I've edited the end so that Mary goes in alone instead of with the others. it goes better with what I have in mind.
——————————————————————————————————-
I woke up with my hands bound on either side of my head and my legs bound together by something cold and metallic. I wasn't gagged, but that didn't help me. I was laying on something hard, like stone. the problem was, I could still feel the little red pocket knife in my pocket, but I couldn't reach it because my hands were bound by my head. I moved my legs experimentally and felt the metal scrape just above my feet. I was wishing I was one of those people who could displace their joints and put them back with little pain when a door opened. only then did I realize how totally dark it had been. footsteps descended and I figured I must be in a basement. "I don't think I have to tell you that tying up people in basements is rude."I said.
the footsteps paused, and then whoever it was chuckled. "you are more like your sister than I would have imagined."I kept my eyes half closed as the light turned on so I only had to blink once or twice to adjust. I looked over to see Maximillian Taylor- better known, these days, as Helgoth. "well, hiya gramps."I said, falsely bright. "isn't this a nice surprise."
"so you were finally told the truth."
"well, I guess it just started seeming important."I retorted sarcastically.
"you are in no position to be snappy, dear girl."
"guess what, Gramps? sarcasm isn't the only thing I've picked up from my sister."
He started laughing. "oh, dear girl. you are insuppressable, aren't you? well, that's good. you see, the being who wants you wants you alive and kicking."
"oh, so you prefer a little bite to your hosts, do you?"
"Host? oh, no. no, you've much too much of my brother in you for my taste. but then, you really don't understand what I want."
"you want a new host. why else would you kidnap Maya?"
"I didn't say I didn't want a new host. this one is a bit... past his expiration date. but what you don't seem to understand is that, it's not you or your sister or your cousin I want."
"then, who?"
he leaned closer, a small, smug smile on his face. "Fiernon."
my eyes widened. "Dad? you want Dad? but why?"
"easy. he's my closest living blood, he's powerful and, most of all, losing him will cripple your precious big sister and leave her basically helpless against me. and you, well, you're not much use anyway, are you?"
I clenched my fists, trying not to let him know he'd gotten to me. maybe it was cliche for me to feel like I was useless compared to my older sister, but sometimes I did. "so, why keep me captive?"
"Oh, I've no intention of keeping you captive. I'm going to kill you, and then I'm going to drop you on their doorstep and probably enrage Fiernon enough for him to come out."
I actually started laughing, which I know shocked and angered Helgoth. "you're forgetting something. Fiernon isn't the only powerful and dangerous dragon behind those walls."
"No?"
"no. and, guess what? they're all my family. Valgoth himself, combined with my sister's power. not to mention, my mother, my grandfather, my uncle, my cousin, oh, and a couple of good friends of mine. so, kill me if you want, but you will never win. never."
Helgoth watched me with narrowed eyes, then he began to laugh. he didn't say anything else. he just laughed and walked away, up the stairs, still laughing his evil butt off. it unnerved me.
after a while, I drifted off. it was hardly comfortable, the position I was in, but I was tired. I stirred slightly when I heard a door close and soft footsteps. but I was jolted awake by someone's hand pressing hard on my mouth and gave a small muffled scream. "shh."A voice urged. "it's alright. I'm here to help."then a light clicked on. "hello, Hope," grinned a boy my age, with jet black hair and bright green eyes. "who are you?"I asked.
"My name's Chance. and I'll be your rescuer today. come on."he finished unlocking the shackles and lifted me with an arm each under my shoulders and knees. "you've been here about two days, so I doubt your legs are working."he said in explanation for picking me up. with what seemed like little effort, he jogged up the stairs and sprinted for the front door. I was shocked when we made it without pursuit. out front waited what looked like a Gypsy Vanner without any tack. with a grunt, Chance lifted me onto the horse's back and I grabbed the long, silky mane. Chance was right about my legs not working. I had no balance. thankfully, he lifted himself onto the horse behind me and, with an arm around my waist like a seatbelt, urged the horse into a gallop. as the sun began to rise, Chance stopped the horse and dismounted. helping me down, he asked. "Can you stand?" I tried and swayed on my feet. I took a step and stumbled. trying to catch my balance, I took a step back and landed on my butt. "that's alright."I said with a small laugh. "I'll just... stay here."
"okay. I'm gonna build a fire and make breakfast."with what? I thought, but he gathered wood and set it alight before pulling supplies out of thin air. "Um, Chance?"I said at last. he grunted, which I assumed meant he was listening. "who are you, exactly? I mean, who sent you?"
"Mary did."
"Mary sent you? okay... you're not a hunter though." I ventured.
he shook his head. "no."
"okay. so... how do you know Mary?"
"I'm her cousin. yours, too, I guess."
"Cousin? but Maya doesn't have any siblings."
"no. I'm her cousin, too. your father and Maya's are my uncles. my mother's maiden name is Carol Tenner."
"so, why'd Mary send for you?"
"probably because Helgoth can't smell me. I was able to catch them unawares. here."he brought me a plate of eggs and toast- how the heck did he toast anything out here?- but I was too hungry to ask. "come on."Chance said when he saw I was done eating. "we'd better get going. Mary's going to meet us at the house this evening."
"we're not that close to Houston, are we?"
Chance shook his head. "not that house."
"not that- then, what-"it dawned on me what he meant. "oh."I said, articulate as ever. "crap."
I gulped in a breath. "are we sure this is a good idea?"I looked over my shoulder at Chance. he shrugged. "you know Mary better than I do. is she the kind to come up with stupid plans?"
"no. but she's not always the most rational, either. and, why would she want to go to the sight of the old house, anyway?"
"look, I'm just following orders here. all she told me was you were in danger and to rescue you and take you the main Oklahoma Hunter House."
