Chapter 62 The Gates Of Hell
THE FIFTH ELEMENT 🔥🌪️🌊⛰️🌀
SAGE’S POV 🌊🌊
I was glad I joined this mission.
Even after hours of walking with nothing to show for it but sore feet and dust in my throat, it was worth it. I’d fought one of those creatures one-on-one. Well, three-on-one if I was being honest. But we won. That mattered more than the aches in my legs or the dirt caked under my nails.
“Hey, thanks for having our backs back there,” Nick said, falling into step beside me. “Even without using your powers, you still kicked ass.”
I blinked, startled.
Why was he talking to me?
“I thought you were mute,” I said, keeping my eyes on the road ahead. The trees were thinning out, the path ahead getting clearer.
“I thought you didn’t have a heart,” he replied, matching my pace easily.
“I don’t,” I said flatly.
“That’s what I used to think,” he said. “But I know now that it isn’t true.”
I frowned.
“Stop talking to me and go back to being mute.”
“I get it, you know,” he said, ignoring me.
“Get what?” I snapped, stopping in my tracks.
“Why you’re so mean to people,” he said. “You weren’t always like this.”
That made me pause.
I turned to face him, letting my death glare settle in. “What makes you think you can talk to me? What—you think you know me because we’ve walked in silence for a few hours? Because we fought a creature to save our own skins?”
“I’m sorry,” he said quickly, holding up both hands. “I didn’t mean to piss you off.”
“Don’t talk to me,” I said coldly. “And stay the hell away from me.”
I brushed past him and moved up to join Jake and Gia at the front. My pulse was still pounding, but not from the fight.
“What was that about?” Damon’s voice came from behind me, too close.
I didn’t stop walking. “What?”
“Just concerned, baby sis,” he said, matching my pace now. “Was Nick bothering you?”
I shot him a glare over my shoulder.
“No, he wasn’t. Now leave me alone.”
“Wait! Guys—” Phoebe’s voice cut through the air, sharp and urgent. “I hear something.”
My body tensed instantly. Not again.
“Oh no,” Madeline groaned, already pacing. “This isn’t good. I haven’t even recovered from the last fight, and now another one!?”
“It’s not the creatures,” Phoebe said quickly.
That made me exhale. Thank goodness.
“What is it then?” Damon asked, stepping closer to her.
“People,” Phoebe said, tilting her head like she was listening to something far off. “I hear people talking… and laughing.”
“Okay, weird,” Madeline said. “What do you think, Jake?”
“We must be close to the village,” Jake said, his voice low but steady. “This is where people without elemental powers live.”
“Really?” Madeline’s eyes widened. “I’ve never met anyone without elemental powers before. That must be so horrible for them.”
“Not necessarily,” I said before I could stop myself. “If anything, I’d say it’s peaceful for them.”
Madeline gave me a weird look, like I’d just said the sky was green. I ignored her.
“Gia, can you check if there’s something new?” Jake asked.
Gia closed her eyes for a second, her brow furrowing in concentration. Then she nodded. “It’s still this way. We’re on the right track.”
“Okay,” Jake said. “Let’s keep moving.”
We didn’t walk much longer before the trees opened up and the village came into view.
It was small, tucked between rolling hills and a slow-moving river. The houses were low and made of stone and wood, smoke curling lazily from chimneys. Lanterns hung from posts, casting warm light across the dirt paths.
Jake, Cara, Greg, and Nick put out their fire before we got too close. No need to draw attention we didn’t want.
A group of old men and women sat around a central fire pit, singing off-key and laughing at nothing. Their faces were flushed, their voices slurred.
“What’s wrong with them?” I asked Jake quietly.
“They’re drunk,” he said. “Must’ve had too much wine.”
I nodded. That explained the singing.
We moved quietly through the outer paths, keeping to the shadows, watching everyone we passed. Most people barely noticed us. A few glanced up, curious, but went back to their conversations.
When we reached a quieter part of the village, Gia stopped.
“I got something,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Jake nodded, and she led the way.
We stopped in front of a massive gate. Iron, reinforced with steel bands, taller than any of us by at least three times. Symbols I didn’t recognize were carved deep into the metal, faintly glowing even in daylight.
“This is it,” Gia said. “Cassie’s inside. I’m sure of it.”
Jake studied the gate, his jaw tightening. “Okay, guys. We made it to the first half. Now we figure out how to get inside, get Cassie, and get out without being spotted.”
Cara stared up at the gate and let out a low whistle. “Any suggestions on how we get inside that?”
We all stared at it in silence.
“Even our school gate isn’t this big,” Madeline muttered. “Who are these people?”
No one answered.
The air around the gate felt wrong. Heavy. Like it was watching us back.
“Guards,” Phoebe said suddenly. “Two of them. On the other side. Armed.”
“How many?” Jake asked.
“Two I can hear clearly,” Phoebe said. “There might be more.”
Damon cracked his knuckles. “So we fight?”
“No,” Jake said immediately. “Not yet. We don’t know what we’re walking into. If we start a fight here, we could lose Cassie.”
“So what do we do?” Greg asked.
Gia stepped forward, pressing her palm against the gate. The glowing symbols flared briefly under her touch.
“There’s magic in this,” she said. “Old magic. It’s blocking me from seeing inside.”
“Can you break it?” Nick asked.
“Not alone,” Gia said. “I’d need time. And quiet.”
“And we don’t have either,” I said.
A shout echoed from somewhere inside the walls, followed by laughter.
It didn’t sound friendly.
“Great,” Madeline muttered. “They sound charming.”
Jake turned to all of us, his expression hardening. “New plan. We scout the perimeter. Look for another way in. If there isn’t one, we make one. But we do it smart.”
“What about the guards?” Cara asked.
“We avoid them if we can,” Jake said. “If we can’t… we'll handle it somehow.”
We walked for nearly an hour, circling the wall. No doors. No windows. Just stone and iron and that faint, pulsing magic in the air.
“It’s useless,” Greg said, frustrated. “There’s no way in.”
“There’s always a way in,” Jake said quietly. “We just haven’t found it yet.”
~