“What? You guys are so loud!” Alex scratched his head and squinted his eyes, attempting to put on an act that they would all believe he had come out of the woods.
“There you are! We didn’t know where you went!” David said.
“Sorry ab—” Alex was cut off when a sudden realization hit him. His eyes lit up with excitement with what he was about to say. “We can leave!” Alex shouted. His friends all stopped and swung their heads to look at him. Even Jack.
“What’d you say?” Mark asked.
“We can leave this island!” Alex repeated. “We can fly! If we can fly long enough, we might be able to reach the mainland!”
“If only it was that simple.” Jack’s eyes traveled to the ground sadly. “There is another force field much like the one I created that closes this island off to outsiders.”
“Oh, really? Then how are we here? If there was a force field, we wouldn’t be here right now!” David stared at Jack, waiting for an answer.
“Occasionally a rip in the force field will occur allowing anything to enter. This rip only stays open for a short time before closing again and moving to a different location around the island. You just happened to pass through that rip.” Jack raised his eyes and looked at Alex.
“When will the next rip occur?” Alex asked.
“The next two months or so. Why?”
“We haven’t lost hope yet! We just have to get to the next location of the next rip occurrence and pass through!”
“That is a wonderful plan but there is another problem,” Jack said and then paused. “I have no idea when the next rip will occur. The only one who knows is on the other side of the island in Borthenaheim!” Alex glanced at his friends’ faces. Their eyes were filled with disappointment once again. Alex was beginning to dislike that look. Yes, he had wanted to run away, but even he didn’t want to be on this island anymore.
“Then let’s go find them! Who are they?” Alex replied. Jack looked at Alex, surprised with his sudden optimism. Jack struggled to find the words to explain.
“He’s an old man… and an old friend of mine. I don’t know how he will react to you guys… but he trusts me,” Jack paused as if mulling over his own words. “Yes… yes, this could work!” Jack began to pace back and forth while formulating a plan aloud. “It will be a long journey since this island is so big and it will take even longer because of all of the citizens here. But you can fly now so it might not take as long as I thought,” Jack trailed off, going through the math in his head for how long the journey might take.
“This will work! We leave in an hour!” Jack suddenly shouted, startling everyone.
“An hour? I thought we were going to stay here for a while,” Alex said.
“The faster we get out of here and on the road the sooner we will arrive. Leave your bags and supplies here. You will not be needing them. Now go get yourselves prepared. This journey will not be a short one nor an easy one.”
THIRTY
"Are you sure we should have left all of our stuff?” Brooke asked as they soared through the dusk sky. “We were lucky enough to have been stranded on this island with it all and are we just going to abandon it? What if we need some of it later on?”
“How many times must I explain this?” Jack insisted. Annoyance tainted his voice. “Those supplies would only be extra and unnecessary weight. We have everything we need. My Shadows can both retrieve and provide any food you might need, among other things.”
Brooke sighed and turned to the sky ahead of her. The sun had sunk below the horizon and the colors of day had faded to a dull gray. Clouds covered the sky. The world around them grew silent. The only sound was the whirr of the wind whipping past them. Purple light seeped through the clouds, granting the world the smallest bit of light.
Alex looked at Jack, who flew silently beside him. His face was hidden from the purple light and obscured within the darkness. Brooke, Mark, and Nicole flew in silence just the same. Alex watched through the corner of his eye as David opened his mouth in an attempt to break the awkward silence only to close it and look the other way.
Alex allowed himself to drift away in his thoughts, but no matter what he thought about his mind always wandered back to one specific topic. What was that black blur that he had been seeing lately? Was it following him? Why were the others unable to see it? Could Jack see it too? Was he just pretending he couldn’t? Or was Alex the only one? He was worried; what if it was there to hurt them? After all the things he’s seen on that island, it wouldn’t be impossible. If it was good, why was it following them around, not showing itself? Alex pondered all of the possibilities of the black thing he constantly saw following him. Only when a loud crash rung through the air did Alex stop thinking about it.
“What was that?” David shouted in alarm.
“I’m sure it was just a tree falling,” Mark said, waving the matter off.
“That is not the sound trees make when they fall,” Jack pointed out. Alex ignored them as they continued to fight over what a tree sounds like when it falls and scanned the trees for the source to no avail. Another, much more quiet crash sounded though his friends did not notice it because they were too busy arguing. Alex looked up as he realized where the sound was coming from. A pure white light painted the black sky as a streak of lightning shot down from the clouds. Alex watched in horror as the bolt came down. In seconds, it would collide with its target and send them burning to a crisp. Alex lunged forward with his arms outstretched toward the target. Jack turned his head in time to see Alex’s horror-stricken face and a white streak barrel down on him. The impact sent him flying back into Nicole, the air knocked out of him.
The white bolt hit hard. But strangely enough it didn’t feel like electricity. Brooke plummeted toward the earth, the speed disorienting, turning the world around her into a blur. At first she was confused. Why was she falling? But it didn’t take her long to remember. She saw the lightning bolt come down. She had tried to push Jack out of the way, but apparently Alex already had that covered. Alex managed to get Jack out of the way, but not her.
