The Magi
Kidnapped

Elijah looked at Isaac in disbelief. The others standing nearby seemed to have thesame feeling. They looked around at eachother, stealing quick glances at Elijah, and looking sick to theirstomachs. Mr. Button waved his arms inthe air signaling attention to all the students that had gathered.

“Please go back to your rooms everyone! And lock your doors!”

Mr. Button shooed the students along, especially the crowdcontinuing to linger around Elijah’s door.

“When did this happen?” Elijah asked.

“Not too long ago,” said Mr. Button. “I’ve alerted the elders, and the soldiersshould be here soon.”

“Soldiers?” Elijah asked as he looked again at the notestabbed to his door.

“Protectors of our city,” Paul said when Mr. Button didn’tanswer, obviously distracted by the continued commotion in the halls. “They’re stationed around the city to keepout Maliphists. Kind of like alookout. They’re trained and skilled inusing the elements for warfare if they need to.”

“Well, they’re going to need to now,” said Mr. Button,returning to the conversation, a hint of panic in his voice. He looked around anxiously, making surethings were still okay.

“How could they just walk in and take Samuel?” Elijahasked. “Wasn’t anyone here? Did anyone see it?”

“I did,” said a small, timid voice behind them. They turned around and saw the big, roundeyes of Adam Flemming looking like a frightened puppy.

“Did anyone else see?” Mr. Button asked Adam, who Elijahthought might keel over from the pressure of being questioned.

“There was a girl walking up the stairs who saw too,” Adammuttered.

“Who?” interrogated Mr. Button.

“I don’t know her name, but I’ve seen her in trainings. I think she’s in her preliminary yeartoo.”

“Okay,” said Mr. Button. “I have some things to take care of, but I need to talk with you four still. Go directly downstairs into my quarters andwait for me. Do NOT wander off,understand? I’ll be in there as soon asI replace this girl.”

Elijah, Paul, Isaac, and Adam walked down the stairs intothe main room with the oval fire pit, witnessing a scene at the front doors asthe trainers and teachers were fielding questions from concerned parents.

“We’ve searched the entire facility and have taken allprecautions necessary to keep the students safe,” Elijah heard a trainersay. “Soldiers will be here shortly.”

Elijah sensed the panic rising from the adults outside. Things could get ugly fast.

The four boys walked down the stairs into the training arenaand approached Mr. Button’s quarters, which was tucked away at the far end ofthe arena. As soon as they made it tothe bottom, Elijah shuddered. Duringtraining, when lots of students were using the equipment and doing theirexercises, the massive room wasn’t at all scary. With just the four of them, however, in thewake of the Maliphist kidnapping, the arena was a big, dark place wherepotential danger lurked. The flickeringshadows caused by the torches made Elijah jump now and then. Each step they took echoed loudly throughoutthe entire building. There would be nosneaking around here.

The closer the boys got to Mr. Button’s quarters, thequicker they walked, hustling to get there and finally closing the door behindthem. At first, after replaceing acomfortable place to sit, they just looked around, avoiding eye contact. Surprisingly, it was Adam that spoke first.

“I’m sorry about your friend,” he said to Elijah. Elijah nodded, looking at the ground. He hadn’t had time to digest what hadhappened. It was scary to think just howeasily the Maliphists could break in and take a child in such a closely watchedplace with only a couple people seeing.

After a short wait, Mr. Button walked in followed by a verythin girl with long brown hair and large brown eyes. Elijah recognized her from his mentaltraining classes and remembered thinking she was very pretty, except shefrequently carried a smirk on her face that made her seem less attractive.

“Gentlemen, this is Becca Uribe. I believe you know her seeing as you are allin your preliminaries,” Button said. “Have a seat, sweetheart.” Shefound a chair and glided over to it, sitting down delicately, immediatelycrossing her legs and folding her hands on her lap. “So let’s run through what happened. You start Adam.”

Adam looked quickly around the room before he began. “Almost everyone was gone. I went into the washroom and I heard a noise,so I peaked out and saw two of them.”

“The Maliphists?” asked Button.

“Yes,” Adam replied. “One had Samuel already, and the other shot that piece of wood throughElijah’s door.”

“Did they see you?” Mr. Button asked.

“No. I don’t thinkso.”

“And you didn’t try to help?” Paul asked in a judgmental tone.

