?” A guardian asked. I called on the bird.
“Uhhh, the owl, from Drew’s table. Name?”
“Griffin,” The owl grunted.
“Griffin will lead you and help you. I will also send two Pegasus to your aid to speed up your journey. You guys can make a plan amongst yourselves. In fact, all who are on foot go and make a plan now. Come back when you are done. For those of us in the sky, stay here. “
“Quick question, Carter,” Kody asked.
“Yes, Kody?”
“Do I have to use my Pegasus to get over the border because I can fly?”