As the sun rose over the town, Derek and Alexander led the town's able-bodied men in the construction of the palisade wall, while Ivan, Taven and Liam continued their search in the forest.
For seven days, the men labored tirelessly, cutting down the wood and reinforcing the walls, their efforts bringing visible progress with every passing day. As the eighth day dawned, the wood construction for the gate began, the air filled with the sounds of hammers and saws.
From the arrival of Derek and his team till now, there has been no report of missing girls and Derek's little spies haven't picked up any of the words he had told them, aside that the respect for Lady Sai had increased especially after supplying cakes and rum to the workers, after each exhausting labour.
After dusk had fallen, the men congregated around a fire pit, laughing and exchanging stories, their tired bodies refueled by the rum they sipped. From a distance, Derek, Alexander, and Lady Sai watched the festivities, sipping their own drinks.
"How's the interrogation going?" Derek inquired, his tone conveying a sense of urgency.
"He hasn't broken yet," Lady Sai replied, a hint of frustration in her voice. "Mite's a tough nut to crack."
Derek, pondering for a moment, turned to Alexander. "Give Alex a day with him, and we'll see if he's still so stubborn." A knowing smile crept across his face.
"Sounds like a solid plan." Sai took a sip of her drink, her expression shifting from concern to quiet determination.
"Good news," Taven and Liam's voices suddenly cut through the night, their presence catching the trio off guard.
"You found the hideout?" Lady Sai asked, her face lighting up with hope.
"And the girls," Liam confirmed, though his tone belied a hint of uncertainty.
"What's the catch?" Derek pressed, noticing the lack of enthusiasm on the scouts' faces.
"It's not a hideout, but a camp," Taven revealed, his expression grave. "A well-guarded one, with around a hundred mercenaries."
Derek's relief at the girls' safety was momentarily overshadowed by his dismay at the scale of the threat they now faced.
With the news weighing on his mind, Derek regarded Liam and Taven. "Where's Ivan?." The glint in his eyes held a hint of gratitude and respect for his comrade's foresight.
"He rode of to inform Commander Kanlor of the situation." Taven sighed.
"I wonder what has got him so hyped up all of a sudden." Derek touched his chin, thinking.
"I think we should check it out tomorrow." Alexander suggested, "I didn't expect a hundred mercs. That's a lot of swords, just to guard the kidnapped ladies."
"I'll send three of my best guards with you." Sai spoke with concern.
"No need my lady, this is just a scouting mission, all will be fine." Derek gave a smile of assurance, Kanlor's rebuke for him not to intervene still fresh in his memory.
Lying low amidst the rocks, Derek and Alexander peered down at the camp from their perch. White tents clustered together in a sea of green, the girls held captive in a cage at the camp's center. As they scanned the area, Alexander's whispered count reached seventy armed men, and still they kept coming.
"All this, just to sell ladies off," Derek murmured, clenching his fists.
"What's bothering me is the buyer," Alexander added, his gaze flitting from one tent to the next. "This is someone with a high status."
Suddenly, a twig snapped behind them, Derek and Alexander spun around, knives at the ready, only to find Taven crouching behind them, his face contorted with urgency.
"Sorry to startle you," Taven whispered, his expression indicating the gravity of the situation. "A rider is approaching the camp."
Peering through the bushes, Derek and Alexander spotted a figure in a brown cloak, dismounting from his horse and walking towards the cage. A man, probably the leader of the gang stood by his side, they talked for a while before the cape man handled a medium size pouch to him. They shook hands before the mysterious rider retired to his horse.
"We need to follow him," Derek murmured, his words thick with determination. "If we catch him, we catch the buyer."
"Derek, think this through. We can't afford to be reckless." Alexander tried to reason with his friend, but the fire in Derek's eyes was aflame with an old rage.
"This is our best shot," Taven interjected, his gaze fixed on the rider. "We have to take it."
With a decisive nod, Derek slipped out of their hiding spot, the others close behind. The dry crunch of leaves beneath their feet and the rustle of branches in their wake seemed to echo through the forest as they hastened towards their target. Derek's muscles tensed, every fiber of his being intent on catching the caped figure.
As the rider came into view, the sun glinting off his brown cloak, Derek lunged. With a swift tackle, he brought the rider tumbling to the ground, his knife at the man's throat.
Derek froze as the realization hit him - the man beneath him, the one bearing the brunt of his wrath, was no ordinary criminal, but an Azma soldier. Shock painted his face as he grappled with the revelation, his grip on the man tightening.
With each punch that connected with the soldier's face, blood spattered on the surrounding grass, a grim testament to Derek's unyielding fury. Alexander finally caught up, restraining Derek, who kept trashing about, not satisfied with what he had given the soldier.
Taven's grip on the soldier tightened as the situation grew more volatile by the second. The soldier, now bruised and bloodied, spat out a tooth, a defiant smirk curling his lips.
"You should know better than to meddle in royal business, guards."
"A Royal business, you say?" Derek narrowed his eyes, his fists clenched at his sides.
The soldier's smugness only seemed to grow. "If you love your family, walk away and the Aquilae Prince won't have to know."
Alexander, vexed by the mention of 'Aquilae' didn't realize when his grip on Derek loosened, allowing Derek to land a solid sidekick to the soldier's jaw, loosening a tooth and spattering blood.
"Let go, Alex!" Derek growled, his muscles straining against his friend's hold.
