Page 254 of The Lands Defying
And that’s the truth of it.
Once we get to the back rooms, to hopefully find the missing pack members that were on that list, we stop to form a plan of attack.
“What if they transported the people in the back somewhere else, what then?”
Darius looks at Josh and answers him. “Then we will have to find them again. Charles will hold them over us if we don’t get them, and then a decision will have to be made,sacrificeswill have to be made.”
The missing people, or the rest of Vrohkaria.
He doesn’t say that last part aloud, but it will only be a matter of time before Higher Charles, Higher Aldus, his witches and guards attack us.
Though we have weakened them by killing the other Highers, we don’t know if we can defeat them, and we cannot hide forever.
“They will be here,” Edward says. “I think if Charles wanted to prioritize what was most important to save, it would have been his creations. There are always more people to steal.”
He’s right. That would be the easier option for him.
Darius reaches the closed door at his back, and without hesitation, he goes through. I follow, apprehension sending a shiver down my spine as we enter a large room.
With no one here.
My shoulders sag in defeat, helplessness once against weighing me down.
“Let’s see what we can find,” Darius says as he goes to some scrolls.
Bookshelves filled with scrolls line all the walls, tables with papers scattered on them, along with alchemy sets on others.
Vials of ultrian and dassil flowers are stored in jars, and some are scattered on the floor, broken, as if someone was in a rush.
Drawings of those beasts are on one table, notes and observations written next to them, and I wrinkle my nose as I pick one up and read over it.
“So those beasts are made by having a rogure impregnate a female….” I pick up another paper. “And then they were birthing the beasts it created, then impregnating other females to create even more powerful beasts…”
I throw the papers down on the table, looking away in disgust over the crimes committed in this place.
All of this so they can rule other lands? How can they be so…evil?
These are people’s lives they have stolen, children’s lives, and then to be thrown in some place like this just to be bred against their will?
I shiver again, and Edward squeezes my shoulder in comfort, but I just shake my head and walk further into the room, Darius’s eyes on me as though he can sense the turmoil inside.
Would this still have happened if I just stayed where I was supposed to?
“Do not do that, little wolf,”Darius says down the link, and I glance at him, my eyes wet.“They would have done this either way, only you would have been a part of it.”
I sense the truth to his words, that he really believes that, but these what-ifs can be really hard to swallow.
Bypassing more tables, I see another door leading off into the back, but to the right of me I see a corridor. I start that way.
Walking down, I cast a small ball of power to light the way. I see no end to the corridor, there aren’t even doors on either side to lead somewhere else. It isn’t until I come to a very large, very long pane of glass that I stop in my tracks. It starts at the ground, and goes halfway up the wall.
Turning, I peer into the glass, my brows furrowed as I try to make out what is on the other side. The glow of my power reflects in it, so I snuff it out and get closer, my forehead touching it.
I see nothing inside, no movement, it’s just darkness, complete and utter…wait.
A shadow moved, just there to the right, I’m sure of it.
“What is this,” Josh asks, coming to my side.
