Chapter 18 -One By One

Lloyd hurried along, trying to keep up with Zane's rapid pace. The soldier moved forward quickly, eager to reach the port and secure a ship. He could feel that something wasn't right. And the sooner he got Lloyd to safety, the better he would feel.

As they neared the beach, they came up to the small town, spotting a mob of its inhabitants. Some carried torches, others carried weapons, all wore the same look of fear and mistrust. One of them stood upon a crudely formed platform, his voice booming through the small town. Zane recognized him as one of Soto's men. Zane prepared to turn away and search for a less conspicuous route, but Lloyd was already moving forward, curiosity urging him to listen to the words the man was shouting.

"Lloyd, wait." Zane said, fumbling forward.

Lloyd shook his head. "It might be something important! Something's going on and you know it, Zane."

"Whatever it may be, it is not of our concern. All we should be worried about is getting off this island."

But Lloyd wasn't listening. He stepped up as close as he dared, with Zane close behind. Zane felt uncomfortable with Lloyd's decision, but he felt far more uncomfortable with the idea of grabbing the child to forcefully drag him away.

"I tell you, I saw the demon that Soto has brought onto this island!" The man was shouting, with animated nods. "We all know he has never belonged. There's always been something wrong with the man! He isn't one of us!"

The crowd cheered in agreement. The man continued, fueled by the support and attention. "Four arms, the creature had. And the bottom half of its body? Nothing! Nothing but air, he floated there, and I could feel the power he held."

Lloyd tugged on Zane's sleeve, his eyes wide. "It's the Djinn. He's here!"

With a worried looked, Zane looked back up at the man, fearing his next words.

"I was in charge of keeping tabs on one of Soto's prisoners. I saw it all. The demon came and snatched away the old man! There was nothing left! Both his soul and body. . . devoured!" The murmurs of the audience grew louder, fear flashing through everyone's expressions. "The demon came here because of Soto! We must find him, and set him adrift! As far away from our island as possible!"

Lloyd felt his heart dropped, and his legs wobbled slightly beneath him. His uncle? Gone. . ? It didn't seem real. It. . . couldn't be true. Lloyd would admit, he had never allowed his uncle to have the easiest relationship with him. Lloyd had always harbored negative feelings towards the man, blaming him for his father's absence. Regardless of this. . . Wu had always been there. He was part of Lloyd's world. And now. . .

Gone.

Like his father. Possibly even his mother. Lloyd felt a small, gentle tug on his arm. With shaking fingers, he took Zane's hand, allowing himself to be guided away from the town. Once they had moved back to a safer distance, Zane stopped, kneeling down in order to be at eye level with Lloyd.

The kid looked down, refusing to make eye contact. Zane placed a hand on his shoulder. "Will you be okay, Lloyd?"

Lloyd avoided Zane's eyes, choosing instead to look at the ground. He gave a small shrug. His throat felt tight, and he was afraid to speak. Zane waited in silence. "Yes, okay, yes."

"We're going to fix this, Lloyd. Don't forget." Zane stated. "We will get everyone back."

With a sigh, Lloyd nodded. He wanted to lash out and scream, wanted to ask how exactly he knew everything would be fixed, but he knew Zane probably felt as low as he did. Lloyd knew Wu meant a lot to the man. So Lloyd pushed away the shaky feelings as best as he could. "So. . . we need a ship then. . ."

"Yes," Zane nodded, standing once again. "It looks like everyone on the island is too busy hunting Soto to care much. Hopefully, this will be simple."

Lloyd nodded again, and they both set off towards the beach.

Cole saw time travel backwards before his eyes, in one fluid motion. It moved fast, making it nearly impossible to pick up on all the details. Then the world seemed to freeze, capturing the moment Jay jumped up to protect Cole from Soto's blow.

Time then glitched forward again, moving even faster than before.

Once everything stopped, Cole felt. . . off.

More specifically, he didn't feel at all. No wind. No ground beneath his feet. The hard thumping of his heart from adrenaline had vanished without a trace. He could see the world before him, but he felt disconnected, as if he didn't belong.

Cole looked down at his hands. He wasn't too surprised when he realized he could see right through them. It all made sense, of course. If Jay hadn't been harmed, then Cole had been the one to receive the blow.

And now, he was. . .

He shook the thought away. He couldn't think it.

"Well? Are you satisfied with your wish?"

Cole turned, facing the Djinn, who was far too close for comfort. He tried to push the creature back, but of course, his limbs slipped right through. It made Cole shudder.

"You could. . . choose for me to bring you back to life, yes?"

Yeah, right. Cole shook his head. "I saved my friend. I think I'm done with wishing, if you don't mind."

"Saved his life for now, yes. But look at him. He is so lost. He cannot last out here, not without your guidance. One wish, and you could be back. Do you truly want him to be alone?"

Cole looked at where Nadakhan pointed, surprised to see that Jay was indeed, no more than a couple of feet away from him. He held the teapot in one hand and the poison in the other. His face was a mess of dirt and tears, and his steps were slow and uncertain. Nadakhan was right. Jay needed him.

But he couldn't wish. He had no idea what the consequences of another wish would be, and he had no desire to find out. Cole would find his own way to get through to Jay. "I said I'm done with wishing."

He willed his body to move forward, trying to get use to the movements of his new body. Cole headed towards Jay, trying his best to catch the man's attention. "Jay! Jay I'm here!"

