Chapter Twelve

Kalum

The cold stone beneath me seeps into my bones, chilling me to the core. It doesn't help that I seem to only be wearing a pair of shorts and my thin t-shirt from earlier today. With a deep breath, I warily open my eyes. I am in a dark room, already a great sign. A slight glow comes from a square in what I suppose is a locked door, judging by the bars that are crisscrossing over the square of light. After a quick sweep of the room, I can tell that that is the only source of light in the room. I raise my hand to my neck, where the dart was shot, but a metal clanging noise stops me. Thick metal cuffs sit around my wrists with a thick black chain that leads into the darkness farther into the room. Several groans echo around the small chamber and I glance around. My eyes are starting to adjust to the darkness of the room and I can make out some dark shapes lying around the room.

"Who's there?" I ask in a falsely confident voice.

"Kal?" I recognize Natsu's gentle voice and I immediately relax. My eyes adjust further and I can see my friends around the walls of the chamber, all chained like me. Natsu, Hanna, Ben, Jake, Eddie, Stella, and Emira. They all look groggy and cold in their different pajamas. I look at Emira chained opposite me, in her light pink nightgown she looks so fragile. But the look in her eyes is fierce.

"Is everyone okay?" She asks, scanning the room. I smile at the protectiveness in her voice, pride filling me. Everyone nods. "Has anyone tried to use magic?" As soon as she said it, we all tried to fight our chains with our magic. But nothing came. No matter how much I called for it, my magic wouldn't come. I felt it simmering beneath the surface of my skin, begging to be set free, but something is blocking it.

"The chains are spelled," Stella says. "I think it's some sort of Silencer Magic."

"That would explain why I have these," Emira says and holds up her hands, both of which completely covered in the thick metal chain. Probably a precaution considering the amount of magic pulsing inside of her.

"How did we get here?" Hanna asks, her curly black hair hanging in tangles down her back.

"Em and I were in our room when we both got a dart to the neck," Stella says calmly.

"Two dark figures came in through the window and grabbed us. They had the same tattoo that the Salem Coven had." Emira finishes. Nods and agreements go around the room. Everyone was taken the same way.

"That begs the question. Why did they take us?" Jake says from next to the door.

"Isn't it obvious?" A deep and cold voice says from the other side of the door. It creaks open and light spills into the room. I wince as the light blinds my eyes who had just adjusted to the thick darkness inside of the room. Squinting heavily, I try to look at the door, although I wish I hadn't. A dark figure stands in the light. The mysterious figure takes a step forward and reveals themselves, the light now highlighting them from behind. Adham. "We want the Aether Magic. And considering how incredibly stubborn and infuriating the bearer is, we decided that we needed some insurance. You-" He points to the rest of us. "-are here as leverage to keep the Aether Witch... cooperative during her, albeit, short stay." A twisted smile plays on his lips as he stares hungrily at Emira. A growl escapes me and Adham's eyes flash to mine. He smirks and takes a step closer to Emira. The tension in the room increases as everyone stares at him and steals themselves, preparing to attack if necessary. I track his movements with my eyes. In the blink of an eye, he backhands Emira. She lets out a soft cry and I throw myself towards him, only held back by the chains. The second that the chains stop me, Emira cries out in pain. I look at her, only to find red lightning flashing up her arms from the chains. The chains keeping me from her, loosen as I back up and the lightning stops. Emira stops screaming and pants. Stella looks at Em's arms, checking for wounds. She looks back at me and shakes her head. No wounds. I take a deep breath and glare at Adham.

"Ah! I forgot to tell you!" Adham says. "If any of you try to escape or fight against us, your soulmate gets hurt. And yes, we know who your soulmates are. So feel free to try, but every time it gets stronger. I'll be back for you soon, Ms. Spring." He says, drawing out the last word as he stares at Emira, and then leaves the room, slamming the door shut and locking it again.

"Em-" I start.

"I'm fine." She interrupts me. I smile at her strength, but I can feel her pain through our bond. Her soulmate mark barely shows underneath her huge cuffs. The look she gives me conveys a secret message. Don't worry about me, worry about us getting out of here before anyone else gets hurt. Typical Emira, needing to protect others over herself. I love that about her, but at the same time, I can't help fearing that that is what will take her away from me. "We need to find a way out of here." I nod, understanding her need to keep everyone's hope up, the second that we lose hope, we'll have lost our chance at getting out of here.

"And soon. From the sounds of it, they will be back soon. And I'm sure they'll want to do more than just chat." Natsu says, Ben wraps his arm around her shoulders and kisses her head.

"Don't worry, we will." He says.