Air Kingdom

Chapter 54-Revelation

I froze and nearly dropped Sydney in the process. The face disappeared and it became a normal looking rock again. The Krey growled and whispered into my ear, his icy fingertips digging into my arm, preventing me from moving. "Quietly fly backward or I'll shoot you."

I could feel the end of a gun jab into my back. My lips were going numb from the Krey's cold hands. I could see my friends still walking ahead, not noticing what happened. They were still chatting, talking about making camp and how pretty the stars were.

Thanks, guys.... I thought to myself.

I followed his instructions and slowly began backing up, waiting for someone to notice my absence. A few more painful seconds passed until Ellia took a glance back. Her eyes widened and she called a halt to the rest of the group. Everyone else turned around and tensed when they saw the Krey holding me tightly.

I tried not to look too frustrated and winced when the Krey squeezed my arm even tighter. I had no doubt that he had the strength to snap the bones in me. "Shit..." I heard him mutter and he moved the gun from my back to my head, making it visible to everyone.

"Don't come any closer," he warned. "If you do, I'll shoot your friend's head off."

Natalie, who was the closest to me stopped inching forward and stayed where she was. Instead, she dropped her weapon and extended her arms out towards me. Her face was in deep concentration and her eyes were tightly shut. Suddenly, I felt the Krey let go of my arms. I instantly moved away from him and nocked an arrow while holding Sydney at the same time. I was about to release it when I noticed something odd. The Krey was gone.

I heard gasps from behind me. Natalie suddenly collapsed, almost landing in the sand if it wasn't for Dylan's quick reflexes. I ran to her as quick as I could, despite the fact she wasn't my favorite person at the moment. Dylan was checking her pulse while Serena checked her forehead. Natalie was paler than usual and her cheeks were bright pink. She was breaking out into a sweat. She kept breathing heavily, her chest quickly rising up and down.

"She's still alive," Dylan reported, at the same time Serena said, "She has a low fever." The two glanced at each other in surprise.

"What the hell happened?" Ellia demanded. "One minute there was a Krey holding Emma hostage, then he disappeared in a blink of an eye."

"Don't forget about Natalie fainting." Jewel quietly pointed out.

Ellia waved her off. "Eh, the little details don't matter."

A while ago, Ellia had refused to clean up after a massive food fight in Natalie's home. Using her Wizard abilities, she controlled Ellia against her own will and forced her to join us in cleaning. I was pretty sure that Ellia still held a grudge against her and that she was her ideal choice for a prank.

Rodas kneeled beside her, looking legitimately worried. My heart gave a small twinge. No. Now was not the time Emma. I shook my head to get rid of my betraying thoughts.

Rodas' face darkened as he examined her. "She's going to be fine. She just used too much power at once. She even tried to control the Krey. We're lucky she isn't dead yet."

"Was she responsible for the Krey's disappearance?" I asked.

"I think she was," Emily piped up, catching almost everyone off guard. She rarely spoke in front of all of us at once. "There was a time once in the Mountain Clouds when she made a pile of dirt disappears? She said something about being able to teleport objects. She probably transported the Krey to another cloud."

Rodas looked impressed. "Yes, she was actually the cause of that. You have a good memory."

She nodded. "A photographic one actually."