Searching for the Key

Chapter 21

Katia rushed out of the store and swung the door open so forcefully that she caused a couple walking by to jump in surprise. She didn't bother acknowledging them or their stunned looks. A second later Nathan, Celia, and Damien emerged. Nathan gave them an apologetic smile as the three of them followed hurriedly after Katia.

"Nice doing business with you!" Cato called out after them with a fake smile.

Celia stopped in her tracks and turned around.

"Later son of a--"

Damien clamped Celia's mouth closed, knowing she wasn't going to say anything nice. Celia writhed against his hand over her mouth, and Cato returned back inside.

"Get off me! What was that for?" Celia shouted as she his arm away in disgust.

"We can't go cursing at him. Did you forget he knows magic? He'd probably trap you in a cage forever," Damien said dramatically emphasizing the last word and shaking his fingers in her face.

"Please, like that fat waste of space could take me!" Celia humphed with a roll of her eyes. 

Damien just laughed at her expression. She was still worked up about that hat and she was still annoyed with Damien. She glared at him and tried to trap him in rocks she lifted from the ground, but Damien just lightly jumped over the rising stones. He shot a quick burst of fire, causing the rock to catch on fire and crumble back into the earth.

"Nice try but you can't do the same thing twice," he said, smirking at her from over his shoulder.

Celia just pouted in annoyance while feebly throwing another stone at him that he hit easily with a ball of fire. His confidence could get really annoying at times.

Now that they were away from Cato's store, Kaia calmed down. She looked back happily at Damien. He was finally loosening up and didn't look as afraid of using his powers if he was using them just to annoy Celia.

"Where are we heading?" Celia shouted to Katia who was in the lead.

"Lilly said we should get to the north forest if we head in this direction," Katia shouted back.

"Who's Lilly?" Celia asked as she ran to catch up with Katia.

"This fairy," Katia replied.

Celia looked and saw that the fairy was floating freely in the air. She was twirling around with her wings fluttering in the air. Each time her wings flapped, a small pinch of glitter fell to the floor.

"Won't she try to escape?" Celia questioned.

"Nope she has a curse. She has to follow every word we say," Katia said with a note of anger.

Lilly led them through the city and to the edge. The buildings started to disappear and turn into smaller houses that finally morphed into trees.

"Great another forest," Celia grumbled.

It wasn't a normal forest however. As soon as they entered, not only Celia could tell that it felt different. There was some hidden force that was full of life that the four of them felt connected to somehow.

They followed her small glowing figure ahead along a winding path through the trees that were thickening the further they moved in. It was getting dark but they knew they had to keep going. Their time was quickly running out and they still hadn't figured out how to defeat Akur.

No one was talking. They were too tired and lost in their own thoughts. They were beginning to feel the helplessness of the situation. The four of them were alone, given an impossible task with so much at stake.