The Caravan of Hope

Chapter 24: Fear

Hi guys! I finally updated the picture for chapter 17. I'll put chapter 23 up later.

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They froze, forgetting that he was going to do that next.

Zaecondis snapped his fingers, and each of them were trapped individually trapped in a type of ice prison.

As they were struggling in this prison, Zaecondis went up to Jarred's prison cell. "Anything you'd wanna ask of me?"

Jarred nodded, a scowl on his face. "Yes. You are the shadowy figure that kept me captive for the last three years, are you not?"

Zaecondis laughed. "You're a smart kid! Congrats, you're right! I guess that you figured it out from the way I talk. Maybe I can torture you with that information!"

He snapped his fingers and Jarred was not with them anymore. In fact, he wasn't sure where he was. All he knew was that he wasn't with the others.

"Jarred..."

Jarred turned around to see Bella. He smiled to see her, but that was before she said, "Jarred Riniv, you are a coward."

He was afraid off why Bella was saying this, but then she continued.

"I just realized that over the last three years, you never once fought him back. If you did, you would've been long free because you're powerful. You are despicable. And you call yourself my knight?"

"Bella..." Jarred couldn't why his love, Bella, was saying that to him, but then he remembered something. "You're not Bella."

"Bella" looked confused. "What do you -" She started to ask, but Jarred cut her off by using his magic to push the air in front of him, which caused her to fall back and for the scene around him to warp.

He was still in the cell; the others in theirs too. Zaecondis looked astounded. "How did you know that it was an illusion of mine?"

"You made a crucial mistake. I told Bella that I am not going to be a knight, so there should be no reason for her to call me 'my knight'."

Zaecondis laughed. "Beautiful! Absolutely beautiful! Fortunate for you, I'm bored of toying with you."

He started to move around the caravan and spotted Hearthfell. Cocking his head to one side, he said, "Eh? You wanna have a part in this game?  Err... Okay?"

He snapped his fingers, and Hearthfell got out of his prison. At the same time, a woman materialized next to Zaecondis. It was Ur.

Hearthfell felt weak to his knees. "Ur...

She held her arms out toward him. "Hearthfell... Why did you let me die?"

"I-I-I..." For once, Hearthfell felt fear in his heart; the type that he felt as a little boy, when he felt that Ur loved him and he never wanted her to get hurt.

She pouted. "Aren't you my favorite? Why did you not save me? I am disappointed in you Hearthfell." She started to cry.

"I- I'm..." Hearthfell forgot everything around him as he started to say, I'm sorry.

But he was snapped back to the present when Mary cried out, "Don't listen to her!"

"Silence, girl." Ur growled at her. "I should've killed you when I had the chance."

That was what got Hearthfell out of the trance as he got angry and said, "Now I don't feel guilty! You deserved to die and more, ya bitch."

"Why you..." Ur looked like she was going to kill him. But then she froze and screamed as she disappeared.

Zaecondis stood there. "How disappointing. And here I thought that she was going to entertain me. Well, next victim!"

He snapped his fingers and Hearthfell was back in his prison. After that, he looked at Alex and pointed at him, which caused the cell around Alex to disappear.

Zaecondis, in one swift and smooth motion, went up to him. He whispered in Alex's ear, so that only he can hear what he was going to say next; and he said it in a voice that scared Alex even more.

"My dear, dear Alexander. Did you really think that you could escape me? Out of all the people in your group, you are the one who can definitely never escape. And that even includes Hearthfell, who is already so deep in. All those years that you have run away from; I know very well that you ran away from them not because you didn't like me, but because you had fear of them. Maybe it's because you know that you'll one day become like me because I'm your daddy, and it's your destiny."

Alex realized with horror that he was right.

All those years... He was afraid of them and he hoped that killing Zaecondis would stop his fear of being hurt, but it didn't. No matter what, he can't escape the fact that he was going to become someone like his father someday.

"Yo Alex! What's the matter?" George didn't know what Zaecondis said; nobody in the caravan, except for Daiko, did.

But Alex couldn't answer him. He crouched down a little and put his hands just above his ears; trying to tell whatever nightmares that were creeping inside him to go away. But they wouldn-

"ALEX!! "

Alex looked up just in time to see Daiko run up to them and kick Zaecondis up high in the air.

Alex was surprised of how high his father went, but even more surprised when Daiko jumped up and hugged him. He was surprised to feel the tears on his chest as she put her head up to it and sobbed.

She looked up at him. "Alex, maybe he is right about you being afraid, but he is otherwise wrong; you're not going to turn evil! You shouldn't let his words harm you! Ever since I first met you, I thought that you were the bravest person ever." She started to cry. "And I still do. Something as small as that shouldn't get to you! He'll never be you! Please Alex! Promise to stay strong for me!" Especially when I'm not she wanted to say but didn't.

Alex smiled. He was glad that he had someone to help him remember that the dark can't get to him if he won't let them. "I will be brave." Especially for you he thought. He started to wipe her tears.

She grinned. "Great! Now, if I were you Alex, I'd move five steps back."

He did, with Daiko following him. A second later, Zaecondis slammed to the ground.

He got up, brushing himself. "Next time, when a host puts you somewhere, stay there!"

Alex looked and saw that Daiko had broken her prison.

Still hugging Alex, Daiko stuck out her tongue. "Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin!"

"Wow, she has as much spunk as Ambie," Xanolemnad said.

Mary screamed.

Everyone looked at her. With her eyes wide open, she said, "I just remembered... Mom's real name was Amber Fistian!"

Alex widened his eyes. "But that's my mom's name!"

Everyone looked at Zaecondis. He just smiled.

------------ author------------

Dun, dun, DUNN!

Yes, I ruined it a little for you Amber.

Anyway, Christmas is coming up, and since it's a major holiday for me, I've decided to tell you ant one secret from any of my two books! Is there anything you want to know?