The Shadow Morpher-Book 2

Chapter 16

                Troy grimaced as the metal handcuffs dug into his wrists. Now he knew what Dahlia had felt when her dagger had slipped. Maybe hers had been worse.

                Once the helicopter had landed in the police station at Athens, Ohio, the seven of them were thrown into identical cells much unlike the one at Varmer’s castle.

                The cells had hard, lumpy beds in the corner, barred windows in the wall and they smelled slightly like urine.

                Their weapons were thrown on the metal table across the room mockingly. Apparently evil magicians had no imagination.

                Mr.McLean sat down outside their cells and fiddled with his cell phone. That was something new; old immortal magicians using phones.

                “What are you doing?” Troy demanded.

                “Calling my lord, Varmer,” Mr.McLean said, smirking.

                “You’re betraying us to the Fire Immortal?” Cedric shouted.

                He began tugging at the bars of the cell with all his strength. Within seconds, his palm turned red and began to blister.

                “Why is Varmer called the Fire Immortal?” Luna asked.

                “Now that’s weird; Luna is asking a question,” Troy snickered.

                “SHUT UP!” shouted one of the police officers and poked Troy in the stomach with a baton.

                “Hi, Alyce,” Mr.McLean said.

                Troy scowled. Alyce had also been one of Varmer’s guard, not the immediate guard though. She was also his receptionist.

                “I’ve got them!” Mr.McLean continued smugly.

                Troy strained his ears and managed to barely catch something like: “Well done, Philip. Can you hold them for another five minutes before the guard arrives?”

                “Definitely,” he said, playing with his staff.

                “Good.”

                Mr.McLean snapped his phone shut. He pivoted around to smirk at Troy. Obviously, he wasn’t as nice as he had been to Troy a week previously.

                “You’re dead, shadow boy,” he told Troy. “My lord will have you under his control forever.”

                “How does that make me dead?” Troy asked innocently.

                Cedric snickered, but the girls just looked tense. Mr.McLean advanced on Troy in a rage, but Sapphire interrupted.

                “If I’m going to die, would you mind telling me what kind of magician you are?” Sapphire asked flirtatiously.

                Mr.McLean turned to Sapphire slowly, and brushed the length of her cheek with one hand, letting his hand linger on her skin.

                “I don’t think you’re going to die,” he said softly.

                Troy almost puked. He grinned when he saw Sapphire trying not to recoil from his touch. Unfortunately, Tamarak had recovered from his electric shock.

                He clenched his fists. Kayla shot his a warning glare.

                “I’m a Magician of Earth,” Mr.McLean said.

                “How’s that possible?” Troy demanded. “Dahlia is a Magician of Water, not a Magician of Earth!”

                “Shut up!” yelled her father.

                Troy glanced at his watch. Already two of his precious five minutes had passed. The ground seemed to rumble beneath his feet.

                Was it Cedric or Kayla? A quick glance at both their faces told him that it wasn’t. Another rumble sounded; this time it came from above.

                Was the ceiling going to fall down? Troy glanced upwards but there was nothing there. A bit of dust trickled down from the ceiling. Horrified, seven magicians looked up.

               “Hug the walls!” screamed Kayla.

               Boulders rained down on them. One boulder smashed into the bars around Troy’s cell, freeing him from the cage.

               His eyes fell on Dahlia.

               Unconscious.

               With boulders about to crush her.