Chapter Seven

Jayson smiled as he ran off through the forest, knowing that he might have finally found a way to make things up to Rune. Jade had handed Kyra to Ryuu, sending her ahead and helping Jayson with Tiffany. They had gotten halfway through the forest when they stopped running.

"They have expert trackers on their side. One of us needs to go one way, the other needs to go the other way. You find Ryuu and help her with Kyra, I'll head that way." Jayson pointed off towards the right, and Jade nodded, sprinting towards the left. Jayson sprinted to the beaches, where there was a small cave below in the tide pools. He climbed in with Tiffany and tied her to a rock using some of the ropes he had taken from Kyra's prison. He looked at her, ripping off her gag.

"Welcome to your new home. The nice smell of the ocean and fish all day, every day, at least until they find you. Don't worry too much about anything. Our new setup is close by, so you won't have to worry about going hungry." This was a lie, mostly because they were planning on just having Tiffany in the cave as a diversion and an easy way for them to get the Boka off their trail. "It will get cold. We will not do anything to help you about that."

Tiffany struggled against her bonds as Jayson left. He was quiet as he slipped into the sea, swimming far from the beach and swimming to the other side of the island, where the Mora mountain was. He knew that the Boka should go out and look for Tiffany soon, but he wasn't sure how many days she might be there. He got to a segment of the seashore that was a considerable distance away from the cave and exited the water, immediately climbing up into a tree and avoiding the ground, as he knew it was another way for them to track him. He expertly maneuvered through the branches, climbing higher into the trees and towards the top of the canopy. He was nearing the entrance to the Mora base when he heard voices.

"Sokan, I thought you told me that you weren't going to leave until your eye had recovered more. What are the chances that you'll find them?" Lucas and Sokan were walking along the forest floor.

"Lucas, I know where they went. Even in their best attempts to throw me off their trail won't work. I honestly could care less about finding Tiff right now, they're too weak and wouldn't hurt her. I just want to find those brats who took Kyra. You were right, we should have moved her sooner. I promise that when we find her, you will have full control over her." Hearing Sokan say that sent a shudder through Jayson's being. Lucas was cruel and insane, and Kyra was in a pretty fragile state. It wasn't until Jayson heard the snap of a stick that he knew his friends were in trouble.

"Lucas, look over there. Through the trees. It's Ryuu and Jade, and it looks like they have Kyra." The two psychopaths started running after them, and Jayson swung out of the branches and started chasing them. Little did he realize that Coron and Harold, two of the beefiest guys in his class, were also there, lying in wait. As Sokan and Lucas caught up to the girls, Jayson threw a stick at Sokan, hitting him in the head.

"Ryuu, take Kyra and run! We've got this!" Jade looked Jayson in the eyes before sprinting at Sokan straight on and punching him in the nose. Lucas gestured to Coron, and they sprinted off after Ryuu and Kyra. Jayson immediately ran to Jade's side and started attacking Sokan, and she quickly moved over to go after Harold, who was pretty slow.

"So, you dropped Tiff off at one of your little hideouts, huh. I don't care, really. I can just find her later, there isn't much on this island that I don't know about." He swung at Jayson's head and he ducked, punching Sokan in the stomach, and he staggered back a few steps. "You'll regret that."

The fighting went on for about ten minutes when Jayson heard a cry and looked over at Jade. Harold had gotten the better of her and had her arms behind her back, preventing her from escaping. Right as Jayson saw her, he heard a scuffle from the other side of the clearing and saw Coron dragging Ryuu back, Lucas and Kyra nowhere to be seen.

"Lucas is taking the girl back to the base. What do you want me to do with her cousin? She'd somehow healed Kyra's broken leg using some herbal remedies, so maybe keeping her around and using her as a kind of medic could be useful."

Sokan looked at Coron thoughtfully before letting out a small war cry, and three of the football players emerged from behind the trees. "Keep Ryuu. Kill the other two."

Jade and Jayson immediately sprung into action. He grabbed a rock and slammed it on the head of the nearest guard, knocking him out, while Jade brought her heel up and kicked Harold as hard as she could, causing him to crumple in pain. Jayson sprinted to Coron, who threw Ryuu to the ground and got ready to fight. Jade ran to Ryuu, grabbing her arm and pulling her up.

"Jade, Ryuu, run. It's the only way. I'll hold them off, you guys get out of here. Go!" Jayson looked at the six guys now surrounding him. "Get out of here!"

