Chapter Twenty-Six

Rock

I know that time is of the essence, and the longer I stay in the shadows, hiding and biding my time, the more danger Elena and Cal are in. I have to go down and start taking out these shifters one by one.

I finally pinpoint an entrance that seems to be going underground, and seeing the two guards there, I figure that must be where they are keeping Cal and Elena. I slowly start heading down to the camp, hidden under the cover of the night. I use all of my instinct to move as noiselessly as possible, avoiding those shifters that might make too much noise if not taken out in time.

Eventually, I identify the guards stationed near the entrance to the underground cave. The night fortunately conceals my every movement and the hushed whispers of leaves beneath my feet betray nothing of my presence. I am one with the woods, one with the night. Nature is on my side, and it wants to show these shifters that this isn't where they belong.

Executing a series of swift, precise maneuvers, I manage to incapacitate a couple of shifters on my way, with a seamless blend of skill and finesse. I strangle them until their bodies go limp, without any mercy. I didn't want to come here in an effort to kill. But I remind myself that they attacked us first. They asked for this, an eye for an eye. We are a peaceful clan, preferring to live and let live, but attack us, and you'll feel all the rage of nature.

With those thoughts in mind, I take them out without even blinking. I don't feel anything. They wanted to hurt Elena. They wanted to hurt Cal. They wanted to hurt everyone in my village. They deserve whatever happens to them here. The muted struggle plays out in near silence, hidden from the watchful eyes of the camp. No one has seen a thing, and that is how I need to keep it.

The guards crumple to the ground without any noise, and my attention shifts to the surrounding darkness. I look around to make sure that I'm not seen. I pickpocket the two guards, finally finding a set of keys on the second guard. I'm sure that wherever they are keeping Cal and Elena, it is behind a lock and key.

Moving with the grace of a shadow, I venture deeper into the underground passage. There is no more moonlight to guide my path, but there are torchlights along the walls. I follow their trail, not sure if I will reach where I'm supposed to go. I keep a watchful eye on my surroundings, just to make sure that someone doesn't surprise me and raise alarm in the process.

I see two cells. One is empty, and the other one is too dark to see, as the torch has gotten extinguished.

"Cal?" I whisper as softly as I can.

There is nothing at first, then a moment later, something stirs in the darkness. Not something, but rather… someone.

Cal drags himself to the bars, looking bad. His right eye is swollen. His lip is cracked. There is a trickle of dried-up blood running down his chin. I can't imagine how beaten he must look under those clothes, but I don't intend to stay here and find out.

"Rock?" he whispers back, and just from the sound of his voice, I can hear that he is in very bad condition. He hangs onto the bars, and I gently touch his fingers with mine.

"Hold on, Cal," I urge him. "I have the keys."

The metallic jingle of the key in my hand seems deafening in this solitude, so I try to work swiftly, before some of the other guards realize what's happening and come after us.

"How did you get inside?" he asks, his voice lower than a whisper.

"You know me," I grin as I unlock the cell door. "I like to do things without being in the spotlight."

We both grin, but neither of us releases the chuckle that we desperately feel like bursting into. It's too dangerous to make loud and unexpected noises. There will be enough time for spontaneous laughter when we're all safely back in the village.

I unlock the door easily, and the lock yields with a soft click, freeing the door to swing open. Cal, up until that moment confined in the dingy cell, looks up at me with a mix of surprise and hope as the door creaks open.

"Where is Elena?" I ask, looking around. "I thought she would be here with you."

"I think they took her to Abonos' tent," he reveals.

"Abonos?" I raise an eyebrow at the unfamiliar name.

"The leader of this bear shifter clan," he clarifies. "My… brother."

My jaw almost drops to the ground, but I manage to control myself. "Brother?"

"It's a long story," he whispers back. "One I'll tell you all about, but now, we have to find El first."

"Do you know where she is?" I ask.

"I don't think they took her down into the chamber where I was," he tries to remember. "They took her in the opposite direction, which means back up to the surface."

"I saw a few tents," I look back. "One of them could have been different from the others. Maybe that's the one that belongs to the leader?"

"Mhm," he nods. "One has to be different. The guy is too arrogant to have the same tent as everyone else."

"Yeah, sounds like a brother of yours alright," I remark playfully.

His eyes widen, then roll at me. "Seriously? Now?"

"Sure," I shrug. "We need to unwind a little bit before we go for the leader. That will need all our cunning and focus."

"Yes," he nods.

"Let's go," I instruct, heading back the way I came from.

We navigate the intricate tunnels leading out of the underground cave, our movements calculated and soundless. The subterranean darkness is gradually substituted by the pale glow of the moonlit night as we ascend towards the surface.

