Elodie's POV
"You two, know each other?" I said, tilting my head to the side curiously and crossing my arms over each other.
Kieran and Arya said nothing, looking away from each other only to stare back at me with confusion in their eyes.
"Arya and I were in a cell next to each other in the prison. She was supposed to get out with us but Cara watched her get dragged away by the same people that got Hunter. We thought she was dead."
"Hunter." Arya fumbled with the word and then It was like some sort of light lit up. She turned to Bryony and Noah. "He's your brother."
The two nodded.
"Was." Bryony said solemnly.
"No." Arya shook her head. "Is. They didn't kill him."
"What?" We all shouted, turning round to Arya and waiting for her to elaborate.
"He was taken to the main kingdom, I think. They have this idea that if they bring some of the younger children back to the centre, they can enforce gender and equality stereotypes from young ages. Especially with Hunter being a boy he was useful to them. So I'd bet money on the fact that he's alive."
Bryony and Noah looked hypnotised with her words, their jaws nearing touching the floor.
Understandably so, it's not every day you find out the little brother you thought was dead, wasn't.
Cara stumbled over to the two and wrapped her arm around them, reassuring them with her eyes.
But it was just at that moment that an idea popped into my head.
"What if we stormed the kingdom."
Lucas laughed. "You're joking, right? We're thinking about the same kingdom here? The same kingdom that has guards surrounding it, a moat that goes down 10 foot and also guards with arrows ready to snipe us?"
I stopped him. "Okay, yes, but we have Arya now. She knows that castle inside out. If there's a secret way, or a catacomb she's the one that'd know about it. She only does because she's supposed to be dead."
Arya nodded her head slowly. "I hate to admit it but she's right, there's tunnels under the castle through the moat that the guards don't monitor. As Elodie said, the only people that know are part of the kingdom, or dead. Or me, because I'm supposed to be."
"We could get in, with weapons but laying low as much as possible, and find wherever they're keeping Hunter. Arya can probably figure that out too. If we're careful we can get him back safely."
The others breathed heavily; their eyes fixated solely on the ground.
"Okay. Who's in? For hunter." I whispered.
At first it was just me with my hand in the middle, then Kieran took a breath and put his in. "I trust you, Elodie."
Next was Arya, who smiled at me.
After that was Bryony and Noah, who of course were eager at the attempt to bring their little brother home.
Cara put her hand in also, wrapping her other arm around me.
Then it was just Lucas.
"I don't want anyone to get hurt."
"We could get hurt any day, Luke, every day we're here we're risking our lives. We should be doing it to save someone we care about."
He turned to look at me, before scoffing and putting his arm in too.
The seven of us, all arms in. Grinning with the thrill of our plan.
But we had a lot of work to do.
***
"So, what you're saying is we'd have to swim?" Cara scoffed, raising her eyebrows.
Arya smiled apologetically and nodded her head. "The catacombs start through two huge boulders near the bottom of the moat, it's possible to swim down and make it. I used to do it when I was little."
Lucas blew out air through his mouth. "Are you sure, Arya? What if they closed it up?"
"They didn't." She said confidently. "They wouldn't, they keep something down there. Something that would cost them a lot of money to lose."
"What is it?" Bryony asked.
"It's a Jewel, nobody is quite sure what kind of jewel. It belonged to the previous queen who lived in the castle, if it were to be taken, so would my parent's power."
"No." Kieran interrupted. "Before any of you say, we're not going for the jewel. We're going for Hunter."
The group seemed to nod, a silent agreement with Kieran. However, I wasn't sure by the expression on Arya's face.
"Then let's do it." I stated. "What's after the catacomb entrance?"
"Long, narrow tunnels. Three different roots. I know them better than anything else as they were the only place I went when I was little. If we take the left tunnel It'll take us right outside the holding chamber where i presume Hunter is."
"What if it's locked?"
And then Luke spoke up, mumbling. "I can pick the lock."
"Okay, good. So, then we return through the tunnels?" Noah added.
"Yes. But I'd suggest the right tunnel after that as long as it's not guarded, can only be used as an exit and takes us higher up in the moat in case we're too tired to swim up the entire way."
Judging from the worried looks among the group, I took control.
"Everyone, Arya knows the kingdom. She can get us there, it's worth it to save Hunter."
I turned to Cara and Lucas. "Remember how worth it it was to go through the old compound to find Kieran? It's the same thing, but this time someone's life and future is on the line so it means so much more."
Lucas and Cara turned to each other before looking back at me and nodding.
I had the whole group listening and I couldn't help but wonder to myself when I obtained this kind of power.
"Okay. Let's go in a week's time, train until then and gear up."