Her shoulder ached and she reached up to grab it. Her body refused to cooperate. With more effort than it should have been, she turned her head to her shoulder, expecting her shirt to be ripped and her skin scorched. The gray fabric of her soft sweater fluttered against her shoulder in the wind, and her skin was still the same tan color it had always been. Brooke willed her body to fly, but her muscles refused to move. Was she going to fall to her death?
Alex looked down at the body plummeting toward the earth. Before Jack could catch his breath, Alex dove down. More cracks sounded through the air followed by more bolts that shot through the sky. Alex weaved and ducked and swerved as he avoided the blows. He wasn’t about to let Brooke fall. Alex grabbed her arm and hoisted her limp body in his arms. She was still breathing and she looked at him with bewildered but relieved eyes. Alex flew upward but struggled to fly with the extra weight. Flying may be easy but he was still new to the whole thing.
Alex struggled to avoid the bolts but managed most of the way. He was only a few feet away from his friends when the bolt came down. It hit him square through the chest, sending him sprawling backward. The sudden light before his eyes blinded him. When he finally regained his sight, Brooke was falling alongside him only a few yards away. Alex urged his body upward, straining against the pain. He flew at her once again and scooped her out of the air. Brooke pushed away from Alex and gave him a reassuring nod, the entire left side of her face twitching. She would be okay.
“Where’d this storm come from?!” Brooke yelled over the sound of the dry thunder.
“Don’t ask me!” Alex shouted back.
“Maybe you should ask me.” A voice vibrated through the air around them like static.
Alex looked up to a white figure drifting down toward them. He realized who it was almost immediately. Win
ona lifted her hand and a lightning bolt formed in her palm. She quickly raised her arm and thrust the bolt like a javelin. Alex and Brooke shoved their arms above their heads in defense. When the impact never came, they opened their eyes to find Jack hovering in front of them with his arms spread out. His hands glowed and a dark purple shield hung in the air in front of them. David, Nicole, and Mark quickly flew behind the protective barrier.
“Oh, come now, Jack. Don’t take out all of the fun!” Winona lowered so she was directly across from them. “Jack, you know those bolts aren’t all that dangerous. They are merely numbing bolts! You know that!” Winona glanced from the bolt in her hand then back to Jack. “I am quite perplexed, though,” said Winona as she dropped into the trees and disappeared.
“Where did she go?” Nicole asked.
“I don’t know. But I do know that she is not gone.” Jack turned his wrists in a circular motion. The barrier in front of him began to expand in a circle around them, forming into a ball.
“You should listen to him. He is a very intelligent man,” Winona whispered. They spun around as the barrier began to close over their feet. Another bolt formed in her hand and she hurled it at the barrier. The barrier glazed over with a surge of energy after it was hit before coming to a halt. The purple barrier began to lower again. Jack dropped his hands and turned back with the others.
“I must say I am quite impressed,” said Winona as she leaned closer into the group of kids. “Those bolts were not deadly, but they should have still numbed your muscles for a while, as our friend Brooke here experienced. But you didn’t seem to be affected for more than a second.” Winona turned and glared at Alex.
“What is your goal, Winona?” Jack snapped.
“What? I can’t talk with my fellow Contour Suzerain?” Winona shook her head in question and sighed. “Well, my new-found partner sends his regards, Alex. He certainly enjoyed your last meeting.”
Before Alex could ask what she was talking about, lightning flashed through the clouds. Alex glanced up at the clouds before returning his eyes to the Conjurer. Her head tilted toward the sky to watch the lightning, but her gloved hand was raised and pointed directly at Alex. Her head snapped back and stared in the direction her finger was pointed. Her eyes glowed white, and small sparks sizzled in the corners.
“You may have been able to withstand one numbing bolt. But what about more?” As if on cue, lightning shot from the clouds and with the bolts forming around Alex, trapping him in a lightning cage, a larger version of the one his friends had been trapped in during their last encounter. “What do you think, Alex?” Winona cocked her head and more lighting shot down.
“Brace yourself!” Jack shouted as he lunged at Winona. Alex did as he was told and hugged his legs against his chest and buried his face in his knees, squeezing his eyes shut. The light from the bolts grew brighter against Alex’s eyelids and he squeezed his knees tighter. He could just barely hear the screams of his friends through the sound of dry thunder, crackling around him.
As if to answer his prayers, the light died down and the crackling stopped. Alex cautiously brought his legs back down and his hands to his sides. He looked over to Jack’s hands clasped against Winona’s in a desperate struggle. In less than an instant, she regained her composure and focused her sights on something bigger.
“All right! Maybe you can withstand that many numbing bolts!” Winona shouted through gritted teeth. “But I don’t think your friends can!” Winona snapped her head away from Alex and focused on the others. Lighting shot from the sky as it had done to Alex. Jack broke away from his struggle with Winona and lunged back toward the coming lightning. He was too late. The bolts surrounded the group and encased them in white. Alex spun around to face Winona once again but she was gone.
Alex watched as the lightning cage faded and revealed his friends suspended in air. Around them acting like a protective barrier was a dark purple sphere. Alex looked back at Jack, who had his arm outstretched for the group, who in turn nodded to answer Alex’s anticipated question before it could escape his lips. Alex sighed in relief and flew to his friends as the barrier lowered.
