Chapter 256 The Missing Prisoner

Chapter 256 The Missing Prisoner

The corridors leading to the medical wing was quiet as Ryker kept Rex balanced securely over his shoulder. Lyra walked fast right beside him, her fingers nervously twisting the iron keys she had taken from the library doors.

When they burst through the doors of the clinic, the pack doctor was already wash-testing some glass tubes near the counter.

He dropped his towel immediately, his eyes widening as he saw the Alpha carrying the unconscious library girl.

"Set her on the primary examination table, quick," the doctor said, rushing around the counter to adjust the overhead lights.

Ryker lowered Rex gently onto the white sheet.

She wasn't so conscious anymore, but she kept muttering and blinking.

The doctor pulled out his stethoscope, checking her heartbeat, and then used a small penlight to peel back her eyelids.

He tapped her reflexes and ran a quick blood-draw needle into her forearm, checking the initial fluid clarity against a small chemical tray.

After ten minutes of quiet testing, he stepped back, rubbing his chin.

“Well?" Lyra asked anxiously, “is she okay?"

"Physically, there is absolutely nothing wrong with her body," the doctor stated, looking between Ryker and Lyra. "Her heart is steady, her lungs are clear, and her blood chemistry doesn't show any standard toxins. I will have to keep her here for more observations to run a full diagnostic."

"Doctor, it’s not like she’s physically sick or running a regular fever," Lyra stepped forward as she looked down at her friend. "She actually started acting completely insane. She was laughing, crying, tearing up books and scrolls, and she attacked me out of nowhere. She kept screaming that she had to find a cure for someone."

The doctor’s eyebrows shot up. "Oh my goodness... that’s really odd, Luna. Most wolves do not face such sudden mental illnesses unless they have been enchanted with a spell, or they carry some kind of deep spiritual connection to another species entirely, like being bonded to a witch or vampire."

Ryker crossed his arms over his chest. "We have no idea what happened. We’ve been gone for days in the human town, and my brother said she just started acting crazy. Can you check her for external hexes?"

"I would have to check the older medical logs and run a deeper spinal test," the doctor replied, pulling a blanket over Rex’s shoulders. "I will look into it immediately, Alpha. I’ll notify you the exact moment the blood test changes."

"Thank you, doctor," Ryker said, turning his head toward the door.

Both of them left the examination room and Ryker let out a long, exhausted sigh, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Alright," Ryker muttered, looking down at his torn shirt. "Let's go upstairs. I just want to go inside our quarters and rest. We’ve had an incredibly tiring day, and my brain is completely fried."

Lyra didn't turn toward the stairs. "Ryker, what happened with Sylvester? Is he still in prison?"

Ryker blinked, caught off guard by the sudden question. "Most likely. I'll speak with the guards about his status later tonight, Lyra. Right now, we need a shower."

"No, I want to speak with Sylvester right now," Lyra insisted, her voice leaving no room for argument as she stepped closer into his space. "Let's go down to the sub-levels and see him this very minute."

Ryker let out a dry, irritated breath. "Lyra, come on. I’m sure he’s in the prison, okay? I kept my brother Dax in full charge of things while we were away, and we both know that he absolutely doesn't like the guy. Dax wouldn't let a human prisoner wander around the house."

"What if this has something to do with Rex?" Lyra argued, gripping his forearm tightly. "Think about it, Ryker. You need to recall that they both went to that witch village together before we returned from No Man's Land. Sylvester came back from that trip with a completely broken mind. Somehow, the old witches had gotten deep into his head, and then he spent weeks claiming he was the vampire king’s puppet. What if that exact same mental rot is happening to Rex right now?"

Ryker froze. "That's very possible."

"Exactly," Lyra said. "We need to check on him to see if his condition matches hers."

Ryker let out a tight breath, nodding his head slowly. "That’s true. You’re right. Tell you what, I’ll go down there and get the details from him. How about you go upstairs, wash the dirt off, and sleep? You just recovered from a fever yourself."

"No, I'm coming with you," Lyra said flatly.

Ryker simply simply shook his head with a tired, respectful smile. "Of course you can come with me. Let’s move."