I frowned, not sure I liked it. but I knew I trusted Mary.
we rode for the rest of the day. we got a few weird looks as we rode through town and to the gated neighborhood where the house once stood. I'm not sure how we got through the closed gate. one moment we were outside with the closed wrought iron gate in front of us, the next we were on the other side. I blinked, a little surprised. I hadn't really looked around at the neighborhood before. but, now that I did, I realized that, while the house would have certainly been the pride of the neighborhood, it would hardly have stood out. all of the houses were at least three stories, with perfectly tended lawns and cobblestone paths leading to beautiful front doors. I could only imagine what the Hunter House had been like, since the foundation which was all that remained of it covered more ground than the largest of the houses on the main street. and there it was. there were two cars parked in front of the lot- a vintage Ford Mustang, and a pristine, new Dodge Challenger with red racing stripes on the hood. Chance stopped Victory by the mustang and got off, helping me down. I had barely gotten the words of a thanks out when something barreled into me and squeezed the air out of me. "Hope! ohmigosh, you're alright!"
"Mary-"I wheezed. "I can't breathe."
"oh. sorry."she let go and looked at Chance. "Thank you, so much, for saving my sister."
he nodded. "Charity and I stand by our promise. call on us at any time."with that, he mounted Victory again and rode away without another word. "well he's... strange."
Mary watched him go, too. "you shouldn't judge. he's suffered his own losses. he and his sister... they're warriors on their own. and they're also family. he saved your life."
"I know."then I turned to look at her. "so, why are we here?"
"I'll explain, but, first, there are a few people that will want to see you."I followed her to the center of the lot. Mom, Dad, Maya, Uncle Mick, as well as Dylan, Cassidee, Kio, Mark, and Raven, and even Matt. Mom let out a relieved breath and hugged me. Dad hugged me, too, but looser, and with his eyes on Mary. Raven tackled me in much the same way Mary had, Cassidee squeezed my shoulder and smiled, saying she was glad I was safe. Kio eyed me warily, Dylan waved awkwardly, and Mark... well, Mark just watched me. Mary told me once that, when she first met him, he creeped her out. I could see why. the way he watched me was... disorienting. but there was something in his eyes,too. something that told me he was happy to see me, but for some reason was afraid to show it. then I looked at Dad and amended my thoughts. there was the reason.
I looked around as I realized Dad was talking. "we're all here, now, Mary. time to explain."he said.
she nodded and looked around. "this is where it all began."she said. "and I do mean, all. my life as an orphan, our new life as a family, my relationship with Dylan. it's where I first chose to host Valgoth, and it's where Helgoth made his first attack in the war."
"How so?"Raven asked.
"think about it. Ryder, the recognized leader of the Hunters, was taken and tortured. I was, am, as his oldest daughter, his heir, so I was then targeted. but I was also appointed leader in the first battle. Ignus may have been powerful, but Helgoth was still in charge."
"what makes you say that?"Dylan asked. "She led the attack."
"true, but in some battles, the leader is protected, kept from the battle for as long as possible. Helgoth and his army fled as soon as their champion- Ignus- was killed. but, now, he's rallying again. he's misdirecting on who exactly he's after. he's gone after me, after Maya, after Hope-"
"no."I said, interrupting. they looked at me and I shook my head. "Helgoth didn't take me even on a pretense of wanting me as a host. he took me to draw out his real target."
"Who?"Dad asked.
"you."I told him. "this entire time. think about it. he was targeting those closest to you. your niece, both your daughters, even your entire team of Hunters, and all to get to you."
"it doesn't make sense, though."Mary said. "he had Dad. for weeks."
"no."Ryder said. "Ignus had me. Helgoth wasn't awake yet, so she would have had no idea of his true plans."
"but that still doesn't explain why we're here."Cassidee pointed out.
Mary sighed. "there's still something down there. at first, I thought it was meant as a safeguard for Valgoth, whether to keep him in or others out, I wasn't sure. but it's not about him. as powerful as they are, that... thing down there isn't about the brothers."
"you said it was a Djinn."Mom said.
"I thought it was a Djinn. but it's not. it's a Shadin."
everyone hissed in a breath or cursed,except me and Dylan. "wait, what's a Shadin?"
"They're supposed to be extinct."Ryder said. "no one is taught about them except by talking about their descendants, the Shadow Dragons, who are dangerous enough."
"the Shadow Dragons?"I searched my memory. "oh. they can be good or evil, or neither."I quoted from the book Mary had made me read on them. "they are neither substantial nor insubstantial, yet they can inflict pain. they can manipulate your surroundings so your so confused you don't know what's real and what's not."
"The Shadin is much worse. they're like a Djinn, only they don't kill you with your deepest desire. they take your dearest wish, give it to you, and then turn it into a nightmare. I was lucky to get out when I did."
"So, why are we here?"
"Because I didn't just escape. after I broke the illusion, it let me go. it pushed me back to the surface. when I asked, it said it was no agent of Valgoth's. but I'm not sure if that means he works for Helgoth, or if it just means he doesn't work for anybody and that this is his home."
"how do you plan to get there?"
"there's a set of stairs at the back."Mary said. I nodded. Ryder raised an eyebrow. Mary shrugged. "in the first few years, before I was in the field, I had a lot of time on my hands. so, I explored."
Ryder nodded. "just as well. shall we?"
"actually,"Mary turned and put a hand on his chest. "Dad, I think I should go in alone."
"Not a chance, Mary."
"Dad, please. the Shadin will not hurt me."
"Mary,"I began, but she turned to me.
"Hope, it's alright. trust me."the last was addressed to Dad, who finally, reluctantly nodded. "I'll be back before you know it."Mary said, hugging Dad. then she turned and walked away and I had to clench my fists to stop from following her.