Chapter 1
Isaac swirved past another tree, uttering a swear from his parched mouth. He risked a look back, seeing nothing but foilage and the blue sky peeking from behind it like a child under blankets. He wiped a bead of perspiration from his face and picked up the speed.
Where was Felix? Where was Garet? And most importantly, where was Jenna? He couldn't worry about them now. Like Felix had said, it was every man for himself. He shook his head regretfully. Don't worry about them, he thought. Concentrate on yourself.
Putting too much time into his thoughts, Isaac found himself on the ground after foolishly losing his balance. He could've sworn that a breeze had coincidentally helped his dismount. Wiping some wet leaves from his mouth, he pushed himself up, only to be thrown back down again. A voice rang out from behind, loud enough to deafen a person. "Great job Ivan! We got him!" Isaac pounded his fist on the ground, frusterated with himself. Piers had found him. The Mercury Adept reached down, grabbed the courageous boy, pulled both his hands behind his back, then carted him off in the opposite direction.
After a few minutes of walking, Isaac heard another voice from the east, and perked his head up to listen. It sounded quieter than Piers', but fearsome all the less. Mia? Sheba? Had they captured someone as well? No, they didn't use that tone. It could only be....
"Treat a lady with respect, will ya?" Jenna's face showcased her furious temper right now, disgusted with herself for being caught. Her hair was rumpled, obviously due to more wind trickery. Ivan struggled to maintain his prisoner, so Mia was assisting him. Jenna looked, almost as if she knew of his presence, directly towards Isaac. She gave a small frown, saying, "Some warrior you are. You're supposed to save the damsel in distress!"
Isaac flashed Jenna a smile that she soon returned. It was all in good humor. Alchemy had been released; Vale had been rebuilt, and for now, all was right within the world. Today's teams for this battle royale were citizens of Vale against the other outsiders; more specifically, Isaac, Jenna, Felix, and Garet versus the other members of their traveling party whose names had gone down in the record scrolls.
Isaac and Jenna were soon tossed into their cell, which was a makeshift cabin with a locked door and a barred window. Piers smile was perfectly visible through the disrupted window. "You two be good, and tell us if you see your friends, okey-dokey?" The Lemurian soon left the two to their own devices.
Jenna threw herself into Isaac's arms as soon as Piers footsteps were not heard anymore. "Don't they know better than to leave the two of us alone?" Her bright smile was only a superficial clue of the type person she was; a person that made even Isaac soft. The Venus adept gave her a small kiss, then, looking around, softly said, "Time to show them why we're so much of an item."
The female Mars adept nodded and looked up at the window that Isaac was pointing to. Concentrating slightly, she slowly heated and liquified the bars, unblocking the small window. With a boost from Isaac, she slid outside, giving a glance around to make sure Sheba was not coming around a corner. After flashing a thumbs-up to Isaac, she crawled the rest of the way out, then slowly crept along the side of the cabin to the front.
Isaac, inside, only heard part of the event that ensued. Jenna had jumped out in front of Sheba, clapped a hand over her mouth, winked, and said "Sorry, but we can't let them know we're out and about." She grabbed some rope, tied her hands together, then muffled her mouth with a piece of cloth, putting her into the cell and pulling Isaac out. The Venus adept was relieved to see everything had went off without a hitch, and turned to Jenna. "Damsel isn't so distressed anymore, is she?"
Jenna gave him a slight shove and they continued down the trail they had used before. All they had to do was reach the spring on the other side of the woods and they were safe. By now, Garet and Felix must have reached the spring; now they had to stealthily make it there and the Vale team would win. It was getting quite dark and hard to see; something that would work to the Valeans advantage.
A sound of broken twigs came in with the enxt breeze, and Isaac hushed his girlfriend. Voices were heard, and being out in the open with nothing to hide behind, the earth adept signaled Jenna to get down flat on the ground in order to not be seen. Piers was the first one heard, once again, and he did not sound so happy this time.
"How could you have let him go, Mia? We could've had three of them!" Piers sounded frusterated but at the same time understanding, as if he knew the answer before Mia even exclaimed it.
"Well, I just couldn't bring myself to.....to arrest Garet..." The female healer blushed as she said these words, knowing that the two boys with her knew her secret well. She turned to Piers, who mouthed an "It's ok, I know." expression, while Ivan sulked, obviously still angry from letting one get away.
The short wind adept broke the silence. "Well, at least we have the other two back at the prison; Felix and Garet will have to come for them eventually." Ivan turned his head to the sky as he said this, almost expecting to see the two former prisoners flying overheard, escaping.
Jenna had to fight to control herself from a slight giggle, and as soon as the band of three passed by, Isaac, and Jenna started a made dash the other way. Isaac thought aloud, "It's all clear now. We're home free!" Realizing that he was probably still in hearing distance of the others, he quickly quieted down. However, upon seeing the spring, he let out a yelp of joy and burst towards the goal, giving it his all.
