Missing

Chapter 17

"Hey, look at this." Killian said to Cora and Mia as he lay on the sofa that lined the wall. Seraphina and Brown had decided to continue with lessons, and Lyra and Allie were securing the base.

Killian showed his phone to Cora, "This looks like a renaissance painting, don't you think?" he laughed.

Cora snorted and covered her face.

Mia glanced over and squeezed her eyes shut with silent laughter. "How is THAT a renaissance painting?"

Killian chuckled, "Plot reasons!"

He was interrupted by a low-pitched beep from the monitor on the desk beside him. He slipped the phone into his pocket and ran to the monitor.

A dark red dot had reappeared on the map.

Killian tapped it with the mouse.

"Delilah." he said in disbelief, "She's back?"

"Who is Delilah, and where did she go?" Mia asked.

Killian sat up straight in his chair, "She's one of the Elites – Water and Magic – and she left for twelve months on a mission at Outpost Island among the Onyx Wing and a few other Silver Elites. She was scheduled to come back around this month."

He twitched his fingers and a green glow twisted out and hit the screen. The map fell out of the screen and sailed down to the floor.

Cora's eyebrows creased, "How did you-"

"Magical energy: can be used to enchant stuff or activate enchanted stuff. Requires a lot of energy." Killian explained, pressing the red dot.

It expanded to reveal the face of Delilah, she had pale hair and icy-blue eyes, the face tilted upwards and the image zoomed out, she wore a turquoise top and purple leggings with an azure-blue belt. She wore white fingerless gloves with frost-like patterning snaking up her wrist. "Killian? What's going on?" her voice was delicate.

"Oh hello, why hello there, hi, hey, 'sup. Hello." Stammered Cora, her hair promptly setting on fire.

"Basically, all the other Elites have been kidnapped, we have sided with the Jeger and the rest of Moondoor is at the Northern Isles."

"Sounds complicated." Delilah replied, as she pushed open the door to the main hall.

Her face disappeared and the map folded back into the screen as Delilah strode into the room.

"So, what's the plan?" she asked.

Killian nodded, "Kestrel, Henrik, Aquila and Merlin are searching for the location of where all the elementals have been taken. Cora, Seraphina, Mia, Allie, Lyra and I are making sure the School stays secure. Once Henrik's group have found the base, we strike!"

"And how do you plan on doing that?" Delilah responded. "And hi there." She said, smiling at Cora. "I like your jacket, but you do know you're on fire?"

"I'm too hot, hot damn, call the police and the fireman."

Killian sighed, "I'll think of something.

*****

A few hours past the break of dawn, Kestrel sat on a fallen tree trunk near a shimmering lake a little way away from the place where they'd made

camp. Above her, the immense trees of the forest created a canopy. The thin rays of sunshine that pierced through the foliage left the crystalline water before her gleaming brightly.

Behind her, the darkened forest chirped quietly, and the ferns swayed in the soft breeze that fell from the mountains. Birdsong split through the air and the silhouettes of birds darted through the pale sky. Kestrel looked up to the lightening sky, the pink clouds shining in her eyes.