Chapter ten
Callahan
Lena
"What are you doing?" Jesse asked. I turned to face him. What was he doing here? I told to only come if it was really serious.
"I'm working on something," I replied, setting the pencil and notebook down. "What do you have to report?" I asked.
"It's Mason," he began. I interrupted.
"I told you to tell me if anyone else was in danger!" I yelled angrily. A small jar behind me burst.
"He wasn't punished! I was originally going to tell you that Kazarina took him on a mission, but before I left, it became known that Mason fled the ship with Avior. He's considered MIA," he explained.
"MIA? If he fled the ship then wouldn't he be considered a traitor?" I asked, confused.
"Getting there, initially they were able to trace him, but then the sacred orb began to give off interference. When it ended, Mason and Avior were nowhere to be found. Nurzack fears they may be trapped between dimensions." I sighed. What was Mason thinking?
"Anything else?" I asked. He nodded.
"Barodius is pursuing you relentlessly. They've concluded that you're most likely not on neathia, and if you are, you're within the shield. He wants your power, and has everyone searching relentlessly for it. He just punished Kazarina because she hasn't been able to find anything despite you being her experiment." I hissed angrily.
"I am nobodies experiment!" Another jar exploded. Jessie nodded in agreement.
"Officially, you've been labled as an accident." I growled.
"You need to use better words. There's nothing accidental about this. It's the best thing that ever happened and a dictating bastard will not be taking it away!" Jesse held his hands up in surrender. I sighed. Barodius's pursuit was forseen, but Mason's disappearance sure wasn't.
"If Barodius keeps this up, I may just have to get rid of him…A king as a servant might not be a bad idea. Temporarily at least."
"May I sway you from that idea?" Jesse asked, alarm written all over his face.
"I was kidding…sort of," I reassured him. "Is there any way to find Mason?" I asked. He shook his head. I sighed.
"In that case, once my mission is complete, I will see if I can penetrate the space between dimensions," I decided.
"Why not now?" Jesse asked.
"For two reasons. Number one, he is safe there. The twelve orders can't get to him. Number two, Mason acted rashly. Some time facing the consequences of his actions will do him some good. Now…Ren and Zenet, how are they?" I asked. Jesse shrugged.
"Ren was on the same voyage Mason was, but he didn't get caught in the tow, and he managed to escape being punished. Zenet is okay too, but she is going nuts. Poor girl is terrified." I nodded. Zenet was only 15, the youngest in the army. I sometimes wondered what the hell Barodius was thinking when he picked children to be in the minor orders. That being said, He didn't seem to have a problem with killing them. Sid was dead, and Mason is MIA. I don't know his reasons for sparing Ren, but they can't be good. And I doubt Zenet would receive the same treatment.
"Bring them to me," I told Jesse. He bit his lip, but nodded. He didn't really have a choice. I had his heart after all. Jesse teleported out, using the power I had given him. I waited and finished the drawing I'd been working on. When it was done, I fixed the jars I'd broken, and returned them to their place. Now I had to wait. Jesse didn't take long. Soon, he was knocking.
"Enter!" I called. Jesse walked in, Ren and Zenet in tow.
"Gill was about to punish Zenet. He will probably summon her any minute," Jesse informed me. Figures.
"Who are you?" Ren asked. I sighed.
"Am I really that un recognizeable?" I asked Jesse. He nodded.
"Guys, it's Lena," he told them. Ren paled, and Zenet looked overjoyed.
"Hi," I said wryly.
"Lena, you look so different," Zenet said in awe. I nodded. "How?" Then her watch beeped. She paled, and looked like she was going to cry.
"Gill?" I asked. She nodded. "He certainly hasn't given us much time. Jesse, you are dismissed." Jesse nodded and left. Before they could react, I took Ren's heart. Zenet attempted to run, but a flick of my hand, and the tree roots grabbed her.
"Worry not, you'll get this back. But for now, I have a job for you. Right now, I need you to go to Gill, and tell him that you went on a trip to bakugan interspace with Zenet, on a hunch that I might be there. You did find me, but I fled, and took Zenet with me." Ren had no choice but to comply. He turned and left. When he was gone, I created a wooden box, and put his heart inside. I set it on the shelf, next to Jesse's.
"What are you going to do to me?" Zenet asked. I sighed. I really didn't want to rip her heart out too.
"Relax," I said. I flicked my hand and the roots let her go. "As far as the twelve orders are concerned, you were kidnapped by me. They won't expect you home anytime soon." Zenet nodded.
"What do you want?"
"What I don't want is to have to take your heart like the others, but that would require you to be willing to do as I ask." I said, offering her a choice. I knew what she would choose.
"What do I need to do?" she finally asked. I smiled. I was really glad. Zenet was a dear friend.
"I need you to find the Prometheus flame," I told her.
"What's that?" she asked. I sighed, and thought for a minute. In order to do this task, she'd need a lot of information. How to explain… Then I remembered a trick I recently read about. I took my necklace off, and whispered a few spells, enchanting it. When I finished, I fastened it around her neck. I watched her eyes widen for a second.
"As long as you have that necklace on, you will have the knowledge you need, as well as a few powers to aid you. The necklace will also let me know where you are and if you're in danger," I explained.
"Or if I betray you?" she asked. I nodded. She caught on pretty fast. "I'll find it. But what do you need it for exactly?" A reasonable question.
"It is the only thing that can destroy Callahan," I told her.
"Who?" she asked. I laughed.
"Not who, what." She clearly wanted more information, but knew better than to ask. After another second, she left.