Chapter 537: Chapter 537
The paper trembled in Lara’s hand as her eyes traced the words, each stroke written with cruel precision:
"If you value the girl’s life, come alone to the outer Southeastern Gate before dusk.Tell no one. Come ALONE! One wrong move, and she dies."
Her breath caught in her throat. The din of the festival faded until all she could hear was the dull thudding of her heart. She crushed the letter in her palm, fighting back panic.
They had taken Ivy. But it her, they wanted.
For a brief moment, she closed her eyes. Of course, she thought. This isn’t random. This is about me. Who could it be?
She could still smell the sweetness of the cotton candy in the air, mocking her with its innocence. Straightening her back, Lara folded the letter carefully and tucked it into her sash. Her mind was already made up. She would not allow harm to come to the child—not while she still drew breath.
"Forgive me, Master," she whispered to herself, "but this is the only way."
She gave the letter to one of Alaric’s guards and send them away to report tor Alaric and General Odin.
By late afternoon, the celebration had dimmed into the softer hues of sunset. The distant laughter of festival-goers faded as Lara moved swiftly through the narrow alleys of the marketplace. She wore a simple travel cloak to conceal her identity, her copper brown hair hidden beneath a hood.
When she was out in the main avenue, she stopped a teenage boy riding a bike.
"Young man, let me borrow your bike." She handed him money enough to buy two new bikes. The teenage boy’s eyes lit up, and he handed her the bike without hesitation.
As she pedaled toward the outer Southeastern Gate, she felt her heart was heavier, and the shadows of the trees lining the main avenue seemed suffocating.
The air grew colder as she reached the outskirts. The intoxicating scent of the Dama de Noche (night blooming jasmine) that dotted the city walls mingled in the breeze. A flock of crows burst from the Molave tree ahead, startled by her approach—an omen, she thought, though she pressed on.
When she reached the gate, the world had fallen silent. The guards who usually patrolled the area were absent. Only the whisper of the wind and the distant clanging of the bells filled the air.
What happened to the guards here? She should tell her Uncle Primo to strengthen the security of the Southeastern Gate.
A low voice emerged from the shadows. "So, you came alone."
Lara was calm, and she did not waver. She looked around but did not see Ivy. "Where is the girl?" she demanded. "Release her. She is just a little girl."
A rough laugh echoed back. "We don’t need the girl anymore. It’s you, our boss wants."
A hooded man emerged from the shadows, carrying Ivy like a sack of rice.
"Let go of me," Ivy cried as she flailed her arms and legs.
"If you continue to be unruly, I will throw you to the ground," the burly man threatened, and Ivy stopped moving.
The burly man placed Ivy inside the gate before hurrying away.
"Boss, I could hear the hooves of the horses coming this way. We need to hurry." Follow current novᴇls on 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵※𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮※𝓷𝓮𝓽
Before Lara could react, figures stepped out from the dark—six men cloaked in black. The glint of steel caught the fading light.
Lara drew herself tall, her voice steady when she talked to Ivy. "Tell them I am okay and there is no need to panic."
She saw movements, and she knew it was the hidden guards assigned to her by Alaric. Her words right now were not for Ivy but for the guards.
"Sister, I am sorry. Please be careful." Ivy shouted, her voice drowning in sobs.
Lara nodded once. "Don’t worry, I will be okay."
Redon has already approached Ivy, and with a quick movement, Ivy’s bindings lay broken on the ground.
"It’s all right, little one. You’re safe now," he said gently, lifting her into his arms. "We’ll take you home." He passed her to another soldier, as he still needed to rescue Lara.
Lara’s captors bound her hands—harshly, but with practiced efficiency—and led her toward the waiting horses tethered beyond the gate, and they rode towards Mount Ourea.
The commander who led the kidnapping thought that the safest way for them would be through the Alta-Tierra mountain range. With the dense jungle as cover, they would be able to shake those who pursue them.
Far behind them, the soft clatter of boots broke the quiet. Redon and his two men had been waiting in the dark. When the people who looked like bandits rode their horses toward Ouera, the two men silently followed.
Moments later, the thunder of hooves echoed from the north. Alaric rode hard through the gate, his cloak snapping like a storm banner behind him. Beside him was Jethru, his expression grim and unreadable.
When a guard appeared, carrying Ivy in his arms, Jethru’s blood ran cold.
"What happened?" he demanded.
"She’s safe, Sir," the guard replied. "But Miss Lara—she’s gone. They took her."
Alaric’s fists clenched around the reins. "Which way?"
"Southeast," the guard answered. "Toward Mount Ourea."
Alaric looked toward the distant peaks, his face drawn. "If they enter the mountains, it will be difficult to track her."
Alaric dismounted, his eyes dark with fury and fear. "Then we ride before dawn," he said. "We’ll bring her back—or tear Zura apart trying."
Far from Calma, under a starlit night and a crescent moon, Lara sat with her hands bound on the back of a horse. She had loosened her bindings and was waiting for the right opportunity to escape.
Her abductors rode in silence, their faces obscured by hoods. One of them spoke, his tone cold and measured.
"You should not have come alone, daughter of Odin," he said, glancing back at her. "They said you are not simple, but I think you are... predictable,"
Lara met his gaze without flinching. "Don’t underestimate me, Commander. You might regret it later."
The commander’s expression hardened. "Regret," he muttered. "It is a word not in my vocabulary."
He turned away, his cloak stirring in the wind as the convoy pressed onward into the mountains—toward the looming shadows of Mount Ourea.