Reaching Retribution (The Prophesized Series) (15 page)

“She’s agreed to give you another blood sample
,” Adam states.

“You agreed?”

“Yep. So let’s stab my arm and get this over with. I have a lovely concrete cell calling my name.”

“
You have your mother’s attitude,” Dr. Arden says while trying to hide a small smile.

“Don’t talk about my mom. You abandoned us, doctor.”
I enunciate the doctor at the end of the sentence. This man means nothing to me. I grew up without a father and there’s no way in hell I’m going to start believing that he’s it.

Dr. Arden walks over to me,
grabs my arm and gently guides me to a chair. “Always dragging me somewhere,” I mumble as I sit down. Dr. Arden lifts my shirt sleeve up and wipes some disinfectant on my arm. I grimace and focus on the wall to my left.

“You’re squeamish at the sight of blood?” Adam asks me.

I wince as I feel the needle pierce my skin. “The needle. Blood. The whole thing. It’s not my cup of tea.” I look at my arm and squeak when I see the blood coming out of it.

“Don’t look at it
, and it won’t be so bad,” Jedrek tells me.

“Don’t tell me what to do
.” Both he and Adam chuckle at me, but neither says anything else. I look around the room. Nothing looks too suspicious. There are a lot of blood samples in a cabinet to my right. I wonder whose blood that is.

“Ok
ay, you have enough. Take the needle out of me,” I demand after a few minutes.

“You know, I don’t like doing any of this either,” Jedrek tells me as h
e takes the needle out. He wraps a bandage around my arm and forces me to look at him. “Some of us weren’t given a choice.”

I stand up and look him
straight in the eyes. “Except you were. You made the wrong choice when you decided to fight fate.”

W
ithout waiting for Adam, I walk out of the room and head down one of the hallways. I have no idea where I’m going, but I don’t want to be near him right now. I know that he’s not actually bad, but I still have a right to be angry at him. Adam runs out of the room and grabs my arm, halting my progress. I fall backward into his chest before I can steady myself.

“If anyone sees you walking alone, they won’t hesitate to attack you.
Their emotions for you run from hatred, to anger, to lust. You need to stay with me if you want to remain safe. No one will go against me.”

“They wouldn’t know what hit them if they went against me,” I tell him.

“That may be true, but some of the Gadramicks here are more powerful than you would guess. I wouldn’t push your luck, Ryanne.” Another surge of warm feeling hits me as Adam looks down at me. A need to protect me is written all over his face. Adam is very conflicted and I want nothing to do with it. I take a step back, creating distance between the two of us.

“Take me back to Liam.”

With a sigh, he turns around and starts walking in the opposite direction. Of course I went the wrong way. I follow after him, not trying to quiet my steps. I’m frustrated and I want everyone to know it.

Adam stops in front of my cell door and looks back at me. I avoid eye contact an
d cross my arms, waiting for him to open it. I want to make sure Liam is safe—that they kept their promise. Adam sighs when I refuse to look at him and unlocks the cell door, gesturing me inside.

Walking through the doorway, m
y eyes immediately land on Liam sitting against the wall with his left arm propped against his knee. His head snaps up when I enter the cell, and I let out a sigh of relief when I see he’s in the same condition he was when I left. They didn’t try anything. His eyes linger on the bandage on my right arm before flickering up to Adam in the doorway with an angered look crossing his expression. I walk over to Liam as Adam closes and locks the door behind him without saying anything to either of us.

“What happened?” he asks me when we’re alone.
He grabs my arm and looks at the bandage before looking back at me.

“They took some more of my blood.” I sit back against the wall and close my eyes. I’m not sure how long we’ve been here. A couple hours at least, so it’s probably around
mid-afternoon by now. Liam’s stomach growls loudly when he sits down next to me. “I’m sorry Liam. They’ve never given me food here before, so I wouldn’t count on it,” I tell him.

“What’s wrong?” he asks me. I sigh and lean my
head on his shoulder. Liam can always tell when something is going on with me.

“I don’t like it. Dravin and Adam are kind of being civil…it’s creeping me out. They’re planning something and I’m go
ing to find out what it is before it’s too late.”

“Do you think Liam will try to contact one of us?” Natalie asks me as I throw our bags in the back of the car. Shutting the trunk, I walk around to the passenger side of the vehicle and open the door, ushering her inside. She sits in the middle and turns toward me, waiting for my response.

“I sure hope so,” I tell her
as I get in. Natalie leans her head on my shoulder again and sighs. They’ve only been gone a couple of hours now, but it’s already been too long. I wrap my arm around her shoulder, attempting to comfort her. We’re the only ones who understand what the other is going through right now.

“
I’ve called everyone. They’re all meeting us in Whiteshire. We’ll formulate a plan afterwards. Everyone is contacting someone else, so we’ll have a little more than we were expecting,” Tom announces.