Adam looked hurt.

“It’s good that you didn’t,” said Mr. Button shooting a lookat Paul, who at this point was getting restless with the talking. “If you had, you might have been taken too,or worse. How about you?” he askedBecca.

“You mean did they see me, or what’s my story?” she asked ina very matter-of- fact tone.

“Both.”

“I was just walking up the stairs to my room. I happened to see them taking that boy intoElijah’s room.”

“Why were they taking Samuel into Elijah’s room?” Mr. Buttonasked.

Becca shrugged.

“Did they see you?” he continued.

“I don’t know. Possibly,” she stated without a hint of fear or worry.

“Did you catch up on old times?” Paul asked jerkily. Becca pursed her lips and glared at him.

“That’s enough, Paul,” Mr. Button scolded. Paul snorted and huffed and went back tofidgeting. “Did anything happen afterthat?” Mr. Button continued, talking to both Becca and Adam. Becca shook her head. Adam, however, nodded.

“I think they went out Elijah’s window,” Adam answered. “I heard them in there, and they never cameback out after they took Samuel in.”

“Did you see themcome out?” Mr. Button asked Becca.

“No,” she responded. “I only saw them for a second.” Mr. Button scratched his bald head and bit his lower lip.

“And that’s when you came looking for me,” Mr. Button saidto Adam piecing the story together. Adamnodded. Mr. Button turned in Elijah’sdirection but was looking at the long list of names and destinations on thedismissal log. “According to thedismissal logs, you went to visit the Roddick family?”

“I was there all day,” Elijah said, feeling defensive.

“You’re not in trouble Elijah; I just need to get everythingstraight. As you can imagine this is adelicate situation.”

“Can I go now?” asked Becca in a tone part polite, partannoyed.

“Keeping you from something?” Paul interjectedsarcastically. “Bet you’re just itchingto get back to your own kind, aren’t you?” Becca closed her eyes and took a deep breath, fighting to maintain hercomposure.

“If you have nothing else to add,” Mr. Button said, “you maygo. Isaac, will you make sure she getsupstairs safely?”

“Sure,” Isaac replied, his usual smile erased from hisface. Becca rolled her eyes and walkedout the door while Isaac followed quite a ways behind her. As Mr. Button poked his head outside to makesure they both were okay, Elijah leaned over to Paul.

“What’s with her?” he asked.

Paul snorted. “She’sone of them. Her family came toSavenridge from Malpetra about a year ago.”

“Malpetra?” Elijah asked.

“The Maliphist city. It’s where they’re keeping your uncle and Phinneas. And now Samuel,” explained Paul.

“And Becca’s a Maliphist?” Elijah asked, shocked she wouldbe here living with the Magi.

“Well, apparently not anymore,” Paul said. “When the Uribe family arrived at Savenridge,they had defected from Malpetra. Theytalked with the elder council and everything and swore their allegiance to theMagi, but I don’t trust them. Especiallyher! You saw her! She acted like this was no big deal. Like Maliphists just show up every weekend tokidnap someone. Plus, she thinks she’sbetter than everyone else.” Elijah had aslight temptation to say ‘Look who’s talking’ but wisely decided against it.

Mr. Button left his quarters for just a second and came backinto the room carrying lots of blankets and pillows. Behind him was a man in a black cloak. Elijah hadn’t seen anyone in Savenridgewearing black before. The man stayedoutside the door even when Mr. Button walked into the room and threw the beddinginto a pile on the floor. Isaac soonreturned to the room after walking Becca upstairs.

“I think it’s best you four stay here for tonight,” Mr.Button said, shuffling paperwork. “Thesoldiers are here now, and they’ll be surrounding the training quarters duringthe night. We’ll also have a soldierright outside this door for your protection.” He pointed at the black-cloaked man. “We’ll try to get this whole thing straightened out by morning.”

Mr. Button walked out the door and closed it. There were no windows in the room, just adesk and lots of papers scattered everywhere. It was very untidy. After a longsilence, when all four boys had picked out their bedding and a spot on thefloor to sleep, Adam’s bottom lip began to quiver.

“You’re right,” he said. “I should have done something.” Elijah knew he was talking about helping Samuel, and he felt awful forAdam just then. Clearly, he hadn’tgotten over Paul’s earlier comment. Paulnoticed too, and his eyebrows slowly lifted in sympathy as he realized what hiswords had done to Adam.

