Frozen Chains

Chapter 7

Jay watched his brother hit the ground, saw his head smash onto the floor. Blood pooled beneath Jack's body.

As for himself?

Everything hurt. His arm, which was already broken, was now crushed. Small fragments of shattered bone created odd lumps under his skin.

Blood was everywhere. In his hair, dripping into his eyes, running down his arms and neck, covering his hands. The stench of the dark liquid filled his nostrils, nearly making Jay gag.

Yes, being thrown into a wall was no fun.

Jay pushed himself into a sitting position, his thin arms shaking.

Need to get to Jack, need to get to Jack-

"Stay down." Pitch said.

Jay shuddered and obeyed.

"No!" Tooth's voice was shrill. "We are not going to let you hurt them, okay? Get that through your head!"

The Sandman glared at Pitch, his lip curling.

Pitch was too powerful. The Guardians didn't stand a chance. 

Sandy rose into the air on a cloud of golden dreamsand, looking murderous. 

"Oh, don't try to fight me, Sandman." Pitch waved a finger at the Guardian as if he were a small child. "We don't want our two little friends to get hurt because of your actions."

Why didn't the Guardians just leave?

Sandman ignored Pitch.

Pitch sighed. "You know, I really was thinking of letting them off easy. But, I suppose you can't have everything in life."

Jay shut his eyes as dark dreamsand shot towards him wrapping around his leg. He tensed.

Crack!

A scream tore its way out of his chest and past his lips. He didn't need to look to see that his leg was broken.

"You're a beast!"Tooth shrieked. "You have five seconds to let them go!"

"Or what?" Pitch laughed,"You'll stick a quarter under my pillow?"

Jay moaned. It felt like white-hot wires were being threaded through the flesh of his leg, like acid was being poured over the bone. It was probably because dreamsand had gotten in the wound.

"Not even close," Bunny said, grinning, and North whistled.

Nothing happened at first.

Emphasis on 'at first.'

Because a huge sleigh pulled by reindeer, complete with rocket boosters on the side, burst through one of the walls, sending rubble everywhere. It was full of tiny elves and big, furry, yetis.

The creatures in the sleigh ran towards Pitch, armed with toys that must have been from the factory.

Pitch laughed and called for more Nightmares, sending them after the Guardians allies.

Bunny slung Jack's arm across his shoulder, pulling Jay's unconscious brother into the sleigh.

Were they trying to take Jack away? Would Jay be left to face Pitch by himself after this? No. No, no, no, no! They couldn't take Jack, not his brother!

Jay struggled to get up, but agony exploded in his leg. He fell to the ground with a scream of pain.

Not Jack. They can't take Jack.

"Relax," A soothing voice said, "You're coming, too."

Jay shrank back from the sound of Toothiana's voice, a whimper escaping his lips.

"Don't be afraid. We're here to help."

"Not in a million years, fairy!" Pitch shouted.

"Keep him busy, yetis!" North yelled. Pitch attempted to attack them again, but the yetis blocked him every time.

"Hurry up!" Bunny called from the sleigh.

"Come on," Tooth said, "let's get you out of here."

She took hold of his upper arm, carefully pulling Jay to his feet.

Jay didn't want to go with the Guardians, but they had Jack. What else could he do but do what they said?

He tried to put weight on his leg, but cried out when pain shot up the limb like a bullet.

"Lean on me," Tooth said. She was trying to be calm, Jay knew, but there was a sort of urgency in her eyes, telling him that they needed to go now.

"Stop them!" Pitch screeched.

Sandman made frantic gestures with his hands.

Nightmares tried to get to them, but were held back by the wall of yetis and elves.

"Come on," North said.

Tooth helped him get to the sleigh. Jay collapsed on the floor by his brother, trembling.

There was a great a lurch, a scream of rage, and then they were flying.

Flying. Flying away from Pitch.

It was too much. All of it was too much. What was going to happen to them? To Jack? Pitch was going to try to get them back, that was for sure, and then... Jay shuddered. He didn't want to think about that.

The Guardians called it rescue. Pitch called it blasphemy. Jay called it condemnation.

His stomach didn't feel well. Jay hadn't flown in decades. His head and leg hurt. Everything hurt.

Pain. The smell of blood. Jack unconscious on the floor. The fear of being caught. More pain. Red everywhere.

"He doesn't look too well, North." That was the last thing he heard.

The last thing he heard before his senses shut down, and his vision darkened.