FLANAGAN ANCESTRAL HOME - DUBLIN, IRELAND - PRESENT DAY
Her cell was cold and dank, with only a single, dim ceiling light to offer illumination. That light was recessed in the...what had to be at least 10 foot...ceiling in this ridiculous prison.
How long had it been? Days, certainly. Weeks? She wasn't sure. But this situation wasn't what she thought she was signing up for. These people were not treating her like an ally. Protection? What a joke! They fed her one small meal a day, consisting of mostly dry bread and a thin broth. A bucket in the corner with a toilet seat perched on top served as her bathroom facilities. And no one had come to empty its contents. The odor was unbearable. These people were treating her more like an animal than a potential informant. They probably kept their pets in better conditions than this.
How stupid could she possibly have been, to think these people wouldn't expect her to have magical implements on her person? What an idiotic plan! She and Inez both knew, full well, that The Order of Light was comprised of gifted spell-crafters. Ancient wizards with skill beyond measure. What in their wildest dreams made them think this organization would not be wise to the possibility she would be wearing some kind of talisman or teleportation device?
The first order of business, as soon as they had her in their clutches, was to search her body.
And of course, they quickly discovered the pendant, removing it and any chance she had for escaping from this nightmare.
The really terrifying part was that both Inez and Ethan were blissfully ignorant of her plight. They expected her to remain incognito, gathering inside information, until she was ready to use the port-key pendant to teleport back to their home in Oestermalm. They had set no pre-determined time for her return. And as far as she knew, Ethan might still be happily gallivanting around Mac Paidin Manor in Dublin with Jack and his friend.
Her sister and nephew were none the wiser that she was being held captive, against her will, mistreated and berated, with no escape route.
She might have had hope for some other magical means of escape...were it not for the fact that they made sure to tell her, when locking her in this room, that they had placed powerful protection spells around both her cell, and the entire Flanagan estate. So, there was no way her presence could be detected by magical means, and likewise, there was no way she could contrive some other spell in order to leave.
What Clara Mac Paidin didn't know...the one thing that may have offered her a small glimmer of optimism...was that Inez and Ethan now had Bart.
And Bart, most assuredly, knew where Clara was being held and how to find her.
YOU ARE READING
The Kidnapping King
Teen FictionA double-crossing brother. An unexpected trip to the past. Friends with magical powers. It's a race through time for 12-year-old Jack Mac Paidin to learn how to use his powers, escape from his evil family members, go back in time to find his grandmo...
