Chapter 21

Just when Aggie was about to give up hope she found a tiny door located behind the kitchen. At first, she thought it was just a pantry, but she decided it was worth a look. Wrapping her hand around the knob, she jerked her hand back instantly as a scalding heat flooded through her body. Looking at her hand, she sighed in relief, it only appeared red and not blistered as she feared.

Gryson was right there to grab her hand and inspect it. “What was that?” He smoothed his hand over hers and whispered an incantation. Immediately, the burning ceased and her hand no longer was in pain.

“I’m not sure, it just burned me instantly. I don’t think that is just a pantry as I originally thought. Anyone have an idea?” Aggie glanced around the three men and waited but Mitchell had his own plan.

Walking around Aggie, he placed his hand around the knob and gritted his teeth through the pain. Twisting slowly his face contorted as the burning worked its way through his palm. Finally, he made it full circle and the latch released. Never once did Mitchell make a sound, but Aggie knew from his facial expressions that it had hurt.

“What was that? Now we are down a man because you couldn’t stop being macho for five seconds to let us come up with a plan.” Aggie was fuming and yet still trying to keep her voice low to remain hidden from any other dwellers.

Mitchell took a cleansing breath and then flipped his hand over to show Aggie the damage. To Aggie’s surprise, what should have been first degree burns for as long as he held on to that knob, was barely red. As she watched, the redness quickly faded to his normal white coloring. Shocked and a little sheepish over her previous reaction, Aggie just stood there gaping at him.

“I was the best choice. Ren would have been the second choice, but as Alpha I heal a touch faster than he does. This way, the door is open and no one is damaged for the long haul.” Proud of himself and as cocky as ever, he motioned for Ren and they both walked through the doorway first. It led to a narrow staircase that they had to travel single file. The wolves could see in the dark so it was their best option to let them go first, but Ren held back and brought up the rear.

It was a short set of stairs, as they reached the bottom rather quickly. Gryson whispered softly and a glow built in his hand much like that of a dim flashlight. Aggie was thankful not to have to rely on following Mitchell and the walls to keep from falling down.

Walking a few feet, Aggie nearly shouted with joy. There strapped to the wall was a tiny little boy. He looked sickly and barely conscience but he was still breathing and that made Aggie happier than words could express. He was leaning against the wall and his body sagged with the strain of holding his arm aloft. Some invisible power was holding it up in the air and his hand was slightly discolored as though the blood hadn’t been in it for a long while.

Unable to control herself and knowing that the guys were there and not distracted, Aggie ran to the little boy. As she got closer she realized he was only about five years old and her heart broke. No one should have to go through any trauma like this, much less a child. The guys circled around her, facing out to watch for any unknown threats while she tried to figure out how to break this child free.

Reaching for his arm, the boy startled and started to breathe heavily, “Shhh, little one. I’m here to help. I want to take you home to your mama. Let me just get you loose.” She felt up his wrist and she realized there was a shackle attached to a chain holding him to the wall. None of this could she see with her own two eyes, only feel it with her hands.

“What do you think you are doing?” A voice sounded like it came from everywhere, of an unknown woman. Everyone froze and instantly went on guard. “That is one of my pets and you won’t take him without my permission. That is something you will never get from me.” Her words scraped across Aggie’s senses and she sounded more like Cruella de Vil and the epitome of villains than just some crazy cat lady. Just then she appeared from the stairwell and startled them because no one heard exactly where she was approaching from. She could have been appearing like the Cheshire Cat for all they knew.

“Who are you and why are you holding these children hostage?” Aggie’s words were a bit shaky but she was trying her best to portray bravery and stand up to this bitch.

“I’m Alentra, and you are inside my family home. It was removed from my view, so I couldn’t return here many years ago. When I found it I decided to keep it hidden and stay here comfortably. Soon I discovered a child that had wandered a little too close to my property and trespassing is a sin I take very seriously. So, they were taken captive and I am using them for my various purposes.” While she wasn’t clear on her purpose for keeping the children, she did give them more than Aggie asked for, but that gave her something to go on.

“You’re ‘The Wanderer’, aren’t you?” Matter of fact was usually the best approach when you are grasping at straws. Own your answer and if you are wrong at least you gave it all you had.

