The Secrets of the Elements

Tricking the Prince

"They are coming," said Rishi. "What do you mean by they?" asked Advika. "The Prince is coming with Daksh. He trapped the others, and I have lost connection with Ru," he said and clenched his fists.

"Quick, Advika, talk to Grantha," said Maya. "Here, the book," she said and handed it to Zarna. "You know what to do if things go wrong."

"Grantha says we need to hold him here until the crack of dawn," said Advika.

"What!?" said Maya and Zarna at once. "I know, change in plans," said Advika.

"We will do what we can," said Rishi. "Advika, you need to stay as far as possible from the Prince. He can sense energies, and he might even read your mind."

"No, I will not let him," said Advika. "It's not that easy," said Rishi.

"Okay," said Zarna, her breath uneven. "I will hold this book. We tell him that this is Grantha. He will hold her, and, God forbade he realizes-"

"Then you know what to do," said Maya. Zarna let out a sigh and nodded her head in a yes. "Let's do this," she said.

~~~~

Taking a deep breath, Tej closed his eyes, focusing his energy. The ice encasing him shattered, and he fell to the ground, relieved. Rising to his feet, he extended his arms, directing his energy towards Ray and Rutuja. The icy restraints on them broke apart, freeing them from their frozen state.

Tej embraced Ray tightly as he lay on the ground, his body temporarily weak and disoriented. Meanwhile, Rutuja remained unconscious on the floor. Tej shifted his attention to her, holding her hands gently in his own.

"Ray!" Tej called out, his voice filled with concern. He poured his energy into Ray, his body glistening with sweat as he worked to restore his friend's normal body temperature.

Ray coughed as he regained his consciousness. He looked around and saw Rutuja lying on the floor, unconscious. He squinted his eyes and scanned the entire room. "Where's the Prince? And that douche?"

Tej sat near Rutuja and took her hands into his. "The prince took him."

He closed his eyes and began transferring his energy to her. "Try from the foot too," suggested Ray and lay down on the floor. "Why would he take Daksh out of all of us?" wondered Ray. "It's like, Daksh is his favourite person or something."

Tej let out a heavy sigh, releasing Rutuja's feet. "She should regain consciousness soon," he assured Ray.

Rutuja suddenly jolted awake, panic evident in her eyes. She frantically scanned her surroundings, calling out for Daksh. "Daksh! Where is he? And where is the Prince?"

Tej got to his feet and offered his hand to Ray. "The Prince took him. To the forest. Tell Rishi," said Tej.

"He might already know," she murmured. "He was connected to me."

"What do you mean by was?" asked Ray.

"The Prince," she began. "He broke our connection to the outside world when he vanished."

"How do you know?" questioned Tej.

"I lost connection with Rishi the moment the Prince disappeared. Although I was half-conscious, I felt the connection break," said Rutuja.

Tej ran his fingers on the wall, feeling the solid red brick. "Does that imply that he cannot hear us or tell what we are doing?"

"Yes," said Rutuja and nodded her head. "Then tell us," said Tej and walked towards her. "What is it that you did not tell us about the Prince?"

Rutuja opened her mouth to speak, but Tej raised his hand in the air. "I know you have your reasons," he said. "But if you do not tell us, it can hamper the mission. Rutuja, we do not mean harm. I discovered the book in a library."

Ray looked at Tej and squeezed his shoulders. "No," said Tej and shook his head. "I pulled all of them in this. I regret it. Pulling all of us into this mess. Our lives are in danger. But I only meant to solve a mystery. I had no idea where this could lead."

Rutuja pursed her lips and closed her eyes. A tear slid from her eye. Tej and Ray exchanged a glance. They wanted to say something, but they did not know what to say.

Is she fake crying? Ray moved his lips. Cannot guess, replied Tej.

Rutuja wiped her tears and looked to the ground. "The Moon Prince is not Azazel's son," she revealed. She removed a crumpled paper from her jeans pocket and handed it to the boys.

Tej took it and unfolded it. "What the-"

~~~~

"They should have arrived by now," Rishi voiced his concern, his fingers tracing a circle on the ground around the white rock.

Advika, deep in thought, paced around the rock, as if drawing an invisible circle of protection. "What if the Prince has taken Daksh somewhere else?" she pondered aloud, her brows furrowing with worry.

Maya, feeling the intensity of the situation, summoned a gust of wind, creating a small storm within the forest. "Or what if Daksh deceived the Prince?" she proposed, her powers intertwining with the elements. "Ray could have unleashed thunder," she added, her gaze fixated on Zarna, who stood on the white rock, clutching the book tightly.

"Advika," Maya called out, her voice filled with concern. "Tej and Ray are trapped. What if-"

Advika's eyes hardened with determination as she interrupted Maya. "No," she firmly stated. "He will not kill them, not any one of them."

Rishi closed his eyes and focused on his breath. Daksh is pretending to work for Azazel, but if the Prince knows his truth, he will kill him. But I do not know if the Prince is actually Azazel's son. Ru, I wish you were here.

"Rishi," said Advika. He snapped back to reality and opened his eyes. "Rutuja will be fine," she assured him. "And I've completed the circle."

He nodded his head and glanced at the threatening storm Maya had just created. Advika could tell from his eyes that was worried, and it was not only about Rutuja. "Rishi," she said and stood next to him. "Grantha will protect everyone who is on the good side, and if Daksh is-"

"Daksh means no harm to anyone, I assure you," he said and looked at her. She gave him a weak smile and thought about all the times Daksh had attacked them.

"I know he attacked you all," said Rishi. Tears threatened to escape his eyes. "He was only protecting the book, and yes he is an extremist, Advika. But I assure you he is no evil."

"Grantha will protect him as well," she said. She wanted to console him. Tell him all will be fine. But she could not trust him fully yet. "She is watching all."

I will be watching all of you, Rishi remembered the words of Indra. He wanted to communicate to Indra, but that would only mean pulling his beloved teacher into danger which he could not.

~~~~

To be continued. . .

Stay tuned for next part. . .