The Truth

Chapter 26

-Jack-

It was the weirdest sensation. I could feel the cut closing and the pain subsiding until there was nothing left. The moment it happened, I knew who had done it.

"Who is this seer?" Cindy asks, pulling out the letter and re-reading it.

"Remember that nothing can stop love, not even death." she mutters. "What does that mean? Is someone destined to die?" she asks and neither of us voices the unspoken question. Which one of us will it be?

"Can you read me the part about me?" I ask and she does.

"Your time with your parents was hard, and it's not over yet." she repeats. I nod.

"I've been thinking about that one a lot." I say. She sits next to me, taking my hand.

"We need a plan."

Five hours later we still haven't come up with anything.

"There's no point. They already know we're on our way. With our luck, they'll be waiting for us at the station." she sighs and I have an idea.

"Maybe that's what we should do. We should let them take us, it'll give us a free pass inside." I say excitedly.

"But they'll be expecting that, right?" she says. I shake my head.

"Listen, only the most trained wizards and witches can eject pure magic from themselves. It'll take work but we have fifteen hours left. I can teach you how to do it." I say. She looks at me as though I may have gone insane.

"But how is that going to help?" she asks.

"Pure magic comes out as sort of a mist." I explain. Holding out my palm, I show her as a fog-like substance begins pouring over my palm. "The thing is, it's extremely flammable and extremely powerful. It's a wonderful conductor and can be deadly poisonous if you inhale too much. And it's water-proof." I finish. She stares at me, unsure of what to say.

"I'm guessing you're going somewhere with this." she says with a small laugh. I feel my mouth twitch, wanting to smile.

"Yes. They're no doubt going to handcuff us. While they're not looking, we can melt the cuffs with a mixture of magic and fire."

"But how will we put it out?" she points out.

"We don't have to. Once the substance that the magic is burning burns up, in this case, the handcuffs, the fire will automatically go out." she nods and smiles. "I don't know exactly where they're going to be taking us, but I'm guessing Zarathos has some big, master plan in the works right now and there's no doubt he'll want to show it off." I cringe, remembering my time being held prisoner. She looks concerned but I just shake my head to clear it. "Whatever is closest to us, even if it's just a wall, you can soak it in pure magic and I'll set it on fire. While they're distracted, I'll lead you to the prison, we'll get Jason and all the other prisoners, and get out before the building goes down." I finish. She hesitates.

"It's genius, it really is, but there are so many things that could go wrong. What if Zarathos knows a way to put the fire out? Or what if he sees us taking off the handcuffs? They're sure to burn for awhile. What if you can't find the prison or we can't get to Jason in time? Why are we rescuing everyone?" With every question, I realize my plan is doomed to fail.

"If he knows how, we won't be able to overpower him. I'm planning on the assumption that it will just be us, him, and maybe one or two guards. I'm positive I'll be able to find the prison and I'm positive we'll get to Jason in time. As for rescuing everyone..." I pause. I realize it's just an extra, uneeded step in the plan. I'm just about to change my mind when I have a sudden flashback.

A little thirteen year old boy laying broken on the floor after hours of torture. The excruciating, unrelenting pain threatening to tear into his soul and his mind. The thought of joining Zarathos becoming more and more appealing with every unbearable minute. The moment he realized he wasn't as strong as he hoped to be and the moment he realized the world was made up of evil. The moment he realized there was no such thing as love.

"We're rescuing everyone because nobody was there to rescue me, and I can't let anyone else go through that. Not if I can help it." She nods in understanding and we sit in silence. "I know it isn't a foolproof plan. In fact, it's probably very likely to fail. But we have to try." I say and she nods again.

"I don't see any other way." she says. For the next two hours, I try to teach her how to secrete pure magic. It's frustrating, trying to teach her, but I realize that she's much less experienced than I am and I have to patient. Four hours later she's able to let a little puff escape from her palm. She giggles in excitement and I feel shaky from all the magic I'm using.

"Great job." I say encouragingly. Within an hour she's able to do it as well as me, but she looks exhausted. I sit next to the window, letting her rest her head on my lap. I stroke her hair as she falls asleep, listening to her breathe. "I love you, Cindy. I love you so much." I say, leaning down and kissing the top of her head. The moment I realized there is such a thing as love.