Reclaimed (The Phoenix Chronicles Book 1) (20 page)

Chapter 23

Ash sat on the dock by the lake. He wasn't sure how long he had been there. The sun had set ages ago and the only thing giving him light were the bright stars. Their beauty was a harsh reminder of what he lost; what he just let go.

He stayed at this training facility for so long because he knew the council was becoming corrupt. He also was a strong wielder that could offer the new generation some valuable training. What he didn't expect was a person like Summer to show up.

He was forced to find and rescue her. It was mostly curiosity that had him go that day and he's glad he did. She needed the training. There was no doubt she was powerful. He could see it and feel it. That's why he agreed to train her. Now that she was leaving he regretted it. Regretted getting so close to her.

He lost a lot of people in his life. His father, a cousin, bestfriends but, none of them had come close to what Summer meant. Not even his father who admittedly was gone most of his life. He just used the elves as an excuse to fuel his anger and hide his hurt
.
Now that Ash let Summer go he truly knew what it meant to lose someone he loved.

And there it is,
thought Ash.

He loved her. Through her awkward, stubborn personality he somehow fell for her. What made it even worse was that he was sure that she had come to this realization long before he had
.
Now he screwed things up and wasn't even sure if she would let him fix them.

Maybe I'll just wait for her to come back,
he thought.

Then they would both have time to cool off. What if it took a year? Two years? Would there even be anything there between them?

Ash threw a rock in frustration. “This is so stupid.”

Here he was worrying about a girl when there were bigger problems. Still though, she was the solution to those problems and even if he didn't have feelings for her, this wasn't something she should do alone. She was still young and inexperienced. Going into a foreign land wasn't going to help.

“There you are!” shouted a familiar voice from behind him.

He turned to see Tracy running towards him. Her panicked look made him jump to his feet.

“What's wrong?”

“Summer is missing.”

He felt a tightening on his chest. “What happened?”

Tracy rested her hands on her knees to catch her breath. “Zach came by and said the council needed to speak to Summer. She left with him hours ago. I started to worry and found Tolai. He said none of them had seen her.”

“Damn it!” he yelled in frustration. “This is my fault.” He was about to take off when Tracy held her hand up.

“Wait!” She said. “Jasper and Zach are missing too. We caught Troy trying to escape through a portal. He won't talk.”

“I'll make him talk.” Ash's hands bawled into fists. “Where is he?”

“In the tower,” she answered. “The council has him.”

Ash didn't bother answering. He ran as fast as he could to the tower and blew past the guard. The echo of footsteps told him Tracy was right behind him. He didn't need help from anyone. When he was finished with Troy he would know everything.

Ash burst through the door. His eyes locked on Troy who was sitting in the chair in the center of the room. He was bound to the chair with light wielders chains. He flinched when his eyes landed on Ash.

“I didn't know!” screamed Troy.

“You didn't know what?” asked Ash as he stalked towards him.

“Now Ash,” said Fay. “It wouldn't be smart to kill him.”

Tolai glared at Troy. “Just tell us where she is.”

Petar, Tracy, and Nora were in the room too. All three looked angry but, Nora was visibly shaken. Her boyfriend was part of this and she looked like she was hoping it was a mistake.

Ash stood over Troy, his eyes dark and full of hate. “I'll ask again. What didn't you know?”

“That they were going to take her,” sobbed Troy. “They promised they just wanted the book and they would let her go.”

Ash grabbed his collar and yanked him up so that their noses were touching. “Who took her and where?” His voice came out in a growl.

Troy was shaking. There were so many people in the room who should have stepped in and stopped what was going on. What was happening to Troy was illegal but, what could potentially happen to Summer was devastating.

“They'll kill me. The master will kill me!” He cried.

Ash dropped him and the chair hit the ground hard. The jolt halted Troy's crying as he looked frantically around the room.

“You're just going to let him do this? shrieked Troy.

Aiko, the earth council member yawned like she was bored. “You know how we feel about this. When we asked you didn't answer. If Ash can crush it out of you,” she said, wringing her hands together, “Then I'll look away.”

Troy seemed alarmed by her answer. Aiko rarely spoke so to hear that she supported Ash must have been his breaking point.

“Jasper and Zach took her to some abandoned farm in the States.”

Nora cried into Tracy's shoulder.

“Why?” asked Ash as he ignored everyone.

Troy swallowed hard. “To meet her brother, Damien.”

There were audible gasps. Ash saw the room begin to spin as he caught himself on the wall. That was the last thing he expected Troy to say. It was also the worst possible thing.

