A/N: Good evening, everyone! Apologies for the long gap since my last update. Work has been keeping me busy, even though I am just a substitute teacher. But I have finally finished Chapter 10! So, without further ado, please enjoy!

Disclaimer: I still don't own Kingdom Keepers or Disney, but I get excited whenever Ridley Pearson likes or responds to one of my comments on social media!

Chapter 10

Finn stared at her kind face in confusion and sadness.

"I-I can't," he whispered. "The Beacon is powered by my DHI. I haven't been able to go 'All Clear' since before the curse! I've tried! But it's gone."

Merlin placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder as Finn felt his eyes fill up with tears.

"You haven't lost them, my boy! Pure Light magic such as yours can never truly be taken away. The Overtakers, as you call them, have simply blocked the source for a while. But rest assured, they still live within you, somewhere deep down. We just have to bring the flames of life back to the surface!"

The teen could hardly believe what he was hearing. Could he still become his hologram? Was it hopeless, or was it possible to break the curse?

"Tell me what I have to do."

There wasn't much time. In less than 24 hours, the celestial alignment would be complete. Finn was willing to try anything to end this ongoing nightmare.

He only hoped that they still had a chance.

Meanwhile, Outside in the Marketplace…

Night had fallen, and the civilians had long since retreated to their homes. Only the kingdom guards still patrolled the main streets of the Marketplace. The night was still and quiet, but they continued their search for the escaped prisoner.

Unbeknownst to the resistance fighters, a trap was being carefully laid out to lure the young Kingdom Keeper. Hiding in the shadows, the Overtakers formed a perimeter around the Marketplace, weapons at the ready. Their orders were to bring Finn in alive and unharmed, but Hades didn't care if anyone else was hurt in the process.

There was no doubt in anyone's mind that Finn wouldn't surrender without a fight. But they had planned for just such a thing.

As the hours crept slowly on, Hades felt himself growing more and more impatient. He could sense his prey nearby. How infuriating the boy could be! All he had to do was show himself, and no one else would have to suffer.

Finally, he could wait no longer. The boy had had his chance to turn himself in. Deadline or no deadline, Hades' patience had reached its limits.

"Begin the attack, Captain," he said to the weasel beside him.

"But Your Grace! The sun has barely risen! The boy's time isn't yet up!"

"Finn Whitman has had more than enough time. I want him captured immediately! Now, attack!"

"Yes, sir!" the weasel said with a salute.

Down in the hidden room, Finn was tossing and turning in his sleep. It had been a rough night, even though he no longer had to wake up in a cell.

For hours, he had been trying to tap into his core, trying to find some kind of spark left from his DHI. Each time, however, he just found himself growing more agitated when the power continued to elude him. It was almost midnight before Merlin insisted that he rest and try again in the morning.

"Don't you worry, Son," the old wizard promised, "You'll find a way."

Unable to lay still any longer, Finn decided to stretch his legs. He carefully walked around the large room where the rest of the resistance members were still sound asleep. Quietly, he made his way to the makeshift kitchen area and grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator.

His mind was still racing with one worse case scenario after another when Amanda approached him.

"Good morning. How did you sleep?"

"OK, I guess. I don't remember the last time I slept in an actual bed! I hope I didn't wake you."

She smiled at him, and his heart began to beat faster. How he had missed the way she smiled! The thought of her was the only thing that helped him keep his sanity after the curse.

"I was already awake," she answered. "I wanted to talk to you. We didn't really get to chat last night."

"Yeah, me too. Listen, I know you don't remember me, but I'm happy to see you again. We were…close. The Kingdom Keepers were what brought us together. After you guys escaped from Animal Kingdom, I was worried that I would never see you again."

Amanda gently took his hand in hers.

"You've been through a lot, haven't you?"

He nodded.

"Amanda…I don't know if I can do this," he said softly. "The Red Moon is tonight, and I'm Public Enemy Number One. There's no way I can regain my DHI in time! Without it, I'm just a regular kid. I'm no hero."

He nearly dropped his water in surprise when she practically jumped into his arms and planted a kiss on his lips. When she finally let go, she too had tears in her eyes.

"Now, you listen to me, Finn Whitman," she began. "It's true that I don't have any memory of life before the curse. But I know in my heart that you are the only one who can stop Hades! You are a hero, whether you believe it or not. You will find a way to break the curse. And now, you don't have to fight alone. We'll be right by your side when you bring back the light."

Finn didn't know how to respond to her. She had no idea how much her words meant to him. Just as he was about to open his mouth to reply, there was a loud crash from just outside the hidden room. The ground beneath them shook, which made the occupants in the room wake up in terror.

