Searching for the Key

Chapter 26

Nathan, Celia, and Damien left immediately after they sent Saladin the message. Despite how difficult and tiring it was for Nathan to fly Celia and Damien all the way to Seattle, Nathan managed it. He was powered solely by desperation to save Katia and everything he cared about. 

They flew for hours in the cold night until they reached Seattle again. Nathan dropped Celia and Damien on the ground before he too collapsed, gasping for breath.

He was exhausted. He never flew for that long and carried so many people, but they couldn't stop. After a couple of minutes, the three of them got up and walked around the dark city. The only people roaming the streets were people clubbing and drunk men laughing. Maybe at one point they would be afraid some people would jump a group of teenagers. But they had powers and have been through much worse to let a few men scare them.

The three of them continued to walk, passing many bars as they went. A group of guys wolf whistled at Celia as they walked by. She gave them a sarcastic smile and casually flipped them off, causing Damien and Nathan to laugh a bit despite their situation.

"Where are we going?" Celia asked.

"I know someone who can help us," Nathan answered.

They kept walking block after block with Nathan in the lead. His feet were dragging and he swayed as he walked, but he never stopped. Finally Nathan led them to an old condominium made of bricks.

He unlocked the door with the wind and the three of them walked through. The one receptionist was asleep and barely stirred when the door slammed behind them. The three of them walked up the stairs silently, exhausted from the recent events.

Nathan stopped before a door with a golden number 24 in the middle. He knocked raptly and so hard the door shook in its frame. He waited impatiently, tapping his foot quickly, until the door finally swung open. A sleepy looking man who looked like he was in his late 40s stared down at the three teenagers who decided to pay him a visit in the middle of the night.

"Nathan!" The man exclaimed happily, all previous sleepiness gone. "Haven't seen you in a while. What happened to you? Looks like you've been through hell."

"That's an understatement," Nathan said in annoyance.

He was covered in cuts and dirt. His hair was disheveled and his clothes had multiple rips in it. Celia's hair was a giant tangled mess and she was holding her injured arm gingerly. Damien had dirt smeared on his face and was limping slightly. All of them had big, dark bags under their eyes.

"What are you doing here? It's four in the morning," the man asked.

"We need your help," Nathan pleaded, and the hint of desperation was clear in his voice.

"What's wrong?" He asked worriedly as he invited Nathan, Celia, and Damien inside. He closed the door firmly behind them and turned to face Nathan who shook his head with downcast eyes.

"Everything. Haven't you heard about what's happening?" Nathan asked in an emotionless tone.

"Yeah I heard rumors that Akur is back. They aren't true are they?" He asked in a horrified tone.

"They are," Nathan answered solemnly and the man cursed. "We know how to defeat him though. We just need a plane to get us to where the last battle was fought to stop him."

"Yeah sure anything," the man nodded. "Let me just make a couple calls."

The man left the room and the three of them heard the beeps pierce the silence as he dialed numbers on a phone. Nathan was roaming around looking at the pictures laying on tables and mantles that caused a flurry of emotions to rise up in him. Many of them showed his parents and him as a baby. Celia and Damien remained awkwardly by the door as Nathan walked around slowly.