Chapter 18
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"NO! KIRIANA!" Presley cried out, sitting up quickly in his bed, his heart racing.
He had been asleep when he'd somehow heard his best friend's mental cry for help. For a second, he thought it was just a dream, but then he realized that it wasn't. He untangled himself from the sheets and walked over to the nightstand where his amulet lay. He had to contact the others and get out of the house without his mother noticing him slip out and help Kiriana.
He slipped the amulet around his neck and was about to go out the open window when he happened to realize that he was only wearing a loose pair of dark blue sweat pants. Looking slightly embarrassed even though no one else could see this, he threw on a shirt and slipped out of the window. He took off running towards the Sphinx the second his feet hit the ground.
It didn't take him long to reach the Sphinx. He opened the front door and darted quickly inside, shouting for the others to wake up. Natalie and Eric were the first to emerge, the Princess and other Guardians close behind them.
"Presley? What are you doing here this late?" Natalie asked sleepily.
Immediately he launched into a hurried explanation. "It's Kiriana. She's gone! I think Scarab has her! I heard her cry out for help, and then nothing. We have to find her!" he said in a rush that the others, in their half-awake states, only barely caught.
"Whoa, wait a minute, Presley. Slow down. What's wrong?" Valieus asked, trying to calm the boy down.
Presley took a deep breath and tried to calm his racing heart. "Kiriana's gone. I woke up when I heard her cry out for help. I think Scarab has her," he explained, a bit slower this time.
Nefertina gave him a confused look. "What are you talking about? She's right there on the couch," she said, apparently not having noticed the vacant aforementioned couch.
But Eric had. He cursed softly under his breath. "No, she's not, Nefertina. She's gone. I told her not to leave, it was too dangerous. She obviously didn't listen to me," he said, though his anger was directed more at Scarab than his daughter, really.
"We don't know for sure that she actually left, Eric. She might have been taken from here," Lakira spoke up.
"How could Scarab get in here, though? He doesn't know where we are. And besides, there aren't any signs here of a struggle," Armon pointed out.
"We can figure it out later. Right now we have to find her before Scarab has the chance to do anything to the poor girl," Sierra said, stepping forward with her hands resting on her hip.
JaKal nodded. "She's right. We'll split up and look for her. He couldn't have taken her too far. Rath, Nefertina, Eric and Natalie will go one way, Armon, Lakira, Sierra and Valieus will go another, and I'll fly overhead and look for her," he said, taking charge of the situation.
"What about me?" Presley asked, desperate to help.
Rath shook his head. "No, it's too dangerous. It could be a trap and we don't need to lose you as well," he said sternly.
Presley's jaw dropped to the floor. "What? Rath, she's my best friend. I'm not going to sit here and do nothing while he tortures her. Don't you think this whole overprotective bit is getting just a little old?" he practically shouted.
Eric put his hand on Presley's shoulder to calm him before anything else could be said. "Don't worry, we'll find her. She'll be fine," he assured the agitated teenager with more confidence than he really felt at the moment. //Or there's going to be one dead sorcerer if she's hurt// he thought, but didn't bother to voice that particular thought.
Presley started to protest vehemently, but the others were already halfway out the door. Seething, he sat down on the couch, his arms crossed over his chest and an angry scowl on his face as he watched them leave.
TBC...MWA HA HA!!! Will the others find her in time? I'm not telling, so you'll just have to find out for yourselves...lol. ::Grins:: Let me know what you think so far.
~*Celestia Vitaria*~
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"NO! KIRIANA!" Presley cried out, sitting up quickly in his bed, his heart racing.
He had been asleep when he'd somehow heard his best friend's mental cry for help. For a second, he thought it was just a dream, but then he realized that it wasn't. He untangled himself from the sheets and walked over to the nightstand where his amulet lay. He had to contact the others and get out of the house without his mother noticing him slip out and help Kiriana.
He slipped the amulet around his neck and was about to go out the open window when he happened to realize that he was only wearing a loose pair of dark blue sweat pants. Looking slightly embarrassed even though no one else could see this, he threw on a shirt and slipped out of the window. He took off running towards the Sphinx the second his feet hit the ground.
It didn't take him long to reach the Sphinx. He opened the front door and darted quickly inside, shouting for the others to wake up. Natalie and Eric were the first to emerge, the Princess and other Guardians close behind them.
"Presley? What are you doing here this late?" Natalie asked sleepily.
Immediately he launched into a hurried explanation. "It's Kiriana. She's gone! I think Scarab has her! I heard her cry out for help, and then nothing. We have to find her!" he said in a rush that the others, in their half-awake states, only barely caught.
"Whoa, wait a minute, Presley. Slow down. What's wrong?" Valieus asked, trying to calm the boy down.
Presley took a deep breath and tried to calm his racing heart. "Kiriana's gone. I woke up when I heard her cry out for help. I think Scarab has her," he explained, a bit slower this time.
Nefertina gave him a confused look. "What are you talking about? She's right there on the couch," she said, apparently not having noticed the vacant aforementioned couch.
But Eric had. He cursed softly under his breath. "No, she's not, Nefertina. She's gone. I told her not to leave, it was too dangerous. She obviously didn't listen to me," he said, though his anger was directed more at Scarab than his daughter, really.
"We don't know for sure that she actually left, Eric. She might have been taken from here," Lakira spoke up.
"How could Scarab get in here, though? He doesn't know where we are. And besides, there aren't any signs here of a struggle," Armon pointed out.
"We can figure it out later. Right now we have to find her before Scarab has the chance to do anything to the poor girl," Sierra said, stepping forward with her hands resting on her hip.
JaKal nodded. "She's right. We'll split up and look for her. He couldn't have taken her too far. Rath, Nefertina, Eric and Natalie will go one way, Armon, Lakira, Sierra and Valieus will go another, and I'll fly overhead and look for her," he said, taking charge of the situation.
"What about me?" Presley asked, desperate to help.
Rath shook his head. "No, it's too dangerous. It could be a trap and we don't need to lose you as well," he said sternly.
Presley's jaw dropped to the floor. "What? Rath, she's my best friend. I'm not going to sit here and do nothing while he tortures her. Don't you think this whole overprotective bit is getting just a little old?" he practically shouted.
Eric put his hand on Presley's shoulder to calm him before anything else could be said. "Don't worry, we'll find her. She'll be fine," he assured the agitated teenager with more confidence than he really felt at the moment. //Or there's going to be one dead sorcerer if she's hurt// he thought, but didn't bother to voice that particular thought.
Presley started to protest vehemently, but the others were already halfway out the door. Seething, he sat down on the couch, his arms crossed over his chest and an angry scowl on his face as he watched them leave.
TBC...MWA HA HA!!! Will the others find her in time? I'm not telling, so you'll just have to find out for yourselves...lol. ::Grins:: Let me know what you think so far.
~*Celestia Vitaria*~
