ℝ𝔼ℂ𝕂𝕃𝔼𝕊𝕊 ➵ o. kenobi {my only hope; book 2}

【 TWENTY-ONE 】

<3 Surprise!!! Happy Valentine's Day from Obi-Wan and Emeré <3

     ᴡʜᴇɴ ɪ ʀᴇɢᴀɪɴᴇᴅ ᴄᴏɴꜱᴄɪᴏᴜꜱɴᴇꜱꜱ, ɪ ꜰᴏᴜɴᴅ ᴍʏꜱᴇʟꜰ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄᴏɴꜰᴜꜱᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴀɴ ᴇᴠᴇʀ. First of all, I wasn't touching the ground. While my hands and feet felt like they were bound by something, I couldn't feel myself supported by the planet below in any way... almost like I was floating.

Second of all, the pain in my ankle had subsided. What I had gotten used to in the droid factory as a painful flare was now more of a dull ache. If I had been on the ground, I'm sure I would have been able to walk again--with a little bit of pain, sure, but able to walk nonetheless.

When I finally brought my attention to myself, opening my eyes, I realized that I'd been right. I had a metal ring wrapped around each ankle and wrist, attaching me to an energy complex that suspended me in the air. When I tried to move my wrists, I found that I couldn't. The energy holding me in place was abnormally strong, and as it seemed, nearly impossible to break out of.

"It's not worth trying," Anakin's voice came suddenly. I turned my attention to my right, and nearly cried. I'd assumed that my two companions had made it out safe, but Anakin and Padmé were here, suspended in the same manner that I was. They were both looking at me grimly, eyes weak and hopeless. "We've been trying to break free for the past couple of hours. Nothing works."

I stared at them. "Not even..." I reached out with the Force, but something was blocking me from doing so.

"These bonds block us from being able to harness the Force," Anakin murmured. "Believe me, I've already tried."

"Block us from..." I raised an eyebrow. "I didn't even know that was possible."

"Me neither. But when the Geonosians captured me, they had these with them. As soon as they put them on, I knew there was nothing I could do." Anakin shook his head. "I'm sorry, Emmy. I let you down."

My brow creased as I saw how upset the boy looked. "Ani, no," I murmured. "Please don't think that. We all got into this mess together. You're not the one who broke her leg on a simple fall."

Padmé nodded her agreement. "And you're not the one who got knocked into a giant crucible by a stupid Geonosian."

I almost laughed at that comment. "Don't let the Geonosians hear you say that," I commented toward my sister. "They seem to have some anger issues."

Anakin snorted, and I saw the ghost of a smile on Padmé's face.

"Anyway," I went on, "at least this confirms what Obi-Wan told us, right? That Count Dooku is behind all of this? There's no way the Geonosians have access to this kind of technology or power on their own."

A cruel, sinister giggle sounded through the room as I finished my sentence, and my blood ran cold. I exchanged alarmed looks with Anakin and Padmé, but before I could say another word, there was a flicker of light within the room, and with a shimmering that looked like a ripple of liquid air, a figure appeared out of nowhere, a mad smile on her face.

"Right... and wrong, my darling," Jobal Naberrie said, taking a few menacing steps in my direction. She was still hidden in the shadows, but her voice was so familiar, there was no doubt in my mind that it was my mother. I heard Padmé inhale sharply as she too realized who it was. I tried to keep my face impartial, but I could help but grimace as shock and anger flared up within me. "Count Dooku is behind this, but he's not the only one, is he?"

"You," I growled, as my hands clenched into fists. She was responsible for Kera... for what I'd done to her. I wanted nothing more than to break free from his bonds and give her a swift kick to her smug face.