“I thought he was dead,” whispered Tolai.

Petar shook his head. “This is so very bad. Very, very bad.”

Ash blinked a few times and took a deep breath. He calmly walked back over to Troy as everyone watched him. The room had gone completely silent.

He crouched down so he was eye level with Troy. “You'll tell me exactly where she is or I'll kill you.”

Troy nodded quickly. “Okay I will.”

He gave him the location and that was all Ash needed. He didn't hear the others scream his name as he ran down the stairs. Even the guard who tried to stop him ended up on the ground. He would have made it all the way to the first portal if the elves frantically waving their arms hadn't caught his attention.

Ash stopped, his heart beating like crazy for more than one reason.

“What?” he snapped.

“We heard,” said Van who was out of breath. “I figured it out when I talked to Jasper but, I didn't warn her in time. I thought we could leave without them having time to process it.”

Ash clenched his jaw. “You have three seconds.”

“She wasn't ready!” exclaimed Nareh. “She is the one who can sway the magic to us or give it to the ones who want to destroy everything. It's her choice and she's not ready to make it.”

“Whoever these people are, they will crush her,” said Van. “She is too unstable and emotional.”

Ash gave them a thumbs up. “Great talk, guys. Thanks for telling me that she has no chance and I shouldn't bother.”

Van clenched his jaw. “That's not what we said.”

Ash shook his head in disbelief and continued his run towards the portal. He was close to the edge of the property where the sewer system started. It was the most stable portal and the easiest one for him to use. With some luck it would take him right to Summer without a fuss.

He was about to drop down into the metal trench when he heard shouting behind him. Thinking it was the elves again, he angrily turned around and was ready to attack.

“Wait!” shouted Tracy. “We're coming with you.”

Tracy, Petar, and Nora came to a skidding halt in front of him. There were so many things he wanted to say. Him going by himself was a bad idea. Adding three more people was even worse. He didn't have time to argue with them.

Ash nodded and jumped down. The others followed after. They all approached the portal that looked like nothing but mist on the wall. He touched it and waited for the others to do the same. Once all their hands were on the wall Ash closed his eyes and thought of the location. A bright light temporarily blinded him as he was suspended in air. A brief moment later he found himself being thrown onto the floor. Loud grunts told him the others had made it.

When he opened his eyes he realized that they were hidden in tall, tan wheat plants. The field was full of them. He stayed low to the ground and crawled around until all of them were together.

“What now?” whispered Tracy.

“I hadn't thought this far ahead,” admitted Ash. “But we need to get to her as fast as we can.”

Petar peeked his head above the grass and quickly brought it back down. “There is a white house about three hundred meters from us.”

“Did you see anyone?” asked Ash.

“No. There are lights on but, that's all I saw.”

“I don't think they were expecting us,” whispered Norah. “We can use that to surprise them and try to get our friends back.”

“Okay,” replied Ash.

No one wanted to acknowledge that Norah had mentioned friends. That meant she was hopeful Zach hadn't really done any of this. They all knew that wasn't the case.

Ash took the lead as they tried their best to quietly crawl towards the house. It wasn't easy since they were around so many dried out plants. Each step brought a loud crunch or a snap. By the time they made it to the house all of them were on edge because of the noises. It was truly shocking when no one tried to jump out and kill them.

“Either they really don't expect anyone or were in for some crazy surprise attack,” said Tracy barely above a whisper

“Surprise attack,” said Petar. “They got her this far. They won't be lazy.”

“What now?” asked Nora

“Look for a way in and make sure no one is guarding it,” answered Ash.

They all nodded to each other and began slowly moving around the house. There were two stories but, Ash couldn't see anyone inside. There was no movement by the windows and he definitely couldn't hear anything. Just as he was starting to become frustrated he saw a hand poke up quickly from the shrubs, wave, and shoot back down.

He moved as fast as he could while trying to keep quiet. Tracy was sitting next to the side of the house when he got there. Right in front of her were two large metal doors that led into the ground. There were voices coming from within but, Ash couldn't make out who they were.

Ash gestured for all of them to come towards him. “We can try and cause a distraction. Tracy can start a fire further out that way,” he said pointing to a field of weeds. “And Norah can use her wielding power to confuse them.”

“What about you and Petar?” asked Tracy. She bit her lip nervously and glanced at Nora who also seemed uneasy.

“We'll slip in and try to get Summer out as quick as possible without anyone seeing. You guys keep them busy and then I'll give the signal to leave.”

There was clapping behind them and laughter. All of them turned to see Jasper on the porch.

