Emma walked forward towards them. They took a few steps back. She smirked. She walked forward a few more paces before she blew. The wind from her mouth came out strong and knocked everyone down.
While they were down, she swiped the air again. The fire shot out of her hand and brushed them. Olivia and Fidelio coughed violently and Lysander shielded Billy from the heat.
"We have to fight her back," Charlie choked, coughing into his sleeve.
"But it's Emma," Tancred protested.
Emma laughed. "You still don't see it, do you?"
Tancred gritted his teeth.
Out of nowhere, a long silver staff appeared in Emma's hand. She twirled it around and slammed the butt of it down into the earth. It made a large crack. The crack zig zagged its way to the group, widening every inch it went. "Get out of the way!" Tancred yelled as he dove.
Charlie wrapped his arms around Olivia's waist and threw them out of harm's way. Lysander grabbed Billy and jumped off. Gabriel and Fidelio staggered back. Everyone was on their feet, watching Emma warily. She just smiled at them sweetly. She gave them a small wave.
Confused, they glanced hastily around. The next second Charlie was up in the air. He had been shot up by the earth itself. "Charlie!" Olivia yelled.
Charlie whirled back down to earth. His arms and legs flailed around uselessly as he tried to regain his balance. He reached out and grabbed onto a tree branch and successfully slowed his fall and received a tree burn.
He dropped down with a grunt and wiped his red hands on his pants. "I'm fine," he said as Olivia made her way to him.
"That's great she could send any one of us flying in the air." Gabriel muttered.
"Now what?" Billy asked in a small voice.
"We run," said Fidelio.
Turning back, they fled deeper into the forest.
Emma kicked off the ground, her wings flapping silently as she flew. Tracking them down was easy. She took the water out of the air. The water weaved and danced around as she summoned a huge amount. Freezing it, she hurled the giant ice ball to them.
Fidelio glanced up and screamed, "Watch out!"
He stopped and slid behind the closest tree. The ball of ice exploded as it touched the ground, projecting shards of razor sharp ice in every direction.
Fidelio couldn't explain what was going on in his heart. He wanted to shout, "No!" but his mouth wouldn't allow him to. The dirt landed back on the ground, the ice was no longer in the air, but the icy mist lingered.
As the mist cleared, he ran out from the tree and slid the next couple of feet to the closest body. The grass was slick enough to allow him to slide.
"Billy, Billy!" he shouted, shaking the albino's shoulders. Billy's face was scarred, but not enough to make it serious. His blue cape was torn; it had a wide gap in the lower right. His glasses was slightly cracked but his arm was badly scratched. The blood soaked the grass and Billy's sleeve. There were a few pieces of melting ice in his skin, but they quickly melted off.
"Billy!"
Fidelio heard two groans from above. He looked up and was relieved to see Olivia and Gabriel themselves up.
Olivia's face was unscathed. Her uniform was muddy. She had a huge shard of ice sticking out of her back, right through her cape.
She took a sharp breath and slowly sat down. "Get it off me," she said, biting her lips.
Gabriel reached over, trying to ignore the bloody wound on his head, and tugged at the shard.
Olivia gasped. "Take it out quickly," she ordered. "But don't yank it."
Fidelio looked back down at Billy, who was starting to stir. "Billy!" Fidelio yelled. He shouted in surprise as there was a loud and heavy thud behind him.
Emma had landed, yellow-gold streaks in the air as she landed. They disappeared quickly and reappeared on the ground, racing towards Fidelio. Before he could react or even blink, the streaks sent a hot and painful electrical charge up his legs.
His reflexes made him kick but every time he moved his legs, an even more sharper pain made him stop.
He closed his eyes, his thoughts went to death. Would he die?
The pain finally stopped and his legs were numb. They didn't feel anything anymore, as if he didn't have legs at all. Was he dead yet?
He opened his eyes and saw one of Lysander's ancestors standing right in the path of the streak. The spirit grasped the streak and hurtled it back to Emma. Emma performed an exceptionally well spin kick, kicking the streak back to the ancestor.
While Lysander's other ancestors joined the one battling Emma, Lysander crawled his way to Fidelio and Billy. "Are you alright?" he asked huskily.
"Fine," Fidelio said weakly. "Legs a bit, er, numb."
"Can you move them?"
Fidelio glanced at his legs. They did nothing. "No, they're immobilized." he said wistfully.
"What about Billy?"
Billy woke at the sound of his name. He groaned, pushing himself up. "What's going on?" he murmured, slurring his words.
"He looks fine. What about the others?" said Fidelio.
The three heard Olivia's shriek and automatically looked up. A streak was being shot towards them but one of Lysander's ancestor blocked it at the very last minute with his shield, causing the streak to explode in a million sparks.
Drum beats were getting louder and Lysander held his head. "We gotta get to a safe place," he mumbled.