“But will it be enough?” I ask.

“I’m not sure.” I flinch as the honesty in his voice. “We’re not really sure what we’re up against right now, Colton, so we don’t know how many people we need.”

“
We’re going to get them back,” Bragden says. I’m going to do anything and everything in my power to make that statement true. They will not stay at Dravin’s compound for long.

I sit back and
stare out the window, trying to keep my mind from wandering. I can’t think about what they are experiencing there…what Ryanne could be going through again. If I do, I’ll go invisible, and I need to stay visible right now.

The trees out
side the window blur together from the movement of the car. The yellows, oranges, reds, and greens stream together as we pass. Ryanne would love this scenery for she loves the outdoors. There were many times when I caught her just staring out a window, watching the woods. At first, I thought she was daydreaming or lost in her thoughts, and while that was the case some of the time, I realize now that she was just appreciating nature.

“
How long will it take to get to Whiteshire?” I ask Tom. “I want to get this over with as soon as possible. They don’t need to be there any longer.”

“It’ll take two hours to get there and then
we’ll have to spend a couple hours coming up with a plan. We won’t be able to do anything tonight, Colton. I’m sorry.”

I clench my first and
stare out the window. Natalie grabs onto my arm and attempts to keep me calm. It’s working to keep me visible, but it doesn’t keep my mind from thinking about what is going on.

“Colton, we’re here,” Natalie shakes me awake.

I open my eyes and groggily try to assess my surroundings. When I see Natalie looking at me, everything comes back to me. I
jump up and get out the car, and shortly after, everyone else follows. We’re parked in another high end hotel parking lot. I go to the back of the car and take my duffle bag. I see Ryanne’s duffle lying off to the side. Natalie walks up behind me and grabs her bag and Liam’s. She shrugs and walks back toward Tom. I grab Ryanne’s bag and follow her.

“Is everyone here?” I ask him.

“There are a lot here already. Everyone else will arrive later tonight or early tomorrow morning.”

“So you think we’ll be able to get to them by tomorrow?” Natalie asks.

“Let’s talk with everyone and see what they think we should do. There’s a lot at stake here. We don’t want to rush into a compound full of Gadramicks unprepared.”

“Ok
ay,” Natalie says dejectedly. I pull her after me as we enter the hotel lobby. Tom goes up to the front desk and gets our room keys. He called ahead of time and reserved rooms. We basically have an entire floor for all the mages and have the ballroom reserved for a couple nights. There’s plenty of space for everyone.

“We’ll call a mee
ting as soon as we get settled,” Tom announces as he hands out the room keys. Since Ryanne isn’t here, I have to share a room with Logan. Lily, Natalie, and Incendia are all sharing a room together.

Taking the elevator up to the third floor,
I follow Logan slowly down the hallway. I know that I won’t be able to sleep tonight, so it doesn’t matter where I am. Logan unlocks the door and claims the bed near the window. I drop my stuff along with Ryanne’s bag on the bed and sit down on the edge.

“We are going to find a way to get them back, man. Don’t worry. We won’t l
et them stay there for too long,” “Logan assures me.

“I just wish there was a
way I could find out how she is doing. To see if anything is happening to her. I don’t like not knowing what is going on and being left in the dark.”

“
Liam will find a way to contact us if something were to happen to her. You have to trust him,” Logan tells me.

“I do trust Liam,” I tell him.
“It’s Dravin and Adam that I don’t trust. And now she’s at that compound with some Zahtri person who’s stronger than both of them put together.”

“
Ryanne’s just as strong. You’ve seen what she can do, Colton. I doubt she needs us to go against him, but she can’t go against a whole compound alone which is what she needs us for. If Dravin or Zahtri wanted Ryanne dead, she would be. They’re keeping her alive for something. We have to get to her before that something occurs.”

“Then let’s start this meeting. The sooner the better.”

Gathering in the large Ballroom, we all help push the tables to the far end of the room. We leave the chairs out for everyone to sit in, but the tables aren’t necessary. Honestly, I doubt people will sit down
anyway. We all understand what is going on. As we work, no one says anything. The only sounds coming from the room are the scraping of the metal chairs against the tiled flooring.

I lean against one of the tables. I can’t believe
this is happening. The prophecy is unraveling right before our eyes. Everything we’ve ever been told growing up is coming true. I’ve met and fallen in love with the girl that’s supposed to end all this mess. I’m more involved in this battle than I ever thought I would be. We’re all more involved in this prophecy than we ever believed we would be.

Knowing what I am thinking about
, Natalie walks over to me and squeezes my hand. I look down at her and do my best to smile. “I have a good feeling about this, Colton. We’re doing what we’re supposed to be doing,” she tells me.

“Are you sure about that?”

“Have a little faith. We won’t accomplish anything if we don’t have faith. Ryanne believes in this cause and I do too. They wouldn’t want us to sit here and worry about them. We have to have faith if we are ever going to see them again.”

