Chapter 29
Meanwhile
10 hours earlier
Third Person
The three Weird Sisters looked at each in surprise. They rushed to their seeing pool and saw that Talia, the Halfling princess, was imprisoned in an iron cell. However, she was not being poisoned at the rate she should have been. In fact, she seemed to be slowing it down.
"How is this possible?! Not even Oberon is able to change iron!" Seline, the black haired sister, shouted.
"She has not broken the rules." Phoebe, the blond, shook her head. "I do not know how, but she has not."
"Her power must be tempered, balance must be restored." Luna, the white haired one, watched Talia closely. Trying to find any sort of hint as to what she was doing differently.
Third Person End
7 hours earlier
Adri's POV
I frowned as I checked my phone again. Did her alarm not go off? It was 11 o' clock. She's really good about texting me after she gets up. She didn't seem depressed or sick last night either. I went up to her apartment and unlocked the door.
"Talia, babe, it's time to get up." I called. There was no answer. I opened her bedroom door. "Tal-"
Her window was fully open and the screen was popped out. The blankets were tossed aside. Her phone was charging on the nightstand. I walked a little closer and saw a note. I read it.
After all these years, you've found your wayward princess. Too bad you didn't protect her better.
I pulled out my phone and called her dad.
"Hello, this is Owen-"
"Talia's been kidnapped! I came by to wake her up and she's gone. Her bedroom's been broken into and there's a note: After all these years, you've found your wayward princess. Too bad you didn't protect her better. "
"… Talia's been kidnapped?" He asked slowly.
"Yes." I said nervously.
"We'll be right there." He hung up. I took some deep breaths and calmed down as Puck and Mr. Xanatos appeared with Elisa and Matt. Mr. Xanatos had hand prints on his neck.
"This better be important, I just went to bed." Elisa yawned.
"It is, detective. Adriana says Talia is missing." Owen's voice came out of Puck.
The two sleepy detectives' eyes widened. Then Matt sighed. "Ignoring how sketchy practicing in another state without permission is and the fact that you called Owen first, why you think she's missing?"
I frowned and then waved my arm at the mess. "LOOK AT IT!"
"Right, wrong question. What made you come here and was the door tampered with?" He got out a pad and pen.
"Um, well, Talia normally texts me after she gets up. And she doesn't sleep in this late when she's waiting to hear back from her editor. She didn't seem depressed, wanting to drink, or sick last night either. I just… Something was off and I needed to know what." I confessed. "She's been doing so much better since her birthday."
They were silent, ashamed. Matt coughed after a bit. "What about the door?"
"The door was fine. My key worked fine. Nothing was out of place." I said.
"And I can assume the bedroom door wasn't tampered with as well?" I nodded.
"Whoever did this wanted it to be as obvious as possible Talia was kidnapped." Elisa said.
"Does the note make sense to you? I don't get it." I pointed. "I didn't touch it, promise."
She put on some gloves and picked it up after Matt took a few pictures. She frowned.
"'After all these years, you've found your wayward princess. Too bad you didn't protect her better.' This is a very specific message. I know Alex is sometimes called the prince of Manhattan, but 'after all these years, you've found?' This is someone who knows. We'll look around for any clues while…" Elisa had flipped the note over after noticing something. "'P.S. No outsiders.' Well, I guess it's a good thing you called Owen then."
"I better go tell Fox and Alex the news." Mr. Xanatos frowned.
"I'll bring Adri to the castle once we're done here." Puck sent his boss away and we waited for Elisa and Matt to get what they needed. He packed a bag for me. Then Alex appeared and I felt so many emotions.
He hit Puck's chest over and over. "It's your fault! You didn't protect her and now, she's, she's-" His bottom lip trembled and he started crying.
"C'mere, Alex." I sniffed as I pulled him onto my lap and held him.
"It's not fair!" He clung to me. "She just came home…"
"It's not fair, but it's not Puck's fault some bad people took Talia. Understand?" I told him.
"'M 'orry, 'uck." He buried his face in my shoulder.
"I accept your mumbled apology." Puck said.
I rubbed his back and hummed. Elisa and Matt finished up as Alex calmed down. Puck teleported back to the castle. Fox was waiting for us.