“That's a great plan!” he boomed. “Too bad we won't get to see if it works.”

In a matter of seconds, a dark mist fell over them. Half a dozen figures slowly closed in. They didn't even have a chance to attack before all of them were paralyzed.

Chapter 24

Summer sat in the old wooden chair they had given her. She wasn't bound to it and free to move around if she wanted to. In a typical hostage scenario, she would guess that they would do everything in their power to keep her from escaping. However, this wasn't normal and they very well knew she wasn't going to try and escape.

Finding out she was a wielder had changed her entire life. She thought it was the most significant thing that could happen to her until she was told that she had a brother. Not just a brother but, an older one who was alive and healthy.

Her captors, people who she had started to trust, knew there was no way she would run or fight. The chance to meet her only living sibling was too much to pass up.

She hated them for using this against her. There was something terrifying about being away from her friends, her comfort but, what if this person really was her brother?

It's what I always wanted, right?
She thought.

Jasper came back down through the cellar doors and wiped his hands on his pants.

“Sorry, had to take care of something.” He looked at one of the dark wielders and gestured for him to go up into the house.

Summer crossed her arms. “Where is this mysterious brother you told me about? I'm starting to think he doesn't even exist.”.

Jasper spit into his hands and pulled his hair into a ponytail. Summer was starting to see exactly what kind of person he was and it was disgusting. He was no longer well-kept and sweet. Instead, he looked disheveled, dirty, and like he had lost his mind. His golden eyes were dark and cold.

“He's busy,” spat Jasper. “He'll be down when he's ready.”

“Jasper,” said a cool voice from the cellar stairs. “Don't be rude to my sister.”

Everyone watched as the footsteps echoed, one by one, down the stairs. The black shoes were the first thing she saw. Then the dark jeans, a black shirt, and finally a face. One that almost had her in tears because it looked exactly like hers.

“Summer,” smiled the handsome boy. He had dark hair like her, pale skin, and the same bright, golden eyes.

She stood up and awkwardly waved one hand. “Um, hi.”

He started to come towards her when Summer held both hands out and took a step back.

“No offense but, they kind of forced me to come here and then took my stuff. I'd rather keep my distance for now."

He bowed his head slightly. “I understand. I'll sit here and you can stand or sit there.”

She watched as he pulled a chair to the center of the room and took a seat. He was still a good twenty feet away from her.

As soon as she took her seat two dark wielders walked behind her brother. They stood at attention on each side of him while watching Summer.

He held up both hands towards them. “No offense.”

She finally cracked a smile. “None taken.”

“How did you like the training facility?” he asked.

“Fine.” Summer tugged the end of her braid. “I'd rather skip this small talk and move to the important things like, why the hell I have a brother I didn't know about?”

He laughed. “Okay, I get it.” He folded his arms. “You were too young to remember the accident. I was six and you were around two when our parents died. We didn't have family who could take care of both of us so we were split apart.”

Summer's eyes grew wide. “Where did you go?”

“A great aunts house who really was in no shape to take care of kids.” He shuddered. “I ate a lot of canned food and had clothes that were way too small for me. Once she was put into a nursing home I had to go into foster care.”

Summer sighed. “I'm sorry. Me too and it sucked.”

He nodded. “It did but, I eventually found a good family. They took care of me until I almost killed the dog by accidentally lighting him on fire. That's when Jasper came for me.”

“Damien, right?” asked Summer.

“The one and only. Jasper told you about me?”

“No.” She pictured Ash's face and swallowed hard. “Ash did.”

Damien’s smile faltered a bit. “He told you? Ash is not a very talkative person.”

Summer shrugged. “I guess. What happened after you ran from the school? Ash said they never found you.”

“Jasper eventually found me,” he said, pointing to him. “I couldn't go back. The council is outdated in their thinking. I couldn't reach my potential there. Jasper agreed to train me in private.”

Summer fidgeted in her chair. “Sorry for all the questions. This is just a lot to take in.  To think that my family was dead for almost my whole life and,” she swept her hand forward, “Here you are.”

“I know,” he said, offering her a sympathetic look. “All of this can be overwhelming. Even the wielding which I heard you're pretty good at.”

“I'm okay. I still have some work to do.” She leaned forward in her chair. “And I have a lot of questions but, most importantly, where is my book?”

He chuckled. “You mean Geoff’s book?”

She sat back in the chair and folded her arms again. “I found it and then it was given back to me by someone who lost his life.”

“If Doug didn't fight then he wouldn't have died!” shouted Zach.

