Gerrard stepped forward to block me from Ahamet.

"We aren't here to cause any trouble," Gerrard said.

"That's what they all say," Ahamet said, glaring at me. I set my jaw, trying not to seem frightened.

"We just need help finding some Magii," Gerrard said, trying to distract him.

"For what purpose?" Ahamet asked, his amber gaze still fixated on me.

"We're looking for someone," Gerrard replied.

"And who might that be?" Ahamet asked.

"That's none of your concern. We just need help getting to the Fire Nation of the Sahara," Gerrard replied.

"It is of my concern if you want to get out of this alive," Ahamet replied, finally turning his gaze to Gerrard.

"What the hell did we ever do to you?" I heard myself spit out angrily. His attitude was making me angry.

In less than a second, I was being pushed up against the wall forcefully. Anoki squealed and transformed into a small bird and began fluttering around and chirping like mad. Dust from the walls fell down on top of my head as Ahamet pinned me to the wall. He dug his arm into my throat, blocking any passage of air. I struggled against him, trying to push him off, but my head was getting dizzy from the lack of air. Gerrard tried to intervene, but he was held back by Ahamet's minion by some curse.

"You and your people have caused my people centuries' worth of pain," Ahamet hissed in my face. His breath was warm and smelled of hookah smoke. "My great grandfather, my grandparents, my mother...!" he listed, pushing harder against my windpipe.

I felt my eyes begin to water as I glared at him, willing him to let go. Behind him, I saw Gerrard struggling against whatever curse was put on him. Anoki had disappeared out of the open window into safety.

"Just like your people killed my family, I'm going to kill you," Ahamet said. "But I won't steal your life away quickly; I'll make sure it is as drawn-out and painful as possible. I want you to suffer for what you did!" he shouted, pulling me forward and slamming me against the wall again.

I felt my back throb as pain shot down my spinal cord. I felt the drumming increase in my ears and I wondered if I was going to die right there. It would be such a sad thing, dying so pitiously when I had gotten this far. It would mean that I would have failed everyone: my mother, the water-masters...Trey.

I felt the water stone resting on my sternum plate vibrate as Trey's face flashed into my mind. I drew on the energy it provided, feeling my strength return. With magic I didn't know I possessed, I pushed Ahamet off of me, sending him flying across the room and landing painfully on his back. His eyes widened, confused as to where this power came from. Gerrard stopped struggling, too, to watch.

I rubbed my neck where Ahamet's arm had been pressed down, massaging it. Ahamet tried to get up, but I held my hand out, pushing him down using a gravity spell and holding him down on the ground. I approached him and looked at him, a sneer on my face. I bent my knee and rested it on his chest. Then, I pushed down, making him wince in pain.

"This could either go very badly or very well," I said to him, my voice a dangerous whisper. "If you cooperate, I'll let you live. If you don't..." I paused, pushing down harder on his neck, making him cry out. "Then you can join your ancestors in their graves," I threatened.

"Caley!" I heard Gerrard shout. He broke free of the minion's spell. The man now lay sprawled unconscious on the floor, where Gerrard had deposited him. "Let him go, Caley," Gerrard said. My eyes flashed and I turned my attention back to Ahamet.

"I want an answer first," I seethed, glaring down at the man that tried to kill me.

"Let him go," Gerrard repeated more sternly.

"I don't think so," I said, looking into the amber eyes that were flashing in fear. I smirked down at him. The control--it felt so good. To have someone's life in my hands. I felt powerful. I conjured up an energy ball and looked down at Ahamet. I had a flashback of the helpless look that Peter Long had in his eyes before I snapped his back.  I raised my hand, getting ready to launch the orb.

Before I knew it, I was being thrown backwards into the wall again. With my weight off his body, Ahamet stood with lightening fast speed, getting ready to attack me. But he, too, was thrown backwards against the wall opposite to me. I felt as if an invisible hand was pushing down on my chest, holding me in place so I couldn't go and wring Ahamet's neck.

Gerrard stood in the middle of the room, his arms stretched out on either side of him. It had been him who had pushed us back.

