Chapter Thirty: Last Train to Rosewood
At the front car, Seth glanced over to the security cameras and his eyes widened when he saw the Warden and her men enter the train on the last freight car, quickly grabbing the microphone Seth cleared his throat, "Attention ladies and gentlemen this is the sultry voice of your handsome captain~"
In their car, Connor rolled his eyes when he heard Seth on the intercom, "What the bloody hell are you doing Seth?"
"It's come to my attention that we have some unwanted guests! Without a ticket! Isn't that just rude? I ask everyone to please remain seated till we reach our destination thank you," Seth spoke his message getting to Connor who looked back and rushed to the end of the car peeking through the window into the next car and seeing Verruca enter it.
"Dammit! Guys move!" Connor spoke locking the car door and moved to the next car ahead.
Entering the next car Kyler twisted the lock and bent it to make the door unopenable before turning to the others, "We need a better plan!"
Looking around Neo narrows his eyes before smashing an overhead light making the group stare wide eyes, "I'm not much of a runner, all those with night vision let's jump the bastards."
"Now that's a plan!" Kyler grinned smashing one of the lights with the others putting the whole car in pitch darkness.
Reaching the door Verruca tried to open the next car door finding it locked and looked through the window to see the knob was twisted and ahead the car was pitch dark, "clever heroes, A-Team, take to the roof and get in there."
Following her orders, the Patrol opened the emergency roof exit climbing the roof of the train and into the next car where one of the men opened it and pointed a gun down into the darkness.
Jumping down two Patrol entered and pointed their guns turning on lights pointing them down the rows of empty seats seeing Roscoe on the other end sitting and panting and barking at them, radioing Verruca one of the Patrol spoke into an earpiece, "Ma'am we've located Reaver stolen hound."
"It's to be killed on sight," Verruca replied as the train went through a dark tunnel when it went into the mountain, and in that brief darkness Roscoe vanished.
"Where it go?!" the Patrol spoke hearing movement around them spinning around and pointing his gun and light when something ducked into one of the seat rows.
"I see you~" Roscoe spoke sounding like he was right next to them making the two jump and point their guns at the empty seats next to them not noticing Roscoe was under the seat.
"They're toying with us!" one of the Patrol growled not seeing a large shadow starting to appear behind them before the two could act Neo grabbed the two men by the heads and smashed their heads together effectively knocking them both out.
Hearing footsteps on the roof above Neo whistled heading to the other dark car with Roscoe, "You had too much fun with that Roscoe."
"I thought it was pretty funny," Roscoe chuckled.
At the controls Seth looked ahead seeing they were almost out of the mountain pass and picked up the microphone again, "Attention passengers, we are nearly out of the mountain pass and about to ride over the beautiful Rosewood!"
Entering the next car two patrol scanned the darkness with their light slowly walking down the row of empty seats.
Spotting a head in a seat the two approached to see Tercero seated quietly, smirking behind his mask when he looked up to the two patrolmen pointing their guns.
"Where are the others?!" one of the Patrol ordered.
"They're here," Tercero smirked seeing Mika in the luggage storage where she then kicked the second Patrol guard across the back of the head this distraction allowed Tercero to grab the second man's rifle and point it up to the roof.
The two men began struggling over control of the rifle while they fought down the train car.
Jumping down Mika glared at the man about to get back up but she then roundhouse kicked him across the jaw knocking him out, looking back she saw Tercero slam his knee in the guard's gut and then disarm him stabbing one of his bolts into the man neck.
"Ow! What he- ohhh," the Patrol spoke his vision going dizzy before he passed out and hit the ground with a loud thud.
"What did you stab him with?" Mika asked pulling the dart out to examine it.
"Sleep Bolt, knocks them right out, vamos, we must get to the front," Tercero spoke leading the way to the next car.
Jumping down into the next car Verruca pulled out her firearm pointing her light down the row of seats, "Talk with me Hero, it's Connor isn't it?"
Pointing her gun into one row she slowly inched down the rows, "What is it you hope to gain? Take the throne? Help get revenge for your comrades? Or is it something more personal? Perhaps you're looking for someone? Looking for a sister maybe?"
Upon hearing a mention of his sister Connor stepped out at the end of the row of seats pointing his pistol at the warden who pointed her gun back at him, "What did you just say?"
"We know more than you think child, you wish to be reunited with her, don't you? Get the answers you seek. We can help one another you know," Verruca spoke seeing Connor scoff.
"You'll have to excuse me if I don't buy the rubbish your selling bitch, I saw with my own eyes you kill an innocent man, then ordered to have me killed," Connor spoke narrowing his eyes, "So allow me to give you this one and only warning, if you follow this path, you will die, if not by my hand then by one of those you've hurt."
"Then I guess that a, no?" Verucca smirked as they exited the mountain path and the light of day illumined the car when the train began to ride over the massive Rosewood.
"Slow Time - Force Push!" Connor yelled casting the two spells and hitting the warden in the chest sending her smashing through the door into the next car.
"Let's go!" Kyler yelled opening the roof hatch above and pulling Connor up all the heroes ran from the top of the train to the front of the train.
