Chapter 4

Shilo felt cold, it seeped down into her bones and made them weak. She opened her eyes and was immediately aware. From what she could tell Shilo was alone and tied up. Ropes covered the better part of her wrists keeping her chained to the wall and her feet off the ground. Neither Koda or Nora or even the other Fairy Tail members were anywhere to be seen. Shilo looked around, the room, or cave rather, it was dark and the only light came from a few torches at the entrance to the cave. The very air in the cave made Shilo shiver and she wished she had a jacket, unfortunately she was bound to the back of the cave with only a thin t-shirt on.

"Hello? Is anyone out there?" She called as loud as she could with her mouth so dry.

"It's useless calling." A voice creeped from the darkness and the cave became filled with smoke. Much like the smoke from the forest but a different color. "No one's around." Suddenly the voice was above her. "No one will hear you." It sounded to her left now. "You'll die here." Suddenly the voice was right next to her whispering in her ear. That cold conviction foretelling of her death felt like death itself had grabbed a hold of her heart.

For what seemed like the twentieth time Nora slashed at the bars with her script magic. It didn't even make a dent, still she persisted. Nora must have slashed at those bars till she couldn't stand because next thing she knew she was on the ground panting barely able to hold her sword up anymore.

"Give it up, those bars ain't gonna break." Nora turned back to her father. Gajeel was laying in the cell his back against the wall one leg stretched out on the ground while the other acted as a rest for his extended arm.

"You can't give up so easily." She hissed at him still panting from the effort.

"I'm not giving up, I'm waiting."

"For what!?" Nora exploded, she rounded on Gajeel with new energy. "For our friends to get killed? We have no idea where anyone else is, Shilo could be anywhere! She's probably terrified."

"Your sister ain't a little kid ya know. She's a strong mage and can handle her own."

"That doesn't matter! What matters is the fact that we all got captured! Don't you care about your daughter?"

"Course I do!" Gajeel stood up, Nora had gotten his attention now. "But wasting our energy trying to do the impossible is only gonna render us unable to save everyone else when the time comes." He told her sternly staring her down to get his point across.

"And you really think that time will come?" Nora asked still seething with anger.

"I know it will. We just gotta wait."

Nora and Gajeel did wait, a long time, at least a few hours before they heard footsteps clacking down a long hallway. Nora stood up immediately while Gajeel waited patiently on the floor. The person who came into sight looked young, younger than Nora and Shilo but the spite and anger in his eyes told of a man who had seen too much turmoil to retain innocence. He had delicate blonde hair to go with his young blue eyes.

His light features contrasted strangely with his black cloak. Without saying a word he pulled out a set of keys and opened the door of the cage. Nora was set to fight and took a step back caught off guard by how he would so readily open their cage.

"You, come with me." He rasped out pointing harshly at Nora. She looked back at Gajeel who now stood up.

"Where are you taking us?"

The man sighed. "Not us, her." He tried to grab Nora's hand but she pulled away.

"Where?" She demanded, forcing the words through her teeth.

"I want all the ladies together so I can see what I've got to pick from. If it were up to me, I would pick the blonde, the redhead, and the dark chick. But their souls aren't quite right. I got no say in the decision. Now, come with me." His words may not have had much threat, but his eyes said something different. Nora wasn't sure she wanted to ask anymore questions. She looked back at her father, who looked like he wanted to fight but backed off a little now. His posture said that he didn't care about what was going on, but his eyes were different. Be strong. Don't show any fear. Nora could read the message clearly in her fathers eyes. She nodded and then stepped out of the cage. The man locked the cage again and then pushed Nora forward. She walked down the hallway with the man pushing her every little bit. Nora looked back at the cage one last time and saw that Gajeel was standing at the door. Nora couldn't see it, but a single tear had rolled down the side of Gajeels face. he never showed it, but he had no idea where his daughter was being taken and feared for her safety.

When the man pushed Nora through another corridor they ended up outside where it was still dark, she looked around for as long as she could in a short time. They were still in the woods but Nora couldn't tell if they were in the same woods as before. The man was pushing her away from the rundown prison and towards a cave. Inside the cave Nora could see the girls of Fairy Tail pushed up against the wall all of them chained like her. What caught her attention though was Shilo in the middle of the cave. Her chains were far more severe as they held her in the air against the back of the cold wet cave. Her head was down causing her hair to cover her face. By Shilo's posture though Nora wasn't sure she wanted to see her face. She looked beaten and scarred but exhausted.

Lucy perked up when she saw Nora, she tried to say something but the two men keeping watch over them came over and slapped her. Erza spat and cussed at them, she received a painful slap as well. The man behind her pushed Nora forward and placed her between Erza and Shilo. Nora tried to nudge Shilo and get her attention while the men talked amongst themselves btu Shilo barely moved.

The only response Nora got was a head shake and a murmur that was inaudible. Shilo got a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach and the blonde haired man that brought her here turned to them now.

"Sorry to end your miserable lives ladies but it seems like all of you will be needed for the spell to work."

"What!? What spell? What do you mean you need us all?"

The blonde scoffed, but he explained anyway. "I need your souls to bring back my dead mother."

"What's this about a dead mother? We were hired by Isadore Vendell to get back what you stole from him." The blonde came over and slapped Erza after she spoke.

"Don't say that name." He hissed at her, but directed it to all of us. The fire in his eyes dared anyone to defy his evil intentions. "My father is a fool, he doesn't deserve to hold her ring and call himself her husband…" The cave grew silent and Nora wondered if she should inquire more about this blonde man then he spoke again. "It's because of him that she is dead! I must have wrote a hundred letters begging him to cure her illness with his wealth but he never replied. Never cared, she died alone when I was out trying to find her help. If he had swallowed some of his greed and used his wealth to help her she would still be alive. Now I'm going to bring her back, to do that I need the souls of women that count as equals for hers. True I could use the one I think best qualifies but I only have one shot at this and want to do it right." Isadore's son turned around and told his bandit members to tie them more securely to the floor. He said he didn't want us moving around when the pain came full force.