"What's going on?" Maybeck asked the two of them. They shook their heads in answer.

Tinkerbell flew through a small crack in the wall to observe what was happening. Almost immediately, she was back in the room talking in Peter Pan's ear.

"Tink says that the guards have broken into the bakery! They've started their attack early! She says there are too many of them to fight, and we should get out while we can."

"I thought you said there was a spell that kept this room hidden?" Finn asked Merlin.

"There is! But it only remains strong as long as the bakery is intact. I'm afraid Miss Bell is correct; we need to leave right now."

Finn looked around the room as the others quickly gathered up their belongings. There was no other way out of the room that he could see.

"How are we supposed to do that? I don't see any other doors or windows in here!"

Instead of answering him, Merlin, the Blue Fairy, and the Fairy Godmother stood facing a castle tapestry on the back wall. As one, they focused their magic on the tapestry, which slowly began to take shape and form a magic mirror.

"Everyone inside, quickly! Get to the emergency rendezvous point as fast as you can!"

Finn watched in amazement as the resistance fighters stepped through the portal and vanished into thin air. All he could see staring back at him was his own reflection.

Outside in the bakery, the voices of the Overtakers grew louder. It was only a matter of minutes before they would be discovered.

Finn felt the knot in his stomach grow larger as he realized what he had to do.

"Get everyone to safety," he said to the other Keepers. "I'll try to buy you some time."

"FINN, NO!"

"COME BACK!"

But Finn had already run out the door, which disappeared as soon as he was through.

Amanda stared back at the area where he had just been, sobbing. The bakery shook again as the attack outside grew more chaotic.

"Finn…" she whispered.

Philby grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the portal.

"There's nothing we can do for him now. The portal will close any second! Don't worry, we'll find a way to save him."

Amanda reluctantly allowed him to pull her through the mirror. The second she passed through, the portal and the room vanished into darkness.

Meanwhile, Finn had emerged from around the corner of the storeroom and entered the kitchen. He made sure that Cruella De Vil and the weasels had spotted him before he was sprinting out the door.

"GET THE BOY!"

The chase was on, but Finn knew that he was outnumbered and outmatched. It wouldn't be long before they captured him.

He just hoped it would be long enough to let the others escape.

Behind him, he could hear the weasels closing in. Arrows were flying in his direction, but he was able to dodge them easily. As he was chased through the streets of the Marketplace, more Overtakers joined the hunt. Finn jumped over hedges and ducked under tables to avoid his enemy. His stamina was wearing out and he was having a hard time catching his breath.

He was almost to the edge of the square when he felt something grab his foot. Looking down, he could see a thick, thorny vine poke its way out of the ground. It quickly began to wrap itself around Finn's body, knocking him to his knees and forcing his arms behind his back. In a matter of seconds, it had been wrapped around his mouth.

Finn, panting and sweating, struggled against the thorns, but they were too strong. The Overtakers gathered around their prize menacingly. When Hades made his way to the center of the circle, he leaned in close to his prisoner's face.

Finn tried to look away, but someone grabbed him by the hair and forced him to look directly into Hades' angry yellow eyes.

"Oh, Finn," the Dark Lord sighed in disappointment. "I did warn you about the consequences for escaping. I think, perhaps, you need to be reminded of your place in my world."

Hades nodded to the weasels behind Finn, and a moment later, the teen felt a syringe being inserted into his neck.

Here we go again!

As Finn's world faded into black, the group below had no idea that someone else was watching the scene.

Tinkerbell watched the Overtakers remove the thorns from Finn's body and shackle his wrists and ankles. The prisoner was then picked up by two weasels who marched him to a nearby prison van. Their precious cargo was carefully secured inside, and the van drove off into the morning light. Hades and the rest of the Overtakers made their way back to the Dark Castle without another word.

When she was sure that the enemy had left the area, Tinkerbell emerged from behind the lantern where she had been hiding. The tiny pixie raced off as fast as her wings could flutter to tell the others what had happened.

A/N: And, that is Chapter 10! Poor Finn just can't catch a break! Just as he is enjoying his long awaited freedom, he once again finds himself in the clutches of the OTs! Will he be able to stop the ritual in time? Can the Resistance rescue him? Or, will his efforts be in vain? Keep reading to find out! I still have a lot of ideas in mind for this story, so we are still far from the end. Thank you to all of you who have read and followed this story.

See you next time,

Happy Reading!

Love, Mickeygirl20 :)