"If we can't keep this civil, then we're leaving," Gerrard said, looking directly at me. "What did Queen Maya tell you about controlling your emotions?" Gerrard asked me, anger and disappointment evident in his eyes. I glared back at him.

Then, I cut off the energy supply that I was getting from the water stone. I felt my energy reserves drain from me. I stopped struggling and stood limply held up by the spell Gerrard had on me. He took the spell off me and I fell to the floor weakly, the headache from having my air supply cut off returning.

"Now, can we be mature about this and get along?" Gerrard asked, still holding Ahamet up by his spell.

"I make no promises," Ahamet said, still glaring at me. I massaged my neck where his arm had been.

Gerrard sent an electrical shock through Ahamet's body and he writhed in pain, but didn't make a noise.

"Can you be civil and hear us out?" Gerrard asked again.

"Just listen to them," Ahamet's friend gasped, laying on the floor clutching his stomach. Ahamet frowned and didn't say anything.

"You have five seconds to answer before I turn the blood in your veins into electricity," Gerrard said. Ahamet remained silent.

"5," he began counting. Nothing. "4..."

Silence.

"3..."

Nothing.

"2..."

"Bloody hell! Just listen to them!" his friend cried. Gerrard opened his mouth to finish the countdown.

"Fine! What do you want?" Ahamet roared, glaring at Gerrard, his amber eyes flashing so violently that they looked red. Gerrard remained unflinching. I watched in awe at his courage and resolution.

"We want you to take us to the Fire Nation," Gerrard said, his voice even and rigid.

"What purpose do you have in our land?" Ahamet asked, regaining his energy and power and standing to his feet.

"We can't tell you that right now. We just need to get there," Gerrard said.

"How do I know you aren't fugitives? Or ones from the Dark Side? How do I know that you aren't trying to get to my nation only to hurt it?" Ahamet asked.

"You're just going to have to take our word for it," Gerrard replied.

"I do not trust you. Look at the trouble you have already caused!" he cried, gesturing at the trashed apartment and at his friend, who was now struggling to his feet.

"That was your fault completely. You provoked us. And if you had just cooperated with us in the first place, none of that would have happened," Gerrard said, his stance unfaltering.  Ahamet glared at Gerrard, but there was a look in his eyes that showed that he knew that it was he who was at fault and not us. Sure enough, after a few long moments of silence, Ahamet spoke again.

"Very well. We will take you to the Fire Nation," Ahamet said.

Gerrard glanced at me, his eyes  flashing with victory.

"Under one condition, though," Ahamet said. We both looked at him.

"You cannot be conscious when we arrive at our Nation," Ahamet's friend said.

And before I could respond, I felt unconsciousness consume me.

                                                                 ~~~~~~~~~~~

When I stirred back to consciousness, the first things I noticed was scratchy fur on my cheeks, a burning sensation on my back, and discomfort between my legs.

I opened my eyes and sat up, looking around at my surroundings. I found two of the three things immediately. The source of the fur and the discomfort was a camel. The heat came from the desert sun.

When I realized I was sitting on a camel, I did what most normal people would do: I freaked out and toppled over the animal's hump and fell into the sand. Coughing and shaking sand out of my hair, I sat up.

"Ah, she's awake," I heard a deep voice say. I looked up to see Ahamet's powerful build looming over me. He had his hands wrapped around the reigns of the camel that I was previously sitting on.

"She took much longer to awake than her friend," Ahamet's partner noted, coming towards us. Behind him, I saw Gerrard jump off his camel, a relieved look on his face. Whether the relief was due to seeing me awake or being off the camel, I was not sure.

"How are you feeling?" Ahamet's friend asked me.

"Hot," I replied, spitting out the first word that came into my mind. I knew for sure the skin under the thin shirt I was wearing was baked and burned.

"Get her water," Ahamet ordered. Gerrard came over and helped me to my feet.

"Where are we?" I asked him, holding onto his shoulder for support. I felt bow-legged after being on a camel for Merlin knows how long.

"No clue. I woke up a few hours ago. It's hard to tell when all of the sand dunes look the same," he replied.