Emerging into the open air, we find ourselves amidst the camp's outskirts. We have to remain in the shadows, moving in unison. We utilize the night as our ally as we silently neutralize guards along our path, each confrontation ending with subdued thuds and the disappearance of bodies into the darkness.

I'm sure that we can't take out all of them. But we'll try to incapacitate as many of them as we can. Then, we'll decide what to do with the rest of them. But first, we have to find Elena and make sure that she is safe.

We keep going, circling the camp and different tents. The moonlight outlines the contours of the camp, providing just enough visibility for us to navigate the area without being detected. Fortunately, the guards are unaware of the silent threat in their midst. They keep falling one by one, making the camp a less hostile space each time a guard is taken down.

Finally, we find ourselves behind the tent that seems to be the one we've been searching for. We notice two guards standing vigilant in front of the imposing tent. They are the next obstacles in our path to finding Elena. I gesture at Cal to take out the one closer to him, while I will take out the one on the left. He nods soundlessly.

We have to work in sync, so that neither of the two guards notices what is happening to the other one. We sneak behind them slowly, then grab them by the neck. They are taken by surprise, so they have no time to react. Their legs start kicking against the ground as both Cal and I squeeze their necks until their bodies go limp. It was quite a task, because both men were huge. I could only imagine how difficult it must have been taking them out in their bear form.

Now, the path to the tent is open. I can still hear some voices in the distance. Cal looks at me.

"Should we take care of them first?" he whispers.

"No," I shake my head. "We need to make sure that Elena is alright. Then, we'll find a way out of this camp and back home."

I push inside first, with Cal following me closely. The place is wrought with indications of bear shifters, an atmosphere of authority and mystique. The dim light from the lanterns casts long shadows on the tribal decorations adorning the tent's interior. My eyes quickly shift to the heart of the tent, and there, Elena stands, a vision in a stunning tribal dress, her entire body trembling. Her eyes are pleading for us to come to her and take her into our arms, to make sure that she is alright.

For a moment, both Cal and I are mesmerized by her visage. She looks unearthly, like a fairy who got lost, away from the woods and now, a human has captured her, preventing her from going home. This is the moment when I want to tell her how beautiful she is, how happy I am that she is alright, and most importantly, that she has captured my heart, that I will be forever hers if she will be forever mine. And I know that Cal feels the same way. It is as if our love for her has intertwined, doubling in size, emboldening us with this insane bravery and power to endure pain beyond our wildest imaginations.

"Rock?" she whispers, her voice on the verge of breaking, and that brings us back to the urgency of the present moment. "Cal?"

Overwhelmed with a mixture of emotions, we rush towards her, our steps quickening by the shared relief at finding her alive and well. As we reach her, the tribal dress she's wearing sways gently with the motions of her body, as she waits for us to embrace her.

We hug all at the same time, her small frame becoming entangled in ours. For a moment, nothing else exists, and we three are alone and safe. However, that moment of solace doesn't last long. I pull away first, cupping her face.

"Elena, are you alright?" I ask, taking a quick, introspective glance at her. She seems fine and unharmed, fortunately for that rat. I don't even want to call him a bear, because I am offending the tradition we belong to.

"I am so happy to see you," she gushes. "I thought…"

"Never mind that now, sweetheart," Cal tries to comfort her. "You're alright and that's all that matters."

"But you… you're hurt," she looks at us both. "You're both hurt."

"We're fine," I assure her. "Don't worry about us."

"We have to go," she urges, grabbing us both by the hands, as if she's just remembered something. "Now."

Her voice is trembling. Her eyes convey a sense of determination as she speaks, and I can see the fear. I can almost feel it emanating off of her. I wonder what he has said and done to her to make her this afraid. I vow to avenge every tear that has fallen out of those beautiful eyes, and every shiver of fear her body has been subject to. But perhaps, now is not the time.

"You're right," I nod. "We took out several of the guards. Hopefully, we can sneak out into the woods unnoticed."

"Come," I take her by the hand, and in turn, she takes Cal's hand.

I can't help but think that this is how we will remain forever, the three of us, together in good and bad. The thought fills me with hope for the future for us all, for the village.

We hastily make our way towards the exit impatient to be out and concealed in the woods that will protect us. However, as we reach the exit, we collide with an unexpected obstacle.

I bump into the leader, the force of the blow propelling all three of us backward, with him standing in the doorway, blocking our exit. The atmosphere tenses immediately, as a stern expression etches across his face.

"Leaving so soon?" he growls, and I know that we can't leave without facing him.

I push Elena behind me, shielding her with my body. "Cal, look after her," I tell him. "I need to take care of this tyrant."