"Be careful White Blaze," Ryo said as he stepped his way around carefully to avoid the live wires. "Don’t let Yulie get touched by these things."
White Blaze rumbled in reply as he carefully made his way through. Through it all Yulie slept.
Anubis saw they were nearing the place. The feeling he had was much stronger than it was before. They carefully made their way around an overturned vehicle, and suddenly heard a sickening crash. One look up, told them a telephone pole was ready to fall on them.
"WATCH OUT!!" Anubis cried. He leapt out of the way. Ryo leapt himself, calling out to White Blaze.
The tiger roared as he took a might jump. Somehow he landed on the roof of a building, out of harm’s way, with Yulie safely on his back. The boy was still sleeping.
Ryo looked up toward his tiger and sighed in relief. "Good boy, White Blaze."
White Blaze carefully made his way down and rejoined his young master and Anubis.
Anubis stared at the fallen pole with a shake of his head. "Let’s move. My feeling is getting stronger with each passing minute."
Ryo nodded, and they continued on their way. Soon they came to the Red Cross Center.
Ryo looked up and down at the place, then turned and lifted the sleeping boy off White Blaze. "White Blaze, find a place to hide. We’ll be back soon."
The tiger turned and ran off as Ryo and Anubis went inside, taking Yulie with them.
Inside they found people of all kids. Some injured and resting, others sitting anxiously, and more reunited with lost loved ones.
Ryo grimaced as he held onto Yulie. The suffering never ends does it, he thought sadly. He could hear anguished cries of a few, and knew they had lost their families. And then a familiar voice grabbed his attention.
"Are you sure he’s not here?! He’s only a little boy! He has to be!"
"Ma’am, I am truly sorry, but your son is not here. Have you checked the hospitals?"
The woman nodded tearfully. "I checked everywhere!"
"Mrs. Yamano!" Ryo called out to her.
She turned, her tears running down her cheeks like an endless waterfall. But then sadness and grief turned to joy.
"YULIE!!
Yulie awoke, his brows furrowing in confusion. "Huh?" He felt himself lifted into someone else’s arms, and hugged tightly."
"Oh Yulie, I was so worried!"
Yulie blinked. "Mom? Mom!!" He hugged her back, crying, not caring if the whole roomful of people were staring at him.
Ryo and Anubis watched with smiles on their faces. Ryo glanced at the older warrior with a questioning look on his face that Anubis failed to see. How did he know?
"Sage of Halo!"
Sage’s head snapped back, and he looked toward the sound of the voice. There stood the Ancient Staff, glowing and chiming. And then the Ancient One appeared himself.
"Ancient," Sage said respectfully.
"Halo, there is not much time left. You and the other Ronins must get into the Dynasty soon. I can only hold the Gates open for so long."
"But Ancient, Ryo and White Blaze have not returned yet. We can't go without them."
"Then go and get them, Halo. You have an hour." The Staff chimed once, light flared to life, and then vanished. The Ancient was gone.
Sage’s eyes snapped open, and he frowned as he stood up. The Ancient was so cold. What was wrong? He had no time to worry about that. He sped out the door.
Kento sat there, staring blankly at the TV. It wasn’t even on. In fact, nothing was on, since all the power was still out. But none of it mattered. Kento didn’t care about any of it. He only cared about….
"Guys!" Sage called as he ran down the stairs.
Kento looked up, Rowen came from the kitchen, and Mia glanced up as the blond teen came thundering down the stairs.
"What’s up, Sage?" Rowen asked.
"We have to find Ryo now!"
"What? What’s wrong?" Mia asked, concern in her voice.
Sage shook his head. "I’ll explain on the way!"
And the four of them ran out to Mia’s jeep and took off toward the city.
"Up boy!"
Cye snapped awake with a startled cry of pain as his hair was roughly grabbed. Cale yanked him to his feet. Cye bit his tongue to keep from crying out in pain as his arms were roughly twisted behind his back and tied tightly. The door opened and Cye was forced out.
Why? he wondered miserably. Why must I suffer like this? Where are my friends? I want to go home! He suddenly found himself in the throne room. Talpa stared down at him with a wicked cruel smile on his face.
"Well, Torrent. Did you have a nice nap?"
Cye refused to answer this tyrant. What concern was it of his whether or not he slept well? Talpa’s eyes flash red in anger. "I asked you a question!"
Cye remained silent.
"ANSWER ME!!!"
No answer.
Talpa glared at him. How he hated when one of the Ronins would not bow down to his every whim. Especially when he held one prisoner in his castle. And Torrent would pay for not answering. Oh he would pay dearly.
Chapter 18. From Pain to Comfort.
Kania watched in silent horror as Torrent was beaten. The young Ronin’s cries filled the room with each strike of the whip. She closed her eyes in hopes the horrible scene would go away, but it remained as the cracking sounds of the whip struck against bare flesh, and the echoes of screams.
Talpa watched coldly as the young boy was whipped. This would teach Torrent not to answer him. He knew he was in dire pain and was probably wondering where his friends were. Not that it matter any. They were probably dead from the storm that struck their city. And that’s what Talpa was hoping for.
Dais struck Cye again, and the young Ronin whimpered in pain. His voice was going hoarse from each scream, and he was determined not to lose anymore of it. He tried to focus on something else, but the pain was just too much. His back literally burned as if someone had taken a hot knife and was slicing him open. How he longed to be in a nice warm bed right now.
As if he had heard his thoughts, Talpa spoke, "You might as well give in, Torrent. There’s nothing left for you. Your friends are probably dead from that storm, and you will never escape here, and no one here will help you to escape. But if you join me, the pain will stop, and you will have a better room than the cell you have now."
