No more than half an hour later Lord Almsley arrived on their doorstep his face grim. Almsley surveyed the mess the shook his head. "We'll find them," he assured his two friends who looked as mad as he had ever seen them. A mad Elemental Master much less two of them was a very bad thing. For masters that lost their tempers could their Elementals could cause no end of damage. Just one mad Elemental Masters without control of their Elementals could level a whole city in just a matter of hours. Two could probably level the whole of England.
They were both controlling their anger—though barely.
"I think we should call Keighvin Silverhair," said Almsley. "I think he would be glad to help. From all the legends I've read that have been written on the subject his kind love children and will go to great lengths to protect them. Plus he owes you."
Peter and Maya seemed to consider this then Peter said thoughtfully, "Technically, this is really a white lodge matter."
Both Maya and Almsley snorted in contempt for even though they were both members they knew what Alderscroft would say it was none of the White Lodges concern and even if things did go their way all those Elemental Masters would probably bumble around and likely get the children killed.
"It's probably a good idea," Peter finally admitted and Maya nodded agreeing with him.
Peter took the gold ring that Keighvin had given him out of an inside coat pocket. Both he and Maya had started carrying them wherever they went and it was a good thing they had been.
"Keighvin Silverhair, Keighvin Silverhair, Keighvin Silverhair," said Peter in a commanding tone of voice adding a little magic of his own. "We need your help now," he added.
~~~Beyond Revenge~~~
While somewhere in Ireland Keighvin stopped what he was doing and cocked his head to one side as if to listen. The magic of the rings he had given the Scotts called to him and there was almost a desperate note behind the summons.
There must be trouble with his friends and bad trouble at that for the summons to sound so desperate.
He could be there within the hour for Elvensteeds were faster than sound. Rosaleen Dhu was ready to go as soon as he was. He felt her eagerness for battle in his mind.
He nodded as if to himself and within five minutes was out the gate that led to the World Above and headed towards London.
~~~Beyond Revenge~~~
Less than an hour later Rosaleen Dhu brought Keighvin into London and no more than a minute later he was at the Scotts door.
Keighvin stopped on the sidewalk for a moment to admire the shield barrier that was invisible to normal eyes and also the there is nothing here spell threaded through it. Keighvin went up the driveway and started taking in his surroundings. The door was half off its hinges and when Keighvin stepped inside he found looking as if a very destructive force had been there.
As he stepped inside the ruins of a once beautiful home Maya was the first to spot him before she could speak however Keighvin spoke and demanded, "What has happened here?"
"What has happened," Almsley quietly said before Peter of Maya could speak—though both looked mad enough to do something drastic—"Is that their three children have been kidnapped."
"They tore up the place. It is as you see it," said Peter gesturing at the destruction around them. "Gupta, Gopal, Sumi and their four children were knocked unconscious and I'm kind of surprised whoever did it didn't just slit their throats and been done with it."
Keighvin's green eyes began to blaze as they explained why they had called him. It was clear even to Keighvin who hadn't known the Scotts all that long that they were devastated over the children's disappearances, but both were holding up pretty well all things considered.
"What can I do to help?" asked Keighvin.
"Right now, we're trying to come up with a plan. They left a note to meet them tomorrow night and to come alone.
"It could be a trap and probably is," said Keighvin. "They could want to lure you to come alone so they can kill you."
"We know," said Maya and Peter together.
"That's where you and Almsley come in," Peter added.
"We were going to try to track them down by magic before the deadline."
"So you think that they are being held at another place and will only be brought to the place the note said when it is time,"
"More or less," Peter admitted. "Maya and I have been teaching Timmy how to leave a magical trail to be followed, but in order to do so he has to be awake and aware."
"And that's assuming that whoever kidnapped them isn't a mage themselves," Maya added.
Keighvin nodded and they began to plan. Peter went up stairs and sat crossed-legged on the floor and prepared himself to leave his body.
~~~Beyond Revenge~~~
Less than an hour later Peter came back downstairs looking grim
"Find anything?" asked Maya.
Peter shook his head, his face grim. "Not a sign. I searched all of London. He's either unconscious or whoever has him is shielding wherever they are being held."
"Wouldn't you detect the shielding?" asked Keighvin.
"Sure I could, but the only problem with that is there is a lot of Elemental Masters in London—to many to check and also they might not even still be in London. They could be being kept somewhere out in the country. It could even be a different magic from Elemental magic. After all, just because we haven't encountered them doesn't mean they don't exist. So the only way I can see to get the children back safely is to show up at the place and time mentioned in the note. Of course we won't be alone—but it could still be dangerous."
"Do you have any other friends you trust to help us out?" asked Keighvin. "It would help if we had more forces."
Both Peter and Maya looked thoughtful and Keighvin could tell they might have some idea.
"There might be someone," said Maya thoughtfully. "They're another Earth and Water Master. They live a few hours outside of London in a small town known as Briareley."
"You're thinking of Marina and Andrew Pike?" Almsley commented sounding approving.
