Chapter 181
RYKER’S P.O.V
Camilla was working when the call came in for us to meet at the border. I could have asked her to go with me but I figured she could use the rest and went on my own. A part of me had hoped it would just be a simple problem that could be resolved within seconds but I had never been more wrong. For starters, I couldn’t explain what the actual hell was happening. The guards in charge of patrol has gone missing after going to investigate a strange sound and we found them in a completely different part of the woods confused and without any prior knowledge of how they got there or what they were doing.
As if that wasn’t enough, I heard the same sound they did. It was a scream, a child’s scream, small, high pitched and full of fear. I followed it as best as I could with guards by my side but it was almost like the closer we got, the further it actually was. It took me less than an hour to realize that it was probably a trick from Reina but why would she waste her time trying to scare the guards? It made no sense except she just wanted to instill fear and that meant she had to be close by so we set out looking for her.
The less people who went with me, the better, I took only five people who I thought would cause less trouble for me and we set out trying to find Reina. At first, it seemed like we were just going around in circles because we kept trying to follow the sound of the screams. We followed it for about half an hour before I realized that we were wasting our time.
“Why don’t you try the opposite, your majesty?” one of the guards asked after we had just come out of a cave with nothing to show forth. “It seems the more we get close, the further we actually are. What if it is a trick and we are meant to go in the opposite direction?”
As soon as he was done speaking, he looked away as if scared of offending me. I thought about his *suggestion and it didn’t make sense to the average person but I had come to find out that it was mostly
the things that didn’t make sense that always worked out in the end.
“I think it is worth trying,” I said finally. “Would you like to lead?”
He smiled like he had won the lottery and nodded eagerly. The others whispered underneath their breaths, shocked that I had agreed in the first place and even more shocked that I allowed him to lead,
It was an honor to be in charge of a search and I had given it to him without as much as a fight.
I was exhausted already and couldn’t wait to be done with all things Reina. She was a thorn in my side at best and the bane of my existence on a bad day. I tried not to think about all the things I could have been doing with Camilla at the moment, instead I was in the middle of the woods with a bunch of strangers because Reina decided that she wanted to play a game of hide and seek.
I tried mind linking Camilla but her wall was firmly in place, It didn’t matter how many times I tried to coax it down, it didn’t budge. I assumed she was busy and resigned myself to try again later when I heard an exclamation from the man in charge. I still hadn’t bothered to learn his name and I doubted I would in the long run. I made my way over to him and he pointed to a cave just a few feet ahead of us.
“It is completely silent from where we stand,” one of the other guards said, a hint of jealousy audible in his tone. “If anything, the screams are going to be on the opposite side of the forest. You led us on a wild goose chase for nothing. This has been a waste of our time.”
I turned to him. “Repeat those words, will you?”
His eyes widened. He was probably expecting me to agree with him but the thing was, I was already in a shitty mood and he just got on my last nerves. I had agreed to this and in his fit of jealousy and rage, he forgot that. I usually didn’t care what soldiers said to themselves but this was my order and it was essentially me that he had just disrespected.
“I didn’t-” he swallowed. “Your majesty, I was just saying that we have been going in circles since he started to lead us.”
“Did I ask him to lead us?” I asked and he nodded. “Good, and you heard me say that, did you not?” his answering nod was punctuated by a loud gulp. “You are relieved of duty, you may return home.”
The shock that rippled through the air was palpable. There was an audible intake of breath as everyone ‘waited to see what he would do or say in response. He opened his mouth to speak but closed it almost immediately and turned on his heels. He had taken a few steps before he finally found the courage to face me again.
“Is it just for today?” he asked. “Am I allowed into work tomorrow?”
“You are relieved indefinitely.” I clarified and he swallowed deeply. I could tell he was not pleased with me at all but he bowed and walked away. I watched him leave before turning to the others. “Does anyone else have anything to say?” there was silence all around. “Good, now lead us into the cave.”
The cave was dark and empty, the air was punctuated with a chill and the smell of something old and almost rotten. A part of me wondered if truly we had been on a wild goose chase or if we were going to find something. I prayed for the latter, I prayed for something tangible to leave with or else I risked looking like a cruel ruler.
We walked further into the cave using only our eyes and the occasional filter of light from some cracked walls as guidance. I was about to give up when a chill and ear splitting scream cut through the air. It was
shrill and I had to place my hands over my ears to protect myself from it.
“What is that sound?” someone yelled but over the screams, it sounded more like a whisper. “Where the hell is it coming from?”
“I don’t know, just come with me!” I instructed and to their credit, they followed close behind me.
The further into the cave we got, the louder it got until it got to the point where I felt like my ears were about to be ripped off. Hell, I wanted to rip my own ears out at a point. The sound got almost unbearable until we got to the middle of the cave and then I saw it, or at least what I thought it was. It was a tiny shrub, erected in the middle of the cave and it vibrated with each scream. My only weapon on hand was a small dagger so I was going to have to get close.
“Stay here,” I instructed the guards. They looked confused and a little relieved at my order. I swallowed deeply before making my way over. As I got closer, I could have sworn my ears began to bleed.
It was almost ironic that something this small was doing so much damage. I took out the dagger and sliced the shrub clean down the middle. Almost immediately, the screaming stopped and I let out an audible sigh of relief. I nearly collapsed to the ground in relief but I had to keep my composure in front of the others.
“Fu*ck,” I heard someone swear behind me. “My ear drums are ringing.”
I couldn’t help but agree. I heard them whispering behind me but my main focus was on the small slip of paper lying beside the now dead shrub. I picked it up and turned it over. There were only four words
on it but those four words had me panicking and muttering prayers under my breath as I cursed and ran out of the cave. I could feel the confusion of the guards behind me but I didn’t care much about them. I had a goal in mind and that included getting to the palace. The sun had almost finished setting and the moon was high in the sky already. I couldn’t help but notice it was a full moon. It only seemed befitting in a way.
I rode as fast as I could trying to reach Camilla as I did but her wall was up. It seemed like everyone’s walls were up. I tried more times than I could count and each time I met that stone structure, I nearly screamed. By the time I got to the palace, I rushed over to Camilla’s office. Her scent was already stale there meaning she hadn’t been there in a while!
I muttered a loud curse when I heard footsteps behind me, I saw Christine and Juan approaching and rushed over to them. “Where is Camilla?”
“I don’t know,” Christine and slowly.
“Have you tried her office?”
“I don’t know,” Christine reds
“Yes, she isn’t there,” I ran my hands through my hair. “How could we fu*cking lose her?”
“She isn’t lost,” Christine began but I tossed the note to her. I already knew the four words written on it.
How is your mate?
She opened her mouth presumably to tell me not to jump to conclusions but I wasn’t interested. I walked away before she even started speaking and started making my way to the stables. I needed a faster horse.
I got close enough when the scent of blood filled my nose. I rushed in only to find Lyla on the ground in a pool of her own blood. She wasn’t breathing. I cursed ready to call the guards when I noticed something written in the ground in what looked like blood.
