Love Alone Is Worth The Fight

Chapter 19: Gifts & Curses

The top of the Freedom tower was covered with thick clouds, preventing Jack to go through. But that didn't stopped him to go on rescuing the kidnapped Guardians and Elsa. He told his dragon friend to fly on through. Just as the dragon touched the clouds, a jolt of static struck Jack with great force. Jack yelped in pain. 

"Master Jack are you alright?" The dragon was concerned. Jack placed his hand over his heart while breathing heavily. "You don't need to call me that." He chuckled. "Yeah I'm okay." Jack felt his heart racing, pounding every second.

Jack looked around to find a way inside the building. "Yeah I'll break a window." He told himself out loud. "Excuse me?" The dragon was baffled. "Hey fly close to that window. I'm gonna break it, so I can get inside." Jack told the dragon. 

The dragon flew to the nearest window. It was covered in a sheet of ice and frost. With a mighty swing, Jack broke the glass with his staff. He slipped inside, unnoticed. "Okay I'll go find the kidnapped Guardians first. Fly to top the and I'll meet you there. I bet that's where they're keeping my friend." Jack told the dragon. 

"Be careful Jack." The dragon reminded him. "You too buddy." Jack smiled. Jack began to run down a dark hallway deep inside the building. The dragon went on and flew through the thick clouds like a ghost. 

Inside the hallway, there was no sign of Pitch or any of his minions. Jack took a sharp turn and noticed two large Fearlings heading to his direction. They spotted him. Before letting out battle cry, Jack quickly struck them with his powers. 

"Love to chat.  But I'm busy at the moment. Y'all just chill." Jack smirked at them while passing through. He swiftly came to a halt when he spotted two Dream pirates guarding a large double door. It was closed shut.

"What are they hiding in there?" Jack scanned his surroundings. He looked for another way to get inside the room. “I can go attack them head on, but, I need to save my strength and time.” He whispered. After scanning the area, Jack noticed an air vent. “Hope watching those action spy movies really pays off.” He said while swiftly floating off the floor and reaching for the vent. Frost slipped through Jack’s fingertips and onto the vent. Trails of it covered and loosened the screws.

Jack quietly removed the vent and glued it on a wall with his powers. Jack shrunk his staff back to its portable size. He stuffed it inside his coat’s pocket and slipped inside the air vent. Cold air could be felt on the metal plates. Jack crawled through the maze of tunnels. The mumbling voices of Dream pirates echoed throughout a tunnel. Jack followed the voices until he reached to a light at the end of the tunnel. A small vent where light sneaked through caught Jack’s attention. Jack’s eyes widen when he peaked through the opened spaces. 

Through the vent, a conference room was used to keep the kidnapped Guardians. Dream pirates and Fearlings guarded was on high alert, scanning the place for any intruders. The Guardians was enslaved with chains and shackles that was enchanted with Pitch’s black magic. The chains that was locked around their necks was connected to the black light beam, which was beaming energetically outside. A trail of energy escaped from their bodies and are absorbed from the light beam. Their eyes was beaming red, likely they were under control by evil.

Jack noticed how they were kept in poor conditions. Some Guardians was collapsed on the ground, unconscious. He spotted a small Guardian that suddenly fell to his knees and struggled to get back up. Two Dream pirates walked up to him and started kicking him to get up. The Guardian was only wearing a pair of diapers. But he had a heart tattoo on each arm.

“Is that Cupid?” Jack quirked an eyebrow. Cupid was unconscious on the floor with his eyes opened and was gasping for air. The other Guardians was brainwashed to be slaves. They worked as Pitch’s source of power.