"Yes," said Maya
"I'll go contact them," said Peter, heading towards the back of the house. Keighvin noticed that Peter limped slightly—not much but some.
"He's had that limp ever since he broke it on a brass fitting on the deck of his ship during a bad sea storm," said Almsley seeing Keighvin looking at Peter's limp.
"I've improved it as much as I can. It doesn't usually show anymore unless he's extremely tired or there is a bad storm brewing," Maya added.
~~~Beyond Revenge~~~
No more than three hours later the Pikes and the Tarrents arrived. They looked haggard and they explained they had already been in London and that some fiend had kidnapped their daughter. They too had been left a note and when they had gotten the Scotts message they had come directly here.
"You don't think the two are connected do you?" asked Thomas Buford.
"It's more than likely," said Almsley. "I mean to have the children from two different families kidnapped at almost the same time? What are the odds that it is two different kidnappers?"
"Not very likely," Thomas finally admitted. "In fact the odds would probably be astronomical."
"It looks like whoever did this has a grudge against both your families," said Keighvin speaking for the first time.
The Tarrants and the Pikes looked at him. "Oh where are my manners," said Peter. "Keighvin this is Marina and Andrew Pike and Sebastian and Margherita Tarrant and Margherita brother Thomas Buford. And this is Keighvin Silverhair."
"As you can see I'm not exactly human," said Keighvin calmly, "We call ourselves Sidhe. Some of our kind try to live among you and learn from you. A few weeks back I was visiting London when I was shot. Peter found me and brought his wife to help. Maya healed me and I promised that if they or any of their descendants needed me for anything at all they had to do was ask. I gave them a way to contact me if need be."
The Pikes and the Tarrants weren't all that surprised for with magic anything was possible and it was more than probable that other creatures as well as other magics existed. After all it was a big wide world and they only lived in one small corner of it.
~~~Beyond Revenge~~~
The next night they all got into position early. Keighvin had scouted ahead for his people used a different kind of magic and they were hoping it would remain undetected. Keighvin reported back and said he could find no obvious traps which didn't necessarily mean anything.
Maya, Peter, Marina and Andrew were the only four going in the others would be concealed close by, close enough to help if need be. After all, they had been told to come alone.
All four surveyed the building they're expressions angry and grim.
"You ready?" asked a grim Andrew.
"Yes," the other three answered at the same time.
They all had their personal shields up and at a full strength as possible. They would stop most magic and even most physical objects.
They started to walk towards the building and Peter let out a burst of water magic. Luckily the warehouse was built close to the harbor and so Peter had as much access to water as he needed. The door practically exploded inwards under the force of the blast. All four marched in together and then stopped and surveyed the warehouse.
They all moved off in different directions moving as carefully and quietly as possible. They finally stopped just past several tall stacks of boxes. The warehouse was almost dead silent except for the sound of rats and the distant noises of motorized and horse drawn carriages, the gentle lapping of water from the river new by and the blowing smoke and yacht horns.
"Anybody here!" shouted Peter. "We want our children back!"
The words rang in the ceilinged empty warehouse and then finally faded to nothing.
They suddenly heard one pair of feet shuffling forward. They all immediately went on their guard.
"It was a dark-skinned man-almost definitely Hindu all though it was hard to see in the dim light of the warehouse. He was dressed as a dacoit.
"My mistress—" began the dacoit "—has ordered me to tell you that this place was only a decoy. In order to find your children you must first solve this riddle and you had better hurry for your time is limited."
The dacoit gestured at the wall where they all noticed for the first time words written in what looked like blood.
Finally Peter stepped forward and read it aloud.
"The place where they are,
Is not hard to find,
We are with others of our kind,
You need to find them before they all die,
We live where there are thorns in our sides."
The dacoit spoke again. "You have exactly six hours from this moment to find them when Big Ben strikes 7:00 they die." When the others looked back the dacoit was gone as if vanished into the air.
~~~Beyond Revenge~~~
No more than ten minutes later they regrouped outside the warehouse.
"They weren't even here," Andrew practically snarled. Andrew was usually the nicest of men, but he had been under terrible stress the last few days as had everyone.
"They want us to solve some kind of riddle," said Peter.
"And we have to do it by seven o'clock or—" Maya let her voice trail off.
The others got the point rather quickly. Sebastian growled and said; "When I get my hands on who did this—" He clenched his hands into fists.
"Calm down Sebastian," Margherita ordered putting her hand on his arm. "I'm as mad and worried as you are, but now is not the time to lose our tempers. We need to think this through logically. What did the riddle say?"
Peter repeated the riddle, but everybody wanted to see it just to make sure. They all tramped into the warehouse and Peter led them to the wall where the message had been written. Before they could get close enough to read it, it started to fade. They all rushed forward, but just as they got there it faded out completely.
"Well," said Keighvin. "I hope you remembered the riddle correctly because it doesn't look as though we'll get a second chance."
They all headed back outside and found taxis to head back to the Scotts house.
~~~Beyond Revenge~~~