Alentra screamed so loud Aggie had to cover her ears and she noticed the guys wincing in pain but held their ground between Aggie and this woman. “I hate that name and I refuse to answer to it. You will refer to me by my given name or I will end you now.” With that a ball of lightening filled Alentra’s hand and it crackled and bounced in a tiny ball contained, for the moment. What she didn’t know is Aggie was prepared and two could play at that game.

“Oh really? Did you want to play catch? I brought my own ball.” Aggie’s fingers quickly caught in her own ball of lightening with only the thought. She imagined that same glass she trapped the tornado inside to contain the storm building.

“I know who you are, and you don’t have a clue what you are doing. I know you only just came to Ahael days ago. I have been wielding this power my entire life, while you are a baby compared to my skills.” Alentra threw the ball between her hands showing off. Aggie got tired of the game and threw her feelers out to figure out what this room was made of and she was in luck. The edges of the floor had a wood base which meant Aggie could reach for her powers. The stones had cracks in them just like the castle and Aggie had done this before and successfully held back two strong ass shifters. Still keeping the ball dancing under her invisible glass, Aggie summoned the vines again and added a level of thickness just for good measure. Never once giving a clue that she was adding to her ploy, Aggie faced off with Alentra as the guys stood vigilant.

Without warning the vines struck out and wrapped and grew and knotted until Alentra was successfully entangled amongst the briars. Aggie did in this case, add the thorns. She was unconcerned with how much damage was done. She wasn’t protecting this source of evil who kidnapped kids and tortured them. Thrashing and throwing a fit, Alentra screamed at the top of her lungs to be released. Aggie only hoped she hadn’t come into her full powers with the help of these children or she might be able to sift right through the vines and into their space to attack unbeknownst to anyone.

Not letting a second lapse, “Quick, Gry, we need to figure out how to get these kids free.” Gryson shown his light at a higher lumen and they counted the remaining four children as expected. She said a silent thank you that there weren’t any extra kids unaccounted for without parents to claim them.

“I don’t know this spell, I’m not sure how to decipher it if I can’t see it. Whoever put the invisibility on these things has hidden the secondary power. It might even be what she is using to syphon the powers from these kids.” Aggie’s heart sunk immediately.

“Tell us how to free these kids and we will spare your life.” Aggie pleaded with Alentra. Knowing that it would take a miracle to bring her back from this evil.

“I’ll never help you. The Master promised me powers beyond compare if I could succeed in my plan. I won’t let him down.” Alentra sounded like a crazy cult follower. Aggie had no clue what she was talking about.

“Master? Who is the Master?” Aggie was lost but at least if she kept this nut talking it might result in her giving something away that was useful.

“He came to find me when I was lost. He wanted me to be whole again and told me how to find my power. I am almost there I can feel the power inside me. It completes me and I need to finish the transfer. You won’t take them from me. They are mine I have taken them fair and square. If their parents even loved them a little they would have protected them better. It was so easy to get to them. My favorite was the little prince. He was just sleeping and his wonderful aunt simply picked him up and cradled him until he was safe in my custody.” Well that at least gave them reason to believe Yavari’s hand in all of this, but there had to be more.

At that moment, Alentra began to scream again piercing to the ears and louder than before. Aggie closed her eyes and covered her ears. When the screaming stopped Aggie opened her eyes and was startled to find Yavari standing there with Mathius in her grasp a knife to his neck. Aggie was in denial, there was no way Mathius was overtaken by this bumbling idiot. Then had she not been looking right at him with confusion, she would have missed his subtle wink. Aggie then knew he meant to be taken.

“Let her go or I’ll take care of this one myself. I’d hate for you to lose one of your sacred harem, human.” The last word was spoken with such disdain Aggie realized something. It hit her like a ton of bricks.

“It was you! You destroyed my room. Why would you frame ‘The Wanderer’ if you did it all along? You would have been better off not leaving a clue for us to find.” Aggie lifted her hand and another bolt of lightning just hovered there, no need for a glass because she intended to throw this one.

“Don’t call me that! I said I hate that name!” Alentra screeched.

“I framed her because I don’t want my nephew to die, but I am willing to let you two battle it out and see who wins. I won’t, however, let you kill my Mathius in the process.” Yavari gently scraped the blade across Mathius’s jaw in almost a loving way that was on edge of sick.

