The Adventures of Emily Tual Book One
Chapter Twenty One

Down at Camp Wolfwood, Gabriel, Jasper and James were focused on trying to replace Emily. They were trying to focus their magic on her. The only problem was, there were quite a few magical beings in Ohio alone. Some were enemies not just to them but to the Black Hand as well. Very few of them were friends to them. They had to make sure that they didn’t tap into their magical powers. If they did, it would be very bad.

James was focused on Emily. He had to replace her. He had taken responsibility for watching over her and he had failed to do that. Sure he hadn’t had known that the Seeker would be able to tell that he was there but that still didn’t make up for failing to keep her safe. He had seen her nightmare and now it risked coming true. He reached out and focused on her heart. He knew that her heart was the strongest part of her. The magic she had was in her heart. Something came to him. He could see Emily. She was bound to a chair. She looked terrible. He focused on her surroundings. He saw one of the men who had shown up at the hospital earlier that day. He also saw Bastet. He recognized the Black Hand cat anywhere.

He opened his eyes. “I know where Emily is.” He told Jasper and Gabriel.

Both of the men looked at him. “Are you sure?” Gabriel asked.

James nodded. “I saw her.” He told them. “She’s bound in a chair in a building. One of the men who had taken her from the hospital was with her. So was Bastet.” Both Gabriel and Jasper looked at each other. There was only one place that the chosen one could be at.

“She’s in Cleveland.” Gabriel said and he stood up. Jasper and James both stood up as well.

“But where in Cleveland?” Jasper asked, looking at James. “Did you get a clue as to the building?” He asked.

James shook his head. “Not really. All I could see was that it wasn’t a normal building. It was large and had a lot of space.”

Gabriel nodded. “Like a warehouse.” He said.

Both Jasper and James looked at him. “A warehouse?” Jasper asked. “How did you get that from James’s description of the building?”

Gabriel looked at Jasper. “Because Bastet isn’t the only one from the Black Hand who has property in the city.” He answered.

That surprised both Jasper and James. “What do you mean?” James asked. “Who else is in Cleveland that’s with the Black Hand?” He only knew of Bastet because she was the biggest threat that Gabriel had always said was in Cleveland. So who else was in Cleveland that was as powerful as Bastet?

Gabriel started to walk to the door of the study. “Someone who isn’t living in Cleveland.” He answered. “He just has property in the city.”

Jasper and James ran after Gabriel. “Who is he?” James asked.

Gabriel shook his head. “He’s a high ranking Black Hand. He doesn’t live in the States so he isn’t a member of the First Circle. He lives in Italy and, like Him, is the highest ranking Black Hand of the Triad.” He explained, referring to the Triad. The system in Italy and all over Europe that divided the Black Hands up into three groups. Not as many groups as the Circles in the States but the Triad Black Hands, even in the Third Triad, were way more dangerous than most of the First Circle. Only the man with the German accent was ranked higher than even the First Triad.

Jasper frowned. “Why would a Black Hand have property in Cleveland?” He asked. “It doesn’t make sense.”

Gabriel didn’t stop walking. “This Black Hand is possibly the closest thing to an equal that He has.” He explained. “He would have property all over the world to disappear to if he needed to disappear for a while.” He looked at James. “And he just so happens to have several Seekers in the Third Triad.” He added. “So it would make sense that the Seeker you encountered serves him too.”

James shook his head. “Why would he want to kill the chosen one?” He asked. “It doesn’t make sense. Why risk his high ranking position just to disobey orders?”

Gabriel grimaced. “I doubt that even he knows what the Seeker is doing here.” He answered. “If he is with Bastet, than it makes sense that this Seeker might be striking out on his own in a shaky alliance with the cat.” It didn’t matter if the Triad Black Hand knew about this or not. All that mattered was that they had to get to Emily before it was too late.

Outside, the three got into the car. “Please tell me you have an address.” Jasper said as he started up the vehicle. “If not, this is going to be a very short drive.”

Gabriel took the map out of the back of the shotgun seat and opened it to reveal Ohio. “If I recall correctly, the warehouse is right here.” He pointed to the western end of Cleveland. “I don’t know the exact address but that is where I saw the warehouse that the Triad Black Hand owns.”

Jasper sighed. “Better than nothing I guess.” He pulled out of the driveway.

In the city, the Man with the German Accent looked out of his sedan. His convoy hadn’t gotten far. There were way too many cats. They had been joined by the larger, more ferocious cats of the Cleveland Zoo. They were the ones that had surrounded the convoy. The Man with the German Accent had ordered his Black Hands to open fire on the cats but when they did, the bullets had bounced off of the cats. No doubt because of Bastet. The Man with the German Accent couldn’t wait to get his hands on the traitorous cat. He would make an example of her once and for all.

The Man with the German Accent raised his cane and the jewel on the top started to glow blue. The cats around the convoy turned around walked away like they had lost interest in the convoy. The Man with the German Accent rolled down his window and raised his cane up into the air. “This should help.” He said. Blue energy waves came out of his cane and spread out. All the cats that were blocking them moved out of the way. He smiled. “Now drive.” He ordered the driver. “We need to replace that traitor.”

