Chapter Twenty-one: Jake's Plan

"What are we going to do? If we get caught we'll get maimed!" Connor said dramatically.

Carly hit her husband in the head. "Stop being negative, you dickhead!" she growled. Connor fell silent.

"I have an idea," Jake said making his quarrelling friends shut their mouths.

"What idea?" Grace asked.

"We need to find out where Riv is keeping them captive first. Then, we get to the cave, cut down the guards-" Jake was interrupted by Norm.

"Who said anything about a cave? We don't even know where they are," Norm sympathised.

"It's an example, Norm." Jake said rounding on his friend making him fall silent like Connor and Carly had a few seconds earlier. "Anyway, can I continue?" Jake asked.

"Go ahead," Norm said stiffly.

"Thank you," Jake said before turning to face his friends again. "We will then rescue them and then we will get them to safety." Jake finished.

"Um, slight problem," Carly said making Jake turn around. "What about if Riv catches on to what we're planning? He'll kill Neytiri and Mo'at if he knows,"

"Well, we won't allow him to find out what we're planning." Jake said confidently though deep down he wasn't quite sure whether this was such a good idea after all.

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Riv pushed his aunt, grandmother, Nia and Hu'tu at knife point towards a cave on top of a nearby cave overlooking the beach and the tree in which Jake and Neytiri lived.

"Keep going!" Riv hissed.

"Mother, I'm scared," Neytiri whimpered to her mother.

"It will be alright, just keep moving and do not show that you feel weak," Mo'at whispered lower enough so that Riv couldn't hear her.

"I do feel weak," Neytiri whimpered wanting to cry.

"I know you do. I do too but we have keep strong for the sake of your child," Mo'at whispered.

Neytiri felt her stomach roll over. She was frightened not only for herself but her child too.

Please rescue us my Jake, Neytiri's mind screamed.

After fifteen minutes of walking, Neytiri's feet felt sore and swollen. She wanted to collapse and not get up but she kept going. Suddenly Riv pushed her and her mother into a darkened space. It was big and the ground felt wet. Neytiri could feel her hands being forced behind her back and tied up. Mo'at could feel her hands being tied together with her daughter's.

Neytiri's knees finally gave way and she and her mother fell to the hard, wet cave floor.

Nia cried out, "Do not fall, Neytiri! Don't!" she sobbed.

'"It is alright Nia. I am fine," Neytiri said force back tears.

"Struggle all you want. The tide with peak into this cave at sunset tonight and it will rise over your heads and you will drown," Riv cackled evilly and walked out of the cave before alerting two of his most stupid and foolhardy warriors to stand guard.

"Oh Jake please hurry!" Neytiri said to the empty air.

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"Riv took them to a cave above where you live," Bec informed her brother via headset from Hell's Gate.

"Thanks, sissy," Jake said. "Over,"

"Jake, just be careful. You don't know how many guards will be standing guard out there. They would have set traps and ambushes out there. Over," Bec said sounding rather concerned.

"I know Becky, but this is Neytiri and our baby we're talking about here. Not to mention Mo'at too. We can't give up on them now," Jake replied.

"I know. You won't give up and you'll stop at nothing to find them. If it were me out there, Tom would have done the same thing," Bec replied smugly.

"Yeah. Is there anything else you want to say before we start this godforsaken plan?" Jake asked.

"Oh yeah there is. At sunset today the cave is scheduled to flood when the tide comes in so you'll have to hurry," Bec said with even more concern.

Jake's brain was now working overtime to come up with a way to take down the warriors and the traps that he and his companions might face.

"Thanks Bec."

"No problem. I just wish I could be there to help," Bec had really wanted to be involved with her sister-in-law's rescue but Trudy and Max had persuaded her to stay behind and be the informative.

"You would be if you weren't a few weeks away from giving birth," Jake said.

Bec laughed. "Yeah well you're right about that. Oh gotta go. If you need anything just call," Bec said before disconnecting the line.

