Chapter 17

The sound of footsteps rang through the hollow cave. David and Jess hurried through the night, panicking. Something, or someone was pursuing them. David's orb had burnt out, He had to rely on the small amount of light left to navigate him and Jess through the maze of Rock. Hurrying in every possible direction, Jess had grown her wings and was following David from up above, but was still unable to see what was following them. As they continued their escape, a red flarebomb whistled past Jess and exploded on the carved walls. Jess spun in midair before continuing her flight. Yet more flarebombs shot up, calling for more acrobatics to avoid them. Each explosion created enough light for David to navigate himself around with ease, before the worst case scenario occurred.

"Dead end, we're trapped!" Wheezed David, as Jess landed beside him. Bombs exploded either side of them. Both of them were in serious danger. There was just enough light to view for about an 8 foot circumference. Backs against the wall, two figures walked into the light.

"Who are you?" David asked, without even looking at them properly. A deep, rough voice answered him.

"We are the children of Althea!" it growled. The second figure was the most visible, with long blonde hair, in a navy outfit. her voice was soft, but had a distinct air of venom behind it.

"I am Jem, and this is my brother, Coral. No introductions needed for you, although we are curious what you want us to put on your tombstone? We're good like that," she hissed, her blue eyes connected with the darker blue of David's

"You have nowhere to run," grunted Coral, who's figure had red reefs sprouting from his eyes, wrists, and ankles. A red exo-spine rippled down his back. his bare feet caused the rock beneath them to stain red until he lifted his foot from the ground.

"state the obvious you walking poison," David retorted, the detail had not gone unnoticed. "But i warn you, would your mothers maternal instincts really be able to survive the brutal damage done to her children?"

"Is that a challenge?" Coral asked, his tone becoming less corrupt by his power, almost sounding human.

"It's a threat," warned David, only to be met by the twins menacing smiles.

"So be it," hissed Jem, her hands teaming with a blue light. "Let the War begin!"

"Oh and what are you going to do, wave your hair in my face?" David scorned

In response, Jem revealed her power, creating a gymnastics performance, her body parts elongating and stretching into positions that made David cringe, before he had to dodge her outstretched leg swinging a matter of centimetres in front of his face. As she regained human shape, he cracked his neck, to which she repeated.

"No one likes a show-off," David glared at her, his gaze fixed upon her eyes, trying to see if he could intimidate her.

"I'm a born warrior, and yet i have time to show off," she scoffed, "I am indeed...flexible!"

"I bet it took you all day to think up that one," said David through gritted teeth,

"Indeed, i had to employ people to help me with it," Jem sarcastically sighed. Even as she said this, David was amazed by her elegance, and that she was twin to the brute to her right. coral had about the sophistication of a stewed rat. The only thing slightly sophisticated about him from looks alone was his posture, which he guest was from constant nagging from his sister, who didn't want to be associated with one who looks like an animal. Any time he spoke, it had an under toned growl accompanying it, which continued at a more discreet level when he wasn't. It was also pretty obvious where his name had come from, judging the growths from the three separate body areas. his green eyes looked acidic, his teeth were stained black, yellow and red, which repulsed Jess, but seemed very undoubting to David, who just thought that he looked like an O'T'T thrash metal singer. Even so, their powers combined posed a large threat. That appeared to be what Althea must be so proud of, he thought.

His period of thought was interrupted by Coral launching another flare at the, from the growths on his wrists. As it hurtled towards Jess, she vanished completely, in a manor Daine would have been proud of, thought David as he stared in utter amazement as the flare past through the very spot Jess had been standing, and exploded. Then, without warning, she reappeared.

"What the hell was that?" He yelled, as it appeared Coral and Jem were also intrigued.

"You forget I can take the form of any animal, i chose an ant!" Jess smirked

"Bloody hell, two women show-offs, bitch fight imminent" David moaned, prompting Jess to hit him hardly in the arm. After throwing her a stern look, David, again, without warning, fired an electrical charge at their two adversaries. As Jem dramatically dodged it with her power, Coral was sent flying, and he crashed into the rock wall, the others all winced, as he slid to the floor, stunned. In retaliation, Jem fired an almighty blast of energy towards David, who met it with another of his own. The two streams erupted into a ball of power that spun ominously, growing by the second. Wisely, Jess took cover behind a felled boulder, as the ball looked like it was going to burst with enormous force any second. Then something none of them had expected, a golden flame appeared in the middle of the ball, not caused by either Jem nor David. The flame then transformed into a golden eagle, and then a horse. As then, as Jess had predicted, the ball erupted with enormous force, the two contributors were thrown back into separate ends of the cave, a rider formed from the horses back. A second black horse was riding in midair above the scene. As it whinnied, it then swooped down and advanced on the two children of Althea, driving them back into the darkness. The rider of the second horse was hooded, but as she flung back her hood, her face was still masked with a black face-cover. The first rider illuminated the cave with an enormous amount of light that almost blinded both Jess and David, and the mystery rider, who reacted with the up most displeasure.

"Luca!" said the rider, who, unknown to David and Jess, was Jet. Luca dimmed the light surrounding her. She was also hooded, but had no mask. As she lowered her hood, and Jet removed her mask, Jess, who was coming out of hiding behind the boulder, plucked up courage.

"Who are you?" she asked Jet.

"The black Captain, Jet" she answered

"Well, The Black Captain Jet," David groaned, cradling his head from the explosion, "and i'm guessing by your shrill cry your opposite is Luca," He sarcastically waved at Luca, who waved back sweetly, "allow me to ask with the up most respect who the hell are you and what the fuck do you want?"

"We need your help," Luca replied gravely.

"Then help i shall," David sighed, "Once you've explained everything, and i mean, everything!"

Luca and Jet just nodded solemnly.