Elements

Chapter 4- Kidnapping

We were in the tunnel; then suddenly we heard a loud band get down!" I yelled. "There's a bomb in here!" Kiku yelled. After a minute or two the rumbling stopped we saw that we were totally trapped in! Some men came and uncovered a secret hole. "Freeze! You're under arrest!" one man with a very large gun yelled. One after the other we were pulled out of the tunnel, one of the men took Sadik as they tied our hands behind our backs. "Wait! My baby!" I yelled as they took us into a jail cell, but they took him away from us. As soon as they removed the rope from my arms I tried to bulrush the man who was holding me. "Look lady! Calm down! You're under arrest. Your son will be cared for in the temple as you face trail." he said calmly but sternly. At that he walked out, locking Kiku and I in the dark prison, Enya was lead to another cell with other men. "Too busy looking up at the sky, you said! They won't look underground you said! Now were going to be put on trial and l never see Sadik again!" I yelled at Kiku, with tears in my eyes. Kiku just started to break down in tears. 'Sob, sob.' "Look Kiku. I'm sorry, I shouldn't yell at you, or blame you for the situation were in." I said and placed my hand on her small shoulder. "I don't know what happened. The tunnel shouldn't have been compromised." she said "Look, we're in a time of war. They must have found that tunnel and booby trapped it." I said. They told us to hush so for the rest of the evening we were quiet. That next morning a soldier called us. Kiku, Enya, and I were all bounded in ropes once again, and then we walked to what looked like a nobleman's home. "Where are we?" I demanded of the guards. He just swung a sword hilt at me, which I dodged with ease. We were brought to a courtyard, in which there were a few onlookers. "Whether or not you three will be released will be determined on how you control this situation, in its entirety." a man with a booming voice said to us. "What do you want?" Enya yelled to the man. "Each of you individually will battle one of my highest guards. How you handle the situation in its entirety will make for if you are released or not." he said "a battle? Fine!" he said "First off will be the blonde boy. Then the girl with the brown hair, lastly the fire skinned girl." he said 'Ok, so Enya, Kiku, then finally me.' At that we were separated again. Enya's bindings were untied, then we were sat down by the tree. "Three rules to my battle. There will be no killing of either the prisoner or the guard. There will be no weapons except the ones provided to you. There will be no use of your element. Ready? Fight!" he said. Enya got into stance and began fighting with a wooden rod that was provided to him. He used it like a sword, fighting strong with his slender but muscular frame. It was obvious who was winning. The rest of the onlookers cheered, some for Enya, some for this guard. After about five minutes there was a winner. Enya emerged victorious, while the guard lies unconscious in the grass. "Next battle! Same rules, no killing, no weapons except the ones provided to you, and no use of elements. Fight!" he said. Kiku at first looked over her opponent. Then she stepped back. She grabbed the same rod that Enya used then worked it like a twirling shield. As the man fought back at her, she worked the defense. After a while she grabbed another rod. She rolled on the ground and threw the rod, meant to miss. 'That was a distraction.' as he was dodging the first rod she jumped high into the air and hit the man on the back of the head, rendering him unconscious. The cheers from the onlookers got louder as Kiku won. "Final battle! All same rules. . No killing, no weapons except the ones provided to you no elements. Fight!" he said. I was untied and all the onlookers fell silent. The largest of the guards came to greet me, the same one that swung the hilt of his sword at me; I bowed to him, then took my stance. I considered picking up the rod, but decided that I would try hand to hand combat first. I fought him, and almost teasingly he blocked my attacks. The more I fought him the more he smiled at me. After a while I got a single kick in, which seemed to finally irritate him. He picked up the rod and jabbed it at me, because I was beginning to tire out from the battle I couldn't block his hit to my stomach, which cause me to fall directly on my back. I rolled out of the way of his rod, which was coming down right at me. I flipped myself back up high enough to jump on the man's neck. Pressing my body around my face he clawed into my back trying to remove me. After a while he dropped down to his knees. "Alright! I give up! I...can't...breathe!" he said. I removed my body from him, and his chest bounced up and down, he looked at me and smiled giving me the thumbs up. "I've never been beaten. Congratulations, fire girl." he said. The crowd soared with a wave of cheers, but after all that, the three of us were rebounded and brought in front of the nobleman. "Well... That was an amazing battle, and here are the results, blonde boy, and fire girl, you're free to go." he said and began to turn his back. "Wait! What about Kiku?" I said to him. "The brown haired girl stays imprisoned, she cheated." he said and everyone gasp. "As she popped off the ground, she used her element to make herself go higher, which was against the rules. Meaning she cheated, therefor she will remain in prison." he said "No way is she staying here!" Enya yelled. "Enya." she said lightly. "No!" I yelled out as well. "We're a team, if one of us can't be released because of a mistake, none of us leave." I added. "Are you certain?' he said I nodded. "You too blonde boy?" he looked at Enya and said "It's Enya, and yes. All or none." he said. At that the man began to smile. "That's exactly what I wanted to hear." he said "Come inside with me, all three of you. But don't unbind the other girl, as for now, she's still my prisoner." he said. Enya and I were cut free of our bindings, but Kiku was led by guard into the mansion. Wait here please." he said and walked into another room. We sat in awkward silence until he came back wearing templemasters' clothes. "You're a templemaster?" Kiku and Enya said in unison. "Well yes. As you can see by the robes." he said "Don't worry, all three of you will go free." he said then motioned for the man to cut Kiku free. "But there's something I need your groups help on. I noticed your teamwork, and your all or none attitude. The last team I sent off couldn't complete the mission because of that reason." he said "Sorry, but we're not interested in your mission; we've got places to be." Enya said. "Wait! Listen now, you'll be star citizens. You'll be welcomed to the city, and you'll never have to sneak around tunnels again!" he said "Well we like to keep a low profile, sorry." Kiku said. "Ok! You know what! I only released the three of you. The child will stay in custody! He will stand trial as you all did...and I don't think he'll make it through a battle with the same guard that you battled!" he said, now yelling. "You wouldn't dare!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. The guard placed his hand on my shoulder, in a way telling me to settle down. Before thinking I punched the guard so hard he slid into unconsciousness under my feet. I began running to this templemaster, feeling my element swelling in my eyes. "You'll kill me and then what? You'll all be thrown into prison for the maximum sentencing. Killing a templemaster is one of the worst crimes you can ever commit, and for that the maximum penalties will be taken out. Then you'll truly never see that child again." he said calmly but sternly. I forced the lightning that had welled up in my eyes back down. I stepped back to Kiku and Enya. "Also, that was a very expensive, very much antique gun you all had been carrying around. If I were to sell it, I would be able to make top dollar for It." he said. Enya looked at us. "That gun was my grandfathers." Enya murmured. "What was that?" he said "It was my grandfathers. He left it to me when he died. My grandfather raised us, and it's the last thing I possess that's his." Enya said loud enough for him to hear. "What is it you want from us? Sex?" I said, both Kiku and Enya looked at me surprised. I was too angry to explain my question so I didn't even look at them. "Oh; heavens no. I have a wife darling." he said "Do you accept my mission or not?" he said I looked over at Enya, who was nodding his head. Kiku was doing the same. "Yes we accept. Now what do you want?" I said "Your mission is this. A young woman was kidnapped three weeks ago. Bring her back in one piece is all I ask. if possible bring back the kidnapper back alive as well so that he can face judgment here, but please whatever you do, do it soon." he said. He showed us a picture of the young woman that I put in my backpack. After our little 'briefing' we were lead to the edge of the wind villages, at that we left into the forest. Kiku Enya and I, Sadik still being held in custody.