Nathan, Celia, and Damien left immediately after they sent Saladin the message. Despite how difficult and tiring it was for Nathan to fly Celia and Damien all the way to Seattle, Nathan managed it. He was powered solely by desperation to save Katia and everything he cared about.
They flew for hours in the cold night until they reached Seattle again. Nathan dropped Celia and Damien on the ground before he too collapsed, gasping for breath.
He was exhausted. He never flew for that long and carried so many people, but they couldn't stop. After a couple of minutes, the three of them got up and walked around the dark city. The only people roaming the streets were people clubbing and drunk men laughing. Maybe at one point they would be afraid some people would jump a group of teenagers. But they had powers and have been through much worse to let a few men scare them.
The three of them continued to walk, passing many bars as they went. A group of guys wolf whistled at Celia as they walked by. She gave them a sarcastic smile and casually flipped them off, causing Damien and Nathan to laugh a bit despite their situation.
"Where are we going?" Celia asked.
"I know someone who can help us," Nathan answered.
They kept walking block after block with Nathan in the lead. His feet were dragging and he swayed as he walked, but he never stopped. Finally Nathan led them to an old condominium made of bricks.
He unlocked the door with the wind and the three of them walked through. The one receptionist was asleep and barely stirred when the door slammed behind them. The three of them walked up the stairs silently, exhausted from the recent events.
Nathan stopped before a door with a golden number 24 in the middle. He knocked raptly and so hard the door shook in its frame. He waited impatiently, tapping his foot quickly, until the door finally swung open. A sleepy looking man who looked like he was in his late 40s stared down at the three teenagers who decided to pay him a visit in the middle of the night.
"Nathan!" The man exclaimed happily, all previous sleepiness gone. "Haven't seen you in a while. What happened to you? Looks like you've been through hell."
"That's an understatement," Nathan said in annoyance.
He was covered in cuts and dirt. His hair was disheveled and his clothes had multiple rips in it. Celia's hair was a giant tangled mess and she was holding her injured arm gingerly. Damien had dirt smeared on his face and was limping slightly. All of them had big, dark bags under their eyes.
"What are you doing here? It's four in the morning," the man asked.
"We need your help," Nathan pleaded, and the hint of desperation was clear in his voice.
"What's wrong?" He asked worriedly as he invited Nathan, Celia, and Damien inside. He closed the door firmly behind them and turned to face Nathan who shook his head with downcast eyes.
"Everything. Haven't you heard about what's happening?" Nathan asked in an emotionless tone.
"Yeah I heard rumors that Akur is back. They aren't true are they?" He asked in a horrified tone.
"They are," Nathan answered solemnly and the man cursed. "We know how to defeat him though. We just need a plane to get us to where the last battle was fought to stop him."
"Yeah sure anything," the man nodded. "Let me just make a couple calls."
The man left the room and the three of them heard the beeps pierce the silence as he dialed numbers on a phone. Nathan was roaming around looking at the pictures laying on tables and mantles that caused a flurry of emotions to rise up in him. Many of them showed his parents and him as a baby. Celia and Damien remained awkwardly by the door as Nathan walked around slowly.
"So who is this guy?" Celia asked after a while.
"His name is Steph. He's a friend of my parents," Nathan answered as he stopped by a picture showing Steph carrying Nathan as a baby in between his parents.
Nathan looked at it for a couple moments longer before turning his back to it. He always had a painful pang in his stomach whenever he saw pictures of them. He walked back to Celia and Damien.
"He works in the airport. I was hoping he could get us an airplane to borrow. The island is a couple of hours away. I don't have enough energy to fly there now," Nathan said.
They believed him. Nathan had dark bags under his eyes. His face looked worn, and he dragged his feet as he walked around. He collapsed down on the couch and Celia and Damien were sure he was going to pass out.
Steph came back after about fifteen minutes. The three of them stood up eagerly to hear his answer.
"I was able to get you a plane but it's not the best. There's a good chance it will break as you're flying. Do you still want it?" Steph asked apologetically.
"We'll take it," Nathan answered immediately. At that point anything was better than nothing.
