Present Time,
"Hello, Brother," Acheron said through clenched teeth as he turned to face Kamaz.
Looking at Falkur straight in the eyes, Kamaz demanded, "Where? Is. She?"
Falkur could already detect that Kamaz was holding onto his last string of control before aiming for Acheron's head and he immediately vamp sped between the both beings.
He was no match for any, and standing in between them was costly, but he had something to prove and Kamaz's human reputation to maintain.
"My Lord.
Acheron did make a call to me to inform us that he was with Zeda. But I must have been with the trackers because I didn't take the calls.
I'm sorry My Lord! But we need to concentrate on getting the Miss back.
For keeping her away for so long, he will pay the price but I felt now isn't the time." Falkur advised and Kamaz bit down his anger a little.
Falkur could feel the slight recoil of the darkness, and he was able to look at Kamaz's face.
"We will track her whereabouts and find out where they must have taken her. We will find her soon My Lord…Unscathed!" Falkur assured.
Kamaz turned away from them and went over to the fireplace. He sat on the seat Zeda had sat on, on the day Acheron had brought her here.
It was because her presence seemed to be more concentrated in that region.
'This must be where she was before she…' Kamaz thought to himself. He was unable to make the statement completely because he did not want to believe that Zeda was where he wasn't.
He and few others had an understanding of what had happened in the school that day.
The desires of those students had been sought, and because most of them had deep-running desires, they were easily possessed.
The danger Kamaz had been thinking of was finally surfacing around him. But he could not quite get a hold of it.
He could tell that this 'danger' wasn't what had taken Zeda away because if it was, a drop of blood wouldn't have been found.
She would have just disappeared absolutely…without a trace! But yet…he felt weak at the thought that Zeda could possibly be in pain.
He leaned back into the chair and closed his eyes as he allowed her fast-fading scent to cloth around him one last time.
"Now you refer to me by my name, lad. You have surely forgotten your manners now that it seems you are a big shot" Acheron said to Falkur.
Falkur was able to pick the inference of Acheron's statement directed at him, and standing tall and proud; he replied, "I do not see Zoah Kingdom anywhere around, and my loyalty lies with Lord Kamaz. Of course, I am a big shot." Falkur said staring at Acheron in the eyes.
He could never have mustered enough courage some centuries ago, but time, experience, and wealth had forged a new awareness and knowledge of himself.
"Shadow, any lead?" Falkur called as he turned from Acheron.
Falkur knew that Acheron was annoyed with himself due to Zeda's disappearance and he wanted an outlet - either to inflict pain or someone or be the inflicted - but he wasn't going to give Falkur that satisfaction, even though a part of him wanted to.
Because of the gloomy clouds, the interior of the room was looking dark and even the grey curtains could be mistaken for dark ones. One of them was where Shadow was with a laptop in his hand.
Even Acheron had not been able to tell that there was someone in the cabin other than himself, Falkur and Kamaz.
"Yes," Shadow replied as he pushed himself off the wall he was resting on. He walked towards Falkur and Falkur towards him. They met halfway and he showed Falkur the few clips one camera had caught from a hiking path in the forest.
Falkur briskly marched over to Kamaz.
"My Lord, we have our lead. We know where they should be headed!"
Kamaz's red eyes, which had more gold around the rims, opened.
As those inside came out from the house, Korah, Rena, and another vampire that was trying to pick clues from around the forest immediately joined them.
Rena was back from the task Kamaz had entrusted her with, and somehow, she was glad that there was something to distract Kamaz from demanding the report of her findings - because the report was as good as no result.
Kamaz would never accept what she had to say.
With speed no human could be able to decipher, they all ran to the other side of the city, through connected forests.
Earlier that day, Zeda had made friends with the birds that chirped at her window every morning.
She had opened the glass window so she could have access to them and they had perched on her outstretched arm like her hand was a branch of a tree.
As she looked at the birds, examining the colors that differentiated them, a particular man who had ventured deep into the forest and had lost his way during his hike had seen Zeda, who was smiling at the birds resting on her arm.
This man recognized her immediately.
'How could he forget?'
She was the woman whom his boss had called a big loss to their organization after it was confirmed that the wealthiest man in the country had her.
His boss, as well as the other men that made up their organization, had been saddened when their last resort to make her succumb to them had backfired.
She was supposed to be either dead or available for their pleasure but here she was, happy with her new life.
The hike-man was behind the bushes for a while, and when he saw no one or heard anyone, he assumed she was alone.
He put a call through, and in thirty minutes, they barged into the house.
Zeda was frightened as she vividly recognized him and the other guards, and she tried to escape, but the men were far too many and strong.
She had fought the first man that grabbed her with a bread knife.
That was the only weapon before her and when she picked it up, warning the men to leave her alone, they laughed at her.
When the man bravely approached her, she shoved it hard into his right eye.
But that was enough to stop the men from ensuring they took her along… it had fuelled the monsters more.