Chapter 187
Using my Gift "Keen Sense," I quickly memorized the blueprint of the auction house, the layout unfolding in my mind like a well-worn map. I could see each corridor, every door, and the patterns of the guards’ patrols moving through the halls.
There were too many guards roaming around for me to avoid them entirely, so I had no choice but to disable them one by one. I moved swiftly and quietly, slipping into the shadows.
As I approached the first guard, I knock him off by giving him a neck chop, he quickly fainted as his body slumped to the ground. I hurried to hide his body behind a stack of crates, as I glanced around to ensure no one had noticed.
One by one, I took them down, a flurry of quick maneuvers and well-aimed strikes putting each unsuspecting guard into a deep sleep.
After what felt like an eternity of stealth, I finally found the storage room. I slipped inside, scanning the dimly lit space for my belongings. Rushing to grab my discarded clothes, I changed quickly, feeling a thrill of familiarity wash over me. I secured the sheath at my side and placing it on the dagger Kairos had given me.
I wanted nothing more than to find Jaxon and end him right away, but those creatures needed my help first. Caught in this web of greed, they didn’t deserve to be auctioned off like mere commodities. While I eavesdropped the guards roaming around, I heard that the beasts were being shipped out tonight, so I need to act fast.
Slipping outside the auction house, I made my way to the shipping dock. The scene before me was unsettling—guards hustled around, moving heavy steel cages containing the trapped beasts. Each cage held a creature desperate for freedom, desperate for anything but this life of captivity. That’s when I spotted them.
Oliver, Tatum, and Zander. A smirk crept over my face as my blood began to boil. The other two I had on my list were nowhere in sight, but that didn’t matter. I could finish these three before searching for the remaining two.
Let’s continue where I left off, shall I?
I quickly focused, my instincts kicking in as I moved with practiced stealth. One by one, I knocked out the guards stationed around each cage—quick, silent strikes that left them sprawled on the ground before they even realized what was happening.
Finally, I reached the cages and began releasing the beasts, carefully undoing the locks and lifting the doors. Some of the beasts seemed to recognize me from when I had freed them the first time. They roared, flapped their wings, and howled in joy upon freeing them.