Chapter 8

Alex

We ran so fast my lungs felt like they were on fire we had raced past the guards to make it to Layla before they did.

Lucky, we had Tempest she made the trip back to Layla’s dungeon room in minutes if it wasn’t for, her gift, of finding things we would have gotten lost.

Bursting through the door Dominic and Layla jumped to their feet.

“Layla the guards are coming to check up on you.”

She gave us one look, over to make sure we were ok and that we had Damien’s mom.

Then she ran past us closed the door and nothing short of ordered Damien to hide us. Tempest grabbed Dominic’s arm and pulled him towards us, Damien instantly hid us all while Layla ran to her closet and grabbed a big fluffy robe, and big fluffy pj’s. Pulling the pj’s on over her clothes and kicking off her shoes she quickly pulled on the robe as well then, she undid her braid and had just finished messing up her hair when footsteps at the door sounded. The door burst open and in it stood two very confused-looking guards.

“I hope there is a reason you just burst through the door, I was just going to go to sleep.”

And to be fair if I did not see her putting her pj’s and robe on over her clothes I would have believed she was going to go to sleep too.

“Huhm? We had orders to make sure you were still here.”

“Well, I am and I don’t think Loki would be please if he knew you had stormed into my room this late, at night so if you value your lives, I suggest you leave now.”

They turned pale at her words and left immediately locking the door as they left.

“You are amazing, you know that.”

Tempest said as we all came out of hiding. Layla sank down on a chair beside her.

“Honey, you ok?”

She looked up at me as, I went over to stand in front of her and for the first time, she let me see just how tired she really was and how hard she was fighting to keep it all together. And I felt my heart ache, I wanted nothing more than to hold her and make her feel safe I didn’t want to see her look so drained and almost defeated ever again.

“I am fine, I am just glad it worked and that they believed me.”

“You are quite resourceful my dear.”

“Aunty Brie I am so glad they saved you.”

Getting up she went to hug her aunt.

“Thanks to you my dear I am somewhat free but safe we are not.”

“Well, it is a start on my plan. First, we get you your powers back.”

“My powers back my dear, I fear that may not be that easy.”

“Sure, it is if you will just stand still for a moment mam, and let me do what I do best, work some magic.”

I went to stand in front of Damien’s mom

“May I have your hands' mam? You said that Loki’s Druid placed a weakening spell on you, it will take a little while but I will be able to lift it, and then Damien will hand you the potion that makes you immune to the purple smoke, even more than you already are and Tempest if you will bring some of the strengthening potion over as well and Layla honey you should try and rest a bit you haven’t slept well in a while and maybe you will be able to now we are all here with you.”

“I am ok, Alex really but if it will make you feel better I will lie down a bit, but not too long we have a lot still to do, and just so you know you are the one that needs his strength right now none of us can do the type of magic we need for the rest of my plan.”

“I am fine don’t worry honey, now go to sleep and let me do the hard stuff ok. O and honey, you and I both know you are not fine. Remember I can sense what you're feeling.

Smiling and my poor attempt at a joke and my very small hints. She climbed into bed Dominic stood next to the bed and looked so much like a guard I had to smile. Damien and Tempest were busy getting the potions ready.

Taking Damien’s mom’s hand, I saw she kind of looked scared.

“It is going to be ok it won’t hurt.”

“It is not that, it’s just I haven’t had my powers for such a long time what if I don’t have any control over them.”

“Is your special gift something that can hurt others?”

“No, my gift is not like that, rather some of the Dark elves considered my gift, not a gift at all. My gift is my voice it can compel or inspire or whatever I choose to use it for.”

“Why would the other elves think that the gift of compelling is not a great gift to have?”

“Because I rarely used it, I believe in free will my dear, and under the new rule that was…”

“I get it but, how were you taken, then?”

“Because I realized too late that my powers were being weakened all the elves' powers were. Loki’s father had the Dark druid place a weakening potion into Nutt’s water.”

“So that no one could fight back, that’s how he murdered Damien’s Dad so easily.”

“Yes,”

Her voice broke a little and tears filled her beautiful eyes.

“I am sorry, then that is all the more reason to get your powers back we might need your gift.”

Holding her hands tightly in mine, I started removing the weakening spell it was complex and draining but after a while, the spell started losing its hold on Damien’s mom it took all of an hour to remove it completely. When it was done at last Damien and Tempest handed Damien’s mom the two potions.

She drank them and power surged around her it felt good and kind and warm.

“You have to drink some strengthening potion to Alex that looked draining.”

“Thanks, Tempie.”

Drinking the potion, I stood and walked over to the bed Layla was fast asleep she looked so peaceful, I hated the thought of waking her but are timeline was now even shorter thanks to the dark druid and her evil weakening spell.

“Honey, you need to wake up we have to save the others.”

She opened her eyes and looked dazed for just a bit and so cute all I wanted to do was kiss her like really kiss her, but that had to be her choice it only took a minute for her to be fully awake.

“It is done Aunty Brie has her powers again.”

“Yes, she does and before you ask, I am fine”

She looked at me for a minute or two to make sure for herself that I was indeed fine then she was back to queen mode taking charge.

“Then we should get a move on with the rest of my plan.”