Alexander remained resolute, his own fury barely contained, as he stared down the soldier. "We best let Captain Ramsey handle him."
The soldier, reeling from Derek''s blow, remained on his knees, his expression turning from defiance to wary caution. He seemed to recognize that he was not dealing with ordinary guards.
"You're not dealing with your everyday First Rare Guards," Taven muttered, tightening his hold on the soldier. "It would be better if you remained silent."
The soldier nodded slightly, fear finally dawning on his face as he realized the full scope of his predicament.
As they trudged towards the town, Taven kept a firm grip on the soldier, with Derek and Alexander flanking either side. Just as they approached a bend, Catherine came into view, an unexpected sight that sent a ripple of confusion through the group.
"Catherine? What are you doing here?" Derek asked, his brows furrowed.
Catherine sighed, relief evident in her voice, "Thank goodness you're safe. Lady Sai was worried about your delay."
Derek's sighed. "I told her not to worry."
"Wait." Alexander's voice cut through the air, his eyes locked onto Catherine with a piercing gaze. "Lady Sai doesn't know where we are," he continued, suspicion creeping into his tone. "How did you find us here?"
Tension crackled between the four, and Derek caught on quickly, his eyes darting from one to the other.
As the silence stretched, Catherine's hand darted towards her dagger. In a flash, Taven reeled to the ground, as Catherine rushed towards the soldier, aiming for his throat.
Derek sprung into action, tackling Catherine to the ground with a thud, his weight pinning her to the dirt.
"Why?" he demanded.
Catherine thrashed her body against Derek's hold. With a sudden headbutt and a vicious knee to his groin, Catherine freed herself from his grasp, bolting away from the scene.
Alexander abandoned the rearing horse, giving chase as Catherine disappeared into the surrounding brush.
"Taven." Derek's voice, thick with agony, "The guard..." Derek's eyes gazed in regret.
He wasn't fast enough to stop Catherine from plunging the knife through the guards throat.
"Taven." Derek called out, his voice cutting through the silence as he stood on his knees, still in pains.
His eyes darted towards Taven - who lay still and silent, his blood soaking the ground.
"No-noo!" Derek wailed, he crawled to his side. The sight of his friend's lifeless form breaking something inside him, his heart splintering into a thousand shards.
Alexander arrived, breathless and disheveled, his eyes immediately drawn to the horror before him.
Alexander could only watch in helpless silence as Derek clutched Taven's lifeless body, words failing to capture the pain of this moment. With a heavy heart, Alexander pulled Derek away.
"Derek, we have to go. Catherine was heading towards the camp."
Derek's eyes, still wet with tears, glanced towards Taven's body, his hand stretching out as if to reach for him.
"Not without Taven," Derek whispered, a mix of denial and heartbreak coloring his voice.
"He's gone, dammit," Alexander yelled, gripping Derek's arm, his voice a mix of grief and frustration.
Derek's fists tightened, his knuckles turning white as he battled with the truth of Alexander's words. With a single glance back at his fallen friend, Derek mounted behind Alexander on the horse, as it broke into a canter.
Alexander and Derek galloped past the workers, Liam's calls for attention falling on deaf ears, their minds consumed by the urgency of their mission.
As they thundered through the main street, children scattered in their wake, the once peaceful town thrown into disarray.
In a matter of moments, Derek found himself confronting Lady Sai, his knife poised against her throat. The guards raised their swords in alarm, their arrows trained on Derek, ready to defend their leader at a moment's notice.
"Hold," Sai ordered, raising her hands. "There's been a misunderstanding, Derek.
"Taven is dead," Derek growled, his knuckles whitening as he fought to contain his fury. "Catherine slit his throat and killed the only evidence we had."
Lady Sai's expression shifted, a veil of shock settling over her features. "I swear on my family's grave, I had no knowledge of this," she said, her words ringing with sincerity.
"Then how could you have missed this under your own roof? In your own guard force?" Derek snarled, disbelief and rage simmering beneath his words.
"I had suspicions," Sai admitted, her voice heavy with guilt. "But without proof, there was nothing I could do."
Derek turned away, the fire in his eyes dimming ever so slightly, as he struggled to come to terms with the loss of his friend.
The air seemed to hang still, the shock and grief of the moment weighing down on them. But the faint cry of a guard shattered the silence.
"Unknown troop approaching," the guard shouted from the watchtower.
Derek glanced at Alexander, a grim determination etched on his face. "Arm every young man with whatever they can find. Bring the women, children, and elderly to the compound—they'll make their last stand here."
Alexander, his eyes dark with resolve, nodded his assent before galloping off to rally the townsfolk.
"You are not thinking straight Derek." Sai spoke lightly.
Derek turned back to face Sai, her worrying eyes not having a dent on his. "I've already thought this through," he said, his voice low and steady. "There's only one path left."
Sai stepped forward, her eyes locking with Derek's, her hand reaching out to touch his cheek, a silent plea for him to listen to reason.
"Derek, be smart about this. Going up against a troop is a death sentence."
Derek's jaw clenched, the pain of his loss warring with the wisdom of her words.
"Maybe a wasted death is better than living with the weight of cowardice," he countered, his voice sharp with defiance.
Derek took regard of the guards - a feint smile beaming out, "Now listen up, you have only one job, keep Lady Sai and this compound safe. Defend it with your life, if harm comes to her, not one of you should be standing."
Derek didn't wait to hear what Sai had to say, his eyes fixed forward, he walked away.