The red headed girl saw his mistake too late, and yelled out to stop the charging boy; alas, Isaac did not hear her. At the last moment, Piers and Ivan dashed out in front of the spring, prepared to block the two incoming teenagers. Isaac lowered his shoulder as Jenna squared herself and they crashed into the two other adepts.
Isaac broke through Piers as Jenna blew past Ivan, both carrying their respective blocker into the spring. As they all surfaced, the whole lot of them laughed, including Felix and Garet who emerged from a nearby tree. Isaac, suddenly realizing his past actions, asked Piers and Ivan, "Ummm.....what happened to Sheba? We kind of tied her up at the cabin."
Ivan dismissed Isaac's concerned as he waved his hand. "We soon discovered Sheba stuck there, so Mia stayed behind to help her as we chased after you."
Felix broke into the conversation quickly. "Perhaps we should go home; it IS getting late."
Jenna, still bewildered at Isaac's great strength, contested Felix's suggestion with one of her own. "Why don't we camp out tonight? It's a great night!" She gandered up at the stars, sliding closer to Isaac. Isaac took the hint, and, putting his arm around here, seconded the motion. An hour later, eight adolescants constructed a few tents shortly outside Vale.
Jenna stood at the entrance to one, calling for Isaac. When the boy emerged from the campfire, she stood, hands on her hips with her head tilted sideways. "Where have you been? I've been calling for you for half an hour!"
Felix called out from behind. "Look Isaac, she's looking and acting like a housewife already!" This was greeted with laughter from the other 5 people seated around the fire, and Isaac waved a hand in the air to acknowledge their comment. He then retreated into the tent.
"Umm....Jenna? There's only one sleeping bag." Isaac rubbed the back of his head with his hand, looking a bit anxious.
Jenna turned around smiling. "I know", she said softly, and ran over to hug him.
***
Two hours later, Jenna lay in her nightgown right next to Isaac, brushing back some of his hair. She admired the way his hair always fell back to the same place (just like his father's, according to Dora) and the way he never fussed with it, unlike other boys. "I love you..." she muttered softly.
Isaac turned over to look at her just as a golden beam shot up into the sky from a place nearby. In the distance to the north, he saw a blue one along with a complimentary red one, which was west of the blue and farther north. Now standing up and looking around, Isaac saw a purple and orange beam far south. Sliding his sword over his shoulder, Isaac looked back as he walked to the entrance of the tent. "I love you too", he said.
Isaac didn't know what he saw or heard next. Jenna's cry from the tent, amazed at the sight that she now saw, or the Wise One, hovering in front of him, as the rest of the adepts stumbled out of their tents, confused as much as he was.
Isaac swirved past another tree, uttering a swear from his parched mouth. He risked a look back, seeing nothing but foilage and the blue sky peeking from behind it like a child under blankets. He wiped a bead of perspiration from his face and picked up the speed.
Where was Felix? Where was Garet? And most importantly, where was Jenna? He couldn't worry about them now. Like Felix had said, it was every man for himself. He shook his head regretfully. Don't worry about them, he thought. Concentrate on yourself.
Putting too much time into his thoughts, Isaac found himself on the ground after foolishly losing his balance. He could've sworn that a breeze had coincidentally helped his dismount. Wiping some wet leaves from his mouth, he pushed himself up, only to be thrown back down again. A voice rang out from behind, loud enough to deafen a person. "Great job Ivan! We got him!" Isaac pounded his fist on the ground, frusterated with himself. Piers had found him. The Mercury Adept reached down, grabbed the courageous boy, pulled both his hands behind his back, then carted him off in the opposite direction.
After a few minutes of walking, Isaac heard another voice from the east, and perked his head up to listen. It sounded quieter than Piers', but fearsome all the less. Mia? Sheba? Had they captured someone as well? No, they didn't use that tone. It could only be....
"Treat a lady with respect, will ya?" Jenna's face showcased her furious temper right now, disgusted with herself for being caught. Her hair was rumpled, obviously due to more wind trickery. Ivan struggled to maintain his prisoner, so Mia was assisting him. Jenna looked, almost as if she knew of his presence, directly towards Isaac. She gave a small frown, saying, "Some warrior you are. You're supposed to save the damsel in distress!"
Isaac flashed Jenna a smile that she soon returned. It was all in good humor. Alchemy had been released; Vale had been rebuilt, and for now, all was right within the world. Today's teams for this battle royale were citizens of Vale against the other outsiders; more specifically, Isaac, Jenna, Felix, and Garet versus the other members of their traveling party whose names had gone down in the record scrolls.
Isaac and Jenna were soon tossed into their cell, which was a makeshift cabin with a locked door and a barred window. Piers smile was perfectly visible through the disrupted window. "You two be good, and tell us if you see your friends, okey-dokey?" The Lemurian soon left the two to their own devices.
Jenna threw herself into Isaac's arms as soon as Piers footsteps were not heard anymore. "Don't they know better than to leave the two of us alone?" Her bright smile was only a superficial clue of the type person she was; a person that made even Isaac soft. The Venus adept gave her a small kiss, then, looking around, softly said, "Time to show them why we're so much of an item."