"Where?" Billy asked.
Olivia and Gabriel crawled over to them. "The ruins," said Gabriel. "It's a total labyrinth down there. She'll never find us."
"Unless if she could make duplicates of herself, then we'll be safe." muttered Lysander.
"We gotta wake the others," said Olivia shakily. "Before Emma gets past your ancestors Lysander,"
"I'll carry Fidelio, Billy, can you walk? Good, Gabe, go wake Tancred. Liv, go wake Charlie." Lysander stood up and scooped up Fidelio.
"I shouldn't be here," said Fidelio sadly. "I'm not endowed."
"She'd go after you whether or not you're endowed." said Lysander firmly. "By yourself, you wouldn't make it. As crazy as it seems, you're safer with us."
Fidelio shook his head but he said nothing.
Tancred had a scratch on his forehead and a bloody ear but he was capable of walking and running. Charlie had a few good size shards in his ribs. They bled but it wasn't too serious, luckily for him.
"To the ruins," said Olivia, tossing a few looks at Emma.
Emma was standing her ground very well, however, she looked aggravated, frustrated that she couldn't get past Lysander's ancestors.
Tancred took the lead, followed by Gabriel and Billy, Olivia, and Lysander and Fidelio. They reached the ruins and rested there for a few minutes.
"How badly are we?" asked Charlie, panting.
"I'm real bad," said Fidelio. "I can't even walk! Much less stand."
"This isn't good, is it?" said Gabriel. "We better get in. We have no idea where Em is."
"It's not Emma." said Tancred dully, leaning against the wall, arms crossed.
"What?"
"That's not Emma. She will never do that. Something bad had taken over her. Emma's not in there. We have to attack her like she's our worst enemy. We have to defend ourselves like we don't trust her at all, like we never knew her."
Everyone was silent, other than the heavy breathing. "Alright, let's go." said Olivia. "The sooner the better."
They ventured into the ruins, careful not to stray away from each other. Charlie could smell the distinct smell of mildew and that old funky stench.
"It's so moist in here," Tancred mumbled.
"Could you do something about it?" asked Fidelio.
"Dunno,"
"What if she caved the whole place in? Would we even make it?" asked Olivia suddenly, hesitating.
Everyone glanced back at her, stopping in their tracks and looking nervously around. "Don't give her any ideas Liv," said Lysander in a low tone.
"Right...sorry." she whispered.
They moved on down the dim hall, careful not to make much noise or disturb the ancient walls.
Every once in a while, when a slight sudden sound was heard from above, behind, or ahead, they'd stop and hold their breaths.
Charlie, as he and the rest ventured further into the darkening ruin, focused randomly on scrapes and bruises on his arms and legs. A gash was pestering him; the one on his left palm. He prodded the wound and suddenly Olivia's hand came slapping down on his right wrist.
"Don't touch it, you're going to infect it," she hissed.
Charlie scoffed. "As if it hasn't already, after lying around in the dirt."
"Shut up," Tancred snapped at them from behind.
"Why is this always happening to us?" Billy mumbled under his breath.
No one answered. Because we're freaks. Charlie thought miserably.
No, we're not. Another voice said firmly.
Charlie sighed. "No idea," he said for everyone to Billy, even though Billy probably knew better.
They rounded a corner and took the left staircase, leading up.
"Be careful around here." Lysander warned carefully.
"Yeah, we don't want anyone falling through the floors." Gabriel said quietly.
The stairs led to a grand and vast room, a few open holes in the roof, wrapped from the outside to the inside with ivy and vines. Sunlight shone into the room and caused everyone to squint.
"What is this place?" Fidelio murmured, his eyes scanning the walls. His voice echoed merely.
"I've never been here." said Olivia. "In the games I always searched in the downstairs area."
"I've been upstairs a lot and I never found this room." said Billy.
"Hey, look at that." Charlie whispered, jogging to the other side where a torn and weather tapestry hung.
"Whoa, that's still there? This must be a million years old." Tancred whispered, joining Charlie.
Charlie reached out and felt the loose threads that stuck out at the edges. The tapestry was blue and silver, with smudges around it. It showed a powerful silver bird with its wings spread. In its talons was a spear with ancient symbols on them. In its beak was...
A golden rose.
Below the bird was a motto in a completely different language: Vos pugna pro diligo
"What language is that?" Lysander asked.
No one spoke up. It was a mystery.
They jumped when the ceiling behind them caved and a strong wind overlapped them. The tapestry fluttered and dropped to the floor.
They tossed a glance behind and their hearts froze. Emma had found them. With her staff raised and her eyes ablaze, she gave a brief war cry and flung the staff in their direction.
Charlie could see, like in slow motion, that when the staff spun, spikes emerged from the surface of the rounded stick.