Looking to the thick forest below Connor looked to the others and then looked to Seth who joined them, "ok guys you are not going to like this part!"
"You suggesting we jump?!" Jaya yelled looking down to the trees below before looking back to Connor, "Are you out of your bloody mind?!"
"The tree tops and branches will break our falls, if we go to Brightlodge the Patrol will cut us off!" Connor yelled feeling the train start to slow down.
"That bastard is stopping the train!" Seth growled then looked to Connor, "It's now or never guys!"
"You people know you are absolutely out of your bloody minds, right?!" Mika yelled.
"Yup, well, today is a good day to die!" Kyler smirked taking a few steps back before running and jumping off, "YAHOOOOOO!"
"Oh wow," Merlin spoke watching Kyler vanish into the treetops of the forest down below.
"This is insane!" Jaya yelled jumping and screaming as she fell after Kyler.
"See you at the bottom!" Seth yelled jumping next followed by Neo and Tercero.
"Oh, bloody hell!" Mika yelled jumping leaving Connor and Roscoe who both turned to one another and nodded.
Before they could jump a moving darkness of ravens swarmed together and flew past Connor who stumbled back and watched the cawing storm of ravens circle the train before they all flew and slammed against the roof of the car a few feet from Connor and Roscoe.
From a puddle of black ink and feathers with some twitching ravens a being slowly began to rise the enemy making Roscoe growl with the fur on his back sticking up.
Drawing his sword Connor watched the black ink and feathers form a hooded figure that stood six feet tall with a white bird beak-like mask covering his face.
"A mask, you're a Sin, aren't you? I already killed that Pride arsehole, I'll have no issue killing you too!" Connor growled.
"Who said I was one of the Ark of Sins, Connor Lionheart," the figure spoke as Connor then realized who was in front of him.
"You're Raven," Connor spoke seeing Roscoe growl and bark.
"Keep back!" Roscoe growled his claws scratching the roof of the train.
"What did that young Seer Gabriel tell you? What lies has he told you about the future? Did he promise that you could save your sister?" Raven asked about to inch closer but Connor pulled out his pistol with his free hand and fired a warning shot in front of the dark seer feet.
"Another step and the next bullet going into your head!" Connor growled.
"That's right, he never told you what became of your sister, did he? My guess is he was mysterious about it, didn't exactly say you would see her again, or implied she was alive, trying not to be a liar like his predecessor before," Raven spoke looking at Connor.
"Look bird brain, I am not in the mood for riddles, if you have something to say then say it, otherwise I got a job to do," Connor warned glancing to the forest below.
"All that waits for you and your friends is death, you could blindly follow the blind, or you could listen to me, I can help you get what you seek, find your family, save a few people, be the 'hero' you're trying to be, all you have to do is trust me," Raven spoke holding out a hand.
Glancing at the seer's hand Connor put his weapons away before approaching Roscoe then smacked Raven's hand away, "I am no fool, Raven, I can tell when someone is full of shit, go ahead and keep trying to derail our plans with Tirich, I control my fate, not you, not Gabriel and not any other seer who sees me and my family as pawns!"
Grabbing Roscoe Connor jumped off the train the two disappearing into the thick green leaves of the forest below, grunting Connor and Roscoe began to smash and hit every branch on the way down slowing the fall before they hit the forest floor with a grunt and knocking the heroes out cold.
On the roof of the train Raven watched with Verruca who joined him looking into the forest below, "I don't need your foresight to know sending men after them in that place is a death sentence."
"Wise girl, the Lady of the woods will not take kindly to their intrusion," Raven spoke looking to his left when time around them stopped and the guild seal appeared and Gabriel stepped out the two seers facing one another.
"Raven," Gabriel spoke crossing his arms.
"Gabriel, Keeper of the Heart of the Spire," Raven smiled behind his mask.
"Not like you to pick sides let alone meddle in current events, I guess the temptation of all the negative emotions to come was too tempting to ignore?" Gabriel spoke narrowing his eyes at Raven.
"Put down the shield, then I can show you a small show of the power I've gained thanks to the pawns in play," Raven offered sensing the barrier Gabriel had in place.
"So that you can mess with my powers like you did to Theresa when she came to you? I ain't no bloody fool Raven," Gabriel spoke holding up his gauntlet, "I am just here to give you this warning, if you continue with this path you will die."
"Hahaha trying to predict my future? Did you forget who you're talking to boy, your powers are nothing compared to mine, it's your demise I see at the end of this road," Raven chuckled both the seers staring one another down.
"That right there is why you'll die, you overconfident fool, we will meet on the battlefield at the end of this road, try and meddle if you want but it will be my kids who will win this fight," Gabriel spoke turning around the entering the seal making time resume.
"We shall see," Raven spoke getting Verruca's attention.
"Pardon?" she asked seeing the tall figure turn into a swarm of ravens that cawed and flew into the air.
Pulling out her phone she made a call and waited for someone to answer, "They entered Rosewood, sir."
On the other end Reaver sat at his desk and had it on speaker phone, "Well they're good as dead then, but just in case have Patrol stationed at both entrances into the forests, no one goes in or out."
"Yes sir," Verruca spoke hanging up.