Cye shuddered with pain as he thought. If I join him, I’ll be free from pain, but I’ll still be a prisoner in a way. It might get me a better room, but I’ll be forced to obey his every command, and I’ll betray my friends. I can’t do that. They trust me. And regardless of what Talpa says, I know they're still alive.
"Well?" Talpa was getting impatient.
Cye lifted his head to stare at the Dynasty ruler with contempt. His eyes narrowed angrily as he tried in vain to ignore the pain he felt. Dais had finally stopped beating him for which he was thankful for, but he wasn’t sure how much longer it would be before Dais got flesh-striking happy.
Talpa glared at the boy. "I see by the look on your face what your answer already is, and you will soon regret that decision. Take him back to his cell."
Dais and Cale unchained the boy and dragged him off as Delia turned to Talpa. "Why did you not beat him more, Master Talpa?" she inquired.
But Talpa gave no answer. Instead he sat there fuming in his throne, glaring at nothing before him. Delia knew it was best to leave him alone, and she left the throne room.
Kania watched her go. She looked toward Talpa with hidden anger, then at Sekhmet. The Warlord of Venom was leaving the throne room himself, and looked as if he was heading to his room. Probably to see his snakes. Feeling uncomfortable in the same room with an acrimonious Talpa, she quickly left the throne room.
Cye listened as the door to his cell slammed shut. He heard Dais locking it securely, then heard two sets of footsteps walking away. Tears poured down his cheeks, and he brushed them away. How long had he been here? It felt like days. He thought of his friends as their images came to his mind, and he focused on each one. Ryo, the leader. Not only was he a good leader of the Ronins, but also like a father figure. Rowen with his knowledge, Kento with his sense of humor and strength, and Sage with his wisdom and carefree attitude. Cye had no idea what he would ever do without them, and the more he thought about it, the more sad and miserable he became. It wasn’t just his body that was in pain, it was something more. And Cye knew that if this continued, he would die here, alone, in pain, and in misery.
The tears increased, and the sobs began as he cried. He felt lonely, too lonely. And so far the only one compassionate enough to help him was Kania, but she did not come to him, and Cye wasn’t sure he cared. All he wanted was freedom.
And then before he was aware of it, the room’s atmosphere began to change. No longer did the room feel damp and cold. It grew warmer. More peaceful. Cye stopped sobbing as he looked up in surprise, and he felt someone gently brush his tears away. Someone he couldn’t see. He felt himself being held by absolutely no one at all. It was like a mother, or a friend holding him, comforting him, promising that everything would be all right.
Cye let himself be held, glad for the touch and comfort. He felt something like a hot wet rag touch the wounds on his back, and he slightly tensed. But there was no pain. Instead he felt his wounds soothing as if they were healing and going away.
Cye was curious about who was holding him. He knew there was no one physically there, because he himself couldn’t really feel anyone with his hand. How he could feel himself being held and tended to was beyond him. But before he could, his eyes grew heavy with exhaustion, and he drifted off into a peaceful sleep.
The figure holding him watched him with compassion, pity, and love. His wings spread out and wrapped the boy, keeping him warm, and the pain and nightmares away. He prayed over the young boy, that he would find salvation and freedom.
And Cye slept on, unaware that his friends were working to get him out of the Dynasty.
Sage drove extremely fast going at 65 mph down the main street. Mia held on for dear life, and she was sure they would wreck, but Sage carefully maneuvered his way around fallen trees, vehicles, telephone poles, and other thrown items that had been tossed in the streets by the tornado. The benefits of someone who drove racing cars.
"Sage, can you slow down?!" Mia begged.
"Gomen, Mia, but we need to find Ryo and Anubis as fast as possible."
"Care to explain, Sage?" Rowen asked from the back of the jeep. Beside him Kento stared out the window, completely silent through the whole trip.
Sage made a left sharp turn, but luckily the jeep didn’t tip, and everyone was buckled in safely. He kept driving, keeping his eyes peeled for Anubis and Ryo and White Blaze as he answered Rowen. "The Ancient One told me he can only hold the Gates of the Dynasty open for so long. All we have is an hour to find Ryo and get into the Dynasty."
Mia and Rowen stared in shock. Kento tightened a little. One hour. What will happen to Cye then?
"An hour?" Rowen asked in disbelief. Sage nodded grimly as he kept on driving. He passed a side street that Mia had been staring at. She suddenly saw three familiar figures coming up the street as they went by.
"Sage, stop! Go back!" she cried. "I just saw them!"
Sage put the jeep in reverse, and began heading back as fast as he could.
Ryo glanced up as a familiar red and white jeep passed them by a few feet ahead. He blinked as he watched it speed by. "Say wasn’t that Mia’s jeep?"
Anubis glanced up at it as it sped down the road and nodded in confirmation. He saw the jeep suddenly stop. "They’re coming back," he said as it began to back up.
The three ran to meet it as it waited at the corner. Mia rolled down her window as they stood outside of it within just a few minutes.
Rowen threw open his door as Sage unlocked the back of the jeep. "Get in," Rowen said. "We don’t have much time."
White Blaze climbed into the back and the door was shut into place. Ryo and Anubis climbed in next to Rowen and the door was shut.
"Time for what?" Ryo asked as Sage threw the car in drive.
"To rescue Cye," Mia replied.
The two blinked and gave each other looks of worry and confusion. Ryo glanced over at Kento, but the bearer of Hardrock continued to stare out the window. Sage saw the looks of confusion and quickly explained as Ryo’s face darkened and Anubis closed his eyes.
Finally Kento looked up, his eyes narrowing with impatience and worry. "Could we just stop talking and get there? I want to get Cye out of that place now before Talpa does worse to him!"
The jeep became silent as could be, and Kento went back to staring out the window. Ryo watched him for a few minutes, then looked toward Sage.
"Step on it!"
And the jeep suddenly sped up.
