A/N: SURPRISE! I'm back from the dead! I'm so so so sorry about these far apart updates but I'll be reall honest my health has been horrible, I've had three more surgeries since Christmas and a bunch of hospital stays. I finally am feeling up to writing and I promise another chapter will be quick to follow since I have already started it! Thank you all for your constant support and understanding! And with that, here we go!
Kendra sighed as her back hit her bed back at the main house. Tomorrow the group will fly back to Fablehaven, from there they will see how things go. Hopefully, nothing will pop up and the world can continue on peacefully but Kendra highly doubted it.
Her eyes drooped as the physical and emotional toll on her attacked and made her very sleepy. She was almost off to sleep when she heard the door open and someone call her name. Kendra opened her heavy eyes to see Trask standing there.
"I know you are tired but you need to come downstairs and have dinner." He said apologetically. Kendra groaned in return, she just wanted to sleep.
"I know, but Warren said if you don't come down and eat something he will come up here and force feed you spaghetti. And you and I both know he means it."
"Ugh." Kendra got up at that, not even doubting Trask for a minute. She followed him downstairs grumpily and glared at her smug cousin once she arrived in the kitchen. She sat down between Seth and Tanu and started picking at her food as light conversation picked up, she opted to not join in as she had no energy to hold a conversation at the moment.
"You know, I think that this day went pretty well!" Luca said, causing everyone to stop talking and looked at the young man.
"Two people literally almost died." Vanessa deadpanned. Luca's smiled dimmed a bit.
"Yeah...but...they are here right? So...no one really died...so isn't that a good day?" He stumbled on his sentence, eyes darting around suddenly self conscious. Kendra felt bad for the poor kid.
"Yeah dude, you know what? You're right!" Seth said. "C'mon! It's not everyday we exit a vault without a death! We should consider it a good day!."
"I'll drink to that!" Tanu said, and the adults followed him. Kendra noticed Luca was beaming again, it was hard to see this guy as older than her when he seemed so unaware. He had all the social grace of spoiled child, but Kendra figured his heart was in the right place and that's what really mattered.
It was also hard to believe his best friend is Elin who looked like she was gonna throw up from all the celebrating. She didn't like Elin much.
Bjarni cleared his throat at the end of the table gaining the attention of everyone else. He motioned to Sindri, who stood up.
"I would like to express my thanks to our visitors for their bravery today and my gratefulness that everyone did indeed make it out alright. I'm glad we can all sit here at this table happily after a long day and celebrate." There were a few cheers and "Amen"'s to this. Kendra was trying to be polite and listen but to be quite honest she was so tired and was beginning to get a headache from all crying she had done today. She rested her head in her hand, willing her eyes to stay open. She heard Sindri continue talking but it was as if she was listening from underwater Next thing she new, she was being shaken awake.
"Wha-" She shook her head. A chorus of laughter greeted her. Great, she fell asleep at the table.
"Tired, K?" Warren teased.
"Sorry." She sheepishly apologized to Sindri who was still standing.
"No worries my dear, I couldn't imagine how exhausted you must be. Feel free to go up to bed, any of you! You don't need to hang around and listen to this old man ramble." Sindri said kindly. Kendra nodded but stayed seated.
"Anyways, to wrap this up I'm glad the knights sent you all. One of the best teams I've seen in years! You live up to the fame from the stories I've heard from the kids. So, cheers!" He lifted his glass and round of cheers and glass clinking followed.
After taking one sip of her water, she finally got up to head to bed. She was tired, sore from all the physical exercise, her head hurt from the emotional exercise, and she was tired. She bid everyone good night and headed upstairs. After a quick brush of her teeth and a change into a oversized t-shirt and sweatpants, she threw her hair up in a loose bun before plopping down in her bed.
Her head was now pounding and she wished she had asked for an aspirin from Linda. She supposed she could always get up and go ask but that required...walking...and doing things...nope too tired.