"Jake! Nia and Hu'tu are missing too!" Norm said running through the doorway of the tree.

"Riv must have taken them hostage too." Jake worked out.

"I did manage to find Ja'la though," Norm said as Nia's sister stepped to his side.

"Olo'eyktan," bowed before Jake. "I have information concerning your mate, her mother and my sister and brother-in-law,"

"What do you know?" Jake asked urgently.

"A lot of wild warriors including warriors from the Omaticaya came in and took Nia and Hu'tu without any reason of doing so," Ja'la said.

"That would explain why the warriors have gone missing," Grace cut in.

"Please find my sister. She is the only family I have left," Ja'la said her eyes full of tears.

"Don't worry, we'll find her and Hu'tu and bring back safety," Norm said reassuringly.

"Thank you to you all. I only wish I could be of more assistance," Ja'la said thankfully.

"Actually, there is. Rumour has it, that you are the best tracker in the clan. Could you find this cave that is near here?" Jake asked.

"Yes, I can. I know where it is. It might be a bit of a climb but I think you will manage," Ja'la said with a wide grin.

"Great! Let's go!" Jake said starting to head towards the doorway.

"Wait," Carly said making everyone stop in their tracks. "What about the traps and ambushes?"

"We will handle them when we get to them," Ja'la said. "Let us go," Jake picked up his mate's bow from the floor and stared at it. His mind was urging his body to hurry and find his missing pregnant mate.

"Let's go," he said urgently pulling his own bow and Neytiri's onto his back.

Ja'la and Norm nodded before they along with Connor, Carly and Grace picked up their makeshift weapons and backpacks of supplies and filed out of the tree.

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In the cave it there was a state of panic as the water started rising up the cliff and into the dark cave.

"Oh no!" Neytiri shrieked as water started to come up to her feet. She frantically looked around for a way to get to get out. She struggled to free her hands and was unable to.

"Neytiri stop! You will hurt me as well as yourself," her mother cried.

Neytiri stopped struggling. Her mother's words were true. Jake wouldn't have wanted her to get herself into trouble that might harm their child.

Jake hurry! Neytiri's mind screamed out.

"Keep calm," Nia said her voice echoed around the tiny space.

"Keep calm? Keep calm?" Neytiri cried. "How can we keep calm when we are about to die?" Neytiri cried again. She had to fight back tears. How could she have been so blind to believe that Riv wasn't going to get his revenge? She thought the Omaticaya would have been safe under Jake's rule, clearly she was wrong.

"Neytiri calm down!" Hu'tu cried.

Neytiri didn't speak up.

"How could I be so foolish?" Neytiri sighed in defeat. "Riv wanted me out of the way so he could get to Jake."

"This is not your fault, child," Mo'at soothed.

"Yes it is," Neytiri said he voice was heavy with regret. "If I had not promised Sylwanin that I would raise her son as my own, none of this would be happening,"

Mo'at remained silent. She wanted to blame herself for her grandson's downfall. But she couldn't blame her daughter. She tried her hardest to bring him up not to think of vengeance.

"Let's pray Jake comes to rescue us," Nia said under her breath.

"I heard that," Neytiri was rather annoyed that her best friend would doubt Jake's ability to save them.

"Sorry," Nia immediately felt guilty for saying that she had lost faith in Toruk Makto.

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Jake and company walked through the thick shrubs getting themselves tangled in the thorns.

"Ow!" Norm yelped after falling face first into a thorn bush.

"Not much fun back there is it?" Connor called back.

"Shut the fuck up, Connor," Norm hissed as he pulled thorns out of his butt.

Connor held back a snigger before receiving an elbow to the ribs from Carly.

"Ah!" Connor yelped. "What the hell was that for?"

"Will you three shut up? We've only been walking five minutes," Jake and Ja'la stopped and turned to see their three friends covered in thorns and Connor rubbing his sore ribs from his wife's elbowing.

"They started it!" The three chorused pointing at each other.