Hearing the truth in her words, I squeeze her hand and look around the room, watching everyone move around. Bragden and Conner
are pushing the last of the tables against the wall. Logan and Lily are unstacking all the chairs, quietly talking to each other, while everyone else continues working on putting the chairs out.

I walk over to Tom as people start entering
the room. I see some familiar faces in the crowd: the Prowlers, Mr. Thalland, a few distant relatives that I’ve only ever seen during family get-togethers. I recognize many faces from our first fight with Dravin, but there are more that I don’t know. Tom wasn’t kidding when he said that everyone was bringing someone else. Over a hundred people enter the ballroom. There aren’t enough chairs for everyone; many mages are left standing in the back.

This
could actually work. This could be the miracle we need. Dravin won’t expect our numbers to be so high, and he definitely won’t be prepared for us to counter an attack so soon. He thinks that he still has time, so he won’t know what’s hit him until it’s too late.

“Did you know
there was going to be this many people?” I ask Tom without taking my eyes from the still growing crowd in front of me. From my peripherals, I see Tom cross his arms across his chest and shake his head.

“I didn’t, but this could work. We’re already a step closer to rescuing them, Colton. We have the numbers. Now all we need is the plan.”

I watch as a couple of teenage boys push through the doors and quickly scan the room. “Lucas!” Incendia shouts from across the room runs toward the doorway.

Lucas’s smile wide
ns when he sees Incendia rushing toward him and catches her as she runs into him. My eyes instantly find Bragden and even I can’t help but smile when I see the scowl forming on his face. I understand that feeling.

Logan is standing nea
r Bragden still talking to Lily. She laughs at something he says, and he smiles just seeing her reaction but his gaze shifts to the door. His smile grows at what he sees. Lily looks away from him and towards the door as well. Logan’s parents, my aunt and uncle, walk into the room and instantly look for their son. Telling Lily something, Logan starts pushing through the crowd and hugs his parents when he manages to get past everyone. Looking in Lily’s direction, I catch her watching Logan. Logan says something to his parents and both of them glance in her direction, smiling when they see her. Feeling uncomfortable with the sudden stares, Lily turns away and moves toward Emma.

Natalie
, who’s hand I’m still holding, and Conner, who is standing behind me, both gasp as their parents walk into the room. Releasing my hand, Natalie runs toward her dad and jumps into his arms. Conner, on a much calmer scale, walks up to his mom and hugs her.

Turning
toward the room, Tom shouts, “Can I have everyone’s attention?” All eyes in the room turn and look in our direction. Natalie walks back up and stands beside me. The rest of our group stands slightly behind. “You all know why you are here today. We need your help. Ryanne is back in the hands of the Gadramicks and we need to rescue her. Her protector, Liam, followed her there. ”

“How did she get captured again?” a girl asks from the back of the room. The tone of her voice says all I n
eed to hear.

“Ryanne wasn’t captured again. She went with them to protect all of us,” I tell her. She smirks and looks down at the ground.
“What is your name?” I ask her.

“Violet.”

I recognize her from somewhere. “Were you at the last fight with Dravin?” She nods at me. That’s where I’ve seen her. “You were the girl that Ryanne saved from Thomas.” When the color starts draining from her cheeks, I know the answer. Violet stares down at the ground again, but nods. “Then, you should understand what Ryanne’s like. She’ll do anything to protect others. If any of you were at that battle, Ryanne saved you all. Doesn’t she deserve that same courtesy too?

“Y
ou’ve all heard about the prophecy. Ryanne has proven to all of us multiple times that she’s truly the girl mentioned in it. There’s no refuting that once you’ve met her. She’s everything we need in a leader. She’s strong, fearless, and selfless. She puts the needs of everyone above her own. She’s the most strong-willed, determined and loyal person you’ll ever meet.

“
Right now, that girl, my soulmate, is in the hands of the Gadramicks. She has her magic, but is way outnumbered. She’s not stupid, so she won’t fight her way out of it. She needs us, every last one of us, to help her. She won’t ask for any help, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t need it. Now, I’m going to go to Dravin’s compound, with or without your help. However, we have a greater chance of being successful if you join us,” I finish and look over at Tom. The room is silent as everyone takes in my words.

Natalie squeezes my arm,
reassuring me and pushing calming magic into me. Why is no one saying anything? No one even reacts. They all just stare. “You said all that you could,” she whispers to me. “The rest is up to them.”

Tom takes a step forward. “There’s one more thing you should know.” Mumbling fills the room. Everyone looks around the room, wondering what Tom could be referring to.
He waits until everyone quiets again before continuing. “Dravin’s not in charge of the Gadramicks. They have someone more powerful calling all the shots.”

Everyone starts talking at once. “What are you talking about?”

“How is that possible?”

“It can’t be true. We’ve fought against him before!”