The Zero Hour | #Wattys2016

Chapter 6 - Imprisoned (Part 3)

"Where are your two friends? You wouldn't leave without them, would you?" replied Willie smugly. He was certain Amadeus would not attempt to escape without the two Exiles which were safely locked upstairs.

"Friends?" Amadeus looked at Willie, pretending to be surprised. "I don't even know them. Kill them for all I care. I'm just thinking about getting away from Waldo."

Willie was silent for a moment as the look of confidence seemed to fade from his face.

"Well, send Waldo my regards; I'm sure he'll be pleased that you let me go without a fight." Amadeus said coolly as he turned his back on Willie and walked slowly towards the door.

A flash of light erupted and the door cracked in the middle, blackened and singed. Amadeus winced slightly at the thought of the blast hitting him instead.

"You're not going anywhere." Willie's hand sparked with energy as he prepared to shoot another bolt. "The only reason that did not hit you is because Waldo wants to deal with you himself."

Amadeus smiled to himself. The blasted door confirmed that Willie was truly the very person he had wanted to fight. Now, it was time to put his theory to the test. What he was about to do next would either kill him, or save him. He turned around and slowly revealed the knife from behind his back.

"You would dare to pull a weapon on me? I could blast both your weapon and hand both to bits." Willie's hand sparked more intensely. "I have to give you fair warning, the earlier blast was just a small example of what I'm capable of," said Willie as he pointed at the cracked and singed remains of the door he had blasted earlier.

Amadeus raised the knife above his head and shifted his weight onto his front foot. He had not said anything in response.

A yell of anguish came from upstairs, which made both Willie and Amadeus look up for a moment. Waldo must have found Amadeus' empty cage. There was no time left, Waldo would come running soon.

"Drop it," warned Willie. He had become increasingly nervous and the sparks around his hand increased exponentially in intensity. Soon, his whole arm was engulfed in bright sparks.

Perfect, thought Amadeus as he launched himself forward without warning, his left arm extended in front of him with the knife in hand. In response, Willie's arm released a concentrated beam of lightning towards Amadeus. The lightning erupted onto Amadeus' hand, and the knife he was holding flew out of his hand, flipped multiple times and landed on the mansion floor. Amadeus roared in pain and tumbled onto the floor, screaming in pain.

"I did warn you. Now look what you've made me do. If I were you I would stay down on the ground and not make any sudden moves." Willie had made sure that the concentrated blast would not kill him, but it would probably have disintegrated his entire hand. The excruciating pain and the shock of losing his hand should keep Amadeus down until Waldo returned. Waldo would be so pleased with him.

Amadeus remained flat on the floor, facedown. A trail of smoke arose from his burnt hand. Willie kept his eye on Amadeus as he walked towards the limp body on the floor. Using his foot, he pushed Amadeus, flipping him so that he was lying on his back. Amadeus' left hand was clearly burnt and blackened, and he had been disarmed. His eyes were closed, and he appeared to be momentarily unconscious.

Things could not have worked out better for Willie. Waldo would give him a reward for his good work. Finally, he, Willie would receive the recognition he truly deserved. He was frequently overshadowed by his peers; but this time, he would be the hero. The thought of it brought a huge grin to his face. He prodded Amadeus and heard him groan softly in response.

Amadeus' eyes opened slowly, looking up weakly at Willie. "You got me," whispered Amadeus with a defeated look upon his face.

"That's right you commoner scum. Now, don't ever forget the consequences of raising a weapon against me." He spat at Amadeus, just to emphasize a point. The spittle landed on Amadeus' face, adding insult to injury.

Amadeus coughed, and slowly raised his uninjured hand. His index finger moved in a beckoning motion, signaling Willie to come closer. He appeared to want to whisper something to Willie.

"Don't make any sudden moves," said Willie as he leaned in closer. His hand sparked to life again, ready to strike at any moment in case Amadeus had any other tricks up his sleeve. He was not about to let his prize catch get away from him and take away his one and only opportunity to be commended by the Drake family.

Amadeus raised his blackened and injured hand slowly, and held both of Willie's hands firmly. "Listen carefully" he whispered. He resembled a man on his death bed, about to whisper his last words.

Willie leaned in closer, curious to hear what this incapacitated commoner wanted to say.

"Don't..." he whispered as he pulled Willie closer.

"...ever..." he stared intently into Willie's puzzled eyes.

"...spit on me again." Amadeus finished his sentence and smiled at Willie. A burst of energy erupted and Willie was flung backwards as a flurry of sparks burst into the air. Willie was so shocked that he uttered no words as he slammed backwards into the mansion's wall. Electricity coursed through his entire body, disabling his ability to move.

Amadeus got up slowly and inspected his left hand. It was burnt quite badly, but just as he had planned, the Lighvel had taken the brunt of Willie's attack. More importantly than that, the Lighvel glowed strongly with waves moving actively across its surface. There was enough energy for Amadeus to complete the rest of his escape plan.

It was now fully charged with lightning energy. This was the reason why he needed to face Willie first, who favored the lightning element when using magic. He had noticed this earlier when the Nobles had attacked Rei and him in the clearing. Willie's attacks had always consisted of lightning energy, perfect to charge his unpowered Lighvel.

There was no time to waste; Waldo Drake would be coming for him at any moment. Amadeus knelt down on the floor and unrolled the torn cloth which held his tools. He examined what remained of the tools he had prepared earlier - only a single icicle attached to Rei's belt remained. He picked up Rei's belt and slung it across his shoulder.

Looking at the empty cloth which remained on the floor, he thought that it would make a good bandage and wrapped it around his injured hand to cover the burns. He then tried to lift his left arm and was glad to find that he was still able to move it.

Next, he tried to wiggle the fingers on his left hand. To his dismay, he found that the burns made any movement at all too painful to bear. He would no longer be able to wield or touch anything with this hand. With one hand no longer functioning, he had to face down Waldo Drake and rescue the unconscious and imprisoned Exiles single-handedly – pun intended.

Author's Note: Why did you guys think of how Amadeus outsmarted the Nobles? Was it too easy? He has another challenge ahead of him soon. If you enjoyed what you've read, don't forget to comment and vote!