"Why is it that it's so important that all of these nations keep their locations a secret?" I asked.

"Protection, I guess," Gerrard replied.

"From Magii?" I asked.

"Well, you heard what Ahamet said about the water masters destroying his people's lands. They probably want to be just as secluded from the rest of the magical world just like the people from Sylvanterra," Gerrard told me.

I frowned. What it seemed like to me was that the entire magical world was fragmented and dysfunctional. How had it gotten this way? What happened to being unified under magic? It was a thought that disturbed me greatly, but it would have to wait for now. I had other things to worry about.

"Caley! I am so very relieved that you are fine!" I heard a familiar voice say.  A tall, thin shadow fell over me and I looked up.

"Anoki?" I asked.

"The very!" he replied in his chipper voice.

"You son of a-" I began, lunging at him. I got my hands around his neck before he transformed into a snake and slipped out from beneath my fingers. His snake form hissed at me from the sand and I glared at him.

"Coward," I sneered. He transformed back into his normal self.

"My way of protecting myself is to transform into other beings. I do not have the power of magic for protection," Anoki said.

"Your way of protecting yourself is running away. Why the hell are you here?" I snapped.

"He wanted to come along. Just forget about it," Gerrard said. I muttered a couple obsceneties at the stupid Loki descendent. He merely laughed at the sour look on my face.

"Here is some water," Ahamet's friend said, handing me a leather pouch. I unscrewed the cap and sniffed the water inside.

"It is not poisoned," Ahamet's friend said.

"Can't be too careful," I mumbled, taking a swig of the warm water. "What's your name, by the way?" I asked the man.

"Salman," the man replied, bowing his head slightly. I nodded in return and took another sip of water. I shielded my eyes and looked around. Gerrard was right; it was impossible to tell where we were. I didn't even know if we were still in the Sahara or not.

"How long until we get there?" I asked.

"About another fifteen or sixteen kilometers," Ahamet replied.

"Still? How long have I been out for?" I asked.

"Two days," Salman answered. I gaped at him.

"Are we still in the Sahara?!" I asked.

"We cannot answer that question," Salman said. I furrowed my brow and looked at Gerrard. His eyes told me to keep cool and just go along with what they said. It was best not to cause any trouble in the middle of the Sahara desert when we had no way of navigating ourselves.

"Shall we continue our journey? We should keep going before the sun goes down and the wolves come out," Ahamet suggested.

"Yes, let us proceed," Salman agreed.

"Do I have to get back on that thing?" I asked, looking warily at the desert horse, my hand going towards my aching bum.

"You could walk in the sand," Ahamet said. I looked down at my feet, which were sunken in the sand.

"Pass," I grumbled, reaching for the camel I had initially been sitting on. I climbed up and Anoki laughed as I struggled to get my leg over.  I threw a fistful of sand in his face, which made him laugh harder. Cursing, I hoisted myself up. When I was finally adjusted, we continued forward.

                                                                    ~~~~~~~~~~

 It wasn't until after another four hours of trudging miserably through the heat and the sand that Ahamet stopped us and pointed ahead. I couldn't see anything, but I figured the nation was disguised with protective spells just like Sylvanterra was.

"We have to put spells on you so that you may pass," Ahamet said.

"We have to be unconscious again?" I asked miserably.

"Not quite," Salman replied. He closed his eyes and waved his hand slowly in front of me. I felt a shudder run down my back and then a searing hot pain go down my spine. I yelped.

"What the hell?!" I cried.

"It will pass. Let it subside," Salman told me, moving to Gerrard to repeat whatever he did. Gerrard's face remained unchanging as Salman repeated the spell. I felt a hint of jealousy rise up inside of me; Gerrard's threshold for pain was a lot higher than mine's was.

"Now we can proceed," Ahamet said, his voice somber. I saw him exchange a glance with Salman and I wondered curiously what they were up to.

Our camels lurched forward and began walking with their steady paces. After a few moments, I felt a burning sensation run over me. However, it wasn't magnified and I suspected that had something to do with the spell that Salman had put on us. I was the first to emerge and I looked around curiously at my surroundings. No sooner had I turned my head, that I heard a terrible wailing rise up all around me.

