Page 101 of Gift from the Tree

Fuck, this can’t be happening again.

I close my eyes tight, shaking my head to try to clear the black spots that are dancing in my vision. We staked out the camp for two days, preparing to infiltrate it. The scouting team that had sat there for over two weeks were confident this was a large hot spot for hostages.

The camp had the same guard change times, every few hours the entire time we were watching it. Ry could sense the number of bodies coming in and out of the camp and it never seemed like they were moving hostages, only a group of three or so moving at a time.

In the center of the camp were about twenty people clustered together, never moving very far away from one another, so it was easy to assume that those were the hostages. We were so fucking wrong.

They knew the whole time we were out there watching them from a distance, and they were planning their attack while we were preparing for ours. As soon as we took the guards out at their shift change and made our way directly to the center of the camp, bodies began pouring in through transport. They attacked our teams with ruthless strikes but never attempted to hit me or Tillman with deadly force.

I watched as one of the rebel fighters threw a vial between three of our men and struck it with a fireball. As soon as the vial lit, it caused a massive explosion, sending everyone flying to their asses. All three of those men, gone in the blink of an eye.

Tillman was ambushed immediately as he hit the ground, savagely fighting them off before his hands were encased in ice blocks so massive, he couldn’t lift his arms and a vial poured over his face knocked him out. Shaking with anger, I flew through the shadows, making my way to him, killing anyone I passed. I saw Ry and the rest of the teams getting circled, fighting with all they had to make their way to Tillman as well.

Before I could approach him, someone activated a Star gem and blinding light cut off every shadow and dark corner in the area, forcing my gift back into me with nowhere to travel. I hate that fucking feeling, having my gift locked away, clawing at me, begging for release.

Calling on my water, I shoved streams down as many throats as I could, drowning anyone in my way to get to Tillman, but it wasn’t enough. There were too many and I knew it. Bodies were piling on me, delivering blow after blow, then my hands were encased like his but in stone and I was brought down to my knees.

“Retreat,” I bellowed.

Ry whipped his head toward me, bloodied and barely standing, his eyes wide, staring as both of his leaders were dragged away, captured like fucking amateurs. I heard him bellow the same order as the transport whisked me and Tillman away.

I tried calling on my gift before they dragged us out of the transport, but those fuckers were prepared for that. They transported us into different rooms, and I was dropped on my knees in the middle of this room with Star gems in every corner, my gift withering in my chest with no power source to feed from to enhance my healing or find me a way out.

My legs sank into the stone like it was liquid concrete before hardening, leaving me exposed from my dick up, hands still encased in stone blocks. They were ready for me, and they had prepared this room for me, just like before. Only this time, they sweetened the deal by getting to Tillman as well.

A man I didn’t recognize stepped into the room with five guards surrounding him moments after we arrived. “Caspian Vito, you aren’t an easy man to capture, or I guess recapture shall I say.”

“Who the fuck are you?” I tried to keep my tone bored, but I was in rough shape. Blood was dripping from my head on the floor, and I couldn’t feel my hands at all where the stone continued to block my water element.

“We’ll have plenty of time to get to know one another soon enough. We’ve spent much time and money planning our attempt to capture your little Nexus group, so it was a pleasant surprise today that not one but two of you came to us.” He smiled at me, proud that we fell into his trap. I wanted to pull his fucking teeth out one by one, then shove them down his throat. I’d make him suffer long enough to piss and shit every last one of them out before I finally ended him.

“What do you want?”

“I can’t share that with you quite yet, but I will once we have the other two of your Nexus. It was a pleasure to meet you. Our time with you is going to be much longer this time around than the last. Make him talk, figure out how to find that academy they’re hiding in and how to get through the wards.” With that order, he transported, leaving the guards with their orders, but they wouldn’t get shit from me.

For an hour, they took turns interrogating me, beating me to within an inch of my life until a commotion above us drew their attention and they all ran out of the room to check it out. The fuckers had healing vials, taunting me with them this entire time. I knew they wanted to keep me alive, but if they didn’t get that shit to me soon and a healer, they’ll be shit out of luck.

My breathing is labored, and I’m on the verge of passing out. I may have passed out for a moment before a noise at the door forces my head up, my mind as alert as possible for whatever’s heading my way.

“Fuck, I didn’t expect that to just open,” a sweet, innocent voice says.

No, fuck no. She can’t be here.

“Willow,” I grunt as loudly as I can, but it’s barely above a whisper. I’ve lost so much blood, and my gift can’t do anything for me.

“Caspian, no.” Her eyes widen as she rushes from the door to me. “Hold on, hold on.” She begins pulling vials out of a bag that’s strapped around her hips and holds them to my lips.

Gaster’s healing vial. I’ve had it so many times in my life, I’d be able to drink it blind and know it’s his. Unfortunately, though, it isn’t going to fix me this time. I need my gift and a healer, ASAP.

“Why are you here?” my voice croaks.

“Drink another,” she insists. “We’re here to rescue you and Tillman.”

“But why did you come? This is too dangerous. You’re going to get yourself killed,” I say softly, blinking the blood out of my eyes so I can see her.

My feelings for her are no longer so cut and dry. So I’ve kept my distance, stalking her from the shadows, waiting for an inkling of something to hold over her, even something small that I could use to justify my own fear, my own hatred. But the shadows just showed me more than I bargained for.

Pure fucking rage swallowed me up as she held her own against that fucking loser her first day of class, and I was preparing to step in when she sent his ass flying across the fields, hundreds of yards, and I stared in amazement.

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