Emmy, Ryan, Brie, and I are sitting on the couch in the main living room watching TV. It feels good to do something mindless after our latest mission. Bex and Alice are still healing, thankfully they both are going to live. We almost lost Alice. None of us wants to lose a team member. We are a close-knit group, and just the thought of one of us missing is just depressing.
Calder and Travis walk into the room. Kyndle is perched on Calder's shoulder. Calder seems to be getting along nicely with his animal companion. Travis and Calder both have concerning, worried looks on their faces. They are about to tell us bad news, I can just feel it.
“Carter, the Enchantress has taken your parents,” Travis says in a solemn voice.
I jump up from my spot on the couch. “What?”
“The protection spell that was used on them alerts us when they are taken, and they were taken a few days ago. My guess is the Enchantress knows we took the phoenix and is looking for some revenge. We put a tracking spell on them as well, so we know where they are at,” Travis informs us.
Emmy grabs my hand as she stands up.
“We will save them, Carter. Everyone needs to get ready to go now. Except for Alice and Bex, they are still healing, and are in no shape to go on a mission. Carter you can sit this one out if you would like, I’d understand if you don’t think you can handle this,” Tavis directs “No, I’m coming,” I say with seething anger. First my friends now my parents, this bitch is messing with the wrong person.
“Okay let’s meet up in fifteen minutes. Is that enough time for everyone?” Emmy asks.
Everyone agrees. We head to get our weapons, and anything we might need. I’m so pissed off right now, but I’m also worried about my parents. I can only imagine what the Enchantress is doing to them. They have no clue about the magical world, but I guess they do now, which means I have a lot of explaining to do. I’m dreading having to tell them the truth, but right now I just want them safe.
Once everyone is gathered, Calder and Emmy teleport us to an abandoned house where my parents should be at. The house is falling apart, who knows how long the house has been falling apart, but from what I can judge it’s been a while. We can hear screams coming from inside of the house. There is nothing else around, which I can only assume that’s why the Enchantress chose this place.
“We have to be smart about this. There’s no way of knowing if this is a trap or not,” Emmy states in her leadership voice.
I take a moment to admire my girlfriend. She’s so amazing. When all of this first started going down Emmy was so against being the leader of the team, but now she embraces it with pride. I’m really proud of how far she has come, I always knew she could do it. After a few moments of admiration, I go back to focusing on saving my parents. If there is anyone in the world to save them it’s this team.
“I agree with Emmy. We can’t just barge in there,” Calder agrees.
“Let me go in first. It will make sense for me to be coming after my parents,” I suggest.
“No. Someone with magic is going first, preferably either Calder or me. We are the only two who can handle her magic,” Emmy counters.
“Fine, but I’m going with whoever goes in first,” I demand.
“Emmy and Carter should go in first, while Brie, Ryan, Avery, and I stay behind. Avery and I will take the front, while Brie and Ryan take the back. We will have them surrounded. They have to be on the first floor considering the second floor is non-existent. Judging from the sounds of the scream they are closer to the front of the house.”
Calder has come up with a good plan.
We all nod our heads in agreement. Emmy and I walk into the house, find my parents tied to two chairs in what must have been a living room or study. My mom cries out my name. I want to run to her, but I know I can’t. Tori or the Enchantress, whatever she is going by, turns to face Emmy and me. I look at my parents. They are bloody, their clothes are torn, my dad’s left eye is swollen, and my mom’s right leg looks broken since it is in an odd position. I’m furious.
“Emmy and Carter, how nice of you to join us,” Tori says with a smile on her face.
I want to punch her. I pull out my Glocks and point them at her. My mom shrieks, my mom hates guns, and I know she hates that I have two of them right now. I know my guns will do nothing to Tori while she is possessed by the Enchantress, but it makes me feel better pointing them at her stupid face.
“Let them go,” Emmy demands.
“Or what?” Tori taunts.
“I’ll kick your ass.” Emmy shrugs her shoulders like it’s not a big deal.
Tori laughs, fuck I hate her laugh. “I’d like to see you try,” she taunts.
Just then the rest of the team pops out from their hiding spots. Ryan is holding his axe in a fighting stance, Avery is pointing her crossbow right at Tori, and Brie has her bow and arrow drawn, and ready to fire. Calder doesn’t have a weapon, but he’s pretty lethal on his own. Emmy puts herself in an attack position. Tori just laughs at us.
“You all are so cute thinking you can take me out with your little weapons,” Tori mocks us.
Kyndle flies off of Calder’s shoulder, and grows back to her full size. She breathes fire at Tori who protects herself with an ice shield. With Kyndle distracting Tori. I run to my parents to untie them. Avery and Brie join me to help heal and take care of my parent’s wounds. Emmy and Calder help fight Tori with Kyndle. Ryan stands guard around my parents, Brie, Avery, and I.
“Wretched bird!” Tori screams.
Tori is having a hard time fighting Emmy, Calder, and Kyndle. The three of them are pretty powerful. Tori weakened herself by using her magic to torture my parents. Tori or the Enchantress, I still don’t know which one to call her, is slowly gaining some ground back. The Enchantress isn’t as strong or powerful while she is possessing a human, but still, it takes three powerful beings to fight her.
“You will pay for this!” Tori screams.
“Yeah, Yeah, so we’ve heard before. Find something new to threaten us with,” Emmy responds. I’m so proud of my love right now.
“Seriously you sound like a broken record,” Calder adds.
Tori screams in frustration, and then disappears. Calder and Emmy high five. I turn my focus back to my parents. Brie and Avery have done a good job at healing them. They almost look normal again, besides their clothes being bloody, torn, and dirty you wouldn’t know that they had been tortured.
My parents demand an explanation from me. I do my best to explain things to them, but in the end, they don’t want to hear what I have to say. They accuse me of being part of a cult. They aren’t taking the truth well at all. They are coming up with everything they can to make it seem like what I am saying isn’t the truth. They accuse me of being crazy and threaten to put me in a mental hospital.
I can’t lie, I'm heartbroken by their responses, but I’m also not surprised. In the end they don't accept the truth, and the only thing I can do is have Calder and Emmy wipe their minds. Brie gives them a sleeping potion. Emmy waves her hands, and their clothes repair themselves.
Once they are cleaned up, healed, and their minds wiped we take them back home. When they wake up, they will think this was all a horrible nightmare. They have missed a few days, so Calder put it in their minds that they were sick with a bad stomach bug, which would explain why they will feel disoriented when they wake up.
After my parents are safe at home, and a stronger protection spell has been cast on them, the team and I head back home. I’m exhausted. I was so afraid that we would find them dead. Thankfully, we got there in time to save them, even though they didn’t accept the truth, and said some pretty mean things, I still would miss them if they were dead. I guess I like the fact that although I don’t see them all the time, they are still alive, and I can see them whenever I want.
I crash in my bed. I need a few days’ worth of sleep I think to myself. Emmy comes to check on me, and make sure I’m okay. I assure her I’m fine. I really am okay. Sure, I’m hurt by what they said, but I also wasn’t surprised. I’m just tired from all the adrenaline that had been pumped into my body. That was the only way I was able to save them was the fact that I was high off my own adrenaline. Now my body needs to crash, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.