(Editing) Hide and Seek: Taken Series Book 1

Eternal Flames

It is Veterans Day and I have no school! I am so happy to sleep in and just have a full day to write by books! Because I know I falling behind on my updates, so I need to catch up! Sorry for every one that has been waiting!

I dedicate this chapter to NeonVolts!

Please tell me how you like it!
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Natsu's POV

The spinning wouldn't seem to stop, churning of his stomach was as endless as the continuous bumps of the road. Natsu lay on the floor of the wooden carriage begging for their long trip to finally be over. After several hours of torture everything stopped, Natsu gained all his senses immediately, but he was tired. Not wanting move from his current spot he stayed dormant on the floor, then his thoughts snapped back to why they were on the trip in the first place! Lucy! They were going to get Lucy back, at all costs, he would save her!

Returning to his feet, he saw the others gathering their things. Erza opened the door, a frosty wind swept through the cabin, making everyone shiver. Outside was a vast emptiness, raging with a blizzard and snow. Natsu could hardly see five feet in front of him, he felt blind.

"Come on, Lucy is out there. Lets get her quick!" Grey stormed out of the carriage.

"Grey wait! In this kind of storm we have to stick together, we could get lost." Wendy advised.

"She's right. We keep as a group. Now lets go!" Erza commanded. With that they left the carriage and into the nothingness of the waist land.

Who would be so cruel to keep anyone in a place like this, especially Lucy. She didn't do anything to deserve this, no one did. The temperature was much below comfort zone, probably around -20 degrees! This was not a place for anyone to be. Lucy didn't like the cold, she was always complaining if it was just barely chilly, but this was overboard. She could die in weather like this!

Natsu's determination sky-rocketed, he had to find Lucy fast. Before these people did any permanent damage to his best friend.

"Luuuccyyy!" He yelled, praying for any kind of response.

"Lucy!" Erza repeated.

They all continued searching, Natsu's voice was horse from his desperate calls. But he refused to stop, she could be just our of sounds reach. So he kept on yelling, stumbling through the high snow. At this temperature even Natsu was bothered by the cold, he held his arms and was shivering violently. But only one who didn't seem to mind was Grey, although he did keep his shirt on.

"Natsu!" Natsu heard his name, his heart stopped, running towards the sound of his calling. His heart neat was faster than it had ever been before, as he ran as fast as he could trying to reach the voice. Through the thick winded snow he couldn't see hardly anything, then he approached a dark whole in the white vastness.

"Natsu! I found a cave!" He stopped to see Happy smiling up at him. Natsu's heart fell, he had gotten so caught up focusing on Lucy, that he couldn't even tell the difference between their voices. With a heavy heart he walked into the cave along with the others right behind.

It was a bit warmer inside, but not much to account for. It was completely made of ice with a low ceiling, he could tell that it was made from the storm and not from some kind of person. But then he smelled something, something that his nose never liked. The sent of blood, Lucy's blood. He sprinted to the edge of the cave to find a sort of cage, but it was made of ice. It was in the shape of a long tube with thick long icicles down the sides, serving as bars. It was only about two feet high, making little room to move, so the person must have been laying down. But what Natsu's attention was focused on was in the center of the cage was Lucy's keys covered in blood, her blood.

Wendy gasped in horror at the awful sight, Grey turned his back in frustration, Natsu could only feel intense anger while trying to hold back tears.

"How dare they do something a vile as this!" Erza roared, brimming with rage.
"Vile you say? I would call it that..." A dark voice laughed from behind.

Zipping around they faced a figure, but void of a face, replaced with a plain white mask. It wore white flowing clothes to match the mask. To features of the figure were visible under its bright cloak, but the voice from earlier was male, so they could define this figure as a man with a mask.

"Who are you?"

"I am offended Erza Scarlett. You already me, my name is Cloven Shade." It gave a small low, voice in the most respectable manner possible.

Erza pushing the though of how he knew her name went straight to his name.
"You are Cloven Shade?! How dare you do this to Lucy!" She screamed.

"I have no idea what your talking about." He held up his arms, in defense shaking his head.

"You do know, you idiot. Now where is Lucy?!" Natsu couldn't take it any more and charged the man head on.

He dodged with ease, simply stepping to the side. And kept talking.

"You mean Lucy! Oh, yes, I do know her. Sorry but you just missed her."

"What?!" Wendy gasped.

"Yes, you must be faster next time." He sighed.

"Why you!" Grey stepped forward, but Erza held him back.

"Sorry, but it is my time to depart. But before I do, I have a little gift for you." With a swipe of his hand another letter appeared in front of Wendy, she took the letter with surprise.

"That all, chou!" He waved a hand a walked out of the cave and into the blizzard.

"Not so fast!" Natsu chased after the man, only to become lost in the denseness of the storm, also the mans white clothes made it impossible for his too spot. Slugging back to the cave, Natsu saw everyone crowded around Wendy in horror.

"Natsu..." Happy stood in front of him tears coating his eyes.

Natsu ran to Wendy as she sadly handed him the latter, he speed read, eager to know the contents.

Dear Fairy Tail,

You failed, fail again and you might just lose your precious star. Be more careful next time, be sure not to stall your adventure. Your star has been moved to a place of eternal flames, where heat never dies, find this place in time and you can have your star. If you miss it two more times, this start will become mine. I know you don't want this, so hurry up.

Cloven Shade