I flew over the edge of the world and found Moreno back near the waterfall, just like he was in my vision. His eyes were bloodshot, and he kicked his legs over the side of the cliff. He scowled and glared into the never-ending fog. It was just like my vision and I knew exactly what to do.

I landed beside him with ease. There had to be a way that I could do this. I took a deep breath to calm down and tried to remember what I had said before.

"There you are," I tried to sound confident. "Alana was worried."

Moreno looked at me with fury in his eyes. "Why didn't she come herself?"

"She's talking to Doc." I hit the button on my pack that folded up my wings with a snap. "And she's angry too. She's just better at hiding it."

"Maybe we should let your mother overthrow Tytan," Moreno said. "He's a bastard. I should fly to Nikone and kill him myself."

I moved closer to him. "You can't do that, Jordan."

Moreno stood and whirled on me. "They took her, and we've been ordered to stand down. I want to kill them all."

"That won't help." I pushed a strand of hair from his face and looked him in the eyes, touching our foreheads. "You can't help Care from here. We need you at the compound. Please, Jordan... I need you."

My heart beat faster and I knew what came next. Moreno pressed his lips on mine and kissed me. He wrapped a hand around me and I melted against him. It was nice and when we broke apart, he cupped my cheek.

"Thank you," he said. "I love you."

The words took my breath away. He smiled, and I kissed him again. Against all odds, here I was in the realm of the giants, kissing a boy. Somehow, this wasn't the strangest thing I'd done this week, but I was happy.

"I love you too," I said. "But we really should go to the compound. Alana is talking to the other commanders. They aren't giving up on your sister."

"How?" He asked. "The king gave orders. I may not like it, but arguing with Tytan is dangerous. You, especially, can't make an enemy of him."

"I know," I said. "He's already told me to mind my own business."

Moreno stiffened. "He what?"

"It was in a vision," I said. "I connected with him and Ellenora. It was weird. I heard their voices in the present. There was a third voice too, but I don't think it was Victor."

"That's..." he trailed off. "I'm not even sure I want to know. Your family is confusing, but it Tytan is threatening you we should take precautions."

"I'll be fine," I said. "Let's go home."

It was the first time I called the compound home, but it felt right. It wasn't just Moreno. The halfants felt like family.

"Let's go home," Moreno said.

We flew back to the compound together. Alana actually looked mildly impressed that I hadn't used Doc's suggestion and brought him back in handcuffs. I thought that Moreno was of more use to us if he wasn't in the cell next to Gayle.

She led us into the Commander's office. It was a room that I hadn't been before. There was a desk in the center of the room and the main wall had four screens. The first showed us in the office. The other three showed the commanders each in a different place.

"You found Moreno," Doc said.

"We're going to find my sister," Moreno said.

"I agree," Doc said. "But that Golden Guard is a problem. After this meeting, I'm going to the capital to attempt to sort this all out. I can't believe that Tytan went this far. He hasn't overstepped this much since three years ago."

"When he sent the golden guards into Half Circle to kill Drake?" the frost commander said. "Because we never found out what he was up to that night, just that Todd and Drake died and we couldn't get answers."

"That's not important right now," Doc said. "We need to focus on Carisma. All our ears to the ground say that Ellenora and her rebels have her. The king has forbidden us to take action to get her back, but Carisma is one of our own, and we operate by our own rules. We always have."

"Then how are we getting her back?" Alana asked. "We don't know where she's being held and we're being watched here, so we can't undertake a rescue mission."

"They're in the underground tunnels," Doc said. "We know that, but finding them is tricky and we don't have jurisdiction in Jontun outside the borders, so we've rarely concerned ourselves with the tunnels before."

"The underground tunnels are a pain," Bryan said. "But your brother is familiar with them, Alana. He's already been helping Daleron identify places where the rebels aren't."

"You're relying on Milo?" Alana looked stunned. "My brother hates this whole realm. After he brought me back to the compound, he locked himself in his room."

"He's actually been helpful," Doc said. "But the tunnels are extensive. It's going to take time."

