The minute Brad let her go Patty came running to me, "Kenna I don't understand what is going on, I just want to go home."
I glared up at Brad as Patty said this, "I know sweetie, we will get you home as soon as we can. I won't let anything happen to you." And Brad just chuckled as I said this.
Huh little do you know Brad! I will keep Patty safe no matter what! "Dinner smells good doesn't it Patty, let's go see what they made for us tonight."
Patty reluctantly let go of me and walked over to the make shift table Brad set up for us. Dinner does really smell good, too bad we have to eat and run tonight. Just for kicks I threw a roll at Brad's back as he walked out the door, he just turned and glared at me, but it got a giggle out of Patty. "Let's dig in kiddo, I haven't been eating much lately."
We ate for about 15 minutes before Rick couldn't take it anymore and quietly pushed my dresser out of his way. "Hey can you spare any of that, it smells delicious."
Patty about jumped out of her skin when she heard him, so I placed my hand on her arm to calm her, "don't worry Patty he is a friend, Rick this is Patty, Patty meet Rick."
Patty just seem to shrink into me, I hope she can make it through what I am about to have her do. "Patty, I know you are scared, and you really want to go home. Rick is going to help us make that happen, you can trust him, but for the next few hours I need you to do everything I ask you to do without question, ok?"
Patty just shook her head up and down and looked at me with total faith, I just hope I don't disappoint her. "Rick grab something to eat, we leave in no more than ten minutes."
"Ok here goes, you ready for this Rick?"
"I have been waiting to do this for months."
"Patty, Rick and I are going to go over to Rick's room, and I need you stay here and pretend you are talking to me. Can you do that for me?"
In a very small voice Patty answered yes, and stood up and walked over to my bed, hopefully she can pull this off.
I whispered just in case Patty could hear me, "ok Rick I am going to create a hole in the wall, but where is the best place to create it?"
"The left side corner is the farthest we can get away from your guard, and if I had to guess it is only a three foot drop, what do you need me to do?"
"As I create this hole I need you to keep moving the dirt out of the way, I don't want any to suddenly fall into the stairwell and alert Brad to what we are doing. I am still kinda new at this but I should be able to have the hole done in 20 minutes or so."
"Ok let's get to work then."
"Alright, here goes." Rick and I set to work creating the hole for us to escape out of, and I can hear Patty talking to herself. Good, Brad will think I am still there.
I actually got it done faster than I thought I would, and just as we were finishing Patty walked up and said, "Wow you got that done quickly." I about jumped out of my skin, and she didn't seem surprised I had made the hole.
"What!" Is all I could brilliantly come up with too.
"Don't look so surprised Kenna, Granny told the entire neighborhood about you. Mom said she saw you do things when you were little that would seem impossible, but as you got older you stopped doing it." Really I swear I am the only one that didn't know about me. Thanks Granny!
"That's nice to know, so pretty much you aren't afraid of anything I can do."
"Nope."
"Good, that helps actually, sometimes you act a lot older than your year's kiddo."
"I know, mom tells me that too."
"Ok, we are ready to move. Rick can you get on the stairs and check to see if it is clear then come back and get Patty, then I will follow?"
"Sure can." Rick slipped through the hole to the stairs really quietly, if I hadn't been watching him I wouldn't have known he had done it. This guys definitely has stealth on his side. While we were waiting for Rick I ran back to my room and grabbed the Journal, no reason to leave this to the crazies.
And of course he about gave me a heart attack when his head popped back through the hole, "Ok all clear, Patty lets go."
Patty just looked at me and seemed to be waiting for the ok from me. "Patty it is ok, Rick is here to help us." She just nodded her head and slipped out the hole with Rick.
I took one last look over to the hole that lead to my room and slipped through behind Patty. Rick and I had already discussed the no talking while escaping rule so he just motioned for me to head down the stairs towards the kitchen. Here goes nothing.
