The Glade and Its Glitch: Book 4 Escape

Chapter 14

The screen in front of Devin and Cassandra showed the scowling face of Glitch. He was slumped over in a chair and Commander stood behind him. Her gaze was stern and she scarcely blinked.

"What do you want?" The scowling boy asked.

"We have information." Devin clasped his hands behind his back.

"About how to destroy elemental masters I hope."

Commander fluttered her eyelashes and looked up to the sky as if saying a prayer. "What is it, Devin?"

"We interrogated one of our prisoners. I thought you might like to hear the information."

"Why would that be useful?" Glitch crossed his arms, "We need to destroy elemental powers. What information could an elemental master give us that could be helpful? They wouldn't want to figure out how to destroy their own powers so they wouldn't know."

"Information about the Glade and the ninja." Cassandra took a step forward, "Please Glitch, calm down."

Glitch's scowl deepened. He hated it when Cassandra talked down to him. It made him feel like she was trying to mother him. He was a sixteen-year-old boy, he didn't need a mother. But before he could snap at her, Commander spoke up.

"How would you get information about the Glade or the ninja? You'd have to capture one of their allies. I thought our bounty hunter just captured two random elemental masters."

Devin chuckled, "Oh no, he captured two elemental masters, but one is an ally of the ninja and the other is an ally of the Glade.."

Glitch sat up straighter. Someone from the Glade had been taken. What if it was someone he knew? He hated the Glade but did he really want one of them tortured? Some of them hadn't been as mean to him as they could have been. Protector had wanted him executed. Huntress had argued for exile. He wanted to destroy the Glade with their fighters and leaders at full health. He wanted to see the look in Huntress' eyes as he won. What if someone else from the Glade died instead of Quake? What if it had been his mother? Or his father? Again, before he could speak Commander spoke.

"That makes our job much easier. With more information, the Glade and the ninja will be easier to take over. Glitch? What do you think?"

Glitch didn't respond. If he said he didn't want someone from the Glade captured Commander would think he was weak. Devin and Cassandra would think he wasn't serious. What if they kicked him out and let Commander take the lead? So he faked his emotions.

"That's good. They'll be weakened. We could even bargain with them. What information did you get?"

"We interrogated the ninja's ally-"

'Good, not someone I could know.' Glitch thought to himself.

Devin continued, "-They didn't want to give us any information but we persisted."

Glitch hated the look in Cassandra's eyes when Devin said persisted.

"They said they didn't know where the Glade was. But eventually, we got them to tell us it was in the woods near the monastery. They don't know how to get in."

"Pfft, I could have told you that." Glitch mumbled.

"Shh," Commander hushed the boy, "What else?"

"They didn't know their weakness. Perhaps we should torture the Glade's ally next." Cassandra smiled.

'No' Glitch's mind screamed.

"Yes. Perhaps." Commander said coolly.

"They said the ninja's weakness was that they didn't know about Glitch. Know about us."

Glitch nodded, "That's very likely. Although they did keep Soar for a while, we can't depend on that for long."

"Party pooper." Cassandra scowled.

Glitch rolled his eyes.

Devin and Cassandra ended the call. They hadn't exactly gotten the reaction from Glitch that they'd wanted. But Commander had seemed excited. It confused Devin, Commander, and Glitch. Glitch was in charge, but sometimes Commander took over. Who was the leader of Team Glitch? Would Devin be able to take over? He could probably beat Glitch, but Commander was pretty strong. Devin didn't know how Commander had grown up, but she'd obviously been trained well.

"We should go get Lloyd and Huntress. Either interrogate Huntress or use more vengestone on them."

"Good idea. We'll go collect them and move them into the smaller cell. Then we'll decide what to do."

"Yes... It couldn't hurt to let them worry about what's going to happen to them."

"I love you."

~~~

Lloyd and Carrie were pulled out of their cave. It could be their chance to escape. Lloyd repeated the plan in his head.

'Pick the lock. Go left. Get out. Go to the Glade.' It was a simple plan. Not too much detail. They still needed some way to pick the lock. And they needed to find the door out. And even if they didn't get caught while still in the base they would need to make sure they didn't get caught once they got outside. Hopefully, he and Carrie would be able to pull it off. Lloyd had faith in her, but not as much in himself.

Devin had thrown Carrie's makeshift crutch against the wall so she was forced to limp down the hall as she was half dragged by a guard. She was worried too. Like Lloyd, she wasn't sure how the plan was going to work out. If it was going to work out. She knew she could pick the lock of the cage, she investigated it the last time she was in there, but she would need something to pick it with. It was the unknown that made Carrie nervous. Would they be able to get out? Would the ninja accept her? Or would they try to kill her? Would she find her brother? And what would he do?

Neither had much time to worry though. The guards threw them into the cell and Devin and Cassandra grinned at them from in front of the bars.

"This is going to be fun." Cassandra smiled, her long red-painted fingernails curling around the bars.

Lloyd pulled Carrie closer to him. The guards and Devin and Cassandra soon left. Leaving Lloyd and Carrie alone.

"What are they going to do?" Lloyd whispered. His breath warm on Carrie's neck.

She moved closer, "I don't know. They tortured you, will they torture me?"

"I won't let them."

"You're sweet Lloyd, but I don't know if you can."

Lloyd knew she was right, but he was still determined. He moved to the back of the cage in order to become harder to get. Carrie followed him.

"When do you think they'll be back?"

"I don't know." Lloyd kept watch. Devin and Cassandra had gone left, so he looked out from his spot in the right corner. As soon as they came back he'd see them.

"Lloyd?"

"Hmm?"

"Look at what I found." Carrie held up her hand as she stared at her palm.

Lloyd looked down. In Carrie's hand was a small but thick wire paperclip. How it got there neither knew. But they did know it meant their plan was now possible.

They might be able to escape tonight. By tomorrow morning they might be home. There was still a lot of luck needed but the hard part was out of the way.

Carrie grinned. "We're gonna go home." As she spoke tears sparkled in her eyes.

Lloyd wiped a stray tear away from under her eyes, "Yeah." He grinned and chuckled. It almost felt too good to be true.