“I’m sorry Adam,” Paul said, his voice suddenly gentle. “I didn’t mean it. I was just…look, Button was right. Anyone willing to break in right in front ofeveryone and take someone wouldn’t think twice about killing a kid. You did the right thing.”

Isaac leaned over and patted Adam on the shoulder. Adam conjured up a forced smile while hewiped away the water from his eyes before they turned to tears and ran down hischeeks.

“I just keep thinking about Samuel,” Adam continued. “I know how he feels. At least, I knew how he felt here.”

“What do you mean?” Elijah asked, thinking about how littlehe actually knew Samuel. Elijah was theone person Samuel knew in Savenridge, and he realized he never took the time toreally talk with him.

“I came from Saint Phillip’s Academy too,” Adam said, notmaking eye contact with any of the boys. “It was a little over a year ago. I was an orphan for nine years before I came to Savenridge. My parents decided to just leave me with somerandom family when I was three, and I went from one boarding school to the nextuntil I ended up at the academy, and then finally here.” He shook his head and wiped his eyesagain. “I love living here and everything,but no matter how great your life is or how nice your adopted family is, itnever takes the sting away from not being wanted by your real parents. It feels like a big hole—like a puzzlemissing one piece. It’s not rightwithout it.” Paul stared at the groundnow, his restlessness returning. Isaaclooked directly at Adam, who now held his legs and rested his chin on his kneesas he talked. “I know how alone Samuelfelt, but I can’t even imagine how scared and more alone he feels now. I’m sure it wouldn’t have done any good, butat least if I had done something to help, he would have known he wasn’talone. That someone cared enough totry.”

Adam Flemming may have been a shy, quiet boy who didn’t liketo talk much, but when he did, it was hard not to listen. The three other boys kept quiet for a while,letting Adam’s words sink in. Theythought about Samuel. They thought aboutwhat he might be feeling now and hoped he was okay. Elijah felt guilty. It was his fault Samuel was taken. It would be his fault if more students weretaken. Right then, he decided in themorning he would request to be taken to Malpetra in exchange for as manyprisoners as they would give up. He wasnot worth all of this.

To take his mind off of everything, Elijah decided to keepthe conversation going. He looked atAdam.

“I didn’t know you came from Saint Phillip’s Academy.” Adam nodded his head. “Are either of you from there?” Elijah asked Paul and Isaac.

“No,” said Paul. “Ilive with my mom here. My worthlessfather decided to join the Maliphists three years ago and left my mom herealone to raise me and my two sisters. Itell ya, it’s hard to not want to use the Magi power to go over to Malpetra andcrush him within an inch of his life for that. But I’d still knock him out if I ever get the chance. I don’t need a single element. Just a good right hook.” He took a swing at the air.

“What about you?” Elijah asked Isaac.

“I live with my grandparents, Monty and IsabelleRogers. Or, Mammy and Pappy to me.” He smiled and Elijah saw the old, happy Isaacreturn as he talked about his family. “My mom and dad and older brother, Caleb, are all marshals. They work outside the city, so I don’t seethem much. But they’re around forholidays and I’ll get to see them lots during the summer break.”

Elijah perked up hearing this. “Marshals? You mean, the Magi who work to stop Maliphists?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Would they know my uncle?”

Isaac shrugged. “Idunno. Maybe.”

“When do they come back to the city?”

“Not for a long time,” Isaac said disappointed. Elijah’s shoulders sank and he sighed indefeat.

“I can ask my grandparents,” said Isaac trying to giveElijah a little hope. “They might knowsomething.”

“Thanks,” said Elijah.

The four boys only stayed up a while longer. When the conversation waned, Paul got up anddoused the torch, signaling it was time for bed. Even so, it took a long time for each of themto finally fall asleep. When he finallybegan to drift off, Elijah wondered if Samuel was having a hard time fallingasleep too, wherever he was.

The next morning, Mr. Button woke the boys up early. It was obvious he had been up all night. Dark circles surrounded his eyes. His face and body were droopy, and he walkeda little slower than normal. The atmosphereof the entire training facility was much different than it had beenbefore. Instead of the energy and pulseof students going to their training exercises, the barracks looked deserted. When someone did venture out, a soldierfollowed close by.

