Resilient

Chapter 10 Amber

One moment Amber was looking at the beautiful coral staff in her hands, and the next she heard a scuffle behind her and turned to see people holding Sky and Brock at gunpoint. It took her another moment to realize that the people that were holding them were Fire Raisers.

"How did you know we were here?" Gasped Amber.

"You must have forgotten about the cameras that we inserted at the bottom right corners of your neck, we were able to follow you here. Unfortunately the cameras waterlogged on your underwater adventure." Sneered the Fire Raiser holding Sky. Amber quickly reached to the base of her neck trying to find the hidden camera. Her fingers passed over a bump that wasn't there before they entered the Fire Raisers base for the first time. Why didn't she notice it earlier?

"Let them go!" Amber cried weakly knowing that the Fire Raisers could hear her voice waver.

"You are in no position to be making bargains right now," growled the Fire Raiser holding Brock, "although, we will let your friends go, if you give us the staff." He said smiling sickeningly.

"Don't do it!" Yelled Brock before the Fire Raiser tightened his grip on his neck.

Amber was frozen, her hands gripped on the staff. She didn't want to give up what they worked so hard to get to the people that would surely use it against them. Yet she couldn't watch Sky die, she just couldn't.

"Make your decision now." The Fire Raiser holding Sky said, pushing the gun further into her temple.

The world was crashing down around Amber, she was frozen in place, she couldn't get her feet to move. It was all too much for her to comprehend, it was as if the world was going in slow motion.

Ambers breath came out in quick gasps, and she could only watch on in a horrified silence. She stared at the Fire Raisers lips moving, but she couldn't hear what he was saying. She closed her eyes and forced herself to take deep breaths. Finally the world came back into sharper focus. The men's laughs ringing throughout the room at how she looked standing there with her eyes closed.

"Well I guess you have made your decision." Said the Fire Raiser with a smirk. "You have three seconds until your sister dies. 3...2...1" Amber watched slowly as his finger tightened around the trigger, and her vision went red.

She screamed as a swirling tsunami surged around Amber crashing into the Fire Raisers holding Sky and Brock. They were engulfed in thousands of gallons of water. The gunshot rang across the room but hit no one. The enclosure was in chaos, the strong waves that hit the two Fire Raisers were powerful enough to wash out an entire army. When the waves stopped and everything became calm again Sky and Brock were untouched and the Fire Raisers were pinned to the wall with coral.

Amber collapsed with exhaustion on the floor of the underwater palace. Sky rushed over to her and scooped her up.

"A, that was amazing." She said with real pride glowing in her eyes.

"How did you do that?" Brock asked looking completely baffled. "You're not supposed to have powers!"

"This is a conversation for another day." Amber said shakily managing a small smile. "Can we get out of here now?"

"Sure." Sky said still smiling. "I knew you had it in you."

"What is going on around here?" Brock asked.

"Hey what are you going to do with us?" Asked one of the Fire Raisers desperately.

"I guess you will have to wait and see." Amber replied evilly.

Sky and Brock reached over to grab either one of Amber's arms and together they walked out of the underwater place area before swimming to the surface.

...

While Brock, Sky, and Amber were happily enjoying their success at collecting the first staff, fifteen miles away the leader of the Fire Raisers was far from happy.

"You did what?" He growled at the two soaking men that were kneeling before him.

"I-It wasn't our fault s-s-sir." Stammered the one on the right.

"Yeah, you said the little one didn't have powers." Said the one on the left quite earnestly. "It shouldn't have been possible, she shouldn't have seen the staff at all, you said that only the heir of water can retrieve the staff."

"Yet she did, and you still failed to retrieve it even when the girl didn't have any elemental powers."

"B-But she d-d-did sir. She sent w-waves at us, s-strong enough to take d-down a hundred men."

"This shouldn't be possible, she doesn't have powers, how could she have found the staff." Murmured the leader to himself.

"There is one more thing, my lord." Said the Fire Raiser on the left sounding truly fearful now.

"What!" Yelled the leader of the Fire Raisers angrily.

"When the waves hit us, well we're not exactly sure what happened, well, we think that our powers are missing."

"What do you mean." The leader said in a deadly calm voice.

"We don't think we have our powers anymore." He blurted.

"Well then I guess I don't need you anymore." Allowing the two Fire Raisers before him one last look of fear before he set them ablaze.

"Obviously I doubted this girl, it is a mistake that I will never make again. How did her powers get by undetected?" He ranted to himself while pacing. "Guards!" He yelled into his other room, two men appeared before him looking eerily like the last two. "Suit up your best men, and find that girl and her friends. Don't let them get away!" They both disappeared.

He was not going to lose the staffs again for a second time. Rage overcame him and he screamed, his voice echoing over the fields that surrounded the base. He wasn't going to let a stupid girl and her older sister and friend beat him this time when it took over one hundred of the best enchanters to hide the staffs away from him last time.

He may have been stopped from achieving his dreams centuries ago by the enchanters, but nothing was going to stop him now.