Steph nodded and told them how to find the plane. An Elicti would meet them at the airport and give them the key. They'd have to be careful since technically they aren't allowed to take it. Plus Nathan wasn't old enough to pilot a plane or licensed.
"Thanks Steph," Nathan said gratefully as Steph opened the door for the three of them.
"Anytime. Be careful and I'll see you in a couple of hours," Steph said.
"You will?" Nathan asked in confusion.
"I'm not just going to sit here. I'm going to try to get there and help out," Steph explained. He waved goodbye and shut the door.
Celia, Damien, and Nathan ran outside. They didn't have much time now. Still running, Nathan grabbed both of their hands and hoisted them into the air and they flew to the airport. They soared over the fence and landed in an airstrip further than the others made for smaller planes.
They found the Elicti who would help them. He showed them the plane, and Nathan could feel his heart drop. Steph wasn't exaggerating when he said the plane would most likely break. It was small and rusty and creaked in the slight breeze. Not to mention the dents all over the metal surface and the slightly crooked wing.
"We have to go in that?" Celia asked unsurely. "The first plane we made looked safer."
"It's either this or we swim there," Nathan answered.
Celia kept looking around worriedly as they boarded the plane. Nathan sat in the pilot seat which was ripped with the stuffing coming out. He pressed some buttons and checked the controls as Damien took the copilot seat. Celia sat tensely in the back. Nathan couldn't help but grin as he found the control for the microphone. He turned it so that his voice echoed around the small plane.
"Hello everyone! I'm Nathan and I will be your pilot for today. Everybody buckle your seat-belts. We're expecting a rough ride. There will also be no drinks or snacks served due to low budget. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Thank you."
Despite how tired and worried they all were, Celia, Damien, and Nathan laughed. Then Nathan pressed a couple more buttons and the plane began to gain speed. He said a silent prayer as he raised the plane up and the wheels went back inside. It jolted suddenly and they lost a couple feet. Celia screamed and held on to the armrests like her life depended on it.
Finally Nathan gained control, and they began the flight to the island where the last great battle took place. Nathan piloted the plane effortlessly. He never really learned how to fly a plane officially. It was just something he knew how to do like walking. He insisted that Celia and Damien get some sleep. They protested at first, not finding it fair, but Nathan said they'd need their energy. They complied and found a spot in the back to lie down and sleep.
Nathan flew the plane for hours as he fought to keep his eyes open. Damien offered to fly the plane but Nathan brushed his offer away. He had to be the one flying. His powers were the only reason they were still in the air. The engine gave out with a lurch while Damien and Celia were sleeping. He had been manipulating the wind to carry them ever since.
Finally they saw the island coming into view, but Nathan could no longer keep the plane aloft. He was too tired. It began to shake precariously as they neared the ground. Celia was gripping the sides of her chair and Damien cursed every time the plane dropped a couple hundred feet. The plane slid across a long clearing on the edge of the forest and came to a stop as it ran into a tree. Nathan instantly closed his eyes and blacked out from exhaustion. Celia and Damien stayed in their spots, still too scared to move.
"Is Nathan okay?" Celia asked in a shaky voice.
"I think so. He probably just passed out from exhaustion," Damien said weakly.
Eventually Damien got up with wobbling legs to look around while Celia stayed with Nathan as he rested. Soon she was forced to wake him up. There were only a couple hours before Akur would come. She shook Nathan awake.
"Nathan wake up. We have to get to the camp," Celia said.
He groaned in annoyance and opened his eyes groggily, but he followed Celia as they searched for Damien. They found him walking back towards the plane and together the three of them walked towards the center of the island.
They walked among the trees, never failing to notice the empty presence where Katia should be. A little way down, they saw that the Elictis had set up camp. The island was littered with burned, broken trees and plants from the last battle where tents were interspersed. There was also white snow along the ground and glittering from the broken branches.
Nathan spotted Amanda and David walking around, and he ran up to them.
"Nathan!" Amanda screamed and ran up to give him a tight hug. "You're back!"
David slapped Nathan on the back and gave him a smile.
"Hey guys," Nathan said distractedly. "Is Katia back yet?"