Jay continued to move forward, deaf to Cole's shouts. With a frown, Cole moved faster, placing himself in front of Jay instead. With a slow, unnecessary breath, Cole tried to focus. Tried to feel his voice projecting outwards. "Jay, c'mon."

For a moment, Jay froze, blinking slowly and looking around him. Cole's hopes rose.

Then Jay shook his head, continuing his path towards the beach.

Nadakhan watched as the ghost fumbled to get the man's attention.

With a sigh of annoyance, he shrugged, knowing that sooner of later the ghost would break. When he realized that the world was now fully out of his grasp, he would beg Nadakhan for another wish.

And of course, Nadakhan would comply. He was, after all, a very generous Djinn.

It would be good to add another soul to his connection. But breaking others into giving up was no longer a priority. Once he had Dilara back, there would be absolutely no limit to what he would be able to accomplish. The wedding vows would make him all-powerful, granting him the ability of unlimited wishes.

This time around, he would not wait, he would not hesitate. Had he married Dilara sooner years before. . . Well, he wouldn't have been captured, wouldn't have been forced to act as a slave to other's desires for years.

Yes, this time, it would be different. This time, the world itself would be chained down, finally granting Nadakhan all he could ever want.

In a flash of movement, he searched throughout the island, aiming to find the girl.

"Maybe we should head to the beach. . ." Nya suggested, placing a hand upon her brother's shoulder. "He. . . We've searched everywhere, Kai. Wu isn't here."

"Then he must be somewhere else." Kai shook his head. "We'll ask around the island. Maybe Soto moved him somewhere, somewhere he could be better guarded. Don't you think?"

"I think something isn't right. I think we should head to the others. We'll figure out a plan together."

"I'm not going back without him, Nya."

Nya sighed, knowing her brother wouldn't budge. She had no right to complain about Kai's stubbornness though, as it was a quality they shared in equal amounts. "Okay, so we'll ask someone, fine. But if they refuse to help, we head back and ask Cole where we can find information."

"Fine." Kai gave a small nod. "That'll work. . ."

The two siblings headed out of Soto's home. In the town, the could see a glowing light, could smell smoke that only a considerable amount of torches could create. After sharing a worried glance, the two ran forward, heading towards the commotion.

A mob of people rampaged throughout the city smashing windows and ransacking their own homes and stores in what seemed to be a frantic search. Kai looked over at his sister. "Okay, you're right. Something is definitely wrong. Is this some sort of odd, self-destructive pirate tradition?"

Before Nya could answer, a voice behind them opted to shed some light in the situation. "Oh no. Not quite a tradition. That, is a manhunt."

"What?" Kai turned, his eyes widening as the shape in the shadows took the form of the pirate captain. "Soto!"

Kai's hand flew to his side, but there was no weapon for him to grasp. He cursed softly. He had been so focused on searching for Wu that he'd forgotten to try and retrieve his weapon. Soto smiled. "Ah, don't worry. I'm not armed. See?"

The man held up his hands, a mocking show of innocence. But he was telling the truth. There was no sword strapped to his side. Kai narrowed his eyes, staying back, untrusting. Nya stepped forward. "What do you mean manhunt? What do they want? They aren't searching for us, are they?"

"You? Oh no. You, and your friends, you are all safe. These people do not care about you. They're looking for someone else."

"Who?" Kai and Nya asked in unison.

Soto's smiled widened further, to an uncomfortable degree. "Me! They believe I brought a demon to the island. The Djinn. The Djinn showed up at the most inopportune time. One of my men. . . one of my former men spotted him, as he took the soul from the Admiral. I knew the old man had enemies, but this was one I did not predict."

"What?" Kai shook his head, a burning feeling spreading throughout his chest. "You're lying!"

"No, I am not. Why would I? What have I got to gain?"

"Wu wouldn't have wished for anything!" Kai shouted. "You're wrong. Tell us where he is."

"Kai. . ." Nya reached out towards her brother, but the man stepped back. "Maybe he's right. I mean, we searched the whole house. Wu wasn't there."

"You really believe him?" Kai scowled. "Fine then. Head to the beach. Meet up with the others. Give up! I'm going to find Wu myself."

With a nonchalant shrug, Soto stepped aside as Kai ran past. He tried his best to remember the path to the house, ignoring Nya's stubborn footsteps behind him.

"Kai, wait!"

Kai continued to run. It couldn't be true. It wasn't. They needed the Admiral. He couldn't have. . . couldn't have just gone. Soto was wrong. Or he was lying. Lying to upset him. To confuse him. Kai couldn't trust him.

"Kai!"

Why didn't Nya understand? She was so ready to drop everything and run back to the ship. He thought that she, out of all people, would have stuck beside him. But she hadn't. Well fine. Kai could find Wu himself. He didn't-

"Kai!"

Kai stumbled to a stop. That shout had been different. Nya had sounded. . . afraid.

He turned back instantly, running towards the sound of his sister. "Nya!?"

Kai spotted her, but only for a moment. She stood frozen, reaching towards him, with the Djinn's arms firmly keeping her from moving away. Kai willed his legs to move forward faster, but it was to no avail. In a blink, they were gone, leaving Kai to fall forward against the muddy ground.

Pushing himself up with shaking arms, Kai looked around slowly, hoping he'd imagined everything. Hoping that Nya would come running at him, hissing at his sudden run.

"Nya?"

Nothing but silence. Nya was gone.