Chapter 168: The Discovery And The Secret Meeting!
The guards found Neve on the forest floor.
They were searching for the intruders who had killed three of Zyreth’s people. They were looking for evidence of what had happened. They were tracking blood trails and disturbances in the earth.
And there, lying in the middle of all the dead bodies, was Neve.
His eyes were closed. His body was still. He looked unconscious or dead.
The guards immediately rushed to check on him. They placed their hands on his chest and felt his heart beating. He was alive. He was breathing. He was just unconscious.
They carefully lifted him and carried him back to the cave where Popi was waiting.
.
.
Popi was worried when they brought Neve back to the cave.
She saw him being carried by guards. She saw his limp body. She thought something terrible had happened. She thought maybe Neve had been attacked. Maybe he had been hurt.
She rushed to his side, checking him over for injuries.
The guards placed him on the bed carefully.
"Keep watch over him," one of the guards commanded Popi. "King Zyreth will return tomorrow to ask what exactly happened. It appears your friend was attacked by intruders. Three of our people were found decapitated. We do not know if the intruders are still in the territory or if they’ve left."
Popi’s eyes went wide.
Three people were dead. Decapitated. She gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. She looked back at Neve and was thankful that Neve wasn’t among.
"Is Varek alright?" Popi asked urgently, her concern for the masochist clear in her voice.
The guard smirked as he stepped forward.
"No one can harm the king’s brother," He said. "He is too strong. Too skilled. The intruders were likely after Neve or other people. Varek would have crushed them easily."
He left the cave, his tail trailing behind him.
As soon as he was gone, Neve sat up and groaned loudly.
"Fuck, I was unable to grab the sticks," he muttered, rubbing his head like he was just waking up from sleep or unconsciousness.
Popi flinched and was shocked to see that Neve was actually not sleeping at all. He had been pretending the entire time. He had been conscious and listening to everything the guard had said.
"What happened?" Popi asked urgently, rushing to Neve’s side. "Why were there dead bodies? What occurred in that forest?"
Neve turned to the cave entrance to make sure there was no one watching or listening. He confirmed they were alone.
Then he told Popi everything.
"Sable is here," Neve whispered urgently. "The fox assassin came ahead of the others. He found me in the forest being attacked by three snake beastmen. They were trying to... well, you know what they were trying to do."
Popi’s eyes widened in horror.
"Those monsters!" Popi exclaimed, her fists clenching. "Did they hurt you? Are you injured?"
"No, Sable killed them before they could do anything," Neve said. "He appeared and took them down with his thread weapon. It was quick. It was brutal. Oh Popi... it was perfect."
"So Sable killed three of Zyreth’s men?" Popi asked, processing the implications.
"Yes. And now Zyreth thinks it was intruders attacking the territory. He thinks I was caught in the crossfire."
Popi could not believe what she was hearing.
"They’re finally here to save us," Popi said, tears forming in her eyes. "Sable must have probably came ahead to scout. That means Cael and the others are not far behind. We’re finally getting out of this place."
She grabbed Neve and hugged him tightly.
"How will we escape though?" Popi asked, pulling back to look at him. "With those bodies that were found, Zyreth is going to increase security. He’s going to watch everything more carefully."
Before Neve could answer, they heard a sound.
Footsteps appeared as someone materialized in the cave entrance.
It was Sable, becoming visible as he stepped out of his invisibility.
Popi’s expression shifted. She had been angry with Sable before the kidnapping. There had been tension between them. She had blamed him for some things.
But this time, seeing him appear from thin air, knowing he had come to rescue them, knowing he had risked his life to save Neve from those attackers, Popi felt a wave of happiness.
She was happy to see him. Genuinely happy.
"I saw you gathering these earlier," Sable said, handing the sticks over to Neve. The sticks Neve had dropped when the three beastmen had attacked him.
Neve’s eyes beamed with joy.
"Yeah, I needed them," he said, taking the sticks gratefully. He moved to the corner of the cave to start a small quick fire with his infinite lighter. The flames caught immediately.
He placed the sticks over the fire in a makeshift cooking arrangement and started roasting the meat that Popi had washed earlier.
Sable and Popi gathered around the fire, all three of them sitting close enough to feel the warmth.
The smell of cooking meat filled the cave.
"What do you think?" Sable asked, looking between Neve and Popi. "How do you plan we should escape? With the bodies that were found, it’ll be difficult for Cael and Aldric to get in close to the cave. Zyreth will be on high alert. He’ll be watching everything."
Popi and Neve nodded, understanding the complications.
"Knowing Zyreth, he would double the security," Popi said. "He’ll probably post guards everywhere. He’ll probably question everyone about what happened. He’ll probably lock us up even tighter."
"But we have time," Neve said thoughtfully. "Zyreth said he would return tomorrow to ask questions. That gives us tonight and most of tomorrow to plan something."
They discussed various escape routes as the meat roasted. They talked about the guard positions. They talked about the territory layout. They talked about timing and strategy.
After their discussion, the meat was finally roasted. The meat was dark and crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside.
They ate together, the three of them sitting around the fire. Sharing food. Sharing the moment of being together again.
Popi could not stop thinking about Varek though. Even as she ate and planned, her mind kept drifting to the masochist who had been so kind to her. Who had stopped his advances when she asked. Who had listened to her when she needed someone to listen.
She felt guilty for wanting to escape when Varek would be left behind.
But she pushed those thoughts aside. She had to focus on getting out. She had to focus on returning home with Neve and Sable.
They suddenly froze when they heard footsteps.
Loud footsteps walking through the tunnels of the outcast territory. They were getting closer to the cave.
Sable immediately went back to being invisible. His body faded from view like a ghost. Only Neve and Popi could feel his presence near them.
Popi and Neve waited in silence for whoever it was to appear.
They held their breath. They did not move. They tried to look natural. They tried to look like they had just been eating a normal meal.
The footsteps got louder.
They got closer.
And then, he stepped in.