When they arrived at the final corridor leading to Sylvester’s isolated cell, Ryker stopped.

There were two guards standing post outside the silver bars, but they weren't the senior warriors Ryker had specifically assigned to the post before he left for the human town.

These were two younger pack members from the secondary patrol line.

"What are you guys doing here?"

The two young guards jumped slightly. "Alpha! Welcome back, sir. We... we are guarding the prisoner."

Ryker stepped directly into their space. "You weren't assigned here. I left strict orders for Wayne’s senior scouts to manage this corridor. Who assigned you to this post?"

The guard on the left swallowed hard, his eyes darting nervously toward the floor. "Dax did, sir. Just this morning. He said the senior scouts were needed for the eastern ridge perimeter shift, so he moved us down here."

Ryker shrugged. "Fine. Let me in. Where is the key to the cell gate?"

The two guards looked at each other. "We... we are afraid we can't do that, Alpha."

Ryker growled. "Why?"

"It’s... it’s because the prisoner is highly dangerous right now, sir," the guard stammered. "Dax said nobody enters without his direct permission."

"I am the Alpha of the IronFangs, soldier," Ryker hissed. "My permission overrides my brother's. Tell me exactly what happened to the human while I was away."

"He... he began to throw a tantrum many nights ago, sir," the guard explained quickly, his voice trembling. "He was screaming, tearing at his mattress, and he was seriously hurting the guards on duty when they tried to feed him. Dax had to come down himself. He told us they had to completely sedate him and keep him locked inside until the fever cleared. He’s completely out cold right now."

"Well, let me know the exact second he wakes up," Ryker said, turning his shoulder back toward the stairs.

He looked completely exhausted to deal with this, his hand reaching out to grab Lyra’s arm. "Come on, Lyra. He’s sedated. We can't get any answers out of a sleeping human anyway."

He was about to take a step away, but Lyra didn't move.

She stood perfectly still in front of the door of the cell, her blue eyes narrowing as she stared at the small gap between the bottom of the wood and the stone floor.

"Look under the door, Ryker," Lyra said softly.

Ryker paused and turned back around, bending his large frame down slightly to peer through the dim light at the base of the cell entrance. "What? Lyra, I don't see anything. What’s going on?"

"Exactly," Lyra said, turning her face toward the two young guards. "Isn't there supposed to be a shadow under there? Or at least his feet on the mattress? The cot is right against that wall. I can't see any shadow, and I can't hear any breathing. There is absolutely no one in there. As a hybrid, I hear everything."

Ryker stood up instantly and spun around to face the two guards. "Open the door right now."

"Alpha, please," the guard on the left begged, holding his hands up in defense. "Dax strictly told us... we are just trying to guard this place and make sure nobody gets hurt by the infection—"

"I command you, open this place!" Ryker roared.

The two young guards could not refuse the power of the Alpha command.

Instantly, the guard on the right reached into his pouch, pulled out the brass key, and shoved it into the lock, twisting it until the iron bolt slid open.

Ryker shoved the door open violently, the wood banging hard against the inner stone wall.

Just like Lyra predicted, the cell was completely empty.

The mattress was stripped, the silver restraints were dangling uselessly from the wall brackets, and there was absolutely no sign of Sylvester anywhere in the room.

Ryker’s breathing turned ragged. He spun around, his arm moving like a strike of lightning. He grabbed the left guard tightly by the throat of his uniform vest, lifting him off his feet and slamming him hard against the rough stone wall of the corridor.

"Where is he?" Ryker bellowed. "Why did you lie directly to my face?!"

The young guard began to whimper loudly, his legs dangling above the floor as he clutched at Ryker’s massive wrists. "I'm sorry! Alpha, please don't hurt me! We didn't know! I swear we didn't know!"

"Talk!" Ryker hissed, his claws extending slightly.

"It’s your brother!" the guard screamed out. "Dax came down here before dawn! He said we were supposed to just keep guard over the gate and tell everyone the human was sedated if anyone asked! He didn't let us see if anyone was actually inside the room when we took the shift! We had absolutely no idea the cell was empty! We were just following direct instructions from him!"