Waiting For Sunrise - The Books Of Beginning AU

36. Never Meet Your Idols

Their hands and feet were bound together with rope. Hoods were secured over their heads, so thick that the brother and sister could see nothing but the dark brown of the fabric. Torches were lit, but the pair could see none of the light. They could only feel the heat of the fire filling the small space and the uncomfortable feeling of being hefted atop two sets of stocky shoulders. Neither had any clue who their captors were..

"Michael?" Kate called out, as their assailants began marching. "Are you there?"

"I'm here!" He replied, from a few feet behind her. "I'm alright!"

"Quiet!" Barked a man's gruff voice. The children immediately shut up, afraid of what would happen if they didn't.

At least an hour passed in silence. Maybe more. It was simply impossible to tell, what, with the darkness and all. Kate's ribs rubbed uncomfortably against her captor's shoulder, and she kept wriggling to relieve that ache. She was unable to keep track of where they were heading - she only knew that each step took her further and further away from her little sister. Her worry was overwhelming, and it was all she could do not to sink into despair. Only the thought of Michael, captured along side of her, and how he needed her to be strong, kept her from crying. 

The fear was such a weighty, suffocating thing, it made using magic an incredibly laborious endeavor. Even when Kate managed to spark her power, she was unable to direct it, to cast a spell that would help free her. She got the sense that even if she could muster up more than just a brief flash of magic, it wouldn't do anything. Something about the hood covering her face felt unusually heavy, like it was pinning down her soul as well as her body. Like her magic was being smothered and stifled before it could leave her and enter the world.

She felt so helpless, trapped in the dark, with no control over where she went, with no ability to even tap into her magical power. She was unable to free Michael, unable to find Emma, and that tore at her more than anything. All she could do was hope that she and her brother could escape this situation, hope that Emma was safe and with Gabriel, nestled in the shelter of his village. 

A tear slipped from the corner of her eye, and she bit her lip to keep from making any noise. She found herself wishing, with everything in her, that Rafe was here. She'd gladly take Miss B or Scruggs or even Abigail's presence as well, of course, but it was Rafe who her mind kept coming back to. Understanding, protective Rafe, with his stealthy nature and his skilled command of magic, and his ruthless attitude when defending those he cared for. He would help her protect Michael and Emma, Kate knew in her heart, and then together they would all find a way to rescue the children of Cambridge Falls. They would bolster each others' strength, as they always did. And even more than that, even more than wanting Rafe here to help free the children, Kate wanted to talk to him. She wanted to talk to him about the book, and the way it called to her, about the Countess and her mysterious master and their nefarious plot, about how she had come so close to losing (failing) her siblings, and would forever be haunted by it. He was the one person in the world she was sure would understand it all, from her fear to her anger to her never ending sense of responsibility. He was the one person she trusted to see the broken bits of her heart and not flinch. 

Kate chewed on the inside of her cheek and scolded herself. Rafe wasn't here, he had no way of being here. She was on her own, and she had to live with that. She had to stay vigilant, find a way to save Michael and Emma, and then get home. She couldn't let fanciful longings for the steady presence of the boy she so cared for distract her from the task at hand. 

She was still scolding herself for it when her captor came to a halt, his gruff voice barking the order to his compatriots.

Kate and Michael were both set on the cold stone floor. Their hoods were undone and pulled away, and both children blinked rapidly at the sudden influx of light from the torches. Kate immediately turned to her brother, even as her eyes adjusted.