Jade seemed reluctant to go, but when Ryuu grabbed her arm to leave, she finally turned away and left.

"Carsan, Coron, go get them. Leave us to deal with this kid." Sokan pulled out a knife, a long, nasty looking blade.

"You know, that thing looks just like your soul. Nasty, awful, and something that should never exist. That must be why you use it, right?" Jayson looked around, knowing full well that he was going to lose.

As Carsan and Coron ran after Jade and Ryuu, Jayson lashed out and jumped at them, snapping Carsan's neck. Coron looked at him in shock as he saw the instantaneous death of Carsan, and started to run back to the group. Not far away, Jade slowed down and looked back, seeing the fighting beast that Jayson was. He seemed to be winning, surprisingly, when she saw Sokan throw the knife.

"No!" Jade screamed and started running towards him as the knife penetrated his heart. Jayson started saying something before falling forward on his face, blood seeping into the forest floor. Ryuu grabbed Jade and quickly ran off, throwing a mushroom that she had picked up from the ground. It exploded, creating a sort of smoke screen. By the time that the dust cleared, the girls were gone.

"Well, looks like we had less of a successful day than I thought. Too bad you had to die, Jayson. You were the only one who knew where Tiff was." Sokan kicked Jayson's head as he walked away, heading back towards the base. "Bring his body back to the base. I want all the Mora to see."

* * *

Ryuu literally had to drag Jade back to camp, as she had handed her a waterskin with calming herbs in it that knocked her out. There was no other way to keep her from running after Sokan, especially after watching him kill her friend. Ryuu still couldn't wrap her head around what happened, as it had happened in the blink of an eye. She placed Jade in her cave and went to meet with Chaiia and Rune.

"Ryuu, where's Kyra? Where's Jayson and Jade? I thought all y'all went together to rescue Kyra." Chaiia gently touched my arm.

"Jade's in her cave. We need to have someone strong guarding her at all times. She can't leave here anymore." Ryuu was trying her hardest not to cry, but one tear slipped down her cheek. "We split up. Jayson went to hide Tiffany, and Jade and I started heading back here with Kyra. Sokan and Lucas found us, and they started chasing us, as well as Harold and Coron. Jayson came and distracted Sokan and Harold, and Jade was helping him, and I ran with Kyra. Lucas and Coron caught up to me quickly, and overpowered me. Lucas took Kyra back to the Boka base, and Coron dragged me to the others.

"I thought everything would be fine. I mean, it was three on three and Jade and I had beat all of them before, right? I didn't know that Sokan had more backup. Coron told him about how I had started to heal Kyra, and he said I could live but the other two were to die. We fought, and Jade and I started to get away. Jayson somehow managed to… To kill Carsan, but then-"

Chaiia put her arm around Ryuu, and she finished her story. "Chaiia, I literally had to restrain Jade to keep her from running back to the fight. I had to drug her. I-I don't think it's smart for us to leave here. Not now, not ever."

Rune slammed his fist on the wall. "First Kyra, now Jayson. If you last saw her alive, she is probably going to be killed now, especially after what happened. I know you think we shouldn't leave yet, Ryuu, but it might be the only way to get her back. Before it's too late." Rune shook his head.

"Besides, Ryuu, we want to at least try to-" Chaiia's voice broke. "To get Jayson's body, right?"

Ryuu shook her head and started crying harder. "No, we can't. That'll be the thing they expect us to do the most. If anything, we need to hide. Disappear, make some sort of raft, anything to help us survive. They killed him. They would have killed Jade. They want to use me as some medicinal slave. I'm not leaving here. Not without someone to guarantee my safety."

Rune yelled out to Kyron, who was standing guard outside of the cave. Kyron walked in, his hair now long and flopping in his eyes.

"Yes, Rune? What do you need?" Kyron bowed down, it clear that he held Rune in high esteem.

"Kyron, I need you to protect Jade. She isn't allowed to leave the fort. Keep her locked in her cave at first. I'll have Corianton help you out as well so there's always one of you with her. Do not let her leave your sight. If the Bokas get her, they will kill her. Do you understand?" Kyron nodded his head and ran out of the cave, and Rune turned his attention to Chaiia. "Can you go get Laila? I need to ask her something."

