Chapter 24 Where Is My Mother?

Angela was pacing back and forth in her chambers, wringing her hands and sweeping her hair backwards; something she did only when she was truly nervous. The commotion that had earlier rocked the palace had subsided for a while only for a bigger one to start after a while. The ghouls that had made Casper and his army of guards to retreat had chased them for a while only to disappear into thin air when they approached the main area of the palace, where most of the people had gathered.

Casper had seemed to be in a foul mood, he ordered those that had gathered to go back to what they were doing. The gardener had asked what was happening to no one but Casper heard him. He walked to where he was standing and held him by the throat, "you want to know what's happening? Is that right? Here is what will happen to anyone who dares ask questions when I have clearly told everyone to go back to their business." He snapped his neck and dropped him on the ground where he lay dead, those that had been lingering out of curiosity scampered away hurriedly in fear of what would happen to them.

A muffled sob could be heard nearby as the gardeners mate cried for her dead husband. A woman with blonde hair hurriedly rushed to her and put her arm around her leading her away from the scene. Two guards went to where the body lay and picked it up, they took it towards the palace infirmary where there was a place to preserve bodies and prepare them for burial. Casper looked around and when he saw that no one dared to oppose his order, he walked into the main entrance but as he was about to get inside, he seemed to but as he was about to get inside, he seemed to pause. He thought that it was odd how fast the ghouls disappeared, it was in the nature of those creatures to stick around to suck the soul of anyone who was unfortunate enough to be within a foot of them. The way they had just disappeared into thin air was not adding up, and as he thought back on it, he realized that his fear of what the creatures could do to a person, had caused him to act hastily.

Celestine was the only person who had the aptitude to summon a ghoul, and that was why, he had believed she was summoning those creatures on him as a defense against his forced recall of her from the dreamscape.

Someone very powerful in magic had been able to infiltrate his kingdom and slipped through his fingers. He kept a very close watch and so far no one had recently visited Grundolf except the girl and had recently visited Grundolf except the girl and Carita Bennett; both who he knew at all times what they were doing and where they were. It had to be someone who was much cloaked, someone of a highborn status like a royalty. The only person he could think of was Angela but when he asked Jared, who was keeping her in his sights, he was told that she had been in her room all this time. He summoned his guards and went back to Celestine's chambers.

The door to her chambers was unlocked and the two guards he had placed at the door were lying on the floor either dead or unconscious. He had no time to check, he rushed past them into the room only to be met by a scene he had never imagined he would one day be a witness to. On the bed where Celestine's body had lain for the last seventeen years, only crumpled sheets remained. It was empty, she had walked out of her chambers, or someone had taken her. He rushed outside giving orders, he called three of his best trackers to come and scan the room using their magic. When they tried scanning, they came up empty.

"Try again, she couldn't have just walked out and wiped her traces. Even though she is royalty, she cannot get past my eyes," he yelled at the trackers who jumped back, afraid of his fiery temper.

"Your highness, please forgive us if we come up empty. It is as if she did not leave her room and even the last image we keep getting is that of you with her, "one of the oldest among the three tried explaining.

"Look again, there's no one in this kingdom who can manage to slip by me unnoticed" he declared. Again, the three held hands and closed their eyes to do a magical scan but they came up empty.

Nobody wanted to say the obvious in fear of his temper but just as he was about to unleash his wrath on them for not finding Celestine, the youngest of the three trackers gasped and said, "I see a figure carrying her in his arms, it is a man but his image is not clear. Here your highness, if you will allow me, let me share the image with you," he said as he stretched his arm towards the emperor. When he took it he closed his eyes and furrowed his brows, the figure was indeed that of a man. His height was not the average height of normal Grundolfians; he was taller by a foot.

As they concentrated on the image of the man who carried Celestine, a luminous mist seemed to follow where they went, it was as if it was showing them where to follow.

"There, I can see the path that they follow," he said excitedly sharing the images he saw with his fellow trackers.

Realization made Casper smirk, he knew the path the man had taken and it ended in a dead end. There was no way out at the end of the path, only a cliff that was so high that no one could see below.

"Let's go, I want the man alive or dead," he told the men who were with him.