As the convoy was moving, the Black Hand with the Man with the German Accent looked at him. “Should we contact Agent Simmons and his men?” He asked. “Ask for their help.”

The Man with the German Accent looked at him and shook his head. “No.” He answered. “I’m willing to bet that they’re working with the traitorous cat. Why else would she be doing all of this to stay hidden? They brought her the chosen one and now she wants to make sure that none of us can stop her from ruining everything.”

He shook his head. “Why the master brought her in to be a Black Hand is beyond me.” He continued. “That cat has tried to betray us more times than I can count.” He thought about Bastet and how long he had known her. They had met back when the Egyptian Empire had fallen to the Romans. He had been the leader of the Roman forces. Of course during that time the Black Hand knew him as the Magician. More than half of the Roman army had been Black Hands. He had found the cat in her temple with her forces. Her forces had given his soldiers quite a challenge. They had killed her forces of course. That was when the Darkness had offered Bastet a place in the Black Hand. She had accepted and was given amnesty along with every other Egyptian that had surrendered to the Romans. They had then been absorbed into the Black Hand. Bastet had been given power but not as much power as she originally had.

The Man with the German Accent had kept an eye on her over the years. He had even convinced the Darkness to order her to be stationed in Cleveland after getting a tip about a possible bloodline that were descendants of Seraphina. She had been in a lower Circle at that time. Something he had done to rub it in her face that he was superior to her. After that, it had taken them nearly a hundred or so years before the car wreck. The Man with the German Accent always suspected that Bastet had always done that on perfect. Just to get revenge on him. She claimed to have lost the bloodline during the Lost Depression during those one hundred years. The Man with the German Accent had always hated that and had gone to the Darkness to complain. The Darkness had simply told him that his time would come.

The Man with the German Accent hoped that this was the moment that the Darkness was referring to. He wanted to get rid of Bastet once and for all. He didn’t trust her at all. The Man with the German Accent looked out his window as the convoy moved. Question was, where did Bastet have her little base located at? She wasn’t at her suite or her building. There was no sign of her at any of the public places they had driven by. It should have been easy to replace her with what was happening. Just go the direction that most of the cats were coming from. The only problem with that was that they were coming from everywhere.

That was when the Man with the German Accent noticed something. The cats weren’t attacking anyone. They were herding people into buildings and then sitting in such large groups that no one could leave the buildings. His convoy were the only vehicles moving. Everyone else had parked by the look of things. He shook his head and turned to his Black Hand. “Tell the others not to stop driving.” He ordered. “And tell them not to get out of their vehicles. If they do, they’ll get herded into a building.” No doubt that was what had happened to the Black Hands in the police stations with their fellow police. They had all been herded most likely into holding cells so they couldn’t escape. He and his men were on their own.

Through the eyes of one of her cats, Bastet watched the convoy. She hissed. “He’s here!” She turned to Agent Simmons and blinked her eyes. Her vision changed from the convoy to Agent Simmons.

Agent Simmons was wiping blood off of his knife. “What are you going to do?” He asked. “The girl is still alive.”

Bastet shook her head. “We need to hold him and his Black Hands long enough to kill her.” She told him.

Agent Simmons nodded. “But there’s one problem.” He said before he smiled. He pointed his knife at her. “He knows this is your doing.” He told her. “Your army is made of cats. He’s going to blame you for all of this.”

Bastet realized what Agent Simmons was saying. “You did this.” She said. “You tricked me into taking the fall for this.” She couldn’t believe that she had fallen for his plan. “You warned me of him looking for me, knowing I would bring an army to stall him. Then he would only suspect me.”

Agent Simmons nodded. “And then my men and I would claim that you had attacked us and stole the child from us. When he replaces us, he’ll replace the girl and you dead.” He smiled.

Bastet shook her head. “But why?” She asked. “What did I ever do to you?”

Agent Simmons laughed. “You did nothing to me.” He told her. “My master ordered this.”

There it was again. His master. Who was he? Bastet took a step back. “Your master failed to account for one thing.” She told Agent Simmons. Agent Simmons laughed. “And what would that be?” He asked. His master never made a mistake. Bastet hissed. “Where my cats and I kill you, your men, the Black Hands with that idiot and the Darkness’s highest rank official.” With that, she leapt into the air and attacked Agent Simmons.

Agent Simmons’s men were facing the city when the cats closest to them changed into half-cat and half-human warriors. Their faces, hands and feet were cat-like. They all wore simple robes. Their claws were out. That was when the three men heard gunshots and Agent Simmons scream. They ran inside. To their horror, Agent Simmons was dead on the ground. Bastet was standing over him. Agent Simmons looked bloody and there was blood dripping from Bastet’s claws and fangs.

Bastet looked at them. “You’re next.” She hissed. Before the three men could escape, they were quickly killed by Bastet’s warriors. Bastet smiled and went to the entrance of the warehouse. “Rise up my warriors!” She shouted. “Rise up and kill the Black Hands with the Magician!”