Getting down to the kitchen seemed like it took a life time and I was sure that someone would come running down the stairs after us at any time, but amazingly enough we made it to the kitchen without incident. But there were voices on the other side of the kitchen door, so there was no just walking through. I signaled for Rick to hide over in the opposite corner with Patty, and all we could do now was sit and wait.
Our hiding spots were close enough to the kitchen door to hear the voices on the other side and there seemed to be two females working in there, and they seemed to be discussing their employers. "But don't you think it is kinda strange the way things are run around here? I mean we aren't even allowed above stairs."
"Bridget, you haven't been here long and you just don't know the lay of the place. This is one of the best paying jobs around, and it is not our place to question the going on around here, and only the new employees are not allowed above stairs. Once you have been here long enough and they trust you, you too will have the run of the place. It just takes a lot for them to trust someone." Yeah, of course it does, cause they kidnap people and bring them here. How long are we going to have to stay hidden here listening to this?
"Your right, I am sorry. This is an amazing job and I am doing a lot better than most of my friends, they wish they could have landed this job instead of me. Sorry."
"Don't be sorry, you were hired to do a job and not worry about the going ons above stairs, so that is what you need to do."
"Yes ma'am."
"Good, now I have to take this tray of dinner up to the dining hall. Can I trust you to manage everything around here until I return?"
"Yes ma'am, of course ma'am."
"Good, I will be back shortly." I waved Rick back into the corner as what I presumed was the cook came through the door. It seems that the kitchen is never truly empty at any time. Great!
As soon as the cook rounded the corner out of sight I ducked over to where Rick was at with Patty, "Ok, I think this is our best bet. Whoever is in that kitchen doesn't have the slightest idea who we are, and I am pretty sure the kitchen is not going to be empty any time in the near future and we have to get out of here."
"I think you are right Kenna, we just have to act like we belong there. Patty do you think you can do that?"
Patty was shaking, but she looked Rick square in the eyes and said yes.
"Ok, here we go then, just follow my lead. Patty give me your hand." I stood up with Patty right next to me and walked purposefully into the kitchen, the girl there couldn't have been more then 22, not much younger than me really.
"Oh, sorry I didn't think anyone was in the kitchen," I said.
"I am sorry, can I help you," was the girl's response. As I suspected she didn't know who we were.
"No we were just trying to quietly sneak out back for some free time. Rick and I rarely get any time alone, and Patty here is ducking her tutor." I looked at Rick adoringly, hoping the girl would fall for our ruse.
She looked at us with a knowing smile and said, "just head on back, I won't tell anyone where you have gone. Everyone needs a little free time now and then."
Thank the lord, "Oh thank you so much, you are a saint." I grabbed Patty's hand and we skipped out the door. I couldn't believe we had actually done it.
We walked slowly away from the kitchen and I waited until I had led us out of eye shot of the kitchen when I crouched behind one of the castle walls with a big bush next to it that would hide us from sight. "Damn Rick that was pure ass luck. And I am pretty sure Brad will be checking my room before too long."
"Hey Kenna, we got out of the castle, that is the biggest hurdle of all, and you did it like it was nothing. We are going to get out of here, don't worry we will make it." He actually smiled, damn, well I guess he is pretty happy to be outside and free. Well, kinda free, as much as he has been since they captured him.
"Ok, but we have to get out of these walls and that isn't going to be an easy thing to do. Our best bet is to get over to that wall and slowly move our way towards the gates."
"Why not get to the wall and make a whole in the wall there like you did in the castle?"
"I don't know what's on the other side of that wall, do you?"
"um no."
"Well I would hate to waste the time to make a whole in the wall and us not be able to go through it."
"Smart choice, ok Kenna it is your show."
I just shook my head and smiled. If he really knew where I was before I found out about this he would never say this is my show. Alright Kenna get this show on the road.
Just as we made it to the wall the earth erupted. Well it was more like a giant wave went through the earth and threw the three of us off our feet. "What the hell was that?!"
Rick is a little groggy from the earth wave throwing us all a good ten feet in the air, but when I looked over at him he wouldn't look me in the eye. "Oh yeah, um I forgot to tell you that I wasn't the only one they had captive in there."
