Chapter 261: Heart of the Chain
"No, wait, don’t-agggh!"
I closed my eyes, turning away as the last guard flew across the room, ribs protruding from the gaping hole in his chest. The hallway was a mess of blood and gore–what little remained of a patrol of slavers–but hardly unique. We’d left several such massacres in our wake, brutally slaughtering every slaver we came across.
Fable shook the blood from his coat and padded over, looking at me curiously. I snuck another glance at the bodies strewn across the corridor, my tail curling despondently.
"I’m alright," I said, my eyes flicking to the door behind where the slavers had stood. "Let’s just get this over with."
As my hand rested on the doorknob, I hesitated, anxiety twisting within me like a bow. This was it. The last slave room, marked with a big "10" in the center. She was going to be here. She had to be.
With a deep breath, I threw the door open, revealing a dugout room filled with cages. Anxious eyes stared up at me, reflecting the fear and suspicion felt in their souls. Having done it nine times before, I raised a practice hand, casting Lock Pick on the cages. The slaves gasped as the spell flared and the locks clattered to the ground, the doors grinding open.
I started to give instructions on how they could escape the compound, but my voice trailed off brokenly as my eyes fell upon the final slave in the cage. A small, catkin woman with a scar across her cheek, tilted her head curiously at my lingering gaze.
"...just go that way," I finished, my eyes dimming. "There’s a wagon that broke through the tunnel. The people there will help you....probably"
As they filed past, eyeing my horns and limp tail, I felt the strength leave my body and I leaned against Fable.
"Where are you?" I whispered, tears gathering in my eyes once more.
I felt like curling up in a ball and crying. We had come so far, killed so many people, checked every branch and off-shoot, and yet...she wasn’t here.