Chapter Twenty-One

Regrouping

Part One

For the last ten miles they had been able to watch the City of Malia slowly draw nearer as they trekked across the scorching desert.  Roxton had gone into a steady trot the last four miles and was breathing heavily as he pressed his back against one of the outer walls, waiting for the other two to catch up.  Veronica was the first to reach him.  "Roxton, over-exerting yourself won't help any."

"Taking our time won't either.  I want to trust your feeling, Veronica, but with Marguerite…I have to run on instinct.  I think Klor will kill her sooner rather later and I won't let that happen."

"Roxton, my boy," Challenger huffed, as he settled in beside the hunter against the wall.  "We all want to get Marguerite and Lillian out alive, but running in blind with rage is foolish.  You must think, man!  We need a way to get in without drawing attention to ourselves.  If Klor knows we've arrived, he may take desperate measures."

"Well, what do you suggest, George?  And think fast, old man.  My wife and daughter are being held captive in there with a crazy sorcerer whose motives are unknown, but certainly sinister."  He took a deep breath.  "And yes, I'm aware that Marguerite isn't my wife.  I don't know why I said that."

"We do," Veronica murmured.

Roxton glanced her way, then, hastily began to walk the perimeter of the wall in search of a way in.  "What does he want with her anyway?  I've never understood why Klor began haunting Marguerite in the first place.  And what the bloody hell does he want Lilly for?  She's merely an infant."

"I wish I could tell you," Challenger commented.  "No one steals a baby without reason.  Yet, I have a feeling it wasn't because he wanted one of his own.  In fact, I've been thinking about that a lot lately.  I'm wondering if he took Lillian in the attempts to lure the rest of us – or a particular member – here."

"But why Lilly and not William…or both of them for that matter.  When he kidnapped Lilly, William was right there in the crib beside her."

"Daughters tend to be a more vulnerable spot," Challenger theorized.  "Yet, Klor knows that we would have done the very same vice versa.  Your son is just as cherished.  So…I'm sorry, John.  I just don't know."

"It's all right, George.  How can anyone understand a madman?"  He paused in front of a three-story steel door.  It had no handles.  "Now how the hell do we open this damn thing?"

Veronica scanned the area.  Her eyes fell on a lever partially covered in sand.  "There," she said, pointing.

"Ah," Roxton reached for the lever.  "The doorbell."  He yanked it down.

In an instant, the ground swallowed them and the three were spiraling down a tunnel along with a mound of sand.  Roxton tumbled in a free-fall, his right knee clipping him in the jaw and his foot slamming into his thigh.  He rolled roughly out of the tunnel and onto the ground, smacking his head against a bush.  He slowly sat up, peering around him.  "You two all right?"

"I believe so," Challenger winced.  I'm really getting too old for this, he thought nonchalantly.

"I'm all right," Veronica piped up, examining a scrap on her arm.

Roxton nodded his approval, his eyes scanning around him until his vision caught sight of a light tan hat.  He scrambled over, snatching the hat in his right hand.  "This is Marguerite's hat!  She must've gotten in the same way we did."  He looked around, worry rolling in the pit of his stomach.  "There's another set of prints here.  From look of it, there was a struggle."  

A sharp cry startled the explorers.  Roxton stared up in the direction of a window in a building a few yards away.  The shriek had turned into sobbing and Roxton's heart clenched viciously.  It was Lillian's cries.  Infuriated, he leapt to his feet and sped off with Veronica and Challenger struggling to keep up with the adrenaline-pumped father as he sprinted toward his daughter.

"Lillian!"  He screamed, as he burst into the lower floor, his body whipping around violently, searching for his daughter.  He raced up the stairs and thrust open one door after another.  He slammed open the fourth door and his heart leapt to his throat.  He rushed into the room and picked up the crying baby.  "Oh, Lilly, my darling."  He caressed every inch of the kicking baby and was relieved to find her unharmed.

"I knew you would come," seethed a voice from the corner of the room.

Roxton gradually turned to face the enemy.  "How much power did it take for you to figure that out?"  He glanced towards the door, but Challenger and Veronica had yet to catch up.

