Abducted

21

"Ivan," she called, and he looked up at the doorway to see Coahoma, "come on, I'm contacting the Carnelian Mansion."

He nodded, walking out of the room. He had nothing to say- he'd wanted to be in the room when they contacted the mansion, yet now it seemed like he shouldn't be there. He understood tears would be shed no matter if they answered or not.

"I got word from Tongva," Coahoma said. It took him a moment to remember who Tongva was, "California is safe, and alive. She is being sent here from the Priory."

He smiled softly at that. California was strong and sharp, and her magic was powerful. She would do a great deal of good to help in finding her mother.

The overarching feeling, however, was that his daughter was safe. It spread through him like water on fire.

The telecommunications room was fairly small. It was made to record holographic transmissions between the spiritual realm and mortal realm, but now it would be used to go between the mortal realm to the mortal realm. Coahoma turned on a large computer, and Connecticut came in, panting, as if he had run to get in here.

He started turning things on and instructed them to stand on a plate in the middle of the room. It lit up as they stepped on it.

In front of them, a projector came on. It showed a room not in their own house, but like the one they were in. On the other side, a woman stood on a plate, the same as their own.

"Coahoma?" she asked, "And Ivan? Could it really be?"

"Tolikna?" the wampus replied, "You're okay?"

"Yes, we are okay," Tolikna said, "where were you? What happened?"

The woman called a human, telling her to get their guests, and one person ran out of the telecommunications room. Ivan watched the display, wondering who the guests might be.

Coahoma started to tell of the things that had happened to them, attributing her release to Ivan and Zaltana. Curiously enough, she didn't bring up any country of Europe, even though he knew that Germany had been there when she was released.

Tolikna looked as if she might cry, and a human came in to tell her that her guests were here. Tolikna beckoned them over, and Ivan held his breath. He looked over the faces presented to them.

"Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee," he said, taking a deep breath out, "I'm glad my dear daughters are okay."

"Papa?" Indiana said. Her voice was soft, unlike her. He looked at her and smiled.

"Yes?"

"You're... you're back!" she exclaimed. Tennessee and Kentucky still seemed to be frozen in shock, before they broke out in celebration.

"Where's mom?" Kentucky asked- she'd always been a mama's girl, but now it made Ivan flinch as if he'd been hit.

"Your mother was taken in the attack, we still haven't found him," Ivan said, wishing he could be there to take the tears from her cheeks as she looked down. She didn't cry though. When she looked up her gaze was full of malice.

He didn't worry. It wasn't directed to him.

"How did you all escape, what happened to you?" he asked, and the three girls looked between themselves.

"I was doing slave labor on cars for the company," Indiana said, "in a private prison in Texas. I escaped a month ago."

She did look a little sunken, like she'd been treated badly in the last month but has started to get her strength back.

"I was locked up near Washington D.C. in a women's prison," Tennessee said, "one of the guards was a civilian spy and recognized me. She got me 'released' the next day under the cover of night. I have been out for months."