Enchained WATTPAD VERSION [Inter-Universal Protectors: Book 4]

32

They were met with no more resistance as they walked the Old Road. Xix's blast had done its job. All the creatures nearby had been reduced to dust. The ones further away were badly injured and showed no sign of getting up any time soon. The ones closed to the city, however, appeared to be merely knocked out and not actually injured. The group moved quickly past them. 

Beyond the unconscious creatures lay a city in ruins. Buildings of various sizes sand shapes made of old stone crumbled here and there, some having fallen on the stone roads. Wooden wagons were overturned and in pieces. Broken pots and boxes were littered everywhere. The place looked like the after-effect of a major explosion, but that wasn't the most disturbing thing. Skeletons lay on the ground, some still intact, some broken, and some even melted. They had once been people of all ages.

As they walked through the destroyed city, a chilled breeze chased them, calling out to a certain member of their group in ghostly voices. Amneris grasped her arms and shivered, attempting to ignore the spirits of the dead trapped in the city saying her name. She could feel them everywhere, clawing at her skin with icy fingertips, breathing down the back of her neck. Coming here had not been a good idea.

Aurora whistled as she looked around. "I've never seen spirits so riled up before. Wonder what's get them all . . ." She trailed off, glancing at Amneris. "Aaaand I have my answer."

"I was having a bad day," Amneris muttered. 

"But did you have to kill everyone?" Nikki asked. "Bit overkill."

"I was in a bad mood."

Kayla knelt beside one of the smaller skeletons, looking over it with a critical eye. She turned to Amneris. "You killed babies. The babies didn't do anything to you. This one was only alive for a day."

"I was in a bad mood and having a bad day and very pissed off!" Amneris exclaimed, shaking away her feeling of uneasiness. "Can we please just get a move on? I need to hit something!"

The group moved through the city, Xix taking the lead. She held an orb of red light above her head, turning it in the direction where it became brighter. "It's an old spell Silent Guardians use to track Photon Energy," she explained.

Amneris' head whipped around with an alarmed expression. "A spell that lets you do what?"

Ema moved beside her Queen to have a closer look at the orb. "So, the closer you get, the brighter it gets." Xix nodded. "That's pretty cool. Are we close?"

She stopped at the centre of the city. "Huh. We should be right on top of it."

The group scanned the area, moving into a protective circle and readying themselves for a fight.

"I don't see anything," Hathor said 

"There's nothing here," Leo said.

"Are sure this is the right place?" Zoe asked.

"Positive," Xix answered. "Jennix should be right here."

Amneris looked down. Something was resting near her feet. She moved to get a closer look, crouching down and picking up a leather-bound book. She recognised it immediately and stood. "If this is Jennix's book then where's--"

The book was snatched from her hand with lightning-fast speed. Jennix landed effortlessly on their feet and held up the book with a triumphant smile. They turned to a blank page and held the pages toward Xix. "Let the story of the--"

Amneris tackled her sister out of the way. Jennix cursed under their breath, turning on the spot to keep the empty page focused on Xix, but Amneris kept pulling her out of the way.

The others took the distraction as an opportunity. 

Horus passed Jay his second blaster and the two begun firing. Jennix turned away from Amneris and Xix, now focused on self preservation. Before the cyborg could make their escape, Nikki was on the move. She shifted into a lion and pounced, holding Jennix down with her paws, but Jennix would have none of that. They pressed a glowing bright green button on their armour. Zoe gasped and jumped forward, placing her hand on the green light and pulling an unknown jewel from a power socket. She took off at a spirit.

Jennix let out a frustrated cry. They stood, using their strength to pick up Nikki and toss her at Horus and Jay. They tumbled to the ground. Kayla and Carmin rushed to help while Leo, Ema and Dan ran interference. Jennix crashed through them with ease, using their boots to give themselves a boost. They tackled Zoe to the ground. The two taught tooth and nail, crashing and slashing. Zoe shone a light beam into Jennix's green eye. They recoiled. 

Zoe got free, grabbed the bright green jewel, and tossed it to Amneris. Jennix rushed toward her. Amneris tossed the jewel to Carmin who tossed it to Leo who tossed it to Jay. Finally, Jennix had had enough. They crouched down, standing with impossible speed and sending out a shockwave. Everyone was tossed from their feet. 

But it wasn't Jennix who picked up the strange green jewel. 

As the group regained their senses and stood on shaking feet, they saw they were not alone. Holding the green jewel between his thumb and forefinger, looking at it with a power-hungry smile, was none other than Kek Temples.