The gnarly man frowned. "Kids? On a warship?"
The second guard chuckled and shook his head. "Yeah, I know. They are Lord Trelon and Lady Cara's kids. I've heard stories about how they love to get into stuff."
The first guard laughed. "Yeah, like how they built traps in the haunted house."
"Or those little creatures that still pop up every once in a while," the second guard added.
"I think they called them demented symbiots. They look demented," the first guard laughed.
Amber nudged Jade, a playful smirk on her lips and her eyes rolling in exasperation. A giggle threatened to escape her as she watched her sister manipulate her features, mimicking one of their eccentric friends. A sudden crash in the other room made them both jump, causing all the men to turn their heads.
"There's one! Get him," the second guard shouted.
In his dragon form, James snorted and swiftly scampered out of the equipment room. The two guards bolted out of the room, their footsteps echoing down the hallway. The gnarly alien and the flat-faced one began to follow, but their progress was halted when the two-headed reptile tightly grasped their arms.
"I bet the kids found the device. The guards said there are three of them. We'll spread out and search the ship," the reptile man said.
"What do we do when we find them?" the gnarly man asked.
The reptile man scowled. "Find out what they did with the device and then hide their bodies… unless you want to deal with an angry dragon-shifting dad!"
"Not me. I have a healthy aversion to dragon-fire," mumbled the flat-faced alien.
"Go. I'll go after the dragon boy. You two find the other two."
"How will we know if it's them?" the flat-faced man asked.
"They'll be short. They're kids!" the gnarly one answered.
"Oh… yeah. Kids," the flat-faced alien muttered.
Jade gestured for her sister to remain in their current spot, signaling that they should wait for a few more moments. As she reached out to her dragon, she also formed a connection with her symbiot, Trix, feeling their presence merge with hers. As hoverboards, Trix and her sister's symbiot, Treat, gracefully entered the room, their sleek surfaces reflecting the soft glow of the lights. A sense of relief washed over Jade, and she motioned for Amber to join her.
"What about James? Do you think he'll be alright?" Amber whispered.
Jade looked at her sister with an expression that was a cross between disbelief and disgust. "You're talking about our brother. James is smart. There is no way those morons will be able to catch him. He won't have any trouble staying ahead of those guys. He'll keep the reptile man and guards busy while we find Daddy and let him know what's going on," she said.
"Do you think the device really can make the ship disappear?" Amber asked.
Jade pulled the device out and examined it closely, noting its intricate design and sleek, metallic feel. The markings on it caught her attention, causing her eyes to sparkle with delight. She held it up for her sister to see, a smile spreading across her face. Amber's lips parted, emitting a surprised hiss, and she responded with a wide grin.
"Boy, are they in for a surprise when they try to use this!" Amber breathed.
"Yeah. A really big surprise," Jade laughed as she tucked the device back into her pocket. "Come on. Let's have a little fun while we look for Mom and Dad."
Trelon hurried down the level 5 corridor, his eyes darting to the open doorways as he passed, trying to catch a glimpse of what was happening inside. The faint hum of the elevator grew louder as he rounded the curve in the corridor. He briefly entertained the idea of utilizing the ship's communication system to issue a general announcement for the children, but he quickly changed his mind, not wanting to draw any notice to his kids' escape. The last thing he wanted was for Kelan to send the entire ship into Red Alert with the blaring sirens echoing through the hallways. He dreaded the thought of enduring another round of teasing from his brothers, ribbing him about how fortunate they were that their children only engaged in occasional escapades. Personally, he thought they had it just as bad. Mandra's house was always filled with creatures from all over the galaxy, Creon's daughter created portals that crossed the universe, Zoran's son was always leading the others into trouble, Kelan's son was always eating something he shouldn't, and as for everyone else, well, they had to deal with Vox. That was enough.
When a group of warriors stepped out of the lift, he instinctively slowed down and watched as they stood at attention. Their wary expressions suggested that he wore his exhaustion on his face. With a deep breath, he stopped and addressed them, carefully choosing his words to mask the panic that was beginning to well up within him.
"Have you seen three kids? There are two girls, about this tall, and a young boy?" he asked, lifting his hand to show how tall Amber and Jade were.
Confusion darkened the three faces while a young woman grinned and nodded. "I saw them earlier in the dining hall. The boy has a huge appetite for someone so young," she commented.
"Thanks!" he replied, stepping past them into the lift.
He pressed his hand to the com attached to his collar. "Cara, they were in the dining hall."
"Someone told me they saw them a few minutes ago on the bridge," she said.
