Desiree The Half Elf Princess Warrior: Keeper of the Rune

TRIAL AND TRIBULATION

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

     Every police officer that was in the room had their guns drawn. While mostly everyone else, who wasn't a cop had raised their hands up over their heads, with the exception of Isabella, who was the lone holdout. She remained steadfast, refusing to yield an inch. Desiree's heart skipped a beat.

     "Well, how sweet. This is an interesting development. C'mon in dearies and join the party. There's room for everyone," Isabella spoke in a charming voice. 

     Desiree felt pain beyond anything she had ever endured; her hand was surely splitting along the birthmark. She wanted to flee...find her adopted father... to get as far away as she possibly could go. Twyla looked over her shoulder to where she could survey the entire room. "Get ready, my young Gifted One," Twyla said warningly. "This will not end well for everyone involved." 

     "You can say that again. I'm already counting the ways that this could go horribly wrong," Desiree whispered in her mind, reaching the same conclusion, as her eldest ancestor. She had no intentions of sticking around if she could help it. Still, it was a daunting task of slipping away from the room without being noticed. Easier said than done. 

     Detective Jackson's eyes went wide at the sight of all the unfamiliar faces, all holding an assortment of strange and unorthodox weapons in their hands. "Guess again!" he said, taking his time surveying each and every person there, which also consisted of Desiree and the others tied up in the vines, unable to escape. "Who are all you people? You can add kidnapping to the list of violations here."

     No one uttered a word. For a long, endless moment, Desiree could have sworn there was crickets in the room. 

     And then, a familiar voice severed the silence. "This is getting out of hand, young RuneKeeper." Twyla said. "You must act quickly for any chance of survival. You must take the immediate steps to  ease the flames of this unraveling situation. Otherwise, you're chances of removing the threat posed against you won't be in your favor."

     Desiree's mind was blank. She laid virtually paralyzed, incapable to move. Her emerald-green eyes sweeping the entire room all the awhile at the unbelievable tableau being played out before her. 

     "Drop your weapons!" Detective Jackson added, his eyes never wavered from Isabella as he knew that the she-beast was the lone person behind this coop to spring Desiree free. "Keep your hands up to where I can see them. Get on the floor, and assume the position." 

     Aside from Isabella, one by one, the members of the Order lowered their hands and held their weapons, no longer paying heed to the spew of detectives and police officers. There was a split second, perhaps, when Desiree might have considered making a run for it, but the exit was too far away, and even if she could get herself free from the magical vines binding her to the floor, not to mention that along with herself, Persephone and the others were surrounded, her chances were slim to none. 

     Above all, she felt humiliated and defeated to the core, having been placed in this unwinnable ordeal. It didn't help her cause, realizing the Order seemed to be one step ahead of her all the time, as if they had someone spying on her movements at all times. The thought gave her a sour taste in her mouth. Hot tears burned behind her eyelids She was well aware of the fact that she was letting those who believed in her down. 

     "Which one?" Isabella spoke with amusement ringing in her voice. "Lemme guess. Drop our weapons or keep our hands up? I couldn't begin to tell you h—"