I fell off my camel and brought my hands to my ears, trying to shut out the horrible noise that was now echoing all around me.  My eyes began watering and I saw that Gerrard was now inside the protective spell wall. He, too, was on the ground, covering his ears from the noise. Ahamet and Salman were also inside, but they seemed neither alarmed nor affected by the horrible wailing. What had they done?!

A few seconds after the wailing had begun, I heard voices shouting and footsteps coming near us.

"Stop where you are! You are surrounded!" I heard a voice yelling.

I had no intention of moving. The horrible wailing had me paralyzed with my hands to my ears, my eyes watering from the pain of the noise.

"Just stop! Make it stop!" I shouted, feeling bile rise up in my throat.

The noise ceased and I felt a wave of relief wash over me. I remained curled up in the fetal position, but I removed my hands from my ears so that I could hear properly.  I heard someone walk towards me and perform a spell.

"They are Magii," the person said. I felt the person grab me by the arm and drag me up. My head was pounding from having to hear that paralyzing sound and I felt sick and weak. I leaned limply against the man, who held my arms tied behind my back.

"We will deal with them later," I heard the first voice say. I looked up to see who was speaking and saw a muscular looking man that had long hair and a close-shaven beard. His eyes were a menacing amber-red color, which showed that he was powerful, even for a fire master. He was staring Ahamet down as two guards reprimanded him and Salman.

"What are you doing back here?" the man demanded of Ahamet. "Did we not banish you from these lands?" he asked.

So he was a fugitive.

"I was merely showing these guests to our humble land," Ahamet replied, his stance remaining stiff and rigid.

"You risk execution for the sake of two simple Magii?" the man demanded.

"Anokhan, you mistake them for being simple," Ahamet said coolly.

"Speak what you are trying to say clearly!" the man named Anokhan shouted.

"Look at their eyes," Ahamet said casually, nodding his head at me. Anokhan's attention shifted towards me. I stiffed and felt my nerves give in as he approached me. The man that held my hands behind my back, pulled my head back by my hair, making me flinch in pain. He whispered a spell that inhibited my speech. Anokhan stopped in front of me and looked down at my eyes. His eyes flashed red in anger when he saw that they were blue.

He ordered something in Arabic to his men, his eyes not leaving mine. I wondered if he could read the emotions in them. I tried to convey that I was innocent and that I was just looking for answers, but most of all that I meant no harm. But whatever message I tried to convey was not received. I felt a pain sear through my back and I fell to my knees, my world beginning to turn black. I saw a glowing ball of orange and yellow in front of my face and then a pair of amber eyes in front of me.

"You have made a mistake by coming here. Now you will pay for it," the pair of eyes said.  I felt the white-hot burn of fire hit my stomach and that's when I completely lost consciousness, my will giving into the pain that was aching through my entire body.

Time to give up, Caley. You tried your best.

___________________________________________________________

A/N: I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaack!

Kind of. Not really. I'm just taking a break from studying for MCAT and writing this chapter. I started it a while ago and never got around to finishing it until now. While I am on summer break now, the updates still will not be regular. My MCAT exam is in exactly 1 month and I am in hardcore study mode right now. It won't be until after my exam that I can update consistently.

Sorry if this chapter's a little short. I realize that I could have combined it with the last chapter and I may eventually do that. But for now, this is Chapter 19. The only reason I posted that other chapter was because I felt bad for taking so long to update. Please try to understand how important this exam is; just be patient with me for another month and then you can have all the updates you want.

Thanks for everyone that's still with me! Your support means a lot to me! Please hang in there! I promise I won't give this story up!

Questions to ponder: What's going to happen to Caley and Gerrard? Do you think Anokhan is going to torture them? Do you think the Fire Nation leaders will help them find Mikael?

Leave me a comment with your thoughts and as always, VOTE!

P.S. I'm like, obsessed with Imagine Dragons right now. Can't believe I haven't heard of them before this year. That's their song Demons in the sidebar.

XOXO