Chapter 7

Leahe and Emilie sped off toward the direction of the scream, Emilie flapping her wings hurriedly, propelling herself even faster towards the noise.

The edge of Windmoore began to appear a couple yards away, a field of green. The buildings of Windmoore looked far away in the distance. A man, a boy, and a young girl were down below, a helicopter sitting next to them, parked in the field. The man held an unconscious blue-haired boy in his arms, attempting to haul him into the vehicle.

"Roy!" Emilie whispered to Leahe, and they both instinctively flew higher, hiding in the clouds.

"What do we do? It's that man who borrowed Roy's book, the boy and the girl from the alley all down there, holding him captive. We need to save Roy," Leahe glanced worriedly at the field.

"The girl is our priority as she has the most dangerous weapon. The boy seems harmless, but we don't know about the man. I have a plan, and it involves a distraction while I grab Roy and the girl."

"Are you sure you can handle it, Emilie?"

"I should be able to,"

Leahe nodded, and the pair quietly drifted towards the ground, maneuvering around so that they were facing the man's backside.

"Three..." Leahe let out a breath. Two...One..."

"Go!" Emilie whispered, zooming in range quickly and quietly.

Leahe dived towards the man, grabbing for his arm to knock him unconscious. Strangely, the man seemed to sense her coming and merely shifted to the side, catching her arm in the process. For a split second, she couldn't breathe. The man had both her arms firmly behind her back, and her strength was no use, even as she tried to strain against his grip. Just as she turned to blast him in the face with her cold breath, a sharp, thin rope flashed out of nowhere and wrapped itself around her body. The man fell back as she dropped to the ground like a stone, momentarily stunned. Fear seeped into her brain and quickened her heartbeat.

Emilie had managed to accidentally knock the boy unconscious while aiming for the girl, and she now hovered over him, glowering at the man. Her blade was suddenly at the girl's throat, and then she was on the ground, hands held behind her back.

The man chuckled. "Always trying to disturb my plans, you hybrids. Now let the girl go."

The girl was huffing, her face slightly twisted in pain as she tried to yank free of Emilie's grip. "Not until you unhand my friends,"

The Dark weapon they had seen earlier that day was now in his hand, and he held it to Leahe's throat. He cleared his throat. "Release the girl," he demanded.

She reluctantly obeyed, her glare seeming to stab into him like daggers.

"Let them go." her words seemed to cut through glass with every syllable, her tone seething with rage.

"I finally have captured not one of you, but two of you after all this time, and you demand me to hand them over?" the man chuckled.

Leahe quickly caught Emilie's eye, motioning with her head to get help, back up before something bad happens. Somehow her strength had not ripped the rope apart, or loosened it. She felt powerless for the first time in her life, and she looked at Emilie again, feeling frustrated.

"Go," she signaled again.

Emilie gave a small shake of her head.

The man watched Emilie with a small smirk, clearly enjoying the silent conversation. "How about I make you an offer? These two are coming with me. In exchange, you may take the boy. I believe that is a more than fair deal,"

Emilie shook her head more vigorously this time. She lunged towards him, flicking out her daggers. The man's eyes flashed, quickly attempting to dodge the attack. Leahe could see the small slash in his coat sleeve where the blade had grazed it.

She felt the tight rope digging into her wings and body, the edges of her armor poking her rib cage. She realized that Emilie had to go now, before the man caught her too.

"Go!" Leahe signaled more urgently. She stared into Emilie's eyes, desperately hoping she understood what she was telling her.

Emilie stared back, understanding quietly dawning on her. She turned to the man. "Alright, I'll make your deal. But first let me say goodbye to my friend,"

Before anyone could move, she rushed to Leahe's side and touched her forehead, disguising it as a hug while going through Leahe's thoughts, making a decision in her head.

Leahe heard a rustle as the girl bristled, suspicious. The man extended his arm, holding the girl back.

Soon, she felt Emilie's fingers disappear and watched her lift off into the night sky, dragging the boy with her.

