Chapter Sixteen

Rose was taken away, the girls are distraught and as they move forward they have another run in with Magmiss...Jade locks Asha and Tygra within another room where they come across problems of their own...

    “This can’t be happening…” Tygra quietly said standing to her feet as she stared at the very spot Rose had been standing.

    “Rose.” Asha whispered lightly as she rubbed gently at her eyes as tears began to form.

    Jade walked past them, heading towards the platform with the remaining door yet to be opened. “Come on, we have to keep going.”

    “Keep going?” Asha asked angrily. “Jade, Rose was just taken away and you want to act like nothing has happened?”

    Jade only kept walking, avoiding her and Tygra’s gaze. “Jade?” Tygra called to her sweetly.

    “Let’s just go.” She ordered as she climbed the steps to the door.

    “What is wrong with you?” Asha yelled, no longer able to keep her thoughts to herself. “We have to find a way to get Rose back or-”

    “Or what?” Jade questioned, now standing by the door, her back towards them. “Or we’ll never see her again?”

    “What is your problem?” Asha shrieked her voice shrill in rage. “Jade, if Rose dies it's all on your head!”

    “Asha!” Tygra yelled, stopping her before she could say anymore. “This is no more her fault then it is ours!”

    “Then where was she when Rose was taken away?”

    “If I’m not mistaken saving your a*s!”

    “Enough!” Jade yelled slamming the blunt end of her spear onto the ground as she turned back to them. “You have to stop this now.”

    “Oh yes your highness.” Asha commented spitefully. “We’ll do just as you say.”

    Jade glared at her angrily, her teeth set tightly as she began to shake her head. “I can’t take this anymore…” she said in a subdued tone, raising her free hand to her quivering lips. “I just can’t take this anymore!”

    Tygra took a few steps toward her, her eyes narrowed in concern and perplexity. “What can’t you take, Jade?”

    “You people!” Jade blurted, her voice shaking with anger. “No matter what I say, you want to do the complete opposite!” She took in a deep breath, willing herself to calm down. “I warned you about Misty…Even though I wasn’t quite sure what was going to happen, I did know something was wrong. I hoped you would have listened to me instead of question me.” Her gaze then fell on Asha as she allowed her hand to fall to her side. “And whenever I make a plan, you always argue with me; even when you don’t have a plan of your own…I wanted us to move on ahead because we don’t know where that psycho took Rose. Our odds of finding her would be better if we continued on from here.” She sighed, rubbing lightly at her swollen eyes as tears began to form once more. “It’s like you’re against me.”

    “Of course we’re not against you.” Tygra said, climbing the steps to the platform. She stopped before Jade, taking hold of both her hands in hers. “You are my closest friend Jade; I trust in your judgment. It’s just with all that is going on; it’s kind of hard to know what’s what anymore.”

    “Yeah Jade.” Asha said now at her side as well. “And you know how I am…I act before I think and that causes a lot of our problems…I also speak before I think...” she trailed off for a moment as she grasped one of Jade’s hands from Tygra's. “I didn’t mean what I said about Rose…If it weren't for you, we would have been in trouble a couple of times.”

    Jade shook her head a small smile forming over her face. “You and Rose can take care of yourselves…I’ve seen it already.” She pulled her hands from theirs as she turned back to the door, putting the incident behind her. “Are you two ready then or what?” Tygra and Asha both nodded as Jade began to push open the door.

    Asha leaned in towards Tygra. “I never thought we affected her so much. She always kept to herself-” she was cut short when she unexpectedly fell backwards off the platform onto the ground, pain surging through her right shoulder.

    “Asha!” Tygra cried, hastily jumping from the platform and kneeling down aside of her fallen friend. Within her shoulder was a small dagger.

    Jade remained where she stood, staring at the culprit within the next room; Magmiss. She glanced back to Tygra. “Will she be alright?”

    Tygra pulled the dagger out from Asha’s shoulder causing her to cry out. She placed her hand over Asha’s wound, stopping the blood as she began to heal her. “She’ll be fine when I finish heal her.”

    Jade turned her full attention back to Magmiss as she took a few steps inside the room. “Where did your people take our friend?”

    “Heartless aren’t you?” He said with a sneer as he looked behind her to Asha who was now being healed by Tygra. “Won’t you make sure she will be alright?”

    “Tygra’s with her. She’ll be fine.” Jade said plainly as she stopped a few feet before him. “Where’s Rose?”

    “Don’t worry. You’ll be reunited with her soon enough.” He quickly leapt back as Jade swiped out at him with her spear’s end. “Easy now. What about your friends?”

    Jade glanced back to Tygra and Asha. Asha was beginning to sit up with Tygra at her side. “I’m sorry guys.” She called to them.