“Is everyone all right?” Alex asked.
“We are fine, thanks to Jack, but what about you?” Brooke asked. Concern flashed across her eyes. The twitching had gone down, now reserved to her left eye and eyebrow. She placed her hand on her face in an attempt to stop it.
“I-I think I’m okay,” Alex said uncertainly, looking down at himself as if he didn’t know his own body.
Brooke gave him an uncertain and worried look that Alex returned with an equally confused glance before Jack flew over to the group and urged them to move onward.
“Please hurry. We must leave this area. It is no longer safe,” Jack said. As he spoke, his eyes constantly drifted up toward the sky. “I fear that Winona has left us with a departing gift.”
The sky rumbled as a strong gust of wind swept past them, and the air became frigid. Alex zipped his jacket as his companions rubbed their arms against the sudden cold. Without a word, they began to fly once again.
THIRTY-ONE
Winona’s hurried footsteps echoed through the dark corridor. The occasional torch fastened to the wall provided the only light. Shadows of patient soldiers danced against the wall where the light from the fire met with the black. The vaulted ceiling rose high into the air, and at the very end of the long hallway loomed two large double doors that soared impossible lengths above. In front of the door were two soldiers who held their spears high.
Winona stopped in front of the guards and glared at them in disgust.
“I demand an audience with his highness!” Winona announced.
“Papers, please.” The first soldier held out his hand and grabbed the air, gesturing for her to hand them over.
“This is a matter of urgency! I must speak to his highness at once!” she exclaimed.
“Papers, please,” the soldier repeated patiently.
“Allow me through!” Winona growled.
“Why are you here, Conjurer?” echoed a voice through the corridor. “You are causing a much-uncalled-for ruckus.”
Winona spun on her heel to a silhouette standing behind her, hidden within the dark. The figure stepped out and into the light of the fire, revealing a young man in what appeared to be his early twenties. His black hair was slicked back and his ruby red eyes sparkled. His white dress shirt was covered by a gray vest that matched his black dress pants. His looks reminded her of Jaheim’s.
“I will speak with him and you will not prevent me from doing so!” Winona thrust her hand out and with the flick of her wrist sent the soldiers crashing into the wall with a breeze. With another gust of wind, she thrust open the large, heavy doors. Winona began walking toward the doors. A force field of wind surrounded her and shoved into the wall anyone who attempted to stop her.
The room was spacious and dark. Unlike the corridor, there were no torches or fire to light up the room. An eerie blue light illuminated from a single line that circled around a throne before her. The throne was empty, beside it was a dark figure of a man whose back was to her. Winona took a few more steps before dropping to one knee. Following close behind her was the man she had encountered in the hall. The man stopped next to her and bowed before his lord apologetically.
“Sire! I deeply apologize for this woman’s actions,” he said. The man glared at Winona through the corner of his eye and she in turn scowled at him. “She shall take her leave immediately.” Before the man could say anything else, he was cut off when the dark figure held up a hand. “But sire-” The figure’s head turned so that half of his face was visible. The shadows contorted his features so that they were unrecognizable. Without another word, the man bowed once more then took his leave, shutting the doors behind him.
“Your report?” The figure’s voice bounced off the walls of the room.
“He has not yet been captured.”
“How many companions does he have?”
Winona thought for a moment before answering.
“Five. They all have the ability of flight, but none of them seems to have any other abilities. One of them may be able to manipulate nature, but he seems unsure of how to control himself. He is not a threat. His companions are none other than teenagers, sire.”
The figure turned and even though he was covered in darkness she could almost see the grin forming on his face. “This could be used in our favor.”
“Sire?”
“Yes. It may be easier to capture him than I imagined. We may be able to use his companions to our advantage. I want this done right. Winona, you and Jaheim must not fail me. Otherwise, I will be forced to send others.”
“Understood,” Winona said. She stood and turned toward the door but was stopped when the man interrupted her.
“One more thing. I hope you were not so weak as to allow them a chance to escape defeat.” The figure’s voice was deep and threatening and slow.
Winona chuckled out of amusement. “You think of me as someone who could lose a battle so easily? I may have fled from their presence, but I have left them a gift that I know they will enjoy.”
With that, she walked out of the room, past the unconscious soldiers who had tried and failed to stop her. She pushed the doors open once more and strutted out, determined to finish what she had started.
THIRTY-TWO
The group dove beneath the canopy in an attempt to escape the harsh winds. Though the wind was not as strong below the safety of the trees, it seemed to grow stronger by the second, and each of them struggled to fly against the strength of it.
As Alex flew, wind and dirt seeped into his eyes. He rubbed his eyes to force the dirt out but every time he got his eyes clear of dirt a new gust of wind would force more in. His eyes grew red and irritated, and soon he found himself struggling to see. When he finally managed to see again, a dirt storm swarmed around him and he was left to the mercy of the wind. He could no longer see or hear. He moved to fly forward, but the wind held him back. He tried desperately to regain control, to no avail.
The Abnormals: Book One Page 21