A sharp pain entered her arm as she turned and saw a needle being injected into her body, the girl standing over her. The drug finally began to take effect as the man and the girl hauled her limp body into the helicopter. She felt her eyes closing, but she had to stay awake.

Stop, she thought. You can't sleep now.

The sleepiness started to take control of her body, and her eyes closed. The last thing she remembered was the soft muffle of the helicopter's blades whirring into the sky as the girl fit headphones over her ears.

A knocking on the door woke Sage, and as she struggled to get a sense of direction and where she was again, she looked out the window and realized that it was dawn and she was in her room. Rubbing her eyes, she quickly patted down her hair, combing through it with her hands. "Come in,"

Suri entered the door, smiling wearily at her. "Hey, just wondering if you were hungry."

She held a small dish filled with a thick slice of bread and butter, and a pitcher of water, the stack of cups balanced on the edge of the plate.

She set it down on the little table in the corner, and carefully backed into the doorway.

"This early?" Sage replied, yawning.

"Well, I was up ages ago, but yes, I suppose to you it is early."

Sage could tell something was distracting her, but decided against asking.

"Thanks," she replied. Her stomach was already rumbling.

She listened until the sound of Suri's footsteps disappeared outside, then made her way towards the table.

They wouldn't poison me, would they? She thought as she wearily poked her food.

The soft brown bread and butter felt so sweet in her mouth, the best breakfast she had had in years. She carefully slid her plate and cups down the silverware chute in her room(which she found very fascinating). The rest of the day was spent wandering her large room, digging through the cupboards in the bathroom and room, and eating the food that was sent to her. She felt like a sheep before it was slaughtered, just waiting in her room anxiously.

During the afternoon, Suri had come to her room right after her shower, peering in the doorway.

"What's wrong?" Sage asked. Her hair was still slightly damp and she put up her hood, feeling a bit cold.

Suri attempted a feeble smile. "Nothing. There's someone I want you to meet, and he's going to keep you busy during your stay here. I have some business to take care of, and won't be here for the rest of the day. You need anything, you call him. Alright?"

Sage nodded, and Suri led them outside the building, and she finally saw where this place was. She had been in a puzzle-shaped building the whole time, the corner of the piece wedged into the ground.

The area was beautiful, random flowers blooming in small patches on the ground, the fields so green and rich it didn't even look real. There was a small tunnel at the top of the cliff a few football fields ahead, the cliff a sheer drop into the beautiful valley.

Valkyries flitted around here and there, stopping to talk to one another or getting somewhere.

Buildings such as a library, a school, and a store were built on top of hills, but there were no houses in sight. A calming mist seemed to drift from the cliff.

"Where are your houses?" Sage asked.

"Underground. The houses stay hidden underground because of the first attack at the old base, when we were hit with bombs that caused a lot of damage to our buildings and houses. Now every house and building has a safe room, just in case. Some people stay in the Puzzle building where they work, and where the Puzzle Master also lives." she explained.

Sage took in a deep breath and sighed. "It's beautiful,"

Suri nodded, and continued to wait, standing impatiently. Not too soon, a flash of white and blue darted past Sage's eyes, and a boy landed in front of them, smiling. He glanced at Suri's worried face, and switched his expression immediately. "Hey Suri, who did you want me to meet?"

He had a sense of familiarity to Sage, and it was strange because she felt like she had seen him before. Black hair, amber eyes, she hadn't ever remembered a description like his before, so why did he look so familiar?

"Sage, this is Reese, your guide who will help you navigate this place and keep you company while I'm out on duty and missions. Reese, this is Sage."

She gave both of them a quick smile and wave before rushing back inside of the puzzle-shaped building.

"Hello Sage," Reese extended his hand. "I'm Reese as you know, and she says you're from the outside world?"

Sage shook his hand and nodded, feeling uncomfortable already.

"Well, today I'm here to give you a tour of the area. And since you can't really fly around, take this orb." he produced a clear, glowing ball from his pocket. "It will allow you to jump higher so that you can get on top of buildings, and help you land safely from tall heights."

"Alright," she stared curiously at the clear orb as Reese took off into the blue sky, waiting for her to follow.