"WHAT!"
"Yeah, they used one to help get me six months ago. I have seen six others besides me. They usually send one with an extraction team. There weren't any with them when they got you?"
"No there were not, we were kinda a sudden thing for them though."
"Oh, well hopefully they have a few extraction teams out on assignment right now then all six won't be here. But there is usually at least three of us here at all times. Counting myself out now then maybe if things are on our side there are only two we have to contend with."
"Right and that is going to work how exactly? You can't use your abilities remember."
"True, but you can use yours, and you seemed to be pretty good at it, at the very least we have an earth elemental but so do they."
"Right and if they have another one then what, you and Patty aren't gonna be a whole lot of help out there. You know what, we aren't doing any good just laying here waiting for them to come and get us. That wave ran the entire yard of this damn castle so chances are they don't know exactly where we are at. So let's keep moving along that wall and deal with whatever comes along."
"Your right lets go."
I reached down and helped Patty up and said, "We need to move as quickly as we can down this wall. Maybe if we are lucky we will get out of here before they figure out where we are." We moved back over to the wall and started running as fast as Patty could, I just pray it is fast enough.
And of course things could not work out the way I wanted them to. We made it within thirty yards of the main gate when another wave hit us, and this time more directly, and the wave threw us about fifteen feet in the air, and as Patty was flying up she let out a scream that I had no doubt our pursuers' heard.
"Oh my gosh Kenna I am so sorry, I didn't mean to." Patty said, like I could fault her for her outburst.
"It's ok Patty, you couldn't help it that was pretty scary." Not the greatest response I could have come up with but it was better than nothing.
"Kenna, hey Kenna." Rick was practically pulling me away from Patty.
"What Rick?"
Rick pointed out away from us as he said, "They are coming."
And of course he is right. "Shit!" There's seven of them. But they sure don't seem to be in any hurry to get to us now that they have seen us. We are in so much trouble though. "Do all of them have powers Rick, I can't tell if I recognize them from my abductions."
"I recognize the guy to the far left. He is the one controlling the earth waves. And the gal three over from him is a water elemental, four of them are council members and don't have a power among them. But the last one I am not sure about."
"Patty get back and stand by the wall, I want you out of harm's way as far as you can be. Rick I need you to try and use your power, I know they gave you something to block it, but without your power we are up a creek. What is your power anyway?"
"Oh I am earth as well, there seems to be a lot of us running around."
Hey this is going to work out good, I can still hide who I am. "If they actually ask can you tell them you made the holes in the wall?"
"What why? They will drug me more if I tell them that."
"Rick I know we don't really know each other, but if you tell them it was me we are going to be in a heck of a lot more trouble than we are now."
"Oh shit, it's you isn't it?"
"Huh, what do you mean?" Crap he knows now too.
"Kenna, you need to take Patty and run, I will try to keep them back so you can get away."
"What, no I am not leaving you."
Rick grabbed my arm and I could see the pleading in his eyes. "Kenna you are the one that matters, you are our line, you are the direct descendent. That is why the drug they gave you didn't work. They can only drug you for one power. Everything they have tried to put together to block all four powers never works and seems to enhance the powers."
"I can't Rick, I can't leave you."
"Kenna you have to, you are who they want, and if they kill you they destroy us all."
"What does that mean?"
"Legend says that once they destroy the original line there will be a cleansing of the elemental powers. No one knows for sure if that means the rest of us will die or if we will all lose our powers."
"Crap, I am sorry Rick, I can't leave you. I really can't I just don't have it in me. Test your ability and see if you can use it, if not I will do everything I can to keep us safe."
"Kenna they are within ear shot now. We don't have a choice now it is them against us. I will try and get my powers to work, but regardless they will already think I have them so you can use earth and they will think it is me. I just don't know if that will be enough."