As Chaiia walked out of the cave, Rune looked at the wall quietly. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't seem to protect his friends. Now Jayson was gone, Kyra still kidnapped, and two of the best strategists utterly broken. He glanced over, seeing Ryuu sitting on the floor curled up in a ball, her body racked with sobs. He shook his head sadly, standing up and walking over to her.

"Ryuu, I know things will never truly be okay, but they'll get better, I promise. We will rescue Kyra, no matter what. I want you to know that we can do this, but we can't do it without your help. You are probably the smartest out of all of us for a situation like this. You know your way around a forest, you know how to fight, and you can be quiet if needs be. I know that none of this seems okay to you right now, but in time things will get better." Rune stopped as Chaiia and Laila walked back into the room. "Laila, I think this is a time where we'll need your strategic expertise. You know the Boka base better than any of us. You know what we need to do. Will you be willing to help us out?"

Laila looked up. "Is it true? About the mission? Chaiia told me a bit, but I expected to see Jay-"

"That is another topic for another time, but we did fail to get Kyra back. I just need you to help us out here by working on a plan for us to break into the Boka's base. Do you think you can do that?" Rune glanced quickly at Ryuu, who was still softly crying in the corner.

"Yeah, I can. First of all, I think I should let you know one thing for sure: Lucas doesn't hurt Kyra for the pleasure of it. He actually confided about this with me a while ago, before I left. He said that he always liked her, and she was like some unattainable prize. He asked me what I thought he should do, since he still liked her, and I told him that if he truly loved her he would try and get her into a better situation than the one she was in. I had no idea what he was planning, but he did tell me that hurting her made him feel closer to her, which confused me. I believe that they won't have her in her little torture tower anymore, but will probably have her with Lucas at all times. It will be a lot harder to get to her now. I think we need to plan some sort of distraction, specifically aimed at Lucas and Sokan. I don't have any specific ideas right now."

Laila stopped talking for a second, noticed Ryuu in the corner, and took a deep breath. "Jayson isn't coming back, is he?"

"No. He isn't. This was a loss that none of us expected. Things will get better, though. Trust me, they will." Rune looked at her. "They won't be okay, or normal again. But they will be better. Just please tell me you can come up with something soon."

"Not only can I, but I will. I will come up with one that no one else could fathom, one that if executed perfectly will most likely save us all."

* * *

Lucas stared at Kyra, who was sleeping on his bed. Her hands were tied to a post above her head so she couldn't escape when she woke up. Not like she was going anywhere with the way she was still injured, even with Ryuu's herbal treatment. He thought back to what an idiot he had been, scarring her and hurting her. He had gotten so carried away in his own stress that when Sokan had asked him to do anything that involved Kyra whatsoever, he listened. It wasn't until Sokan had decided to cut out her tongue that he realized his mistakes, but he wasn't sure if he could turn back anymore. Now he had a way that he could protect her, even try and mend the tear between them.

No, He thought. There's no way that I could do that amount of damage and emotional scarring to someone and not have them hate me forever. The best thing I can do now is keep Sokan as far away from her as possible, so then she's at least protected.

He flipped her over, fingering the burn scars on her back. The pattern of a raven with a ripped wing covered the skin around her spine and between her shoulder blades, and a raven was known as one of the favorite birds of Rune, the chief of the Mora, as well as Kyra's personal symbol of hope. She had always seen a raven, smiled, and gone on with her life filled with a new energy. Sokan probably figured that it would shatter all her hope within her, but Lucas knew better. She would always have that small glimmer of hope inside.

Lucas looked up as Kyra's eyes lightly fluttered. He slowly backed into a corner of the room, sitting down. She mumbled something incoherently before opening her eyes all the way, confused.

"Ryuu? Jade? Are you guys there? Where am I?" Her voice was barely a whisper, and she looked around confused.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you. Your friends didn't succeed in getting you away from us." Lucas stood up, walking over to her. Kyra shrunk away in fear, her eyes flashing.

"I'm not going to hurt you anymore. I don't want you to hate me, even though you probably already do. No words I can say will be able to fix that." Lucas started walking towards the door. "Sleep while you can. I'll do what I can do for you to keep Sokan as far away from you as possible."

Lucas closed the makeshift door behind him, sitting on the steps as he thought about her reaction to him. She seemed like she literally couldn't stand to be in the same room as him. He sat out there for a bit until Sokan came back to the fort, his milky eye unsettling.