"David is searching for anyone that could remember that Talia was missing." She took Alex. "Are you ok now, Alex?"
"I'm tired." He sniffed.
"Alex, is that Talia's fox?" Puck asked.
"Maybe." He hugged it.
"… Give it back when we find her." He said.
"Ok." Alex nodded.
"Let's go get you cleaned up and ready for a nap." Fox took him away.
"You two want to go home?" Puck asked Elisa and Matt.
"How can we now that we know Talia's missing?" Matt retorted.
"If you insist." Puck shrugged. "You want lunch, Adri?"
"Sure." I followed him to a small kitchen and he made me some soup and grilled cheese.
Then Puck had go help Mister Xanatos and the others. Fox showed me to my room and I watched TV. I couldn't really do anything else. Alex cuddled with me after he woke up. We had a light dinner and waited for the gargoyles to wake up. Goliath broke out of his shell and roared.
"Elisa, what's going on?" He saw me and Alex.
"You better get everyone first." She said and went to the clan's kitchen. Everyone had gathered in a few minutes. "Adri told us that Talia was kidnapped earlier today."
Goliath snarled. "No, this cannot happen again!"
I whimpered in spite of myself, Alex held my hand. "I know he sounds scary, but he misses Tai too." I took a breath and squeezed his hand.
Goliath calmed himself. "Have you found anything?"
"Since Puck's spell wiped out most everyone's memory of Talia missing, we've got a narrower list, but you're not going to like who's on it." Elisa frowned.
"Who's on it, lass?" Hudson asked.
"Well, about half the Third Race for one. Hyena and Jackal. And Xanatos put Thailog on there too. He thinks Thailog's armor has iron, but hasn't been able to check it." She explained.
"What's the point of wiping everyone's memory if all the bad guys remember?" I thought.
"So nobody would bug Tai." Alex told me. I pressed my lips into a thin line and hummed.
"There's something else, isn't there?" Brooklyn asked.
"The note said no outsiders so we can't get the police involved and it taunted us about how we only found her only to lose her again." Elisa sighed, giving Goliath the note. He read it and passed it around.
We were all suddenly teleported to Mister Xanatos' office. A video of a black gargoyle was on the screen and he crouching next to Talia.
"Thailog, what have you done to her?" Angela snarled.
"She was so upset when we learned she hadn't aged since her 17th birthday, we had no choice but to sedate her." He cooed mockingly. I furrowed my brow. She hadn't aged in 5 years? At all?
"You didn't call everyone here to mock us." Mister Xanatos told him.
"I know you're going to try to rescue her, but I'm ready for you." Thailog smiled, stroking her cheek with his thumb.
"Don't touch my sister!" Alex yelled.
"Alex, she's my sister too." He told him before trailing down her neck and choking her. She couldn't fight back and was turning blue. Puck sweat bullets and cussed him out because he couldn't stop him. I begged him not to kill her. All the gargoyles snarled. Mister Xanatos clenched his jaw as Fox comforted Alex, who began crying again. Elisa and Matt were trying not to boil over. "Consider this a warning. If you try to get outside help, a sore neck will be the least of her worries."
The video ended.
Adri's POV End
Talia's POV
I woke up back in my cell. Why was my neck hurt?
"I sent a message to our father." Thailog smiled.
"Lemme guess, 'I won't need you when I'm through.'" I coughed.
"There's so much more I can learn from you and when Servarius finishes decoding your DNA, I'll have all the time in the world." He left.
My heart pounded in my throat until I thought of everyone. They're why I can't give up. I'd slow them down somehow. I closed my eyes and finally converted the important parts of my cell to ultra-high-carbon steel. It wasn't even two square feet. Luckily, faking iron burns was easier than making steel from my breath. I decided to nap after lunch. Sevarius's steps echoed in the hall and woke me up after some time. They were empty. Something was going on. I opened my eyes. Three female security guards were in front of my cell.
"You have upset the natural order." Grace's avatar, Phoebe warned.
"If you continue down this path, there will be strife." Fate's avatar, Luna told me.
"We ask you once, how did you change the iron?" Fury's avatar, Seline kept Servarius close. She had to.
"I didn't." I shook my head. All their faces hardened as they sent Servarius in.
Talia's POV End