"Your right, I will do what I can." Here goes nothing. Please lords if you can hear me I need your help. I am your line and without your help we will not survive this day. I had never prayed to the Elemental Lords, but at this moment in time it really did seem like the best thing to do. Nereus, I need your help.
Calm yourself child, we are here, no mortal will ever destroy what we have created. Find your calm and center yourself, you are more powerful than they have ever imagined all you need to do it call on your powers.
This isn't Nereus, or it isn't just Nereus, I can hear them all, all four of them seem to be speaking as one. What, kinda hard to be calm right now!
We are ready to end this battle with the Restorers. It won't happen in one day, but you will be the one to bring peace to our children.
I have already been told that! How do I find calm in a situation like this!
REMEMBER TO WHOM YOU SPEAK! Holy crap that must have been Aedus, Nereus told me not to cross him. Ok Kenna now is not the time to pick a fight with the lords.
I apologize, I need your help.
You can do this, you have the power within you, just call on it.
I don't know how!
Yes you do, it is instinct.
Ok, I will try.
You will do, but this fight will be hard, and your body isn't used to the powers you are going to call on, so be ready. It takes time to build up your stamina but you can do it. We have taken the poison out of you and the earth elemental next to you, he will help you. Now prepare yourself child, you have a big fight ahead of you.
Do they mean today or for my life to free everyone like me? "Rick test your ability, it should work now. My air ability is working now."
I watched as Rick lifted the dirt of the ground and made it dance. "It is working. Maybe we will live through this day after all."
Ok here goes. The lords are with me, and they said I can do this, now all I have to do is believe I can as well.
"Well, Well, Well, it seems we are going to have to up our dosage on you Rick, your body seems to have found a way to fight it!" It is the guy who seems to be in charge that questioned me in the great hall. And I can see the others now too, Michael is one of them and Brad but I don't recognize any of the others, and Rick said there are two elementals at least.
"You really think you are going to get Rick and I back into that place?" I said.
"Oh Kenna, you haven't been here long enough to understand how things work here. There is a serum running through your veins that prevents you from using your ability, and you think that Rick is going to get you out of here? And of course there is Patty there to worry about."
"You are a bastard, what are you the leader of this sect?"
He just laughed at me. "You are right I never properly introduced myself. I am a direct descendent of the original Restorer, my name is Thomas Caedmon what you probably don't know as you don't seem to know much about your history is that the original Restorer was Halaina's father."
"What! You are full of it. There is no way we have the same blood."
"Your right we don't. You have tainted blood, the blood that runs through my veins is pure. And we need to get rid of the tainted blood line that my ancestors have been trying to do for hundreds of years."
He is trying to distract me, they are all fanning out as he is talking. I turned to Rick and slightly motioned for him to watch them, and he gave me a slight nod. "That's wonderful, I have a crazed great great, whatever the hell we are to each other, trying to kill me and all that have my family's blood line anywhere in their history."
What this moron doesn't know is that I do have my power. And him talking trying to distract us was giving me time to try and get a handle on my power. I know I told Rick not to let them know who I am, but the Lords said I would make it through this and they are going to find out who I am eventually might as well make this count.
"You are but a child in all of this, I have been doing this for years. We will end this and find all of you."
"Well, you might as well start right here." But just as I said that Patty started screaming, one of Michael's goons from before had her and is dragging her back to Michael! NO THIS IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN, instantly a ring of fire enveloped around Patty and her captor. I kept it from burning her, but it is nipping at the man's pant legs, and starting to burn his flesh.
"Her brother is near, he is the one who controls fire!"
Well hell that worked out nicely. Patty got loose from the goon and I opened a path through the fire for her to come back to where Rick and I are, but now I can really feel my powers. The anger that caused the fire ring must have opened me up to them more. I can feel them pulsing below the surface waiting to be released. Screw it let them know it is me they are trying to find! With that I created a huge ball of fire and sent it hurtling towards them.
"It's HER! No matter what happens we need her alive! She is the key!" And with that all hell broke loose.
