Chapter 17- CAPTURED

In the middle of a charred clearing, a group of men gathered round, reporting to a man who stood in the middle. Thick dark wisps of smoke kept rising from everything that had been burnt, including trees that were green few moments ago, and black stumps of ashes here and there which, unknown to the group now present, were rogues that had been laughing moments ago.

"There is no sign of anyone else around. We tried searching for any traces to track but picked up on nothing." One of the men reported.

"Take the girl. We must return to the base and report to the head warder." The man in the middle ordered. This was the guard Rina had stolen the prison keys from.

"What the hell could have happened here?" He murmured to himself, still trying to make sense of the scene before him. "Could it be Selena? Is she back?" He pondered as he prepared to shift into his wolf form while keeping the rear of his team who had begun to move on their way back to the base. "No. I don't think so. Then, could it be..."

The man's gaze shifted to the girl carried on one of the wolves's back and so did his train of thoughts.

The girl's case was also weird. She was bloodied with cuts and holes on her dress that implied she had been stabbed and seriously injured. Yet, even though there were dried blood here and there at large on her, there was not a single mark on her body that could prove this.

Since they found her, she hasn't moved a muscle. They tried waking her up with threats also but she didn't budge, only breathing weakly while laying unconscious.

Soon, they arrived at the base.

"Hmmm." The head warder let out in thought as he processed the report he received.

"Do you think it could be Selena?"

"The witches council would have caused a great stir if Selena ever steps her foot in the kingdom." The warder replied.

"I thought so too," The head of the guards who had brought Rina back let out. "Then, could it be the girl?, I mean I couldn't think of anything else that could have caused such destruction."

"What makes you think it could be her?" The head warder asked.

"She's a werewolf, just hasn't had her first shift yet. What if her wolf forcefully came out in order to protect her under such dangerous situation? Not just that, but the probability of her wolf being tremendously powerful and a fire ability type counts too."

"Then, what if it were the boy?" The head warden said, pacing around the table in thought. "Think about it, even if the girls wolf was that powerful to cause that destruction, the wounds on her shouldn't have healed as fast as that. No wolf has that instant healing ability especially not when it comes to deep cuts or stabs. Not even the legendary lycans. Except a healer comes to play."

"But we couldn't find a trace of the boy either."

"That's if he isn't part of those burnt stumps..."

"You mean..." The head guard's eyes widened as he realizes two things from the wardens statement. First, the stumps weren't just ordinary ashes. They were once living beings. Second, the head warder had followed them in searching for the escapees. If they had slacked whatsoever, their heads would be rolling on the ground by now. A bead of sweat dropped from his head as he thought about this.

Thankfully, no one slacked off during the search.

"Then, do you think we should return for a thorough search?"

"There won't be a need for that. Whatever happened there caused a loud commotion enough to attract anyone. We were just lucky to be close enough and grab the girl before anyone else." The head warder said. "Check if she's awake. She needs to be prepared for the auction tomorrow. Also, tell the men not to cease searching for the boy, that healer is invaluable.

You may leave."

The head warder sighed as he looked at the sky through the space between the thick iron bars of the high window. There was no sign of the moon coming out tonight.

The dark sky suddenly rumbled with thunder.

_________________

Somewhere far away, in a moving lush carriage. The wick of a lantern was lowered, decreasing the density of two hooded feminine shadows.

"Is it done?" An anxious feminine voice asked.

"Yes my lady. It is." The second feminine voice replied. It seems to belong to an old woman. "However, you must let him wake up himself for the spell to take effect." she cautioned, knowing how impatient the first woman can be.

"Very well then, send for me as soon as he wakes. I shall attend to other matters." The first voice said to the old woman, turning her attention elsewhere.

"I can't believe my luck in finding you. Definitely the best thing I have ever seen, my invaluable gem." She cooed with an obsessed look on her face as she stroke the face of a sleeping figure before stepping out of the carriage. One would think she was cutely obsessed with the sleeping figure but those traveling with her knew that was far from the case.

"Is there anyone on our trail so far?" She asked as she entered her own carriage, putting her leather gloves back on, her demeanor strict.

"None so far," one of the men stationed in the corner of the carriage replied. He proceeded to serve her some tea according to routine.

"Good." She hummed in response.

"Forty-two has always done a speckless job in cleaning up our tracks." The man said in praise of the agent forty-two but the woman sipping her tea only humphed.

Slowly, as the night grew deeper and a heavy rain threatened to fall, a line of carriage went through a hidden underground passage that no one probably knew off. There was no trace whatsoever that a single carriage ever traveled along that route.

The rain ended up not falling and the night passed, and then another, giving rise to a new day. However, some of the nobles and rich people in the kingdom were starting to prepare to head towards a certain destination.