"Get her onto the balcony. No arguments. Now!" Sokan was angry, more so than he had ever been before. "Get on with it. No sense in waiting for her to do it herself."

He grabbed a large amount of rope as he walked down the hall, exiting the fort. Lucas reluctantly entered the room again, slowly untying the knots that secured Kyra to the wall. He said nothing until he finished up, holding the rope.

"I'm sorry. You need to come with me. Sokan wants you out on the balcony for some reason." Lucas gently pulled the rope, pulling her wrists and arms in front of her. "For your information, I said that you shouldn't be all tied up, just have someone watching you. Sokan, however, didn't trust you enough, and he's the boss around here, so if you leave this room, you have to be led around by your wrists. Please just follow me."

Lucas smiled as Kyra slowly stood up, following him quietly with her head hung low. They were nearing the main meeting room and balcony area when he heard voices outside.

"Make sure it's covered correctly, at least not until the final reveal. We've got the bait almost entirely set up, just need Sokan to give the approval. It won't be for a little while that the reveal will be allowed to happen. I just can't believe he did what he did to Carsan." Coron and Harold were hoisting something up, something covered up by a sheet of some sort. Lucas had gotten Kyra onto the balcony when Sokan walked up.

"Tie her to the edge. I need her there." Sokan walked over to Lucas and whispered in his ear. "Or are you going to fight me on this too?"

Lucas glared at him before tying Kyra's rope to the railing. Sokan looked at Lucas before pulling a knife out of his pocket, heading to Kyra. Lucas knew immediately what was going on, and stepped in front of Kyra.

"No."

Sokan glared at Lucas. "Get out of my way Lucas."

"No. You aren't hurting her any more, Sokan. Not on my watch." Lucas stood his ground as Sokan stepped towards him.

"Lucas, I said get out of MY WAY!" Sokan threw a punch at Lucas, one hard enough that it shook his teeth. Lucas immediately punched him back, and Sokan caught his fist and threw him to the ground, where Lucas hit his head and knocking him out instantly. Kyra screamed, and Sokan looked at her curiously.

"I thought it would take more than that to get you to scream, Kyra. Looks like I was wrong." Sokan slipped the knife back into his pocket, walking back into the fort. All he hoped now was that her scream was loud enough for the Mora to hear.

Well, it was. Rune and Laila looked up from their planning when they heard it echo through the trees, and stood up immediately.

"Laila, get Timber or Neptune. Preferably Timber, as we don't want to have two people out there near the Boka base with a death sentence on their heads. And yes, I'm going and you can't stop me." Rune stood up, gathering some of his things first. When Laila returned with Timber, she looked Rune dead in the eye.

"Don't do anything stupid. Remember the plan, although we weren't planning on putting it into action for a while. Just, stick with the plan. Tell Timber what he needs to know, okay?"

"Laila, don't worry. I will. Have any of the scouts been successful recently?" Rune looked at Laila hopefully. She hung her head in shame.

"No. No one's found him yet. Ryuu and Jade didn't give a good description of where they got attacked, so they've been having trouble. Just go get Kyra. Stick to the plan and it should work out okay." Laila gave him a push on the shoulder. It wasn't long before they reached the edge of the Boka fortress, seeing the balcony where Kyra was restrained and Lucas was lying unconscious. Sokan sat on the railing, Kyra tied as close to him as possible as he methodically stroked her cheek, to her obvious disgust.

"Ah, Rune, Timber. I see you two finally made it. Don't worry, I won't keep y'all here for long. Just long enough for me to give a little, ah, demonstration. Coron, Harold? It's time." Sokan laughed harshly as the sheet fell away, revealing Jayson's pale body hanging from the fort, the knife still piercing his heart. Kyra's eyes opened in horror and she screamed, tugging back against the restraints as hard as possible. Sokan grabbed her arm roughly, pulled her closer, and forced her to kiss him. Right as he did so, Lucas slowly stood up and saw the entire scene. His eyes flashed from Jayson to Rune to Sokan, and he charged Sokan and threw him to the ground.

"You had no right! You don't treat people that way!" Lucas used his knife to slash through Kyra's ropes, freeing her. "Rune! Take her. I'll deal with Sokan. It's about time for a change in leadership here."

Rune and Timber quickly scaled the tree, getting Kyra out and helping her back to the ground. Rune took one quick glance at Lucas before running away, holding Kyra tightly.