Layla

Getting out of bed felt hard like my body and my mind had two different ideas. Plus, I could not shake the thought of dragging Alex down next to me and just cuddling till I fell back to sleep. But we still had my parents and little Nyx to save.

Getting up and taking off the rob and the pj’s I went and got my shoes back on there was no time for braiding my hair so I just made a messy top knot.

Facing the others, I knew that the hardest part of the plan was still to come.

“Ok this is where it gets very tricky, Alex you have the powder that makes people forget right.”

“Yes, lucky we had some in the house and I did not have to make it.”

“Ok, Damien you Dominic, and Tempest will go and get little Nyx and bring her back here. Tempest you will use the power to make anyone, that you find around Nyx forget she was ever there. Damien will hide you in the shadows and Dominic will watch your back. Meanwhile, Alex, Aunty Brie, and I will go and rescue my parents.”

“What? Magnus and Artemis are still alive?”

Aunty Brie looked shocked but joy filled her eyes at the same time

“Splitting up Layla is not a good idea plus how will you even find your parents without me or Tempest to guide you.”

“I don’t like it Damien, but our time is short and we have to save all of them. This is the only way we can do that.”

“I don’t like it and we are not doing that I am not doing that.”

“Me too”

“And me”

I knew what they said was true and I didn’t like the idea either but two rescue parties made sense, luckily Aunty Brie saved the day.

“I may have a plan.”

We all looked to aunty Brie.

“Druids can cast speed spells am I correct?”

“Yes, we can why?”

“Cast a speed spell on Damien and Me he can carry little Nyx I can use the powder on anyone around Nyx plus she knows me. She will be far more willing to come with me than any of you. We can be back here in no time then we all can go to save Magnus and Artemis.”

“That can work, is a speed spell complicated to do Alex will it be draining?”

“No, it’s a simple spell ok but Damien and you have to stand really close together Mam.”

“Please all of you call me Aunty Brie that is much less formal.”

She went to stand right next to Damien he still looked apprehensive but much less stressed.

Alex held out his arms and the beautiful bright blue and green of his power flowed over Damien and Aunty Brie.

“Please be safe and come back.”

“We will my dear be save all of you we won’t be long.”

“Alex you hide all of you if anything happens get Layla out of here, ok promise me. He must not get Layla no matter what, understand”

“I promise we will be fine now you better hurry.”

With that, the two of them left and all we could do was wait.

It felt like hours we all kept glancing at our watches but the hands ticked by so slowly. Half an hour after they left Damien and his mom returned with a sleeping Nyx. She looked even smaller a sleep than she did awake and she was tiny. Damien placed her in the middle of the bed and I wrapped the blankets around her little body.

“What if someone comes in while we're out or what if she wakes up.”

Tempest and I asked together

“It’s ok I have an idea.”

Standing next to the bed Alex laid his hand lightly on Nyx’s head he whispered something and Nyx was surrounded by the blue and green light of his power then she vanished.

“Where is she where did she go?”

I know I sounded a little alarmed but I felt very protective of Nyx she was so young and she had nothing but hell in her short life.

“Everything is fine, Honey she is still on the bed fast asleep, and will be like that until I remove the spell. This should keep her safe.”

“Guys I just thought of something what if something happens and we can’t for whatever reason get back here to get Nyx, don’t you think it will be better to take her with us? Then if something did happen, we are all together.”

“Dominic has a point; I just don’t have a good feeling about leaving Nyx here.”

They all looked at me and to be honest I didn’t want to leave Nyx behind. Granny always said to trust my instincts and time had taught me to trust my friends’ instincts too.

“You are right we should take her with us. Dominic, you can carry her she is so small you won’t even feel her weight.”

“I may be able to help with that.”

Taking a big soft wrap out of the closets Aunty Brie folded it and tied it together for a sling thing that Nyx would be able to lie in and be comfortable but also made it easier for Dominic to carry her.

“Thanks, Aunty Brie this will work great.”

Damien pick her up after Alex removed the vanishing spell and placed her in the sling that was now around Dominic’s neck and shoulder.

Tempest and I mean while found two fluffy wraps that we placed over Nyx inside the sling so that she will stay nice and warm and cozy.

“There she should be safe and warm and Dominic’s hands are free should he need them. Alex, you have all the potions we will need?”

“Yes, everything is in my backpack.”

“Ok, Dominic you ok?”

I had to ask knowing that all of our emotions must be kind of overwhelming for Dominic. I had to ask, my best friend was one of the strongest people I knew, but I still needed to know he was ok because I knew the emotions, he will be feeling soon won’t be good and bad emotions are never kind to Dominic.

“I still good Layla, my bond with Tempest helps a lot she is like my anchor and holds me centered.”

“Then I am very happy to hear that.”

Looking at all of them, I knew I needed to prepare them for seeing my parents.

“I want you all to know that when we get to my Mom and Dad’s cell, it is not a pretty sight it is bad and we need to get them out tonight. Alex will remove the spell that locks the door and get it open and while he does that, we will all be lookouts. We have to rescue my parents tonight or my Mom won’t make it.”

My voice kind of broke on the last line of my small not so epic speech.

“We will do it Layla; I have faith in that.”

Tempest knew me so well she knew that going back there to my parent’s cell scared me because I did not know if my Mom will be ok, she had faith and I knew at this moment she had faith for both of us.

“Then let’s go.”