The Chronicles

Taken

"So how has Kai's rehab been going?" Winter asked. 

"Really well actually, we got one a suspension tank from Luna and he's healing really nicely." She beamed, "he actually almost has the use of the entire leg!"

"That's amazing!" Cress laughed. 

Scarlet walked in from putting Michelle down for bed. The entire crew had been staying in the palace since the attack from a week ago. 

Cinder was unsure of something about the attack. As soon as they had shot Kai, they retreated. They had left the rest of the palace and citizens alone. 

"Hey, where are the guys anyway?" Iko questioned.

"I don't know probably playing poker or drinking or something," Scarlet rolled her eyes. 

They all started to laugh. 

After about an hour of talking and laughing, Scarlet got up to go check on her sleeping daughter. As Cress was talking about her trip to Rome with Thorne, she was interrupted by a scream in the middle of her sentence. 

"Scarlet?!" Cinder started to run out of the room when she saw Wolf sprint down the hallway, followed by Thorne Jacin, and an out of breath Kai. The girls started to run with them. 

"You know," Kai huffed, "It is really hard to run when out of shape."

"Here," Cinder laughed and put his arm over her shoulder and continued to run. 

When they got to Scarlet, she was hugging herself over Michele's crib, crying. 

Wolf took a step towards her, "Scar, what happened?"

"She's gone." Scarlet buried her head in wolf's chest, "They took her."

"Who took her?" Jacin asked, finding Winter's hand. 

"I don't know!" She screamed, "But someone obviously took her because she's not here!" 

Kai took out his port and called Torin. "Put the Palace on lockdown now. Michele is missing. 

"Kai, wha-" 

He hung up. "Okay, everyone search around the room, she could've just crawled out of the crib."

The crew searched the entire palace for over an hour when they concluded she wasn't there, they met back up in the nursery. 

Kai noticed that Wolf was in tears, he had never seen him cry before. 

The net screen on the wall clicked on and a blurred face appeared on it. 

"Empress Selene, how nice to finally see you again!" The figure said, "Now I must say, I expected a lot more from the woman who killed my queen." 

Cinder sneered, Kai noticed the shock in her eyes, which was soon followed by a burning hatred. She knew exactly who this man was.

She cursed, "Who in their right minds would let you out of Luna's prison?"

"You see, no one had to let me out. I can perfectly escape on my own. Oh, and by the way, I saw the 'C' carved into the cell on the wall, I could only imagine that was you. Such a shame that you didn't put '+K' along with it." 

Cinder looked over at Kai, he blushed.

"How is our little Emperor doing anyway? It's too bad he's still alive, I fired the guy who missed his heart. Literally. He's probably at the bottom of Artemisia lake by now."

"What do you want, Onheil?" 

"Oh nothing too complicated really, really just for you to come bow down to me in front of the entire galaxy."

Cinder laughed, actually laughed, "Over my dead body."

"Well, I could arrange that if you would like, or not." He paused before saying in a sing-songy voice, "I have a surprise for you" 

The man stepped out of the way, behind him was the balcony in the throne room, which was now only used for palace tours. But on the ledge, sat the Grand Minister of Luna tied up in a chair, a gag in his mouth. 

Cinder watched in horror as someone kicked him off of the ledge. She heard a gasp from Winter and "Aces" from Thorne.

"Okay so have a little get together, shall we? Or if not, little Michelle can be next."

Scarlet Screamed, "No!"

"Alright so, I guess that's my answer. See you soon." He blew a kiss and waved.

The net screen shut off. The room would have been silent, if not for Scarlet's sobbing. 

"Cinder, who is that guy?"

Iko answered for her, "Trouble."

Cinder put her head in her hands and said about every curse word in the book.