65 – On The Precipice
Iris.
I stepped into Abel’s room, and the guards behind me closed the doors and locked them from the outside. I rested against the door and took a deep
breath.
yes went to his bed, it was empty. I looked around the room to see that he was not there.
“Abel…” I began, but when my My blood ran cold as I stared at the empty bed where Abel should have been. My heart raced, and panic quickly set in, tightening my chest like a vice. This couldn’t be happening. Not now, not with everything already so chaotic. Not during a possible infiltration.
“Abell” I called out, my voice shaking. I rushed around the room, checking every possible hiding spot–a habit from our games of hide and seek. But the closet, under the bed, and behind the curtains were all empty. My breath quickened, and a cold sweat broke out on my forehead. He wasn’t here. He wasn’t anywhere. Goddess, no…
Desperation’s cold hands clutched my heart. “Abel!” I shouted again, louder this time, as if my voice alone could summon him back. The silence that followed was deafening, my words echoing off the stone walls. He was truly missing, just like Ione. What if the infiltrators had taken them both? My mind raced, conjuring images of him lost or hurt, and my stomach twisted with dread.
I slammed my fists against the door until it opened, startling the guards stationed outside. Their expressions quickly turned from confusion to concern as they took in my frantic state. “Where’s Abel?” I demanded, my voice higher and more frantic than I intended. “He’s not in his room!”
The guards exchanged worried glances but offered no answers. “He should be there, Luna. No one has come or gone,” one of them said, clearly concerned. His tone was steady, but the unease in his eyes betrayed the calmness he tried to exude. My ears were ringing so loudly that I could barely hear.
I felt a lump form in my throat. The castle was supposed to be secure, but if lone was missing and now Abel too, something was terribly wrong. “He has to be somewhere,” I muttered, more to myself than to anyone else. “We have to find him!” I could not accept the thought that he had been taken. He had been taken once before, by Kavriel. If he were to go through that again, I would not be able to look him in the eye.
Without waiting for a response, I dashed down the corridor, the guards trailing behind me. Each step felt like an eternity, my heartbeat pounding in my ears. I shouted Abel’s name, my voice echoing off the stone walls, but there was no response. My footsteps sounded hollow, a horrifying contrast to the heavy dread filling my chest. I could have lost mind.
my
The castle felt like one large, confusing maze of fear and uncertainty. The long hallways and towering walls seemed to close in on me, squeezing and suffocating me. The thought of Abel scared in one of the numerous rooms, with a knife to his neck and a hand on his mouth, telling him not to make a sound, made bile rise up my throat.
I encountered a few maids along the way, their faces etched with worry as they saw my
“Luna, you should be in your room. The Alpha’s orders,” one said.
distress.
I shook my head, uncertain that they would help. They were not trained guards for the castle. They, too, would go and hide. But I blurted the words
anyway.
“Abel is missing. Please, help me find him.”
They looked at each other and, like a miracle, turned back to me and nodded. They quickly scattered in different directions, their hurried footsteps echoing amidst the rest of the castle’s chaos.
As I continued running through the castle, my mind was a chaotic whirl of fears and worst–case scenarios. What if he had already been taken out of the castle? What if he was hurt? The thought of someone intentionally harming him was unbearable. What if this attack was by Kavriel? What if this was his revenge? The corridors seemed endless, each corner turning into another, my desperation growing with each step.
“Abel!” I called out again, my voice breaking. Desperation clawed at me, each unanswered call deepening my fear. I had to find him. I couldn’t lose him too. The memories of our playful moments together flashed through my mind–his innocent laughter, the way his eyes lit up when he saw me.
The idea of something terrible happening to him made my chest tighten painfully.
Just when I was about to lose hope, a faint sound reached my ears. I stopped, straining to hear, my breath caught in my throat. It was distant but unmistakable–a small, frightened voice calling out, “Aunty.”
My heart leaped. It was Abel. I was sure of it. The sound was faint but clear, cutting through the silence like a lifeline. I turned to the maids nearby. “Did you hear that?” I asked, my voice urgent.go
They shook their heads, looking puzzled. “Hear what, Luna?” one of them asked, concern etched on her face.
But I was certain. Something inside me had sharpened, heightening my senses in a way I couldn’t explain. The light around me seemed harsher, making my eyes squint, but I could hear the voice clearly now, growing louder. “Aunty!”
I focused on the direction of the voice, and without hesitation, I took off running. The sound was coming from above. The upper levels of the castle–places I had never been. My heart pounded in my chest, fear pushing me forward. The maids and guards followed, their footsteps echoing behind me as we ascended the winding staircases.
Up and up we went, the air growing cooler as we climbed. My breathing was ragged, both from exertion and fear. The castle seemed to transform with every level, the familiar turning into the unfamiliar. I had never been this high up, and each step into the unknown heightened my anxiety. The walls felt narrower, the corridors darker. My footsteps echoed loudly, the sound bouncing off the cold stone walls.
My mind raced with questions and fears. What if he was hurt? What if he was in danger? The thought of him being scared and alone was enough to
AZ
Setting
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65 – On The Precipice
make me double over and vomit. The distance between us felt like a large chasm, one that I would never be able to cross. What if I never got to see him again?
Finally, we reached the uppermost level, a place I had only heard about in stories–an old, abandoned section of the castle. The air was thick with dust and the scent of age, the walls covered in cobwebs. The stone walls were cold and damp, the air thick with a sense of foreboding. We pushed through a heavy door that led to the roof, the bright daylight making me squint.
My blood ran cold at the sight before me. Abel stood on the roof, his small form trembling, tears streaking down his face: His eyes were wide with fear, and he looked so fragile standing there, so close to the edge. My heart ached at the sight of him, my protective instincts flaring.
But what sent a chill through my entire being was Ione. She was there too, standing dangerously close to the edge, a single step away from a fall and certain death, her eyes closed as if in a trance, like she was sleepwalking. Her pale face was serene, almost peaceful, but there was an unsettling
stillness to her.
“Abel!” I shouted, rushing towards them. “Don’t move!”
He turned to me, relief flooding his tear–streaked face. “Aunty!” he cried, his voice shaking but, for the first time since his birth, he did not stammer. “Save Aunty!”
I reached him and quickly pulled him away from the edge, holding him tightly. His little body trembled in my arms, and I could feel his racing heartbeat. My own heart was pounding in my chest, the fear of what could have happened still fresh in my mind. I knelt down to his level, cupping his tear–streaked face in my hands. “She will be okay. I promise,” I said, my voice trembling.
He nodded, but the fear in his eyes was evident. “Please,” he whispered, his voice barely audible. His eyes traveled to Ione, still filled with so much
fear.
My eyes darted to lone, who stood so precariously close to falling. Her face was serene, almost peaceful, but it was clear she wasn’t conscious of what she was doing. My heart pounded in my chest. I had to do something.
“Ione,” I called softly, my voice thick with emotion. “Please, come back.”
She didn’t respond, her body swaying slightly with the wind. My heart pounded in my chest. I couldn’t let her fall. I handed Abel to one of the maids who had followed us up, ensuring he was safe, then cautiously approached Ione. Each step felt like a lifetime, the fear of her falling making my movements slow and deliberate.
“Ione,” I said again, louder this time. “It’s Iris. Please, step back from the edge.”
She still didn’t move, her expression unchanged. Panic rose in me, but I forced it down. I needed to stay calm, to think clearly. The distance between us closed inch by inch, my focus solely on her. I just had to make sure that I did not look down. My fear of heights would have to wait until I could get her to step back.