Amanda and David exchanged worried glances before shaking their heads sadly. Nathan groaned in exasperation and ran a hand through his hair. He couldn't take not knowing what was happening to Katia.
"Where's Saladin? We need to talk to him."
"He's in that tent over there," David told him, pointing to a tent that was isolated from the others.
Nathan, Celia, and Damien ran toward it and entered without warning. They found the three Guardians inside who looked up in surprise from their hushed conversation. Saladin was sitting in a chair and Lamonte and Yelena were standing on either side of him.
"You're back," Yelena stated and Nathan nodded his head.
"Celia, Nathan, Damien," Saladin greeted looking at each of them.
He wasn't his usually happy self. Saladin looked even more tired than he did about a week ago. He had dark circles under his eyes and his wrinkles seemed more prominent.
"Did you rescue Katia?" Nathan asked, getting straight to the point.
The three Guardians exchanged troubled looks. Saladin looked back at Nathan with an apologetic expression and sighed.
"Maybe you three should sit down," Saladin said as he motioned to a few more chairs scattered around the tent.
Nathan, Celia, and Damien exchanged worried glances and were beginning to have crazed looks in their eyes from all of the stress and lack of sleep.
"Saladin, what happened to Katia?" Nathan demanded to know.
All of them refused to sit down as they looked at Saladin intently.
"I didn't send people after her," Saladin admitted and looked at each of them in turn.
"What?" They all exclaimed in shock.
They couldn't believe that he would abandon Katia like that. They trusted that he'd help them.
"How could you do that?" Nathan shouted angrily. "Who knows what they're doing to her!"
A gust of wind flew through the tent and he began to pace back and forth around it, taking quick angry breaths.
Lamonte held out a cautionary hand towards Nathan. "Please remain calm," he instructed.
A flash of annoyance appeared in Nathan's expression. There was still a slight breeze swirling around the tent.
"Let Saladin explain," Yelena told him more diplomatically.
Nathan didn't say anything and Saladin took his silence as approval.
"That's the thing. I did know," Saladin said calmly, and Nathan stopped pacing to look at him. He didn't seem the slightest bit shocked from Nathan's outburst.
"I looked into the future to see where Katia was, and I saw her in a cell. She was going to be there for hours so I went out and called an emergency meeting. I told everyone that we needed to go the site of the final battle. I also organized a team of the best Elictis to save Katia," Saladin paused for a while and cleared his throat before continuing. "I looked into her future again before I sent the team out but nothing. I couldn't see her. It was just darkness."
Nathan, Damien, and Celia just stared at Saladin, pondering what all of it could mean. The more they thought about it, the more their spirits dropped.
"So does that mean she's--" Celia struggled to say but she couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence. Nathan sat back down and covered his face with his hands.
"I really don't know," Saladin said in a defeated tone. He had could read minds and look into the future. He always knew the answer, but now he was clueless.
Damien and Nathan clenched their jaws tight, and Celia was close to tears. She wasn't close to many people because of her personality. She acted mean to hide her past, but that didn't matter to Katia. She had helped her get over her fear of the Hunters and let her know that she wasn't a freak. Katia and the others had accepted her for who she was.
"What are we going to do now?" Damien asked, breaking the silence. "We need Katia to defe-"
Damien was suddenly cut off by his necklace turning into ice. The coldness spread through his entire body. The three of them had never felt a cold so extreme. It went to their very bones and left their joints aching. Then everything went deathly silent, and the sound rushed back just as quickly.
Nathan turned to them, his expression grim. "I guess we just have to try our best and die trying."
Celia and Damien just nodded in acceptance, and together the three of them walked out of the tent, their shoulders tense. They were determined to fight until the end. They owed it to Katia.
They pushed aside the flap of the tent, and the bright sunlight hit their faces. They blinked their eyes against the light and saw outside there were hundreds of Hunters standing in the surrounding forest. They all had glittering black knives and swords. Along a raised cliff of dirt and stone ahead of them, more Hunters stalked closer. Akur broke through them like a king and sneered directly at Nathan, Celia, and Damien. This was it. The fight was beginning.
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Author's note: Ahh the fight is going to start! Please vote, comment, fan :) And happy Mother's Day!