She tossed and turned until finally sleep claimed her. Except, it wasn't sleep. Kendra found herself in the never ending black room again. She realized now why she was so grumoy and why her head was hurting her. She was having another vision.
Kendra took a deep breath before stepping forward, scared of what she was going to see now.
Flash.
A bear.
Flash.
The blue diamond sword.
Flash.
A knife swishing through the air.
Flash.
Flash.
Flash.
The sword being stolen, the thief running away with their back to Kendra. Time seemed to slow down and as the thief looked back Kendra got a full view of their face.
Luca.
Kendra woke with a start. She couldn't believe it. Does that mean Luca is the traitor? Why else would he steal the sword? Should she tell someone? What if this is all a misunderstanding like how her last vision turned out way different than what she had interpreted it?
As she was mulling over every detail of the vision she started when she realized that the shirt Luca was wearing tonight matched the shirt in her vision. Was this going to happen tonight? Did it already happen? Would she be too late?
Scared by this thought she made her way to her door, only stopping to strap a throwing knife around her waist hidden by the huge t-shirt. She made her way downstairs, noticing that no one was in the kitchen anymore. She heard laughter coming from down the hall, but before she went to find someone she went to the front yard, where the vision was placed.
Kendra let out a small gasp when she saw Elin and Luca there, seemingly arguing. Gathering her courage, she stepped outside and into view.
"Hey guys!" She called, hoping to seem casual. Kendra noticed they both looked uncomfortable and they didn't try to hide it. But, Kendra decided to play oblivious. "How could you be out here? It's so cold!"
"Then why are you out here?" Elin replied, eyes narrowing.
"I just wanted to say goodnight, and goodbye...you know in case I don't see you tomorrow before I leave." Kendra lied.
"Well! Goodnight, and goodbye!" Luca said, giving her a large smile that looked more like he was crazy than happy. Kendra couldn't help but tilt her head at him, giving him a confused look which seemed to freak him out. "W-what?"
"Nothing...you're just acting strange." She said, hoping to make him more nervous and cause a slip up.
"To be honest, I….uh...I like you...a lot!" Luca said to quickly and with no feeling.
"You wouldn't be the first traitor to have feelings for me." Kendra said coldly, friendly manner gone.
"Excuse me?" Elin said, sounding less sarcastic and more confused.
"Luca, tell me why I would receive a...tip...of sorts that you are a traitor? That you are gonna steal the sword?"
"Holy shit...you were serious?!" Elin yelled at Luca. "I thought you had just drank too much!"
"He talked to you about this?" Kendra asked watching Luca as his eyes darted everywhere but Elin and Kendra's eyes.
"Yes. That's what we were arguing about just now! He wanted to steal the sword and run! I told him he was drunk and crazy!"
"My god...so it is true?" Kendra said to Luca.
"You wouldn't understand!"
"Is someone making you do this Luca?"
"You don't get it!"
"Answer the question Luca."
"I don't need to explain myself to you!"
"That's it. I'm going to go get someone." Elin scoffed. Quick as a mouse trap Luca pulled a knife out from his belt and stabbed Elin in the chest. Kendra quickly unsheathed her own and adopted a defensive stance, pointing her blade at Luca.
"You shouldn't have tried to get help, you cold bitch." Luca spat at his former best friend before turning to face Kendra.
"I don't want to hurt you Kendra."
"You just stabbed your supposed best friend. I don't believe you."
"I never actually liked her to be honest. She was so mean...always belittled me. I don't actually like you like I said earlier, I think you know that, but that doesn't mean I want to hurt you." He put down his knife and raised his hands.
"How am I supposed to know you are telling the truth?" Kendra said keeping the knife in front of her, not liking how close he was. Luca sighed and lowered his hands.
"You don't." Before she could react, a punch was flying toward her face, took the knife from her and slashed out at her with it. The knife sliced her right above her collarbone, causing her to fall and hiss from the searing pain. He missed her jugular at least.
