Blood and Thunder

Chapter 22 - Painful Details

The day finally arrived, faster than anyone thought it would. Previous days flew by as the whole group huddled together, solving the issue of what to do. Many sleepless nights passed, one too many arguments and once or twice a few people may have ended up in a fight. But throughout one thing was clear, they were all prepared to do what it took to get Rosia back.

Some understood how Alexander felt, as they had siblings and would be the same, some couldn't wait to meet the girl Alexander always talked about, and some, mainly Ryatt, just really wanted something exciting to happen.

The group gathered their things and regrouped at a tree near the front of the camp. After much discussion, it was agreed that everyone would go to the city. The younger ones could do with getting out of the camp and could even learn a thing or two. They separated into groups and went through the plan once more.

Theo cleared his throat before stepping forwards and offering some words of encouragement.

"We know the goal of today, get Rosia. If anything goes wrong, get out of there. We know it's a trap, but they don't know how many of us there are, so we are going to go in groups to avoid suspicion. Ryatt, Phoenix, Jathan, Alexander and Wolfie, you guys are Alpha team, you are the main rescue team. It will be better if you all go together as you are known to the officers by face and name, but it also means that you know them better than us. You will have to let us know if there is anyone there we really need to avoid.

"Myself, Haylan, Luna and Viola are Beta team. We will do everything we can to support Alpha. I am the only one in the group that is known to the officers, so I can help guide the group away from some of the danger.

"That leaves Ralf, Dara, Sarmi, Lilith, Leo and Lassie. You guys keep everyone distracted, do whatever it takes. Dara will be your team leader. If you have any questions, she can help you out. Obviously you need someone to take Leo and Lassie, as they won't be good in combat. But no one expects a child with a younger child to do anything. They will be a good cover, try and blend into the crowd. If you see any of the other two groups needing assistance, you are to fill in. You can split up, but keep an eye on one another. The last thing we need is someone else going missing."

Shifting around, they reorganised themselves into the bundles that Theo called out. Heads faced the boy at the front, no one fidgeted, all eyes were focused. The atmosphere was tense, but there was an air of confidence around them. As Theo continued to talk, backs straightened, deep breaths were taken and confidence grew. He was a natural leader.

"This is not going to be a walk in the park. This is going to feel like a huge task, especially when the officers join us for the party. But remember, you have something they don't. A real weapon, imagination, use it well. Everyone is so important in this, and we must work together to achieve this. But if the boat starts to rock, get out of there, meet at the old library, and please, don't do anything rash or too dangerous. Ryatt, I do mean you."

This must have been some joke as everyone turned to Ryatt as he took a bow and laughed. The whole mood seemed to lighten with that comment. Perhaps that's a story for another day.

As the group laughed and joked about Ryatt and the events of the past, Alexander wandered back to his tent, alone. He sat on the cool bed and readied himself for the day ahead, going through the plan over and over again in his head. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the colours behind his eyelid in hope it would decrease his nerves, as his body relaxed so did his mind. All previous anxieties lifted just for a moment. Alexander drifted calmly into hypnagogia.

Colours slowly danced behind his eyelids, his breathing slowed and for the first time in ages, Alexander felt strong. He was going to finally get his sister back, and he would never let anyone take her again. He thought about his family, back at the house, altogether, laughing.

You know what to do. You know what's coming. You can't change it. You've seen how it plays out.

"Stop it!"

"Wooo buddy, I was just coming to see where you got to." Jathan held his hands up calmly as Alexander sat bolt upright. "It's alright, take a breath and just relax, we'll get her back. You having another nightmare?"

"The voice came back."

Jathan relaxed his arms and headed towards the bed.

"May I?"

Alexander nodded and Jathan sat next to him on his bed.

"So it's back, told you it would be, your talent doesn't just disappear. You probably wasn't focused enough, not your fault though. So what did it say?"

Alexander told his friend what he knew, telling him all of the detail he could remember from the vision. Every single painful detail.

"I'm going to stand beside you no matter what. Even if we get separated from the rest of the group, I'll still be with you. We'll get through this together."

There was something about Jathan, something about the way he made Alexander feel. For the first time in years Alexander felt like he had a friend, a genuine friend. His friends at school were there for him, but they were the kind of friends that were just close because they spent five days a week together, they didn't really do much outside of school. He wondered what they would be doing now. He doubted he would see them again. But with Jathan, things felt different. He knew he could trust him, 100%. Just having Jathan near him made him feel at ease, and stronger.

They talked well into the night, the other in the tent slowly drifted into their friend's tents and left the two of them alone. They laid in the single bed, squished together, but neither of them minded. They spoke about everything and nothing. Soon the topic of Alexander's notebook came up.

He pulled it out from under his bed, pricked his finger on the star and opened the book. The writing was so familiar yet unknown. Alexander thought he knew his father, they were close. They used to do so much together. Used to, Alexander guessed that was the key part. All of them years he thought his father was doing work in his office, not researching the government. Unless that was his job. What had Sykes meant when he said that his father had more secrets than even he knew?

The boys flicked through the pages, not really reading it, but looking at the amount that was written and dates. There were so many pages filled with small curly writing. Alexander doubted this was the only notebook of his father's but maybe the others were somewhere else, or this is where he wrote everything that he found. Either way Alexander knew he needed to keep it safe.

Many hours had passed and the boys gently drifted off into a light sleep, still squished on the same bed. But they both looked comfortable.

As the sun rose slowly in the sky the boys still slept on, for in that one moment, time wasn't something they worried about. In that moment they were just two kids who had been talking the night and now rested peacefully in bed, something that every child should have a chance to do.