"Time we really don't have," Moreno said. "They're likely torturing my sister."

"I know," Doc said. "We're doing our best. Moreno, I promise you that we will bring her home."

"I know," Moreno said. "How can I help?"

"You understand politics better than most of us," Doc said. "Talk to the golden guard. Don't lose your cool, but convince them we mean no harm. Ashton will take another crack at Gayle and Alana. You can give your brother access to the old schematics that Bryan used to keep on the tunnels. Work together to find any place that the rebels might be hiding."

"What about me?" I asked.

"We need to get rid of the golden guard," Doc said. "Any chance you know how to get hold of your uncle? Moreno told me that you met him."

"Hellene," Moreno said. "She's our best chance, Doc."

"Sleep tonight," Bryan said. "There is a chance we could solve this without Victor's help. If we still are having trouble tomorrow afternoon, go back to Ethesis."

Doc nodded. "Any other thoughts?"

"It's a sound plan," the other man said. "I've noticed movement in the last hour in the encampment of rebels around Snowdon. We may need our spare soldiers back soon, so we should work fast."

"I agree with Tyler," Bryan said. "Lyssa, what do you think?"

"We've been vulnerable for three months with that siege draining our resources," the frost woman said. "And it isn't getting easier. We should assume Carisma's kidnapping is connected with the bigger picture. We still don't know what Ellenora wants other than Terri."

"I can find out," I volunteered.

Doc raised an eyebrow. "Monty said you've been using your powers. That's dangerous, Terri. It attracts the wrong kind of attention."

"It's our best weapon," I said. "I won't stop until we find Carisma."

"I can't stop you," Doc said. "But we can't protect you from the consequences of your power either, so do this at your own risk with care."

I nodded. It was about time I embraced my destiny. If the rest of the Nikones were going to play dirty, I had to hang with the rest of them. It was our best chance to find Carisma.

"Make it happen, Alana," Doc said. "I'm off to the capital to see if I can't salvage at least some of this mess, but I'm not hopeful. The king hasn't exactly been reasonable of late."

"Don't be hard on yourself, Doc," Bryan said. "It's the king who's responsible for all of this. You can't change him."

"I know," Doc said. "Meeting adjourned."

The screens went black. Alana groaned and threw her head back in defeat. Moreno reached out a hand and set it on her shoulder. She flinched and looked at him with anger in her eyes.

"We're going to make it through this," I said. "I'm going to the infirmary and I'm going to get us as much information as I can. Kaleb might want to keep an eye on my vitals."

Moreno pulled away from Alana and cupped my cheek. "You don't have to do this, Terri. Doc is right. This is dangerous."

"I'll be fine," I kissed his cheek. "Talk down the Golden Gaurd. We need all the pieces we can get to find, Carisma."

They didn't try to stop me. Alana sent Kaleb to meet me in the infirmary. He hooked me up to a monitor for my vitals as I lay back on one of the beds. Kaleb sat in a chair beside me and watched the monitor on my arm with trepidation.

I'd need him here if the Nikones started all having visions all at once and I was in pain. I didn't quite understand how all of our power was collective, but I knew that whatever I did would be seen by each of the Nikones with the power. We were in a dangerous game with one another, and this time I needed to come out on top.

I decided to be specific with my wondering because I didn't need to see Carisma in a few months or years. Instead, I needed precision and accuracy. That meant my wondering couldn't be an open question.

I wonder where Carisma Ethesis will be tomorrow morning.

This time, as the power pulled me beneath its riptide, I was ready to embrace the current. I repeated my question as I floated through the mist and I could see Carisma coming into focus. She was tied to a post alone with only a candle illuminating her bloody face. The girl was in tattered clothes and she strained against the chains that bound her to the pole.

I wonder where my mother will be tomorrow morning.

I tried to redirect the vision. The smoke rearranged itself and moved in the darkness. I could feel eyes watching me, which meant I needed to move faster. The longer I stayed here, the faster either Ellenora or Tytan could find me.