Damien shot a blade of fire so fast into Zach that she almost didn't see it. He went flying backwards and slammed into the stone wall.

“He killed Doug?” whispered Summer. She stood up, putting some distance between her and Damien. “What do you want from me?

“For you to be free.”

She halted and raised an eyebrow. “You sound crazy. You know that, right?”

“What have you been doing at the training facility?” asked Damien.

“I feel like the title says it all.” Summer spread her hands apart. “Training facility. I've been training.”

Damien grinned. “For what?”

“Are these trick questions because this is starting to get annoying and I want my book. Then maybe we can talk more.”

Damien ran a hand over his short hair and shook his head. “You're not getting it. What do they have you training for? To fight who, Me? I'm not here to hurt you.”

“I…” summer frowned. “Then what are you trying to do?”

“There you go!” he shouted, slapping his knee. “Start asking questions like that!” He leaned back in the chair and resumed his calm demeanor. “I'm trying to take the power away from the council. They use wielders as tools for their own agenda.”

“What agenda?”

“To sell to the elves or whatever other magical creatures need us. I want a world where I can do what I want without fear of getting in trouble or used.”

“Some order and control is not a bad thing,” answered Summer but, she didn't sound very sure of herself.

“It is,” he said, nodding. Damien locked his fingers together. “And I want us, the younger generation, to be in charge of that. They're using you as a puppet to make me out to be a bad guy but, I'm not the one asking you to do impossible things.”

Summer leaned against a pole. “Then what are you asking me?”

“To join your brother and show the council that we don't belong to them anymore.”

***

Ash pulled against his restraints and felt the electricity shoot through his arms. He yelped and kicked his feet in frustration.

“How do you get out of these damn things?”

“Use your power to break it,” said Petar. “Strong wielders can.”

“What are you trying to say?” asked Ash through clenched teeth.

“Relax!” snapped Tracy. “He's not saying anything. You asked a question and he answered. Fighting isn't going to get us to Summer any sooner.”

Ash slumped over in his chair, sweat dripping from his face. He had been trying since the moment they got captured to get out. All of them had failed miserably.

The cellar door opened and in walked a smug looking Jasper. He grinned at them, his stained teeth giving him a hideous expression.

“All of this for nothing,” he said, laughing.

“What do you mean?” asked Nora.

“Damien is a smart boy. Just ask Ash,” he said, winking at him. “It only took a few minutes for him to convince Summer to help him out.”

“No,” gasped Tracy. “You're lying.”

He shook his head, his belly jiggling in the same direction. “I'm not. She'll help us and it'll be time for a new breed of wielders.”

“You're an idiot if you really believe that,” said Ash. “The only thing he's going to do is make himself more powerful and ruin any chance of wielders being born.”

“That's where you're wrong,” said Jasper, winking at him. “We found out that if the relics are together then the one holding them can create wielders.”

Everyone stared at him in stunned silence.

“What are you planning to do?” asked Tracy. Her voice was low and cautious.

“Kill all those other stupid magical things that don't respect us!”

Petar shook his head in disbelief. “You are a stupid man. All of them will crush you.”

Jasper leaned against the wall and picked at a piece of his shirt. He was pretending to look bored but, Ash could see him trembling with excitement. This had been his dream and now Damien was making it come true.

“You started all of this, didn't you?” asked Ash. “The killings, grooming Damien so he made this sick dream come true?”

Jasper pointed to his head. “Smart boy. And with the help of Summer we'll find the relics and use her power.” He clasped his hands together. “Brother and sister phoenix! Who would've thought I'd be so lucky?”

“There's only one phoenix,” growled Ash.

Jasper shrugged. “Whatever, I have them both. Let them figure it out. If she dies, then I still have the boy.”

Ash felt his rage come to the surface. His whole body shook as the dark energy molded around his hands. It felt like he was wearing gloves made of pure energy. He let out a yell and felt his restraints evaporate.

Before Jasper knew what was happening, Ash blasted a beam of dark energy into Jasper's stomach. The old man let out a grunt as his back slammed into the wall.

Ash jumped on top of him, his knees pinning down Jasper's arms. He punched him square in the jaw as hard as he could and watched as Jasper immediately went unconscious
.
He rolled off of him and ran to Tracy. Both of them used their power to break her cuffs.

Ash turned to Petar and hesitated.

“Just go!” urged Tracy. “I'll help them. You go get to Summer before Damien convinces her to do something stupid.”

Ash didn't need to be told twice. He headed for the cellar and hoped that it wasn't too late.