The Tree of Hope: Chapter Sixteen

The sixteenth chapter of the first installment of The Legacies Saga

 CHAPTER SIXTEEN 

BRYCE

What was that? the voice wondered.

The origin of the voice had guarded this tree for years to make sure the prophecied combination could never happen. Yet, for all these years, never had the door been disturbed like this before.

A legacy of earth, air, fire, water, or aether, the voice realized.

For a fleeting moment, the voice was scared. Ouranos's rising would be their doom. But then, the disturbance came to an end, and the voice slumped back beneath the tree.

~+~

Emma tackled the side of the drakon to distract it from the other girl. The drakon glared at Emma in return. In the beast's distraction, the other girl stabbed it again.

Emma almost felt pity for the poor beast. She knew her sister, Charity, would never like to see a helpless creature get attacked so brutally. Emma was tempted to simply let it go, if for no other reason than to avoid telling Charity that she killed it.

But, Emma remembered, Charity would feel just as bad if this girl who'd decided to help out got killed fighting the drakon.

That thought steeled Emma's resolve. No drakon is killing anyone. Not this time.

"Drakon," Emma said with all the force she could muster. "Leave, now. Return to the Underworld and never return."

The drakon fought her words for a moment before slinking back and slithering away from them.

I finally did it, Emma realized. Dan would be proud.

~+~

Frodo Hyyshin snuck, invisibly, through the Ekinta.

A group of maybe ten people was standing there. Half of them, Frodo realized, looked nothing like anyone from Ofiotia. Hair and eye colors that hadn't been seen since the inake were wiped out.

Frodo remembered his uncle's message. Class 2, subclass D terrorists. The term was never defined to anyone outside the upper auronel. Could these... individuals... be the 2-Ds?

The others, though, were much more normal. Gyan Kirrno, he recognized. Two of the others were familiar but less so. Marrell Tanaquas and Filan Briciera, registered anomalies. There were less than? seventy-five anomalies on this side of Ofiotia, and Frodo was always to make sure he kept track of the list. Those that remained anomalies past their twenty-third birthdays had to be monitored a lot.

Not that they knew it.

The boy with them and the possible 2-Ds... those Frodo had never seen.

Frodo looked away from the people and walked up to the elevator.

~+~

Mia closed the door before seeing a guy come up the hallway.

"Hey," the guy said in a soft, clear voice. "You know if Julia's in?"

Mia nodded. "Yes, I just spoke with her. She's been getting a lot of visitors lately. Far more than? usual."

"Oh..." the guy said, a disappointed air to his voice. "So, I should come back later?"

"Okay," Mia said. "Should I leave Julia your name so she can message you when she has the opportunity?"

~+~

"Okay," the girl said. "Should I leave Julia your name so she can message you when she has the opportunity?"

"Oh, there's no need," Bryce said. "I'll just come by tomorrow."

Charity, Dan, and Emma would never forgive me if I gave Julia my name, Bryce thought. ''Well, Emma would, since I'm her brother... And Charity would always forgive anyone... But not Dan.''

And Bryce couldn't lose his friendship with his brother...

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