“Your Mathius? I think you have some wires crossed there.” With that she let the bolt fly and envisioned it flying faster than the speed of light. Yavari unable to react fast enough took the blow to the shoulder, knocking the blade from her hand. Mathius kicked it out of the way and moved to stand between Yavari and Alentra.

“Do you think that will stop us? Those children are still spelled under my magic. Even killing me won’t free them.” Yavari was so proud of herself. “The Master will be pleased with me.” There it was again, that name of some unknown person. Aggie assumed it was a man the way the two of them went doe-eye on mentioning it.

Without warning a bolt of lightening grazed Aggie’s head, she shrieked and ducked away. Feeling her face, it felt wet and she realized she was bleeding. Not wanting the kids to get caught in the crossfire, Aggie imagined a shield of wind surrounding them all. It was all she could think of and hoped it would be enough. Though that took a lot of concentration to hold, Aggie wasn’t going to give up the fight. She looked back to Alentra and realized she had gotten one hand free. It was slow for her and Aggie assumed it was because she hadn’t regained all of her magic. Just then a child cried out in pain. “I’ll take what I need and I will win this.” Alentra was reaching toward the child that was screaming and Aggie could feel the power transfer as though it was palpable.

A growl echoed through the room and Aggie saw both shifters change form. Gryson was glowing with balls of magic in his hands and Mathius’s eyes were full on red as he channeled his demonic energy. Aggie realized his power was stronger than the other two demons in the room, but Alentra was still pulling from the children.

“Guards!” Yavari yelled to the top of the stairs. They must have been waiting for things to get out of control because they hadn’t come down sooner. If Yavari thought she could persuad Aggie with the blade to Mathius’s throat, she’d underestimated them.

Unfortunately, the amount of guards that flooded inside were more than what anyone bargained for and it filled the space. It was now hard to see the women, the men took to battling the guards. Mathius drew his blades and his magic traveled through them. Upon contact, it was as though they had been lit with Hell’s fire. Instantly, they were set ablaze, in a fire black as night and hotter than anyone could imagine.

Gryson fired balls of magic toward oncoming attackers, keeping them from Aggie who still stood behind him. She was focusing all her energy on protecting the children from the fight. The wolves grabbed any guard within reach in their jaws ripping them to shreds in an instant. Then as though he heard Aggie’s worry, Xavier appeared amongst them all, sinking his teeth into an unsuspecting guard approaching Aggie from the side. It was as though they were all told to attack her as she was the weak target.

Thankfully her men stayed close, but somehow, the guards were multiplying and for every one they took out another three appeared. They needed to end this and do anything it took to save these kids. Aggie only hoped that Yavari was bluffing about breaking the restraints or she would take pity, not wanting her nephew to die as she said before.

Every once in a while, one of the guards got a little too close for Aggie’s comfort and she would throw out a kick to the head or a right-cross to the jaw. She channeled as much energy into those as she could spare in order to do the most damage. None of them were as strong as Xavier so they went down fairly easily.

Another child, a little girl nearby where Aggie stood, let out a blood curdling scream in one long breath, then suddenly stopped. Aggie glanced quickly to put eyes on this tormented creature and noted that she was now unconscious.

“What did you do?” Aggie growled at Alentra in an accusatory tone.

Alentra laughed haughtily, “Nothing, I just took what was waiting for me it will be more than enough to finish this and get one with my plans.” With that she let loose a storm inside that rivaled a tropical storm one would see in the coastal regions on Earth. Aggie fought against her impulse to cower. There were kids to protect at all costs.

Yavari cackled at the turn of events, “You can’t win this. She has an endless supply of power and at midnight, it will be permanent.” Aggie had no idea what time it was but she knew it had been a few hours since it went fully dark. So, time was approaching quickly and they didn’t have much left. The men were beginning to sweat with the excursion of energy trying to keep the guards at bay. Aggie still didn’t understand where they were all coming from.

“Enough!” Aggie was fed up with the antics of these two and she was willing to risk the power by attempting to break the chains herself, in an attempt to save the lives of the children. She was finished waiting on Yavari. She conjured a tornado in her mind and sent it quickly. Navigating around her own men the concentration was excruciating. She felt something drip from her face and chalked it up to sweat like she saw on the guys fighting alongside her. She pushed through the pain and exhaustion. Dancing through the room, Aggie grabbed each guard and worked her way to the front by the stairs where Yavari and Alentra never moved. Without another word, she scooped them up and entangled them both inside this twisting wind.