His instincts told him to duck, his reflexes, however, made him want to slide in front of Olivia.
Confused on which to follow, and confused on what the difference between an instinct and a reflex (though if you sit and think about it it's not really that hard to figure out), he stayed where he was, throwing out his right arm in front of Olivia and also squatting his legs for a duck.
His instincts was more accurate than his reflexes. Olivia had ducked, leaving his arm hanging above her head. Charlie was grateful that he ducked because the spinning staff of spikes whooshed over their heads and slammed into the stone wall, knocking down many gritty bricks.
The dust aroused slightly. Charlie's heart raced. His head felt the rush of the blood. The feeling of losing someone kept his insides in a cage. As long as she was out there, no one was safe.
Someone was prodding his toe. He shifted his feet but then a hand grabbed it.
"Don't move," a voice hissed, barely audible to Charlie, who's head was still spinning.
How he managed to keep from yelling out in pain after the next couple of minutes he could not recall. After the hiss, he held in his gasps as sharp pointed spikes penetrated his skin. Drops of blood inched out onto the surface of his skin and drizzled down his arms and face.
He bit his lips and yanked the spikes out. He knew some of his friends were doing the same as well.
Not until he saw that the dust had dropped, some people were missing. Emma was gone, so that was a relief. Only, he didn't know where Fidelio, Tancred, and Gabriel went.
"Where'd they go?" Olivia whispered, her weary eyes glanced around suspiciously.
"You don't think she took them, did she?" Billy muttered.
"Billy, I think you should go back to the academy. It's safer there," Lysander said, brushing off dirt from his pants.
"I don't want to go by myself," he said in a small voice.
Charlie felt a small push from behind. He jumped but his face broke out into a relieved grin. "The Flames!" he exclaimed. "Haven't seen you guys since last week."
Aries pawed at Charlie for a moment. Leo and Sagittarius paced around Billy, who was listening attentively to their words.
"They say they'll watch after me." he breathed. "They can't do much, since they say that something powerful and almost impossible to break has something to do with Emma."
"As long as you get to Bloor's safely." said Olivia firmly. "Oh you three never let me down."
Aries left Charlie and joined the other two. Billy reluctantly followed them, Sagittarius leading the way, Leo right by Billy's side and Aries behind Billy.
"Be careful," Charlie mouthed to Billy, who pushed his glasses back into place as they loosely sat on the bridge of his nose.
"Where could the others be?" Olivia sighed, examining one of the spikes that hit her. She gasped as they melted in her hands. She shook the hot metal off of her hand and pinched her fingertips, hoping to numb the pain.
The three looked themselves over and are relieved to find that none of them were hurt badly. Yes, it still hurt but it was nothing compared to what they had gone through in the past, even though they would most likely agree this would be their most horrible encounter.
Lysander's head jerked up as if her heard something.
"Outside," he hissed, looking over the treetops from the hole in the wall that Emma had made.
A couple of bricks fell as Olivia and Charlie knelt beside Lysander, trying to get a better look.
Bright yellow, red, green, blue, and white flashes were to be seen in the forest, jumping from one place to another place a few trees or more over in any which direction.
Charlie saw, distantly, dark figures running and ducking behind trees and around them, holding each other tightly and fighting back with what they could do. From what Charlie was aware of, only Tancred was capable of attacking.
"How'd they get down there so quickly?"
Olivia's voice brought Charlie back to reality.
"Dunno, but it doesn't matter," Lysander said, wiping sweat from his face. The three could hear the familiar beating of the drums. "All that matters is that we have to protect our friends."
Charlie and Olivia nodded. Lysander leaned forward and jumped out through the hole. Charlie gaped as Olivia shrieked.
"That maniac!" she said, her voice telling Charlie that she thought that it was one of the most craziest thing.
"Not really, makes sense." said Charlie. "Two stories isn't all that bad Liv." That was the last thing he said to her before he kicked off with his foot and dove towards the ground.
Luckily, he landed roughly in the bushes below. He scrambled out of them, in time for Olivia to be caught by them.
"You okay?" he hissed, keeping his profile low.
"I'm fine," said Olivia, smiling slightly. "That was actually kinda fun.
"Don't even think about it," Charlie muttered grimly at her as he noticed that her eyes traveled to the third and fourth floor areas of the ruins.
Olivia scoffed. "I wasn't."
Their discussion was interrupted by a combustion.
The smell of burning made them run towards the fight.
Emma had her staff again, in hand as Tancred was blocking each devastating blow with a sturdy looking tree branch.
Each time Emma's staff knocked against the branch, Tancred was forced to back away.
"I could use some help over here!" he yelled at the top of his lungs.
He had received his wish.
Chanting rang in their ears as spears were being raised and blocks were being performed.