A new image appeared in front of me and I could see a group of giants sitting in a tent. They were all tense and looked angry. Finn sat at the head of the table. On his left sat Lysander and Zäna. On his right sat my mother. She was humming to herself as other giants at the table argued and no one paid her much attention until she slammed her fist against the table.

"We're getting what we want," she said. "Theresa Oakeley will help me fulfill my destiny. We'll find wherever the king has hidden my heir and then we'll take Jontun."

"Elle," Finn said. "We stole Horus's daughter. The half-giants have marshaled their forces to find her. You said yourself that Theresa is coming for us."

"Horus isn't happy," Zäna said. "And you know he's one temper tantrum from breaking free of Gorgon's Keep. You took his daughter. You could have had any other hostage, but you chose to anger a powerful ally instead, princess."

"The girl will be fine," Ellenora said. "She's completely safe."

"You had her beaten after she almost escaped," Lysander said.

My entire body tensed. Carisma wasn't safe, no matter what my mother said. She'd tortured me, her own daughter. She didn't care who Carisma was and her nobility wouldn't keep her safe.

"Sooo?" Ellenora drew out the word like a school child. "Theresa will come to me. I'll trade her for the girl. She'll show up at our camp and then I'll make the trade. It's not like we're hard to find. I made that easy for her."

Easy? I had no idea where they were other than a tent. They didn't seem to be underground, but they also mentioned that they were in a camp. Could they really be so arrogant that they were out in the open?

"It's been days," Lysander said. "And they already caught the halfant girl that handed the little one over to us. I'm not even sure how they pulled that off so fast. What will keep them from raiding this place, princess?"

"You have so little faith," Ellenora smiled. "The future will happen just as I predicted it, and then I will finally have my prize."

Something icy rolled down my spine, and I could feel a presence behind me. I whirled in the smoky landscape as the vision dissolved and I couldn't see anything. Still, the eyes were watching me. It didn't feel dangerous. More like someone spying on me.

"Victor?" I called out into the open space.

There was no reply for a moment. The darkness flickered and a smoky outline of a silhouette appeared. Then the strange, friendly voice from my last vision spoke.

"I told you this was dangerous, Ree," he said. "I can't keep them away from you forever."

"Ric?" I asked.

The silhouette shook with a snicker. "I suppose you can call me that. It's almost my name. You should leave this place. Tytan is very angry with you."

"Are you a Nikone?" I asked.

"In a way," he said. "I'm like you, Ree. I'm sorry they took the little Ethesis. I liked that girl. You'll need to act fast if you want to find her."

A new presence moved into our space, and I recognized Victor. "Terri, you really can't be here. My father is coming, and he's been talking about killing you. The more you use this power, the more of a threat you seem to the throne."

"He's right," Ric said. "Raid the camp. Find Carisma and find a way to protect yourself from the fallout."

"Who are you?" Victor sounded confused at the new presence. "There are no users of the future power who aren't direct descendants of the king."

"You're right," Ric said. "But that's not important now. Run, Ree, and remember, Ellenora is not as crazy as she seems."

Ric's presence shoved at my consciousness and I fell back into my body with a deep gulp of air. Kaleb stood at my side and looked at the monitor on my wrist. My entire body shook, and I felt like I'd stuck my finger into an electrical socket.

"You okay?" Kaleb asked.

I blinked and shivered. "That was more intense than my last vision."

"Your heart rate kept climbing and then it evened out," Kaleb said. "Then your oxygen dropped to dangerous levels, and now it looks like you're fine."

"I need paper," I said.

Kaleb frowned, but he didn't question the order. He passed me a pad of paper that looked like it was used to write prescriptions and a pen. I immediately wrote as much as I could remember of the dialogue and Kaleb watched over my shoulder.

"Who is Ric?" He asked.

"I don't know," I said as I looked over my notes and it hit me. "But I think he just gave me the answer to find Carisma." 

Hey friends!!  I hope you liked this chapter.  Moreno and Terri are getting closer. Where do you think the giants are holding Carisma? Should Terri trust Ric? Until next time!!!