Rick is fighting the earth elemental and seems to holding his own, but that still left the water elemental and all the normal people, and possibly another elemental among them. But at least the normal ones seemed to be just standing back and watching the show, so it seems I don't have to worry about them just yet.
But I can feel it, I can feel the power within the elementals. The last one we didn't know about is one of us! He is, what is it Kenna, concentrate! He is fire, there is fire within him! And sure as hell here comes some flying right at you, along with a wave of water, don't they know they cancel each other out? Shit deal with the fire Kenna, pay attention to what you are doing. Air, fire needs air!
So I closed my eyes and focused on the air surrounding the fire, and took it away, the fire died instantly, but what about the wave? It's to close, "Patty come stand by me now!" Just as Patty got to me the wave hit the three of us, but I put an air bubble around us, the water went right over us.
That's it! A dome, Kenna create a dome over them, that way nothing can get out. This is the largest thing I have ever tried to create. My knees are giving out, hold on Kenna you can do this, there it is up! It's working, everything they are doing is staying within the air dome I created around them.
In the dome I have created there is now water hitting the sides, trying to break it down, and they are throwing earth at the walls and fire balls. Of course if they really thought about it the earth elemental would create a tunnel under my dome to allow the water out and use the water to fight us that way. But I really need to concentrate on what I am doing and not worry about what they aren't doing.
They are slowly breaking down my barrier, but they said I can do this it is just going to be difficult. "Rick?"
"Kenna keep fighting, don't worry about me. We have to concentrate on what each of us is doing separately." He is creating a barrier around us, I look back to see how Patty is and she is huddled in a ball right behind me, but otherwise seems to be ok. They are ignoring her completely and focused on us.
They are doing it, they are breaking down my barrier, I can feel it weakening as I weaken. I don't know how long I can keep this up! I have to figure out how to stop this fight. Kenna you are the line! You are the most powerful of the family, now show them! I created a wave within the dome, and swept them all off their feet, then I made the earth churn under them.
Now the water elemental is fighting to keep the water at bay, and the earth elemental started fighting me as well. Fire, Kenna add fire! Now all three of them are fighting me instead, "Rick keep the earth rolling under them, they are all fighting me now, just keep the earth rolling under them."
"Ok Kenna I will." And I felt his efforts, and kept everything I had within me keeping all of my elements fighting them. It feels like I have been fighting for hours and it has only been maybe ten minutes.
"Rick it is draining me, I don't know how much longer I can keep this up." The air, Kenna take the air out of the dome, not all of it, but enough to make them pass out! Kenna you can do this!
"I know, we just have to keep trying," is all he said, "Kenna wait, there is someone else coming, if they are part of the Restorers we can't beat them."
I looked over to where they were coming from, and saw them. My saviors, my brother, "Aiden, God Aiden I need your help."
"Kenna we are coming, just hold on a little longer, we are coming." I can see them running at us, if I can' just hold on a little bit longer. My vision is going dark, Aidan please hurry, the air is leaving the dome, this is going to work.
Then I see them, they are all four there, each one strengthening my powers, Nereus I don't know how much more I can take, my body is weakening!
You can do this child, we are here with you, you will not faulter. Let your brother take over fighting the fire, and the earth elemental is fighting the other earth, concentrate on water and air. Your waves are keeping them off balance, you are stronger than the other you can defeat her!
I am trying. I push all the water to the water elemental and create a whirlpool around her, all she can manage to do is keep from drowning.
Now do as you planned, take the air from the dome.
I don't want to kill them.
They will kill you if given the chance.
Some of them are your children, they are being used, they don't deserve death.
Do as you wish child, but do it quickly, you are waning.
I took as much air from the dome as I could without killing then, then removed the water and fire. I watched as they all collapsed inside my dome. The lords slowly flickered away, and then I couldn't see anything.
I can feel arms on me, I hear people talking, but can't make out what they are saying, and then nothing. Blackness envelopes me, it is almost a relief, I can't take it anymore and the pain from pushing myself so far is excruciating, I welcomed the blackness.