Zephyr: The Elemental Clans

177 - Jacqy's Fate

Jacqueline Zephyr - POV;

"Plop..... plop..... plop..... plop."

I found myself stirring; the sound of water dripping at a slow yet constant rate into a puddle below being the only noise to break the otherwise eerie silence. When my eyelids slowly fluttered open, the coarse brown rock which constituted the ground was all that came into view.

A drop of what I could only assume to be water splashed onto my face from above and I tried to move my hand towards my cheek to remove it but it was only then that I realised I couldn't. My arms and legs were bound tightly to a stake behind me and my body was held upright as a result. I raised my head and scanned my surroundings. A musky, almost rancid smell hung in the stagnant air.

I was surprised that I had slept through that putid smell of death which clung to every corner of the room and my nostrils. I deduced that I had found myself in some tyoe of underground hold but I couldn't tell how long I'd been there nor could I recall how I got here.

"Oh come on Jacqy! Think! Think! What happened? If I can remember the last thing I did, I might be able to solve this," I muttered to myself, "Ahh! That's right!"

****
*A Few Weeks Ago, The Day Of the Interclan Tournament Final of Fenix vs Zephyr*

"Cough! Cough! What the hell," I groaned as I raised my head and struggled to catch my breath as I squinted through the cloud of sand and dust surrounding me. My head ached and my confusion as to the current state of events was debilitating to say the least.

"What's going on?" I muttered to myself when it suddenly came flowing back to me.

"Satella? Where are you? Did we win?" I called out, barely able to see anything around me. I shielded my eyes, ignoring the soreness of my muscles as I tried but failed to get up and gain a grasp of the outcome of present events. It was around then that I noticed the approaching legs.

"Satella?" I called out but recieved no answer. The femanine figure stopped infront of me and as the dust settled and my eyes adjusted to the brilliant light of the overhead sun, I clearly identified the individual to be none other than Winter herself.

"Winter? Oh, if you're here then that means the match is over! We won right?!" I questioned excitedly, but this quickly faded as a rapier constructed of ice slowly formed in her hand.

"Winter?" I murmered, noticing the empty dark colour of her eyes in their entirety.

She drew back her blade with that same soulless expression and without remorse, stabbed the weapon towards me.

"Winter no!!" I screamed, closing my eyes and bringing my arms over my body for protection. I felt the warm splash of blood as it coated my body, however the pain never came. I peeked through my fingers to see the tip of Winter's weapon an inch away from my face, it's blade being held by the muscular arm of a well-built male.

Xyder's blood flowed from the open gash where he was cut in his endeavor to save me and down to the point of Winter's sword where it dripped onto me. He looked back at the girl in disapproval and she retreated in understanding.

Abruptly, three girls dropped down from above and took places at my sides. Even though their shared the aesthetic of Winter's, they were quite clearly Cheryl, Celes and Disas.

"Disas? Xyder? What's going on?" I enquired. He looked down at me as a fifth person appeared behind me in a flash of lightning.... Sorine!

"Take her. I'll change her as well," Xyder instructed nonchalantly. With a nod, Sorine flung me over her shoulder and before I knew it, we were launching through the skies, placing an increasing distance between us and Fenix City.
****
*Present Day*

To be honest, I was kind of impressed by myself. To be able to be be this calm and collected in order to deduce something like this was honestly a bit out of character for me... I had to admit that. But not anymore. I had to grow and get better in body and mind. This experience only bolstered my confidence as I realised that I certainly was on the path of progress.

The echoing of tapping feet alerted me to the arrival of a newcomer and I looked forward to catch a glimpse of the individual. With the little light available in this cavern, it was a tremendous task, but once he was close I could see that it was Xyder himself standing before me... however something seemed off about him. He was different and it wasn't only because of his new hairstyle; cut shorter at the sides and back but left lengthy at the top, such that the hair fell  forward and covered half of his face.

"Xyder? What's going on? Where are we? Why am I tied?"

Without warning, a gag was placed over my mouth. I hadn't even noticed when Disas showed up and snuck around to do so. She grabbed onto my head, slamming it back against the post and holding me steadily in place. It didn't take me long to realise why either.

"Don't worry," Disas whispered in a distorted, crackling voice, "Once he grabs your face, it will only hurt for a minute, then you will finally be one of us."

Xyder raised his right arm and as he did, a pattern, seemingly a tattoo I'd never seen on him before, lit up as dark energy swirled around his biceps trailing down his forearm and culminating at his fingertips. He approached me slowly and as his palm neared ever so much closer, a deep sense of dread enveloped me.

I began to struggle and fight in an attempt to break free of my bindings and Disas' grasp but it was in vain. Perhaps it was just my lack of nutrition or something more but I was unable to muster much strength at all. In the end, all I could do was squirm and cry, soaking my face with unsightly tears.

I had almost accepted my fate when I felt a reassuring pat. I opened my eyelids to find Xyder's hand, instead of latching onto my cheeks, resting gently atop my hair. He remained like that for a moment without a word before turning around and walking away into the darkness......

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Geraldine Gina - POV;

"Hey! Look Lady G! It's just like you said! Those kids from Zephyr came to this bloodbath of a village!" Rael stated excitedly as he stared down into the valley with his binoculars from our hidden spot atop the mountains, "They're leaving right now! But look at their faces! Ha ha ha! They look like they wanna puke!"

"Well, I can't blame them. The scene down there is absolutely horrible. It all my years as a detective, even I have hardly ever come across a scene as gruesome and brutal as the one Xyder left in his wake here," I told him.

"But Lady G? Why did you leave that fake recording for them?" Rael questioned.

"Oh, my boy. It's simple really. Firstly, the only thing fake about that recording was that I claimed the man was my brother. He's actually the brother of the lady who was mauled with her husband and newborn inside their home, leaving only a pre-teen and traumatized son. Other than that, it's all true. That boy, Dagan Zephyr, he has potential as an investigator. He has quite the brain on him. I just figured that if I left a hint that would lead the kids to us... and that would be more fun, wouldn't it?" I snickered, placing a freshly peeled slice of orange between my lips and biting down on it.

"See you soon, children of Zephyr."