The female Mars adept nodded and looked up at the window that Isaac was pointing to. Concentrating slightly, she slowly heated and liquified the bars, unblocking the small window. With a boost from Isaac, she slid outside, giving a glance around to make sure Sheba was not coming around a corner. After flashing a thumbs-up to Isaac, she crawled the rest of the way out, then slowly crept along the side of the cabin to the front.
Isaac, inside, only heard part of the event that ensued. Jenna had jumped out in front of Sheba, clapped a hand over her mouth, winked, and said "Sorry, but we can't let them know we're out and about." She grabbed some rope, tied her hands together, then muffled her mouth with a piece of cloth, putting her into the cell and pulling Isaac out. The Venus adept was relieved to see everything had went off without a hitch, and turned to Jenna. "Damsel isn't so distressed anymore, is she?"
Jenna gave him a slight shove and they continued down the trail they had used before. All they had to do was reach the spring on the other side of the woods and they were safe. By now, Garet and Felix must have reached the spring; now they had to stealthily make it there and the Vale team would win. It was getting quite dark and hard to see; something that would work to the Valeans advantage.
A sound of broken twigs came in with the enxt breeze, and Isaac hushed his girlfriend. Voices were heard, and being out in the open with nothing to hide behind, the earth adept signaled Jenna to get down flat on the ground in order to not be seen. Piers was the first one heard, once again, and he did not sound so happy this time.
"How could you have let him go, Mia? We could've had three of them!" Piers sounded frusterated but at the same time understanding, as if he knew the answer before Mia even exclaimed it.
"Well, I just couldn't bring myself to.....to arrest Garet..." The female healer blushed as she said these words, knowing that the two boys with her knew her secret well. She turned to Piers, who mouthed an "It's ok, I know." expression, while Ivan sulked, obviously still angry from letting one get away.
The short wind adept broke the silence. "Well, at least we have the other two back at the prison; Felix and Garet will have to come for them eventually." Ivan turned his head to the sky as he said this, almost expecting to see the two former prisoners flying overheard, escaping.
Jenna had to fight to control herself from a slight giggle, and as soon as the band of three passed by, Isaac, and Jenna started a made dash the other way. Isaac thought aloud, "It's all clear now. We're home free!" Realizing that he was probably still in hearing distance of the others, he quickly quieted down. However, upon seeing the spring, he let out a yelp of joy and burst towards the goal, giving it his all.
The red headed girl saw his mistake too late, and yelled out to stop the charging boy; alas, Isaac did not hear her. At the last moment, Piers and Ivan dashed out in front of the spring, prepared to block the two incoming teenagers. Isaac lowered his shoulder as Jenna squared herself and they crashed into the two other adepts.
Isaac broke through Piers as Jenna blew past Ivan, both carrying their respective blocker into the spring. As they all surfaced, the whole lot of them laughed, including Felix and Garet who emerged from a nearby tree. Isaac, suddenly realizing his past actions, asked Piers and Ivan, "Ummm.....what happened to Sheba? We kind of tied her up at the cabin."
Ivan dismissed Isaac's concerned as he waved his hand. "We soon discovered Sheba stuck there, so Mia stayed behind to help her as we chased after you."
Felix broke into the conversation quickly. "Perhaps we should go home; it IS getting late."
Jenna, still bewildered at Isaac's great strength, contested Felix's suggestion with one of her own. "Why don't we camp out tonight? It's a great night!" She gandered up at the stars, sliding closer to Isaac. Isaac took the hint, and, putting his arm around here, seconded the motion. An hour later, eight adolescants constructed a few tents shortly outside Vale.
Jenna stood at the entrance to one, calling for Isaac. When the boy emerged from the campfire, she stood, hands on her hips with her head tilted sideways. "Where have you been? I've been calling for you for half an hour!"
Felix called out from behind. "Look Isaac, she's looking and acting like a housewife already!" This was greeted with laughter from the other 5 people seated around the fire, and Isaac waved a hand in the air to acknowledge their comment. He then retreated into the tent.
"Umm....Jenna? There's only one sleeping bag." Isaac rubbed the back of his head with his hand, looking a bit anxious.
Jenna turned around smiling. "I know", she said softly, and ran over to hug him.
***
Two hours later, Jenna lay in her nightgown right next to Isaac, brushing back some of his hair. She admired the way his hair always fell back to the same place (just like his father's, according to Dora) and the way he never fussed with it, unlike other boys. "I love you..." she muttered softly.
Isaac turned over to look at her just as a golden beam shot up into the sky from a place nearby. In the distance to the north, he saw a blue one along with a complimentary red one, which was west of the blue and farther north. Now standing up and looking around, Isaac saw a purple and orange beam far south. Sliding his sword over his shoulder, Isaac looked back as he walked to the entrance of the tent. "I love you too", he said.
Isaac didn't know what he saw or heard next. Jenna's cry from the tent, amazed at the sight that she now saw, or the Wise One, hovering in front of him, as the rest of the adepts stumbled out of their tents, confused as much as he was.