Chapter 30

Liara left her chamber and crept down the long hallway. She had no idea which direction to go exactly, so she took a chance and turned right. She thought she had come from that direction, but wasn't entirely sure.

She crept down the long corridor that stretched out before her and gazed in amazement at the wood-carved walls. She felt like she was being watched, but she told herself it was her imagination.

Arriving at a junction, Liara cautiously peeked around the corner and when no one was in sight, she set about continuing her search. She just had to find Kyla.

But the further she penetrated into this house, the more she felt like she was in a maze. The corridors grew darker and with each further step Liara lost her bearings. To give herself more courage, she kept telling herself that it wouldn't be so bad, she already didn't know how to get back to her room.

If she found Kyla first, then... There! Liara stopped and felt her heart beating faster and faster. She could practically hear him in her ears.

Wasn't there a noise? Though it was useless, she pressed her back against the wall. When that sound was heard again, Liara looked back in panic down the dark path she had come. She had no idea what the guard dog Beleth and Xarfai had told her about looked like. Her vivid imagination had envisioned all sorts of creatures and shapes, which didn't calm her in the least. Even a stuffed bunny mutated into an all-devouring creature.

Liara hesitated. Should she move on? She couldn't tell exactly where the sound was coming from, let alone what it was. There was no hiding place here, because she hadn't discovered any doors either. Liara considered and the urge to finally see Kyla again, coupled with the rising fear, caused her to run at first. Without noticing it, Liara was getting faster and faster and with every further breath her panic and fear of the unknown something grew. She wasn't wrong. The noise followed her and now she knew what. Steps. Fast, powerful steps. They kept getting closer, no matter how fast Liara ran.

Without knowing where, Liara ran for her life. Sometimes she turned right, sometimes left. The beauty of the house no longer interested her. Controlled by her panic and out of breath, she whispered her friend's name as if it would help her survive.

Liara stumbled as the ground beneath her feet suddenly became more uneven and even darker than before. She was forced to slow down. Finally, when she could barely see her hands, she stopped completely and tried to catch her breath. Liara could hear her blood pounding in her ears. Still, she tried hard to hear the footsteps.

Nothing.

Just pure silence broken by her greedy breaths.

But maybe that something was just waiting for some sound she made?

Liara waited a moment before trying to focus on her surroundings. It seemed as if the whole corridor seemed to consist of only stone, nowhere even the slightest light. Liara looked back hesitantly. Should she go back? After all, she had no idea where this path would lead her.

Then she smiled, she hadn't known before exactly where she was. So she might as well move on.

With the next step forward, her legs gave out and Liara lost consciousness.

When there was a knock on the door, all eyes turned to Devon again. He suppressed the burgeoning anger with a sigh and stood up. Shortly thereafter, the large double doors opened.

All eyes now turned to the entrance where Darin appeared.

He entered, dragging Liara behind him on a rope. With her hands tied and her eyes on the floor, she gave the impression of a drug addict in another world. She appeared dazed and it was a few minutes before she looked up and noticed the rest of those present.

When Kyla saw her friend, she had to fight the impulse to jump up and run to her. Instead, her eyes widened in complete amazement and her eyes focused on Devon, who nodded at his brother, motioning for him to explain the interruption.

Darian took another step into the room, aware of the eyes on him. But when his gaze fell on Kyla, his eyes spat out the hate he felt for her.

"I caught her sniffing around. She was in the north wing and appeared to have run out of strength.”

All the princes were silent. They knew only too well what would happen to anyone who would side with this human woman. In Devon's eyes, she was a spy brought here by someone present. That was tantamount to a declaration of war.

Devon eyed everyone intently, and each one of them could feel the tension in the room.

Finally he turned his gaze to Darian and when he spoke all emotion had left his voice. "Kill them!" It should serve as a warning to all.

"No!" It was barely more than a whisper, but Devon had heard it, and when he turned to Kyla, his eyes glowed a red she had never seen on him so intensely.

Kyla slowly got up from the chair she had been sitting on like a statue until recently. Her posture betrayed nothing of the fear she felt.

"No!" Kyla repeated, louder and more confident than before.

At the sound of the voice, Liara looked up too. Her body still felt groggy. Of what, she didn't know. Her eyes swept around and settled on Kyla. did she dream Liara blinked several times and as her friend was still standing there, tears began to stream down her face.

Liara dropped to her knees, covering her face in her hands and sobbing with joy at finally being with Kyla again.

The lords watched with interest to see what would happen between Devon and Kyla.

Kyla took a step towards him. "I want to have her! Give her to me and you won't even know she's here.” Her voice was calm, yet Devon sensed her nervousness.

"She was spying. And someone brought her here. Spies belong to Darian.”

Kyla had to suppress her panic. She was only too able to imagine what Darian would do to her. "Devon... Please give me a chance to..."

"I'd like to see the spectacle." Kyla was interrupted by Havres and when their eyes met a small smile played on his lips.

Now Andras also dared to voice his opinion. “I can only agree with Lord Havres. I would be curious to see what would come up for us.”

Devon looked around and everyone nodded at him. When his gaze landed on Seir, he nodded slightly and his raspy voice rang out: "I'm curious to see if Raia will survive this demon in human form."

Now there was only one left who had to agree to this decision. Over Kyla, Devon looked at his brother. There was a smile on his face that would freeze the blood in the veins of any mere mortal. For Darian, the decision was made recently.