Nora took a large gulp of nervousness as the bandits came over to them and tied their chains to other chains secured to the ground. Isadore's son told the bandit members to stand back as he readied the spell. Just like before in the woods smoke swirled around the cave. Blue smoke filled Nora's lungs and made her cough, then a wave of red smoke came, then green smoke, different colors kept forming in waves until they were all surrounded by a blackish brown color. Nora's palms grew sweaty she knew this spell would take her life, no not only hers but her comrades lives as well in exchange for one woman.

She struggled against her chains but to no avail. The smoke level increased and now she couldn't even see Shilo or Erza next to her. Everything was drowned out by swirls of black. She let out a cry of fear when suddenly the smoke cleared and she saw Isadore's son, the leader of the bandits, slammed into the side of the cave.

"FIRE DRAGONS ROAR!" A giant stream of fire came whaling into the rest of the bandits. They all were blasted against the cave wall just like their leader.

Dust lightly filled the cave but cleared away shortly after. Nora looked around and was pleased that everyone was alright. But the sight of her sister made her worried. The smoke must have been worse than she thought it was because she could just barely hear her sister wheezing, trying to breath. Nora then remembered the chains that held her to the ground and struggled against them.

"What are you trying to do? You'll never get free if you keep yanking the chains like that."

Nora looked over at Natsu, who stood staring at her like she had lost it. Nora scowled at him and continued to pull against her chains. Natsu just bent down and melted her chains, she thanked him and hurried to her sisters side.

"Shi?" She called to her, and although Shilo's head was still hanging limply she saw it move a little. A little movement was enough, it meant she was alive. Nora began undoing the chains that bound Shilo to the wall. When the last one came undone Nora caught her sister before she hit the ground.

Shilo began to stir more now and her feet supported her a little bit, she looked up at Nora with a forced smile.

"You alright?"

"Yeah." She replied and Nora put Shilo's arm around her, she supported her sister while the rest of the Fairy Tail members were reunited.

Natsu was helping Lucy up while Erza and Gajeel stood to face the bandits who were coming to their senses. Happy and Koda, although they were much smaller than the enemy they still held sticks as makeshift weapons. Natsu and Lucy stood beside their comrades.

"Hey Salamander." Gajeel began in a gruff but excited voice.

"Yeah?"

"How about we kick some ass!"

Natsu slammed his fists together. "Alright I'm all fired up!" Lucy brought out one of her keys, holding it triumphantly in the air.

"Open gate of the iron maiden, Virgo!"

Out of nowhere came a pink haired maid, "Punishment time, Princess?"

Erza requiped into her heavens wheel armor. "It's unwise to make enemies of Fairy Tail." The menace in her eyes could have curdled dairy, and it made Nora wince.

The bandit leader, Isadore's son, stood up and shouted to all the Fairy Tail members. "I wanted this to go peacefully but you have forced my hand. I shall sacrifice all of you in the most painful way I know!"

"Reed Ivor Vendell." Erza began her hair covering one of her eyes.

The bandit leader went white as a sheet. "I never told you my name." He hissed quietly as though he didn't want anyone to hear.

"You didn't need to. I remember your face from a wanted poster in the next town. It was a big thing when your mother died. By the time your father found out she was already dead. I remember a comrade of mine went on a job given to him by Isadore Vendell. The job was to find you and your mother and bring you home. When the job was failed he thought you both were dead. Your father cared Reed, but he never had the chance to show it."

Reed grew whiter he gritted his teeth but he didn't falter. "LIES! My father cared nothing for her! If he did why did he never reply to my letters?"

"He never received them." Erza said blatantly. "I'm guessing you didn't know about the hijacking of the delivery system two years ago. Everything burned to the ground, including the letters and mail that needed to be sent to all the families. That's when your mother was dying, correct?"

"How did you know all that?"

"I figured it out when I heard your name said by one of your comrades."

Reed turned back to his lackeys looking at each of them in turn as if they would confess to spilling his personal secrets, none of them did. Reed seemed to have enough because he enveloped himself in smoke again. This time blue smoke fell over the mages.

Nora couldn't see anything and the smell of the smoke made her gag. She coughed till she felt her lungs dry out, Shilo wasn't any better and coughed on the floor next to her. Nora knew she was responsible for getting her sister out of here so thinking wisely she ripped off a piece of her shirt and put it over Shilo's mouth to act as a filter. She did the same for herself and once she could breathe calmly she scripted her sword.

Nora looked around for enemies but she never left shilo's side lest she couldn't find her again. Nora heard fighting but she couldn't see anyone. She knew Natsu was fighting from his fire dragons roars, the same for Gajeel. Shilo put a hand on Nora's shoulder and Nora, fearing for her sisters health, turned around quickly. Shilo wasn't in trouble though, she stood resolute despite obviously being in pain, she fashioned ice on her cheeks to hold the cloth in place and readied her hands for fighting.

Nora wanted to tell her she would protect them but Shilo was stubborn and looked like she wouldn't take that as an answer. Nora smiled when she remembered what her father told her, "Your sisters not a child, she can take care of herself." Nora knew that, Shilo was the same age as her being her twin and all but still Nora felt this overwhelming need to protect her, Nora reflected on this and thought, Maybe its because beautiful things are so easily broken in this world they need to be protected.

But Shilo pushed the thought from her mind as they both stood back to back and fought any and all enemies that came their way.