As they walked through the dark alley, Melrose spoke, "The rebels didn't start this chaos alone. They must be working for someone who is in the court."
"Why do you think so?" Reed asked, curious how she came up with the same deduction as him.
"East Brownsville is near the border where the military troops are deployed, yet those rebels weren't a bit intimidated to make a mess in the village. At first, I thought the military troops at the border turned a blind eye on it because they must be restrained, but after observing those men, I figured that they weren't originally rebels. They were soldiers."
"Soldiers?" Reed inquired.
"Yes. The way they moved, there was some sort of coordination that only military men are accustomed to, and have you noticed the weapons they used? Those bear a familiar emblem."
Reed was surprised how Melrose's mind worked. Most people cared about nothing but their lives when at the brink of death, but she was different. She may look innocent but she was sharp and intelligent. She observed everything keenly.
"The imperial emblem of Arden," he replied.
Melrose paused for a second to look at him. "So, you knew it?"
He nodded and she wasn't surprised. Lord Knight was more than what he appeared to be. He looked like a wealthy and capable gentleman, but for her he was more than that. He was always calm as if nothing could harm him. He was silent most of the time but he was sharp, and his moves were always precise as if he was sure in every action he made.
"What should the King do?" she asked.
"I'm not the King so why should I think about it," Reed's sarcastic reply.
Melrose was about to retort when she heard something that made her stop.
"I'm hearing cries!"
She looked around and listened at the wall next to the alley. It was where the sounds were coming from.
She ran to the end of the alley so she could find an entrance but just after she made a turn, she froze when she saw a black skinny wolf blocking her way. Its sharp long teeth were out with its saliva dripping down.
The wolf snarled at her and she stepped back. She wanted to call Lord Knight but she was afraid the wolf would jump over her if she would shout.
And the impatient wolf didn't bother waiting, he stepped forward, snarling, and with every step closer, Melrose felt the panic rush in her chest.
But before the wolf could shred her frail body with its sharp teeth and claws, she felt someone's presence behind her.
"This is the reason why you shouldn't run alone in the dark, Lady Lewis. You attract dangers," Reed whispered above her ear huskily that made her shiver.
"Should we run?" The words barely escaped her lips.
"What about I push you to the wolf and I run?" he taunted.
"You are not good at joking, my lord," she said nervously.
"I actually don't do jokes, Lady Lewis."
Reed's eyes turned to red and glared at the wolf. It stopped snarling and slowly backed down before it ran away. Melrose, who didn't know what caused the wolf to run, was surprised and faced Reed whose eyes were back to its normal color.
"Did you see that? The wolf just ran!" She chuckled.
"Maybe it didn't find you appealing enough so it changed its mind."
Her eyes narrowed. "I think your grumpy face scared the poor wolf, Lord Knight."
She didn't wait for him to come up with a retort and hurried to the pathway that led to an old dilapidated building where she thought the noise came from. She knew she was getting it right when the cries of people became louder.
However, she stopped at the entrance of the building when she realized it was darker inside without even a little glimpse of light to guide her way.
"You hate the dark, don't you?" She heard Reed from her back.
"How can we know our way if it's this dark?"
Reed didn't reply and walked ahead of her. He disappeared in the dark.
"Wait, where are you going? Are you going to leave me behind?"
He didn't answer and she wanted to step into the darkness but she couldn't bring her feet to move.
"Lord Knight! Where on earth are you?"
Still, there was no answer and she was getting scared and annoyed. What if another hungry wolf would appear out of nowhere?
"Reed Knight-"
She stopped when she saw a sudden burst of flame a few feet from her, and there he stood, staring at her with his sea-green eyes tainted with a fiery red glint from the candlestick he was holding.
"So impatient, aren't we, Lady Lewis?"
She glared at him subtly before walking towards him. Now that there was a little light, it was enough for them to see what was inside the building.
"Why is this building so old and creepy?" she asked herself when she saw so many cobwebs at the corners and ceilings. The walls had a lot of bleaks and the things around were broken. The rebels really did a good job ruining everything in the village.
Whoever it was who planned all of this, he deserved a punishment more than death. He used the villagers as pawns to anger the King and stir chaos as if those lives didn't matter. How insolent.
"Let's go," Melrose said and they took the narrow pathway that led to a staircase belowground. Most dungeons were in the basements of buildings, even the royal dungeon was at the lowest part of the palace. She had never been there but it wasn't a secret.
When they reached downstairs, Melrose could clearly hear the cries now. She got the candlestick from Reed and raised it. There she saw the pitiful situation of the villagers behind the bars.
She took a step forward, and just when she realized she stepped on something, a sharp arrow approached her way so fast that she barely saw it.
But Reed's hand caught the arrow just before it could pierce through her chest.