She felt Alentra’s magic pressing against her own but she just pushed herself a little more. Another drip fell from her face but there was too much at stake so she brushed it on her arm and pushed harder. Fighting against the similar magic countering her from inside, Aggie fell to her knees to avoid losing control. Then she felt hands fold over each shoulder, one at her hip, and one on the other side mirroring that, then an entire strong body press to her back.

Aggie knew it was her men and their strength gave her strength. She pushed back to her feet and fought through until she felt the magic lessen to a manageable level, as it evened out throughout her body.

Aggie wasn’t sure what to do, she needed to get the kids free. So, she dropped the wind shield from around the kids and that gave her a boost in power to keep the enemies contained. Then she threw her mind into the tornado to seek out Yavari. In one last burst of power, she separated Yavari from the twisting windy mess and wrapped her in a muddy lightening infused mold so only her head was still out.

“This is your last chance to save your nephew. You said you led us here because you wanted to save him. This doesn’t look like saving him. How do we release their bonds?” Aggie’s voice sounded different, but she didn’t care. Anything to get her point across. It was more demanding and more powerful than her usual go with the flow voice.

“Please, please don’t let me die.” Yavari’s pleading was a given for anyone in her position. Aggie didn’t want to hear her pleas but rather a solution to the problem at hand.

“No! You will die if you don’t free these children from whatever you have them trapped with.” Her voice grew in intensity and power. It wasn’t very human anymore.

“I’ll release them, but in doing so it will kill Alentra. I can’t keep them all alive.” Yavari was stammering and stuttering, like a child learning to speak. She was scared and Aggie knew she should be. Aggie wasn’t playing and she was tired of people attacking them. Another drop dripped from her face, but a hand caught it this time. The same hand that was resting on her right shoulder, wiping it from her face without a word.

“All I care about are the children, she made her bed and she will lay in it no matter the consequences. These kids shouldn’t have ever been put through this. No matter what you were told by this Master of yours.” Aggie released one of Yavari’s arms. “Know that if you try anything funny, I will kill you without a word.”

Closing her eyes, Yavari’s hands glowed slightly and one by one the children’s hands fell to the ground. Some that were awake grabbed their wrists to rub the blood back into them. Mathius approached the young girl who was still out from the power absorption moments before. He picked her up from the floor and was gone in an instant. Aggie didn’t need to ask where he had gone. Eldon would be waiting for them and Aggie knew she would be fine.

“What kind of demon are you?” Aggie asked the now physically defeated Yavari.

“My mother was Gardarene, but my father was part Pockla. It seems my brother and I don’t share the same father and I was blessed with the power to make things and people invisible. It came in handy when I wanted to leave the castle as a child. Then I discovered I could hide other things with it as well. It allowed me to block my magic under a cloak, never to be noticed by anyone.”

Mathius came back with Kyrel hot on his heels, they scooped up two more children and were gone in the blink of an eye. Then and only then did Aggie relax because they had most of them out and the odds were in their favor.

Xavier stepped between Aggie and her line of sight to Yavari. 
“Wee one, I fear you pushed yourself too far.”

“Why would you say that, we won didn’t we?” Aggie was baffled by his approach and she looked around and saw Alentra unconscious under the pile of all the guards that were slowly disintegrating into a pile of stone. Yavari seemed to have been creating guards from the bricks of the house itself. That was why they were coming and seemed to be never ending.

Xavier reached up and wiped the space between her mouth and nose, only to come back red with blood. He slipped his finger into his mouth and closed his eyes in satisfaction. “Like a rare wine, only to be had on special occasions.” His voice crooned his delight at the flavors dancing on his tongue. Aggie’s eyes were wide with disbelief. Perhaps he was right, she had pushed herself too far. She felt her body draining as she pushed harder and harder to get the information she needed and to save the children. Though she didn’t care about herself in that moment, it was all about the children.

Then it hit her, she had been preaching to the guys to let everyone own their strengths. If they say they have something under control then trust them to handle it. That is just what they did for her in that moment. While they saw her fading, they never stopped her. They only gave her what they could and that was to know they were there for her no matter what.