Chapter 19: The figure in Black.

The figure in Black is bad, the new leader of the Peacemakers. However their true identity makes everything so much worse.

Chapter 19: The figure in Black

Sebastian hadn’t moved in two hours. Sitting on the floor of his ruined apartment, unsure of what to do. His uncle had always guided him and now he couldn’t. Because the Peacemakers had taken him away.

I have to do something… Sebastian wiped his eyes on his sleeve and stood up. He was wasting time. He was an Elemental for crying out loud. There had to be a way to rescue his uncle. Sebastian knew if he’d been taken his uncle would have done everything in his power to find him.

“I’m going to need a lot of water…” Sebastian didn’t want to have to rely on there being a water source nearby when he needed it. He slowly reached out with his power into the ground and drew two strings of water up to the surface. He wrapped them around his wrist like bracelets. Where he could access them if needed.

It wasn’t much water but in a pinch it might be the difference between life and death. Now Sebastian could put his hand in the tap water and try to locate his uncle. He wasn’t sure if it was common knowledge that water Elementals could do this. He hoped it wasn’t because otherwise the Peacemakers wouldn’t leave water lying around.

He turned on the faucet and let the cool water run over his hand, it was soothing in a weird sort of way. He closed his eyes and let the water carry his mind.

The water took him right into the city, far from his house. He knew it was very much in the heart of Sydney because the water had a metallic tang that spoke of lots and lots of humans in one place.

Darkness. A single candle flame dimly lighting the room. Sebastian glimpsed his uncle lying chained to a bed. A figure stood at the end, hidden by the shadows. Dressed all in black. Not moving, just watching his uncle sleep.

There was no earth inside that building and Water-Sebastian sensed concrete outside. His uncle would not be able to escape on his own. He would need Sebastian to come get him.

The figure in black was motionless. It made the hair back on Sebastian’s body rise. He could not see the figure’s face, but he felt the hatred that came off it in waves. It made him fear for his uncle. It made the rescue that much more urgent.

Sebastian pulled his hand out of the water. There was no time to waste, now that he knew where his uncle was. I’m coming, just wait for me uncle I’m coming!

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Cold. Dark. No, worse than dark. Daniel couldn’t feel any earth. Dark was the ground around him in his mind. Concrete, up down and all around. The tinkling when he moved his arms meant chains. Crap.

Daniel slowly opened his eyes, his head was pounding from the blow that had knocked him out. Peacemakers, b******s that they were Daniel hadn’t been able to fight them off. How had they snuck up on him? Did they have Sebastian as well?

No, Daniel didn’t know if Sebastian was safe, without earth to guide him he was practically powerless. They must have picked this location just to stop Daniel from using his powers to escape.

Only when Daniel focused on the end of the bed he was tied to, did he realise that there was someone standing there. A figure half hidden in the shadows and dressed all in black. So this must be the person who had stepped in to lead the Peacemakers after Eric’s passing.

“I’m glad to see you’re awake Daniel, I was beginning to think my men hit you harder than I instructed” fear dried Daniel’s mouth and he felt his hands shaking. That voice, he knew that voice. He had worked beside that voice; he had welcomed it into his home.

“you really pulled the wool over our eyes didn’t you girl?!” it was Gabrielle. She was here, the figure in black. This made no sense, but then again it made perfect sense. Oh, Sebastian would be so broken when he found out about this.

“My father taught me that you always look for the good in people Daniel, but only I saw how that could be used against you” she reached up and pulled the hood off her face. Those golden eyes, it was her. Smiling at Daniel. Oh the elements be damned, what had he gotten himself into?

“You tricked us…” how much information had she gotten out of him and Sebastian? How many of their weaknesses did she know? They’d trusted her, Sebastian had trusted her!

“Of course I did, my father was very angry at me when he kidnapped me, so before we made any kind of agreement he burned me. I knew it would be enough to convince Sebastian that I was the victim” Daniel remembered that very faintly. Most of his time had been spent trying to save Sebastian.

“Sebastian nearly died ‘saving’ you, but you were never in danger were you?” Eric was always very intelligent. He wouldn’t have done any real damage to his heir. After all, that would defeat the purpose of having her.

Pain, hot, up his leg. It only lasted maybe a second but it had Daniel writhing to escape. The lightning retreated back into Gabrielle’s hand. Sebastian had trained her. he’d made the leader of the Peacemakers stronger without even realising it.

Not that Daniel blamed him. He should never have let his nephew near her. He should have tried harder to keep him away.

“That was when my father thought I would work for him, but I’ve never enjoyed being told what to do” she looked at her nails and smirked. Daniel felt his heart twist painfully as he realised he was staring at Eric’s killer.

 He’d been burnt to death and Gabrielle was so strong. An oversight on Eric’s part that had cost him his life.

“You… You killed him…Eric would never have thought to protect himself from you…” his own blood, no Eric wouldn’t have thought he was in any danger around her. The perfect opportunity for Gabrielle to literally strike him down.

“Now that I’ve revealed myself to you, I want to know if there’s any information you have that I don’t know… And I know how to get it out of you” white flashed across Daniel’s vision as she struck him in his bad knee. The room span, but there were secrets that Daniel couldn’t afford for the Peacemakers to know. People he had to protect.

“I can’t… I won’t…You can’t make me!” it hurt. Oh curse the elements, his bad knee was on fire again. Just like it had been all those years ago. He couldn’t stand it but he had to. Unless he wanted them to have the upper hand he had to keep silent.

“I’m going to bet that Sebastian will come to get you Daniel. He’s not the kind to let the last of his family suffer” Daniel heaved for breath as the pain increased. Gabrielle didn’t have Sebastian but she wanted him. She was right too; his boy would come charging in sooner or later with no regard for his own safety.

It was time to summon his back up. He’d always known he might be captured by Eric at some point. That was why he had double agents within the Peacemakers.

It was time to call for Shaft. Daniel blew a long whistle. Low enough that only he could hear the tune. Gabrielle wouldn’t notice it, but he knew that Shaft would. It was a secret code, it meant ‘Save my a*s’.

Author's Note

I wonder if you saw the signs, if you had already guessed who was truly behind all of this. Daniel didn't, and Sebastian, he will not take this well.