"Do they always act like children?" Ja'la asked Jake.

"Always," Jake said with raised eyebrows aimed at his friends.

"Come on, we need to keep moving. It's almost sundown," Jake said, his voice was almost completely frantic with worry.

"We will find them," Ja'la said placing a comforting hand on Jake's shoulder.

Jake smiled weakly before nodding. He couldn't give up hope in finding Neytiri alive.

"Let's keep going," Jake said.

Connor and Norm looked at each other, threw back their heads in annoyance and continued to follow like a circus troupe.

"Question, Jake," Norm panted.

"Yeah?" Jake called back.

"Once we get to wherever we're going how are we going to get up there?"

"We climb. Simple. Oh and we are going to a cliff," Jake verified.

"Oh, great," Norm mumbled.

Jake's mind filled with nothing but worry. If anything had happened to Neytiri or the baby he would never be able to forgive himself. He would hunt Riv down and kill him if necessary. He knew that if Riv had half a heart, he would let his aunt and grandmother go but it was clear to Jake that the boy wouldn't let up easier. There was one way to get this boy to let up his grasp for vengeance and that was to give an offer he couldn't refuse.

"Have a little more faith in me, Norm," Jake said smugly trying to lighten the tension between the group.

"Oh I do, believe me," Norm said nervously.

"Right," Jake called back sarcastically.

"Grace has told me not to trust your matter of thinking," Norm called back equally as sarcastic.

"Grace would say that. She still envies me for getting passage into the clan," Jake called back. Carly and Connor rolled their eyes. They had heard the story a million times before.

Norm laughed. "If only that were true,"

"Wait, stop," Ja'la said suddenly.

Everyone stopped suddenly.

"What?" Jake asked.

"It is an ambush," Ja'la pointed to the tree behind them. Jake looked up to see vine made rope hanging from the branches.

"How do we disarm it?" Carly asked.

Ja'la smiled before using kicking the tree trunk. The rope fell from the branches and landed in a heap at Ja'la's feet.

"Wow. How'd you know that the trap was there?" Connor asked.

"Instinct," Ja'la said simply.

"That's what make her so good at what she does," Jake said. "Now come on,"

"Let's hope this is the only one we come across," Norm muttered to Carly.

"Oh no my dear Norman," Ja'la said as she picked up the rope. "There will be a lot more," she looked up and smiled slightly before turning back around and continued to walk.

"Hey, I think she fancies you, man," Connor said nudging his friend's arm.

"Oh shut up. Too bad I'm taken," Norm said smugly. From the front of the group, Ja'la smirked.

"Can we get back to the situation at hand please?" Jake called back.

"Sure thing," Norm called back.

Five more minutes passed before Ja'la stopped again.

"Another trap?" Jake asked.

Ja'la nodded. "This time, we need to climb to disarm it,"

"I'll go," Jake said as he started towards the tree before Ja'la grabbed his arm.

"No, do not. If this trap is triggered it may kill you and I do not think Neytiri will want to raise your child alone. I will go," Ja'la knowing Jake wouldn't be able to say no if Neytiri and the baby were involved.

He nodded and stepped aside. Ja'la started to climb and was quick to disarm the trap.

"It is disarmed!" Ja'la called down.

"Great!" Jake called up to her. Ja'la climbed back down and the friends continued to walk.

"Are we there yet?" Connor asked.

"Yeah we're there," Jake said.

Connor, Norm and Carly looked up to see a massive cliff face.

"You have got to be kidding," Connor said. "You're really expecting us to climb all the way up there?"

"Yep," Jake said as he started to climb before he stopped. "Hey, guys, the wall's wet," Norm reached up and touch the wall.

"The tide is rising, we need to get up there now!" he said as he placed a foot on a rock sticking out of the cliff face.

The friends started to climb. Their hands continued to hit wet rocks but they kept going. Jake would have crossed his fingers if he could to see Neytiri, Mo'at, Hu'tu and Nia alive.