Chapter Two

I know I posted pretty recently, but I wrote this and wanted to share it. What do you think is going to happen to Kara? I've put some hints in here, so I'm hoping someone can guess it, but the title probably helps too. Just sayin!

It's been a while since we got to the place Forkle said is called Alluveterre. Apparently he got it from King Enki, and it's supposed to be really hard to find. We're now standing in Exilium uniforms, outside of a misty expanse. It's not too amazing a place, I'd say.

The six of us trudge along until we see a metal gate surrounded by spindly trees. As soon as we approach, long ropes swing down, tangling around our legs and yanking us high into the sky. 'Hey!' I yell, kicking at the air. 'Seriously?'

'Welcome to your dividing!' called a person cloaked in red, stepping from the mist with two others.

'You must find your way to freedom,' announced the one in purple.

The blue one seemed to stare at me for a moment before nodding and calling, 'There is no right answer to the problem, but light leaping does not count. You must untie or sever the cord. Choose wisely, as this will determine which one of us will be coaching you,' up to us.

'Seriously?' I yell again.

Nobody responds, so I decide the best bet would be to just follow their instructions, and get down quickly. My dad had always insisted I practise Elven skills, so I tried the outward channelling thing he'd shown me, and tried to avoid thinking about him.

I stare at the rocky soil far below me, and then crane my neck back up to stare at the rope. I don't like heights, so this is gonna be a real test of my patience, which I don't really have.

I collect my energy in my mind like a dense snowball, packing it together more and more. The more energy I add, though, the less it seems like snow. It seems more and more like fire, an inferno building in my mind. As I concentrate, I listen to the conversations around me, trying to guess what the others are attempting.

'Is anyone having any luck?' asks Fitz, swinging next to Sophie as he lifts himself up. Show-off. 'This knot is impossible!'

'I'm almost out!' Keefe says from beside me, and I watch in slight bemusement as there is a loud ripping sound, and the rope looseness around his ankle.

I quickly focus my attention back towards the stringy rope, gathering my energy and focus closer to me. The inferno has quieted, and I send just enough the ropes way to make it fray effortlessly. Keefe and I fall at the exact same moment, though I'm able to control my descent with levitation. Keefe is not, and he is also… Missing his pants?

'How'd you manage that?' I sigh, as someone shouts from the mist ensconced trees.

'Oi! His boxers are covered in little banshees!'

'Bet he peed himself too!' calls some else.

'Silence!' the blue coach orders, and the giggles from around us suddenly shut off, as if the coaches have a secret on and off switch for the outside noises.

I shakily walk over to Keefe, and mutter a few choice words as I see his leg splayed out at a funny angle. 'What did you do that for?'

'Those who have not yet freed yourself should ignore those who have freed themselves!' reminds the coach, and I glare, before sitting next to Keefe and pondering what to do.

'You also need not assist, young wayward,' I'm told. 'We have a healer for that purpose.'

'Yeah, well, he may have broken a limb, so-'

'Silence!'

'Whatever. You okay?'

'MmHmm…' my idiot cousin groans, trying to sit up.

'Don't!'

'Are you okay?' yells Sophie.

'As I said! No need to concern yourself with him! He has passed the test. Can you say the same?'

'I can in a second!' And Dex comes down, levitating a little slower than I did, but with much better control.

'Should've been smart, like you and Dexy, shouldn't I have been?'

'You should have!' I snap back, as Dex hurls some sort of silver knife at the purple coach.

'Impressive,' she says through a heavy sigh, probably annoyed with his arrogance. I'm too busy watching Keefe, making sure he doesn't pass out. I try to help him sit up, and manages to mostly stay upright.

'Too bad you won't be in my hemisphere,' adds the purple coach, to Dex.

'And then there were three!' the red coach yells up at Sophie, Fitz, and Biana.

'Try two!' Biana, after fraying the rope and coming down to meet us. Her levitation is even shakier than Dex's, but she gets mostly down before falling to the ground. She tucks and rolls, ending up sitting next to me.

'Are you okay?'

'Got it!' WonderBoy flips into the top of the arch dramatically, showing off again, and immediately tries to help get the Moonlark down.

'No assisting!' all three coaches yell.

'I'm not going to leave her up here!' is his accented reply.

Sophie assures him that she has a plan, which she obviously doesn't, but he nods and comes down to stand by his sister. He obviously cares about Sophie a lot…

'You know I'm fine,' says Keefe, slightly slurring his words.

'Fine. Just tell me if it hurts.' I stand, and so does Biana, as we watch Sophie attempt to undo the knot around her ankle.

She holds up something in her palm, which I assume is her Black Swan pin. As she aims it at the rope, a blue beam shoots out, and lights the whole thing on fire. 'What did you just do, Foster?' I yell up, but she's a little busy.

She curls up into a ball, and falls to the ground, hard, as the entire archway goes up in flames, along with her clothes. Everyone screams, and the coaches take a few steps back. 'I've got it! screams a girl's voice from the mist, and a smallish figure steps out, forming a large sphere of water between her palms.

'No assisting!' shout the coaches again.

'Your stupid arch is on fire!' I shout, and everyone else backs into the mist.

'I'm dealing with it!' the hydrokinetic screams, hurling a suddenly huge wave of water hit everything, dousing the archway, Sophie, and the nearby trees that had caught when the fire spread quickly.

As the coaches hurried over, along with a physician, who dragged Keefe away, ignoring his cursing and rude language.

'Hey!' my cousin yells, but he's way too weak to fight much.

'Everyone! Move! Now! Not you,' adds the purple coach, turning to face the girl who'd put out the fire. 'No assisting!'

'She did put out you stupid archway,' I point out, gesturing to the melted thing in front of me. I cock my head, trying to see something. I don't actually know what I'm looking for, but the inferno in my head sparks again.

'I did,' agrees the girl.

Biana nods emphatically. 'Yeah, and it wasn't much assisting! I'm sure that So-'

'She could have put the fire out herself,' I interrupt, as I point to Sophie. This doesn't seem like the place to use names.

'Everyone! Go! Now!' orders the blue coach after a moment, and everyone scurries away. 'Hey, you too!'

'Oh, I know.'

'Oh, for the love of-'

'What now?' he sizes me up for a moment, then groans. 'Are you-'

'Am I what?'

It was as if he can sense something weird about me, but I shrug it off and follow the others. I don't glance back as the physician comes and telekinetically takes Sophie off somewhere, most likely to check for burns. Biana does though, so I quickly transmit, She'll be okay Bi.

'I know,' she whispers, walking up behind me. 'I'm just worried.'

'She'll be fine.'