Quest (The Quest Saga)

7 - Captured

Running after the Serenad was a difficult job. One Katherine and Taryn were not up to, they decided they needed Zander. They jogged back the way they came, using the map for reference. When they reached Zander the three suns had moved across the sky, which told Katherine they needed to get to Dean as soon as possible. They stood outside the messy hut afraid to knock on the door. Katherine plucked up the courage.

Zander answered the door in his usual grumpy fashion. However when the girls explained that Dean had been taken by a Serenad his eyes widen and his face drained of the little colour it had.

"How can we get to the mountains really fast?" Taryn asked, getting to the point.

Sea monster isn't the most recommended way to travel. It isn't comfortable and you really can't trust a sea monster.

But it gets the job done.

The sea monster looked like a giant eel, at least that's what Taryn thought, but they had these really cute faces with big brown eyes.

Dean was scared. There were more Serenads on the mountain, hundreds. He had been tied to a rock and some male Serenads had tried to beat him but the females told them to wait for Cyba. Dean just hoped Cyba was merciful, he saw that there was quite a few rocks around him, they were arranged in a circle, his was in the middle. Looking around he thought it was reminiscent to Stonehenge, one of the Serenads caught Deans eye, she had to be the most beautiful on the mountain. She flew over to Dean and came right up to his face. She spat at him.

"Human scum!" she yelled "They've come here to spread their filth!" Infuriated Dean squeezed his arm out of the ties, it cut him a little but he managed. He lashed out. He grabbed the girl by hair. She screamed. Males rushed over but Dean was one step ahead and pulled his crystal out of his pocket and held it's sharp, pointy end against her throat.

"Stay. Back." He said aggressively."

A male snuck up behind and thumped him in the back of the head, Dean released the girl and dropped his crystal.

"You just wait till Cyba gets here!" The girl shouted at him. Dean groaned internally, Cyba wouldn't be merciful. He really hoped the girls could help him.

Katherine gasped. "How many are on that mountain!"

"Zander said they're called Serenads." Taryn said in a matter of fact tone.

"We're too late! They've probably already made a kebab out of him!"

"Do shut up." said Taryn climbing down off the sea monster and onto land. The girls tried to think of how to rescue Dean. They carefully made their way up the mountain, but suddenly Taryn pushed Katherine to one side and sternly whispered "Don't make a sound!"

They crouched and watched in a scared awe as a black carriage made it's way up the mountain and as it got closer they realised the carriage was a giant beetle. The really terrifying thing though was inside the beetle carriage was the Glowing Ghost.

"It's him, from my nightmares!" Katherine uncontrollably wept. Taryn gagged her with her hand to keep her quiet.

Once the carriage had gone a bit ahead the girls carried on up the mountain, they weren't very good at rock climbing.

Dean lay against the rock limply. Without his crystal he couldn't understand what was being said. A carriage scuttled to the top of the mountain and the crowd instantly parted. The babbled of strange language silenced and 'Cyba' glided out of the carriage. Dean recognised him as soon as he saw him.

Cyba was quite tall, he was a beautiful blue-White with an electric blue aura. His chin was sharply pointed and he had electric lightning shots that sparked from his head with his mood. His legs were stick thin and he walked with a regal swagger.

He saw the crystal on the floor and his eyes lit up. "It looks like I won't have to kill you today." He said in his growl.

That got Deans attention. "You speak English! How come?"

"I don't think you're in any position to ask questions. But I do confess, I came from earth too. I was sentenced to witch craft, burned alive!" He spoke with venom, but then swiftly changed to an admiring tone "The stars, they saved me. They brought me here and I built a kingdom. It's long forgotten now though. I've lived a long time. These crystals..." he said toying with the crystal in his ghoulish bony hand "...are prisons for my power. Your parent was one of the legendary trio that brought down my kingdom and took my power!"

Dean sat amazed. "My Dad!"

"Oh yes! He wasn't at all impressed about me extending my reign to Earth."

"Why are you telling me this?" Dean asked.

Cyba laughed cruelly. "You won't remember any of it. I've got my crystal. So I guess I can give you what you came for. Call it a trade."

Cyba clicked his fingers and the ground sank beneath Dean’s rock, Dean fell into the hole and the ground sealed above him.

Cyba and the Serenads left.

Katherine and Taryn were astonished. They came out from their hiding place.

"Our parents knew about Cyba!" Katherine exclaimed.

"Shh! He doesn't know we overheard!" Taryn hissed, “I can’t believe he said he was from Earth! He doesn’t look anything like a human.”

“But if these crystals have powers maybe we could learn to use them." Katherine whispered