Chapter 15

I jumped off the boat and landed in front of Gale, staring up into his eyes. I wasn’t sure if I should hug him or punch him. On one hand, I was glad he was still safe and I had found him. On the other hand, I was still angry because he’d stormed off and could have gotten himself killed. I didn’t get a chance to act on either thought because that was when Jim stepped in.

 

“I thought you weren’t going to let anything happen to her,” Jim said sternly.

 

“I did just that. There’s not a scratch-” Gale stared and then glanced at me. “Okay, there are a few scratches, but you can blame Meltdown for those. I protected her to the best of my ability.”

 

“And you were both captured.”

 

“But in being captured, we met strong allies,” I interjected.

 

“Who?”

 

“Let’s go back to the shelter. We can come up with a plan there and you can meet them.”

 

Jim nodded, though I could tell he was still a bit confused, and the three of us climbed into the longboat. Gale still seemed angry, but not nearly as bad as before. Jim put his arm around me and pulled me close to himself, glad he’d found me safe and mostly unharmed. When we arrived at the large old tree the other Elemental Children were taking refuge under, Gale and I stepped in first with Jim and Morph right behind us. Everyone was still pretty quiet and just sitting around talking amongst themselves.

 

“Hey, Ember got Gale,” Griffin said with a smirk.

 

“But who’s that behind you?” Nyssa asked.

 

“This is James Hawkins, my husband. Jim, these are our friends, Ari, Nyssa, Griffin, Ebony, Tobias and Willow,” I said, pointing to each in turn.

 

“Good to meet you,” Ari said, shaking hands with Jim.

 

“Now that we’re all acquainted, let’s work on a plan to get Dad out of there and get rid of Pathos once and for all,” Gale interjected.

 

“Right. Jim, where’s the rest of the crew?” I asked.

 

“Back on the ship. Why?”

 

“We’ll probably need them. At the very least, we’ll need Meltdown’s talent with the laser cannons. Speaking of which, I’m going to bury him in so much work after this is all over, he won’t even know the meaning of the word ‘rest.’” Jim chuckled and we continued talking, throwing out various ideas to attack Pathos with. I hated the idea of subjecting Nyssa or Willow to such atrocious behavior, but knew they would be an asset to our success.

 

“Alright, then. Let’s go!” Griffin yelled when the plan was settled on.

 

There was only one downside to our scheme: it required a decoy. That was me. I hugged Jim tightly before stepping out of our shelter. Running back in the direction our group had come from when we’d escaped the Aurum, I tried to keep to the shadows. I then climbed high into one of the trees, up to one of the tallest branches. I needed to make it look like I was searching, or trying to be found by my husband.

 

“Jim!” I yelled, my voice echoing around me.

 

I looked around, taking in the scenery. It was much like what I’d seen before, but more. I could see farther out, as well as the canopy of the forest. It wasn’t long before I could hear the longboats of Pathos’ crew. One shot was fired and I found myself unable to move as the EP shot paralyzed me. Unable to keep my balance, I fell off the branch I was in and towards the ground far below. I high-pitched scream escaped my lips as I fell and I knew Willow had heard it loud and clear. The rest of them were probably going to come save me anytime now. They’d all be captured and I’d be powerless to stop it. I landed in a small boat, grunting in pain as my back hit a wooden board, but was unable to do anything. Pathos came into my field of view, that cruel grin on his face.

 

“You’re lucky I need you, or I’d kill you and your brother now,” he growled.

 

“You won’t find him. You can’t kill him,” I answered sharply.

 

“On the contrary, girl.”

 

The intensity in his eyes and the feeling I got from him filled me with fear. The boat sped through the forest and I found myself completely helpless as I watched the trees go by. Soon, the only thing I could see was the clear, blue sky and could only hope my family and new friends would be okay.