The Hunt for Aquatenite

Chapter - 24 Lucy

Two giants were holding Oliver and Rislerk/Linent with chains. And as the giants were, well, giant, they have a hundred times bigger objects. So, they looked like Egyptian mummies wrapped with goddamn chains.

Olivia started moving toward the giants but Liza grabbed her hand.

"If we go near the doors, we will forget everything that happened in the past few days. Oliver and Rislerk experienced the same. I think it's a safety made by the hexens," Liza told us.

The giant holding Rislerk/Linent announced, "If you don't give yourself up to us, you can see what happens to these innocent boys." They tightened the chains around both of their waists.

"Give yourself up," I whispered to them. "Let them take us to their quarters. That's the best plan I have."

We raised our hands to surrender. The giants wrapped the chains around our waist.

They snapped their fingers and we instantly vanished into thin air.

When we landed, our energy was drained. We were lined on one side of the wall, our hands tied behind us as they show in movies except we were dangling a few inches above ground with a long, metal rope connected to our hands to the high ceiling. The two giants were in the center of the room, bowing to the empty throne at the front of the hall. I glanced around the stone hall. Giants were lined up around the sides. Behind them, black walls were shining from the purple aura every giant had.

In a blink of an eye, another giant appeared on the throne. But this one was different from the others I'd seen. He had black, muddy skin unlike the other giants who had greyish skin, and ears as big as an elephant's. What got me afraid were his long, sharp talons. The interesting and at the same time terrifying thing was that he didn't have any purple bruises or glow. Without that, we couldn't kill him.

The giants that were standing around the walls bowed to him who I guessed was their king.

"We've brought the Bravens as you ordered." The one who held Rislerk/Linent said. "What's next?"

"I have eyes, Geth. I can see." Their conversation might have sounded like something friends would talk like if the King didn't talk with a raspy and antagonized voice. "And because I have eyes, I can see you didn't kill the others. Do you have an answer, Zeth?" He gave a cold look to Olivia and Oliver who were at opposite corners.

The one who held Oliver tensed while Geth smirked.

"Do you have an answer, Zeth?" The King asked again louder.

This time Zeth didn't budge and answered confidently, looking him straight in the face, "We can use them to get the Bravens' to help us. We can threaten to kill their friends if they don't listen to your orders."

We all gasped. The King's face brightened. He was delighted to listen to Zeth's plan. He smirked at us.

I was horrified. What if they wanted us to do something horrible, like destroying the world?

The King spoke up again, "Geth, Come with me for a little chat. Zeth, make sure they know what they have to do. Might help them understand us."

Both of them nodded. Instantly, Geth and the King vanished. Most of the other giants left the hall but some of them stayed. Zeth turned to me and all the confidence in his eyes faded. Now, guilt crept into his face.

I waited for an angry rant about how they would react if we don't follow their orders as the King told him but all he said was, "I'm sorry for fitting that idea into father's head." I wasn't expecting that. Especially when he had captured our friends and was working for the giants. But I guessed he was forced to. "I didn't want to but if I hadn't, he would've endangered all of us out of anger."

"You're just a jerk like the King!" Liza called, opposite me.

Another giant scoffed, "She is right about the King."

Zeth turned to look at Liza. "I might have made that impression but I'm not one of them. Everyone in this hall isn't." He had the saddest voice I'd ever heard. I couldn't bear to imagine he was tricking us into thinking he was on our side.

"Maybe you can help us to get out of this place," I told Zeth and the largest smile appeared on his face but it immediately melted.

"I can't do that. I don't-" He was cut off by Rislerk/Linent's scream.

"Because he is loyal to his father! He can't betray him! Lucy, don't listen to him. He's a giant. I know him." Rislerk/Linent sounded too sure. It made me doubt myself. I mean, he was with the giants for who knows how much time.

"Even I don't know how to get out of here." Zeth finished himself, giving Rislerk/Linent a side look. "My father wouldn't tell me. He didn't even share that information with Geth, his favorite son."

The door to the hall opened. A giant peered into the hall and Zeth put on his brave and confident face. "If you don't follow us on our path, you can see what horrible things we can do to you. You don't want to find out."

The giant entered the hall, took a big backpack, grinned, and left.

Zeth sighed. "See how I have to act. And as for you, boy." He turned to Rislerk. He pointed a finger at him. "When you were in our prison, I was never alone, if you remember. I was always with the other giants. I had to act like I was working with them."

I felt bad for Zeth, but at the same time, he was a giant. We couldn't completely trust him. As if reading my mind, Zeth said, "I know you think I am tricking you to trust me. You can ask me anything and I will answer it truthfully if I can."

I glanced at my sister. She was sticking her tongue out at Zeth. Olivia and Rislerk had their heads down. They wouldn't meet anyone's eyes. They must have been in my situation. I had no idea if Zeth was speaking the truth. When I turned my head towards Oliver, he gave me a weak smile. His face gave a clear message- You decide. Well, it couldn't hurt to ask a question.

"What is the King's weakness?"

He looked at his feet. "Well, I guess I have to keep my word." He closed his eyes. "The Aquatenite. It's a stone made by those eight ancestors of yours. You need to destroy it." 

"Seriously? That's it?" Oliver asked.

Zeth squinted his eyes at him. "You will need all four elements to destroy Aquatenite. Where will you find each of them?"

"No issues. We have each." Liza told him as she struggled to unwrap her hands from the rope.

Zeth looked around for something but when he didn't find it, he said, "There are only three kinds of elements here."

When we searched the room, we didn't find one member. "Where's Nexiana!?" We all said simultaneously.