Klor stepped closer, chuckling.  "They have been captured by my guards.  Did you honestly think your mission would be this simple?  I knew the moment you had arrived…thanks to your jungle friend, Veronica.  She was sending off…sensations.  She has yet to learn how to control her power."

Roxton narrowed his eyes.  "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Veronica is special, Lord Roxton.  So is your beloved Margaret."  He stared pointedly at Lillian.  "So is your precious daughter, Lillian.  In fact, Lillian is more valuable to me than any of you.  She holds the power.  Though, I am sure your son has some power in him as well.  Yet, the magic of Marguerite's bloodline tends to run more strongly in the women."

"I don't know what the bloody hell you're talking about," Roxton hissed, clenching Lillian more securely against his chest.  "Yet, I don't believe a word of it."

"I was not really expecting you too.  However, that is not what is important.  What is vital to this situation is that I kill you.  I will not let you or your friends destroy my plan.  I have waited many years for someone to come along who could free us, and I will not let you ruin it!"

Two bulky men entered room, each grabbing one of his arms.  Klor stepped over and snatched Lillian from him.  Roxton saw red and he thrashed against his restraints.  "You leave her alone, damn you!"

Klor nodded to one of the men who then slammed his fist against Roxton's temple, knocking him out cold.

Part Two

His head was pounding.  He tried shaking the cobwebs away, but it brought on more pain.  Moaning, he rolled onto his back and forced his eyes to part.  He could hear mumblings, but was unable to make anything out.  Groaning, he disciplined his body to sit up and look around him.  His eyes caught site of a flash of black hair before he was able to focus.  "Marguerite?"

"Yes, John, I'm here."

Roxton folded her into a tight embrace.  "Dear God, Marguerite, I was so worried about you."  He kissed the top of her head.  "What in the bloody hell happened to you?"

Marguerite smoothed her palm over his cheek.  "I had this overpowering urge to leave.  Somehow I knew where to go and I just left.  When I got here Hoshi, one of Klor's servants, confronted me.  Then, Klor used his power to intimidate me.  He later returned with Lillian and told me the most absurd story.  He really is mad."

"What did he tell you?"

Marguerite glanced over at Veronica.  "Veronica, please, come here.  You, too, George."  When the other two approached, Marguerite licked her lips and sighed heavily.  "Klor made some rather bold, crazy statements.  He said that my mother was a witch and my father a sorcerer.  He then told me that Veronica's mother was a witch and her a father a normal mortal."  She peered down at her hands.  "In fact, Veronica and I share the same mother."

Veronica gasped and leaned against Challenger for support.

Marguerite stared up at her presumably half-sister.  "He and his people were cast away by – for sake of argument – our mother many years ago.  He claims that the only way to break the bound is if someone from her bloodline undoes the spell.  That's why he wanted Lillian.  He knew neither Veronica nor I would ever help him.  Besides, we are older and it would take us longer to tap into our power.  Lillian, however, is young and vulnerable."

"Remarkable," Challenger muttered.  "If to assume that Klor is correct…this is astounding."

"So you're saying Klor won't harm Lilly," Roxton questioned hopefully.

"No, but he will kill us.  You and George will be easy targets.  He's afraid of Veronica and I.  He isn't sure just how developed our powers are.  In truth, I don't think he even knew we had the same mother until I was pregnant.  He never mentioned such a thing when I first encountered him.  He's edgy, I think.  I believe that's why he hasn't killed us yet."

"So, we've bought ourselves some time," Challenger voiced.  "If we can lead him to believe that you have tapped into more power than you have, we may stand a chance.  Lucky for us, they didn't take any of our satchels."  He opened his and withdrew odds and ends.  "Give me your bags.  I'll see what I can put together in way of…magic."

End Chapter Twenty-One

Thank you all for all the encouraging reviews.  I hope to only add a few chapters.  I've got an idea rolling around in my head for another story: one completely different from this one and Trusting Danger.  Yet, I don't want to start it until this is done.

By the way, I'll take suggestions on what Challenger can do to fool the sorcerers into thinking Veronica and Marguerite has heightened power.  What can the man of genius do with the simple things one can find in a backpack?  It's not like he could have packed an entire lab!  I'll give credit to whose ever idea I use.