Mr. Button took the boys upstairs and told them their roomshad been thoroughly inspected and cleared to live in again. He released Adam, Paul, and Isaac to go totheir own rooms, reminding them to return to training as soon as they could getready. He then escorted Elijah to hisroom, a soldier following closely behind.

“You’re room is safe, but we’ve got a soldier directly underyour window just in case,” Mr. Button said. “And we’ll have one outside your door, too. I know that may be a nuisance, but it’s bestto be cautious, eh? We need to keep yousafe.”

“Actually, I kind of want to talk to someone about that,”Elijah said. “I don’t see why otherstudents are being put in danger just to keep me safe. I don’t want to be responsible for anything else.”

“Oh, don’t you worry about that,” Mr. Button said. “We’ve got this place completely surroundedand under constant watch. I don’t thinkMaliphist himself could get through.” Mr. Button’s reassurance didn’t make Elijah feel any better, but hefigured Button wouldn’t be the person to talk to anyway. “We left the room exactly as it was,” Mr.Button continued. “Take some time to fixit back, but don’t forget you have training today. You missed your early session, and that’sunderstandable, but you should get down there as soon as you can.”

Elijah looked at the mess in his room. His discussion class books were scatteredeverywhere. It appeared like a few wereeven looked through as some lay open on the floor and on his bed. The Maliphists wouldn’t have had much time todo it, but then again, Elijah remembered the attack at his parents’ house andhow quickly the figure with the yellow eyes had moved. The Maliphists definitely knew how to dothings quickly!

His clothes had been scattered all over the floor, so Elijahbegan to sort them and put them neatly back into the wooden chest by thewindow. As he continued to fold andclean, his mind began to wander again and he thought about Samuel. He thought about what Adam said the nightbefore, and he wished more than anything he could go back in time and spendmore time with Samuel.

When Elijah finished putting away his books and clothes all strungabout, his room looked much better, but he soon noticed something that caughtthe light of the torch burning on his wall. It gleamed under the leg of the chest, so Elijah bent down to see whatit was. He got down on all fours andpeered under the wooden chest, reaching around until his hand clasped aroundsomething familiar. It was his mother’slocket. Elijah picked it up and used hisshirt to make it shine again. Hedelicately handled the cheap metal, inspecting it to make sure it wasn’tdamaged, and then returned it to the wooden chest.

Elijah reached into his pocket and felt his father’s pocketwatch, which he still kept with him always as his father had done. Since he found two of the three items he keptfrom his family, he went searching the room for Kyria’s two diaries. To his horror, he couldn’t replace themanywhere.

He thought maybe he had accidentally piled them with theother books, but after a second look through his pile, he knew otherwise. His heart raced as he frantically searchedhigh and low for the two priceless diaries. He tore everything out of the chest and scattered everything on the flooragain, shaking his clothes and feeling around for the books. He tore his bed apart thinking maybe they hadgotten lodged in the sheets. He searchedunder the bed, under the chest, on his desk, under his desk. No diaries.

Elijah looked at the window remembering the Maliphists mostlikely entered and exited through it. Heopened it, searching everywhere for any clues of the diaries’ whereabouts. He looked down below at the snow-coveredground for a sign of a book. He didn’tsee anything, but sure enough, just as Mr. Button said, a soldier in a blackcloak guarded the space under his window.

Elijah ran out of his room, leaving a worse mess than theMaliphists left, passing the soldier guarding his door. The soldier caught him and stopped him.

“Please!” Elijah begged, pulling himself from the hold ofthe soldier. “I’m missingsomething. I have to look outside. Please!” Elijah felt himself on the verge of tears, but he kept hiscomposure. The soldier let go.

“You need to follow me,” the soldier finally said, and heled Elijah toward the front of the quarters. They walked outside and Elijah pointed to where he wanted to look. He ran under his window, got on his hands andknees and began shoveling snow, feeling the ground all over with his hands. The two soldiers continued to hover overhim. He looked up.

“Help me!” he screamed at them. “I’m looking for two dark brown books. One has a gold lock on it.” Elijah never looked back to see if they werehelping, but he thought he could hear them pushing the snow around with theirfeet.

It wasn’t long before he gave up, knowing the fate of hissister’s only lasting memories. Hecaught his breath and leaned his back against the side of the wall as he sat inagony. The Maliphists now had possessionof Kyria’s diaries.