Chapter 28

Alan

       Grandpa, unfortunately, didn't agree with the ambush against Dirk's team. He thought it would be best if we just stayed away from them and kept training to become as strong as we could.

       However, I was still a curious as to what the were planning on doing now that Dirk was captured, so I decided to go stalk them down anyway and spy on them.

       None of my siblings wanted to come because they were all wimps. Well, I knew why Nolan didn't want to because he had to stay out of sight from Dirk's team. But Ryder and Orchid will still wimps because they had no reason to want to stay back.

       At least I had two family members that weren't wimps and agreed to come with me.

       One of them actually knew where their hideout was for some reason.

       "I'm still confused about one thing," I said as we walked to their hideout. "If you knew where they were hiding, why haven't you said anything?"

       "What would we do about it?" Elizabeth asked. "Gene already said we shouldn't do an ambush, and if I did tell people, word might get around and Dirk's team will find out and go to a different spot."

       "Okay, but how did you find out where they were hiding?" I asked.

       "I have my ways," Elizabeth said.

       "Which is...?"

       "How many questions do you have to ask?"

       "Enough to get an answer."

       "Well, it was simple," Elizabeth said. "During the attack, I ended up putting a tracking device on the person I was fighting. So, either they found out and dropped it at the warehouse, or that's where their hideout actually is. My money is on the latter because they're quite stupid."

       "You're right there," I said. "I mean, Dirk is their leader, and he's captured right now. And he's probably the definition of an idiot."

       "Speaking of idiots, are you sure it's a smart idea to bring your little sister with us?" Elizabeth asked.

       "You better be referring to the fact that Alan is the idiot, and not me," Tulip spoke up.

       "I am," Elizabeth said. "Of course you're not the idiot."

       "And neither am I," I said. "Well, at least some of the time, and this definitely isn't one of the times. If they end up being in the hideout and they're talking about a plan, or anything we could use as useful information, then we want to remember everything that's being said. With Tulip, we won't have to be worried about forgetting anything."

       "Point taken," Elizabeth said. "We just have to make sure we don't get caught. Which reminds me. Is your cell phone on silent?"

       I took my phone out of my pocket to check. "Yeah, why?"

       "Because in a lot of movies, the idiot hero doesn't have their cell phone on silent," Elizabeth said. "And it just so happens to ring, which makes them get caught. We're not making that mistake."

       "Good point," I said.

       The three of us got to the warehouse where Dirk's team was hiding out. We looked for some sort of back entrance and when we found it, we carefully opened the door and walked in.

       It was quite dark in the building, so I activated my night vision and led the way through the warehouse. It didn't take long before I heard a few voices, so I was careful to look around before spotting Cheryl and a few other people.

       We got as close as we could to Cheryl without being seen before hiding behind a crate and listening to their conversation.

       "I told you, we can't just go running back to the HQ and try breaking Dirk out," Cheryl said. "I bet you anything that he was actually taken to the Tribunal so they can keep a better eye on him."

       "Well, then how are we going to get him back?" someone else asked. "We need him. He's one of the strongest sorcerers out there, almost as strong as Jerome."

       Cheryl snorted. "He is as strong as Jerome. In fact, he's stronger."

       "You and I both know that's not true," the other person said. "If we want to defeat the Protectors, we have to think logically. And logically, Jerome is stronger than Dirk. You can't think otherwise just because you're Dirk's girlfriend."

       "Well, even though Jerome is the strongest, that doesn't necessarily mean he's strong right now," Janelle said.

       "What do you mean by that?" the other person asked.

       "Because he's most likely a wreck right now," Janelle said. "Dirk killed Nolan for a reason. It was clear Jerome had feelings for Nolan, so losing him definitely did a lot of damage. There's no way he's going to be strong enough to handle us."

       "Okay, so what do you suggest?" Cheryl asked.

       "Dirk is the only sorcerer on our side and with him captured, nobody will fully be able to take on Jerome," Janelle said. "The answer to our problem is very simple. We recruit another sorcerer. That way, we can take down Jerome. He's the one that's keeping the Protector safe and he's our biggest threat."

       "That might work," Cheryl said. "But I also think we need some sort of leverage against them. Something that will make them want to give Dirk back to us. Any ideas?"

       "One of the Princes," Janelle said. "They're not only the head's grandchildren, but the strongest Protectors in that HQ. He kidnap one, and we'll give them an ultimatum. Dirk for the Prince we take."

       "Perfect," Cheryl said. "And I know just the one. I think a nine-year-old will be a lot more effective than the other three."

       I looked over at Tulip and shook my head, silently telling her that it was not going to happen. At least not on my watch and when Ryder finds out, certainly not on his. He would die before he let anything bad happen to Tulip.

       "How are we going to take her?" Janelle asked. "Last time we went to the HQ, we lost quite a few of our team."

       "Easy," Cheryl said. "The next Protector we see, we enchant and make them do our bidding."

       I signaled to Elizabeth and Tulip that we should probably leave now. We got enough information right now, and we didn't want to stay any longer otherwise we might get caught.

       Once we were out of the warehouse and walking back to the HQ, I said, "At least we're one step ahead of them this time. Don't worry, Tulip. We're not going to let them touch you."

       "I know," Tulip said, and she didn't even seem worried. "I'd like to see them try."

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lol short author's note because im tried and want to go to bed.

so there will be another book after this and im so excited for it. i already have ideas and know what the first chapter will be about.