Tancred stumbled back and leaned against a tree. His palms were red and sweaty and he groaned. "Never knew Em had so much muscle in her."
"This isn't good," said Fidelio, holding his legs.
"Still can't walk?" Olivia asked.
Fidelio shook his head.
"We have to get those who can't fight back to the school." said Gabriel.
"But that would only leave Tanc and Sander. We can't leave them alone fighting for their lives." Charlie said angrily.
"But we can't afford to lose friends either." said Fidelio.
"But there's a better chance of these two getting beat up, no offense guys but come on." Charlie added.
"Offense taken," Tancred joked.
Olivia rolled her eyes. "Great time to be joking around," she panted.
Lysander held his head for a while. "They aren't going to last long anymore, and she looks like she's winning. We have to move, now."
"Where?" everyone chorused, exasperated.
"Where else?"
"What, the city? Yeah, let the public get a taste of what we endowed have to put up with. Terrify the pedestrians, blow up a bunch of buildings that will cost fortunes to fix. Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's better than the forest where nothing will be hit but trees and no one else has to get wrapped up in this mess." Olivia said tonelessly.
"Yeah, and risk the Red King's life." said Tancred pointedly.
Olivia frowned, thinking. "So, risk the city or risk the Red King."
They threw hurried glances back at Emma. The Ancestors were struggling, Emma was advancing. They were only a few yards away, all huddled around a tree.
"The Red King is only one tree near the school." said Charlie. "If we go further into the forest then it should be safer."
They agreed.
But they didn't see it happening.
The next thing that everyone knew was a great burst of heat and a blinding storm of dirt and red.
Charlie felt the hard floor. The impact knocked the air out of him. He glanced up and saw Lysander, Olivia, and Gabriel running as fast as they could in the other direction. Dazed, he struggled to get up on his feet.
Tancred helped him up, clutching his arm, where the sleeve was soaked red.
"What happened?" Charlie managed to sputter.
"No time, get out of here, run the opposite way. Em can't chase us if we're separated." Tancred growled.
As soon as Charlie was up, Tancred heaved Fidelio up.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" he asked as he glanced back. "Run!"
The two of them dashed from the tree, a black burn on its side. Running on a flat surface was easy, but running up and down, jumping and sliding, it made it difficult, and even more difficult for Tancred.
They arrived at a lake that neither of them knew was there. The lake sat placid, the faded sunbeams reflected on the glassy water.
Tancred rested Fidelio on the shore, panting heavily. "Are you okay?" he asked Fidelio.
"I'm good." said Fidelio.
"Is she going to catch us or are we safe?" asked Charlie wading into the lake for refreshment.
Tancred was still panting, watching the trees and bushes. He shook his head and flinched. "Probably not." he said.
He sat down and tore off his sleeve. Charlie waded out of the water and plopped down next to Tancred and Fidelio. "What happened to your arm?" he asked.
Tancred gazed at it as if he was in a trance. "That one explosion." he said blankly.
"What hit you? I mean it was just an explosion out of thin air. It couldn't have thrown up some kind of scarp metal. Only force." said Fidelio.
"I don't know."
The three boys looked away from each other, their stomachs falling into a pit. A crunching sound from behind made them look around, alarmed.
"Tancred! Charlie! Fidelio!" a voice cried happily.
Tancred's expression brightened. "Sander!" he choked.
Lysander walked out from the trees, closely followed by Olivia and Gabriel.
"How'd you find us?" Charlie asked.
"We followed the Queen." said Gabriel.
"She's here? Where is she? We need help, we gotta get Emma out of this." Fidelio piped up, looking around.
"She vanished after she reached that tree," said Lysander, pointing back at the huge crooked tree.
They spent the next few minutes resting and planning. "How can we stop her? How did she become like this?" Charlie said.
"You know, after all of that time, we never had the time to think." said Olivia.
"Yeah, but now that we;re thinking, I think I know who did this." said Tancred darkly.
"Who?" everyone asked immediately.
"Elijah," he growled.
"How can he do this?" Gabriel asked.
"He mind controls. Is it possible that he can make you think that you're some kind of creature and your body actually makes it happen?" Tancred pondered.
"I'm not sure but whatever he may be doing it's dangerous." said Lysander.
"And how do we stop her then?"
It took a few seconds for Olivia to think up of something. "Maybe, if Tanc's right about Elijah mind controlling Emma, then maybe we can scare his mind out."
"What?"
Olivia gave Tancred a look. "Listen, if Elijah's mind did it, then do something that is related to what he fears the most, then maybe his mind will withdraw."
"That's crazy," said Tancred.
"Yes, but it's worth a try." said Olivia firmly.
"So, what does that mean?" asked Fidelio.
Lysander frowned. "Tancred,"
Tancred glance up at Lysander. "What?"
"You have to strike Emma down."