    “What?” Tygra questioned as began to get to her feet.

    Jade quickly brought up her hand, a wall of stone came from the floor just before the door, blocking Tygra and Asha from entering the room.

    “Interesting.” Magmiss said amused. “May I ask why you did that?”

    Jade turned back to him as she placed the top half of her spear in her left hand. “To keep them safe.”

    He laughed softly to himself. “What makes you think they’ll be safe?”

 

   Tygra pounded on the side of the newly formed wall angrily. “Jade! Don’t do this! Don’t fight him alone!” She cried as she began to pound harder.

    “Why did she do that?” Asha questioned as she stood to her feet.

    She looked to Asha as she rubbed her soar hand. “To keep us out; to keep us safe.” She turned back to the wall, kicking the stone. “Because she’s a stubborn a*s!”

    “You got that right.” Asha said as she stepped closer. “Stand back. I’ll try to blow it open.”

    “Alright.” Tygra said, backing away from the wall. She watched the wall, waiting for Asha to blow it open. “When ever you’re-” she began as she turned back to her finding she was again on the floor, this time out cold.

    “Asha!” she stepped towards her, only to be stopped short as a dagger was placed to her throat.

    “Hold it there, cutie.” A deep voice said within her ear. “You aren’t going anywhere.”

 

    Jade ducked back as Magmiss unsheathed his sword, slicing the air where she once stood. He then came at her again, swinging his sword, aiming for her right side. She smacked the blade away with her spear then pulled it up, slamming the blunt end of the spear into his gut.

    “I don’t have time for this.” She said harshly. “Tell me where Rose is now!”

    Magmiss didn’t answer her as he only smiled. She then came at him again, swinging the spear down at his legs. He swung his sword down, pushing the spear out to the side. He then moved forward, aiming to elbow her in the ribs when she twirled out of the way.

    When she turned back to face him, Magmiss was already coming at her with another attack. He sliced down with his sword and as she moved out of the way, she grabbed hold of his wrist with the sword. She pulled him forward, stopping at his ear. “Stop wasting my time!” She whispered strictly. “Why do you insist on fighting me like this when we are on the same side?”

 

    Tygra remained still with the dagger pressed tightly against her throat. How did he get in here? She glanced around the room not seeing any point of entry. What am I going to do now? She questioned herself before a thought came to her. Maybe I could try to stall this man so I can think of something. 

    She cleared her throat as she thought of something to say. “So, you got me.” She began, swallowing a little fearfully. “Now what? Is this where you take me to your ruler?”

    She could hear the man laugh lightly within her ear. “In time. I have to wait for a colleague to come and take your friend there.”

    “Why wait?” She questioned. “She’ll probably be out for hours-”

    “I don’t know why you are stalling me girl, but I told you I can not take you anywhere without my help.”

 

    Well, there goes that…if he’s having help come, I don’t think I can handle anymore by myself. If only-

    “Let her go!” Tygra’s eyes opened wide at the sound of Asha’s voice behind her.

    But what made Tygra happy for her savior, only made the man laugh. “I could just kill her now if you like.”

    Asha took the tip of her sword and pressed it onto the back of his neck. “Let her go; or didn’t you hear me the first time?”

    “Alright, alright.” The man said loosening his grip slightly before he pulled Tygra to the side along with him away from the sword.

    Before Asha could do anything else, he stepped forward, throwing Tygra to the floor, back handing Asha across the face. She fell back a few feet, her sword falling aside of her.

    “You two have no chance against Caleb.”

    Asha looked to the man as she grabbed her sword, getting to her feet. He was light skinned with short dark brown hair matching his equally dark brown eyes. Around the waist of his black pants was a small twine belt with a tread of daggers hanging loosely down. He had his arms crossed out in front of him over his brown muscle shirt.

    “We’ll see about that.” Tygra said, now to her feet as well. “First we’ll take care of you.”

    “Having some trouble?”

    The girls froze at the sound of the voice which seemed so familiar to them. Tygra looked to Asha, finding that her color was now drained. She looked back at what had Asha all choked up, and gasped.

    “Oh no…”

    Behind them between the Earth and Water doors, was yet another doorway that the girls didn't remember seeing upon first entering the room. However, the newly formed doorway wasn't what caught their attention so abruptly. Standing within the doorway was a young man wearing black clothes; a leather vest and cloth pants with combat boots. He was tall with an average built and was lightly tanned, bringing out the blonde hair which hung loosely around his baby blue eyes

    “It’s about time you get here.” The man said as he looked between the two girls. “I was starting to get bored.”

    Asha looked to Tygra, seeing her strong demeanor crumble at the man before them. We're in trouble…

    Tygra watched the man in the doorway for quite sometime, uttering only one word in a quiet, heart-stricken voice. “Drake.”