"Fucking hell Luca." She seethed, getting up off the ground. Kendra charged at Luca's retreating figure, launching herself at him. Her feet slammed into the bigger man's broad shoulders, and as her impact propelled the man forward into the ground, Kendra used his falling figure as a springboard to flip off of, righting herself as she landed.
"Ow fucking dammit!" Luca yelled. Picking himself back up he glared at Kendra but they both hesitated to make a move. They stared each other down, Kendra hoping someone will somehow see them or hear them and come out to investigate. She wished she could contact Bracken.
Luca suddenly charged at her, slashing with the knife he still had out but Kendra dodged it, instead grabbing his outstretched arm by the bicep and wrist and bring it down on her knee at the elbow, effectively breaking it. Luca howled in pain and lashed out in anger, other fist hitting Kendra in the face again before he used his body weight to throw her to the ground, winding and immobilizing her.
Instead of attacking her more like she thought he would he ran right by her, grabbing something out of a bush nearby with his good arm and then running in the direction of the garage. By the time Kendra could breathe or move again he was halfway there. And now she could see what he had grabbed: the sword. He had already stolen it and had hidden it out in the bush, perfect hiding spot for a clean getaway.
Instead of running after him, she ran into the house yelling for help. Once she reached the hall way, Warren came skidding around the corner followed by most of the others. She turned right around leading them back outside, wasting no time with their questions.
"Luca. Traitor. Sword. Garage. GO!" She said, panting from the fight and run. Not to mention she was bleeding quite a lot and felt like she was going to pass the fuck out. Most of the team moved towards the garage but Warren and Bracken stayed behind.
"What happened?!" Warren asked staring at her blood soaked shirt and pulling her collar aside to check the wound.
"Come here, sit." Bracken said, leading her to the porch steps. "Where else are you hurt?"
"Don't worry about me! Go further out into the yard, Luca stabbed Elin. It was a few minutes ago but you still might be able to heal her." Kendra pointed out to where the altercation began. Bracken obeyed and ran out to where she directed him.
"Okay, seriously, what happened?" Warren asked holding his hand down over her wound hard to stop as much blood loss as possible.
"I had a vision again." Kendra said, watching as Warren's eyebrows flew up but other than that had no reaction. "I saw Luca stealing the sword, and on my way to tell someone I noticed him and Elin arguing, so I stepped outside for a second...it all happened so quick."
"Jesus…"
"He stabbed Elin, I had my own knife but he pretended to surrender, even putting his own knife down. But then he punched me and took mine, slashing my chest. I think he was going for my jugular but missed." Kendra noticed as Warren's eyes darkened at that.
"Fucking asshole…"
"Anyway, I ran after him, used the flying kick you taught me-"
"Badass. Nice choice."
"And when he tried to stab me again I grabbed his arm and broke it with my knee...also like you taught me.
"That's my girl!"
"But that just pissed him off, and she he punched me and used his weight to throw me to the ground, which winded me and left me immobilized long enough for him to get halfway to the garage. So I ran in and got you guys." Kendra finished. Bracken made his way back over to them at that moment. Kendra looked at him questioningly but she just got a grim shake of the head.
"Sorry, Kens." Bracken said once he reached them. "He got her right in the heart, she probably died before your fight with Luca was finished."
Kendra sighed. The rest of the group returned as well and she noticed they didn't have Luca with them which meant…
"Son of a bitch was there when we got to the garage but he quickly drove off on his motorcycle. We were gonna give pursuit but noticed he slashed all the tires of the other vehicles. He escaped with the sword." Vanessa spat. Kendra felt like she was going to throw up. What were they going to do?
A/N: It wouldn't be me without a classic cliffhanger ;) Don't worry I won't use them too much anymore but hey can you blame a girl for it? Anyway! Again thank you for all the support, reading your reviews is what really pushed me to start writing again so thank you guys, hearing from you all that you are liking what I'm writing or even just commenting on a part you thought was funny, or even just a well wish. Every review made me smile, so really! Thank you! I will see you all again soon!
