The Reborn

C H A P T E R T H R E E

I hid along the side of the house. I look in and see them interrogating Xander.

"Where is she!" one of the men yell at him and he just chuckles.

"I don't know what you expect out of me, you literally pulled me out of my bed. Clearly if she wasn't in her room then she's not here, surely you would be able to figure that out," he tells them before mumblings, "Or maybe you're all too stupid."

One of the woman slap him drawing blood and he just smiles, "I like it rough baby."

She storms out and Xander is stuck there with the rest of the soldiers.

The one soldier seeming to be in charge doesn't seem pissed off like everyone else is. He seems to be keeping his calm, "Take him to the capital. I'm sure he will talk there."

I start to freak out before turning to run towards the front of the house when something hits me over the head. I fall to the ground and can not move. I can see everything above me but can't seem to move my body.

They won't hurt him as long as you are alive. If you go out there and get killed he will be killed shortly following, think this out Athanasia, the voice disappears as fast as it came although I still can not move. I stay stuck on the ground for what feels like hours before finally being able to move my body again. I get up and notice all the people are gone. I can't even see the ships anymore. I run in the house to see everything thrown around.

None of my stuff remains and the quaint little cottage is no more. I run into my room and my stuff is almost all gone. Why would they do this?

I don't even know where to go at this point. How do I even get to the mainland? Is this what Sea was talking about?

I wonder if they took Melara too. I feel like she is too clever for that since she'd be able to see them coming unless she didn't have enough time. I run to the loose floorboard where all of our valuables are hidden and sure enough there's something new.

I grab the package which she had dropped off earlier- the cloak with another little satchel attached and a note on top. Another damn note.

I carefully unfold the letter before reading,

My beloved Athanasia, I'm so sorry it had to be this way. My visions have been failing me and I was not given enough time to warn you. By the time you read this letter I will be gone and Xander will have been taken. I have always told you how special you were and now you will know why. You already know where to go. Find the Fairy's Tavern and you will learn the rest there. I love you. -Aunt Melara

I feel the ground below me start to shake as I scream. How dare she be taken from me! She was the only family I had left and I loved her so much. She spent her entire life protecting and raising me.

I let out a cry and from beyond my blurry vision I see things begin to fall off the shelves. I'm so angry and so sad. Neither Xander nor Melara deserved this. They were the best people I know. Out of instinct I punch the floor and it cracks. Like the earth cracked. I wipe my tears no longer angry, just sad and now confused. The crack extends 10 feet in both directions.

I have no idea how I just did that. I manipulate water not earth. I slowly untie the satchel to reveal food and gold coins. I wipe my face dry of tears and breathe. I'm not loosing Xander too. No one will help him but me and I have to save him.

I gather the satchel and throw on the cloak and read the attached note, This cloak has been specially enchanted to protect you. Keep it on at all times.

I put the note back in the floorboard before grabbing some knives out of it. She must've known all our weapons would be taken. I grab a small dagger and slip it in my boot as well as multiple throwing knives. She always knew that's what I was best at.

After laying on the ground for hours I'm completely dry. I go to the mirror before leaving. My long wavy brown hair rests nicely on my cloak and my blue eyes stare back at me in the mirror, haunting me for being just fine when the two people I care about most are gone and taken.

I hear people pound on the front door before bursting through, "I told you she never left! Look she was just here," a man yells and I assume he's referring to the crack in the floor.

I can feel around 4 bodies out there. I'll be fine.

I get out from behind the corner and smile and wave. They all look dumbfounded that I just popped out and they didn't have to tear down the house to find me.

"What are you men up to?" I ask politely.

"Looking for you," one of them repeats.

I laugh, "No, you were on you way to the pier." I say staring them all in the eyes.

"No, I told you. We are here for you," he says raising his voice. How weird, my persuasion doesn't work on the men. Perhaps because they are gifted?

"I was just trying to be nice," I tell him and shrug my shoulders. I push him back with the water erupting from my hands.

I start to fill his lungs with water slowly drowning him before turning to the other men. I push two of them into the wall and knock them out cold while I throw the fourth one out the window.

All four men and passed out (or probably dead) on the floor. I run out of the house very aware that more soldiers will be following very soon. I run out to the pier and I see Calaistos soldiers roaming the docks. I make eye contact with them before hurriedly taking off my cloak and shoes. I wish I could take off the rest of my clothes so they're aren't soaking wet but I'm out of time.

I encapsulate my cloak, shoes, and satchel in a bubble before tossing them in the ocean. I feel the breeze of an arrow fly past me and I look behind to see the soldiers getting extremely close. I dive into the water and grab my bubble before swimming. I attach the bubble to my foot and am hundreds of feet away from the shore in a minute.

I approach the surface to look back at the shore. I see the men firing arrows at the water as if I'm not completely gone. I can hear the men arguing as three of them jump in the water.

I swim back under the water. From what Aunt Melara has told me Calaistos is far Northwest. If I follow the stars I'm bound to get there eventually but even with my water ability, swimming there will be extremely difficult. From what I see there are no ships in sight and technically speaking the fastest way would be swimming.

"Please help me ocean," I whisper as I start on my very long journey towards the Calaistos, more specifically the Fairy Tavern.