One by one, they shifted into their wolves and the vampires sped off in the direction taken by the person who took Celestine. Howls filled the air and everybody within Grundolf knew that a war had just been declared.

Back in the house, Angela had just heard the wolves howling. When she asked Greta what that was, she told her that it was a declaration of war. Both were worried for Zander, it seemed he had done something that called for a war. Just as Greta was about to ask Angela ton stay put so she could go outside and ask what was happening, Natalia came rushing.

"Someone has just kidnapped the royal princess, the emperor's daughter."

Angela and Greta looked at each other so fast that Natalia frowned and asked them, "why do you look at each other? What is happening?"

"Nothing" they both said so fast.

Greta recovered before Angela; she took Natalia's hand and led her to a seat at the window. "What is happening out there, I want you to tell me everything" "Greta said.

"Oh I don't know much, I was just about to go home when some guards came rushing telling people to go indoors. They said that there were ghouls coming, in the panic everyone started running here and there, but as fast as they had appeared, they disappeared. When old man Colton the Gardener asked what happened, the emperor in his temper had just snapped his neck and ordered everyone to go back to what they had been doing. I was about to leave and go home when I saw him rush back from the way he had come to go back to the princess's chambers. I do not know what happened but after a while, I heard the howls and that the princess had been kidnapped. That's why I am here to inform you," she said top Greta.

"What else did you hear," Greta asked Natalia trying to get as much information from her as much as she could.

"Well, nothing much except that it was a man that took her. He is headed towards the cliffs."

Greta gasped, he knew it was a dead end and if Zander had taken Celestine, he would be caught even before he got to the cliffs. There were no even before he got to the cliffs. There were no hideaways along the way and it was foolhardy of him to take that path. Natalia looked at Greta and shrugged her shoulders, the old woman was acting really strange. Angela was as white as a sheet, she was not saying a word and looked shocked. Natalia remembered it was her mother they were discussing. She slapped her forehead and scolded herself for being so insensitive about it.

"I'm so sorry Angela, she will be found very soon and will be brought back to the palace," she tried soothing her.

"I'm not so sure I want her found," Angela said.

Natalia who did not understand what Angela was talking about gasped and let go of her hands. She wondered how she could be so insensitive but she could not say it aloud so she opted to leave the room sulking.

"Do you think he will be caught?" Angela asked

Greta, worry etched across her face. Let's trust that he knows what he is doing; Greta said.

"What if he is caught?"

"It is my hope that he will not be caught," Greta said and slumped on the chair next to where Angela was sitting.

Angela instinctively lay her head on Greta's shoulders trying to find comfort, she wanted to not think of the dangers that lay in Zander's path. What if something happened to him, would she be able to live with herself because she did nothing to help him? Those thoughts scared her and when she thought of what Greta had said about the path being a dead end, she stood up from where she sat abruptly and went to open her window. She was looking for Mizpah, she would go get Zander before he got himself killed and her mother as well. Mizpah was already by the window, standing there waiting for her. She closed the window behind her so that Greta would not see her leave but before she could close the windows entirely, Greta asked her where she thought she was going.

"I'm not going anywhere, I just want to stay with Mizpah out here," she lied.

"I did not take you for a liar princess"

"Hush, she may hear you and for your information that's not lying. It is called protecting others from the truth," she said to Mizpah.

"One, she cannot hear me, two, it is still called lying and three, you are not going anywhere."

"I need to go check on them; I cannot stay here not knowing what is happening. My mother might be in danger and you are telling me that I cannot go?" she asked almost yelling.

"You will only be a danger to them both, your part in this has not yet come, it would be wise to stay put for now"

"How do I do that? I cannot sit still, they are in danger and I'm here doing nothing"

"She is safe and Zander is safe as well. He can take care of himself, as we speak those that follow him are the ones you should be worried about."

"I think you trust him too much, I do not, and that's the difference between me and you. I like to see for myself and that's why I insist on going, "she said.

"Where will you go?"

"I think you are forgetting something, you of course are going to take me where he has taken my mother."

Angela's insistence was irritating Mizpah, he could not disobey her yet it was his duty to keep her safe at all times. This was one of those times that called for his disobedience to his mistress so that he could help keep her in place until she was fully awakened. For now, she was a danger to herself and to others, her magic was the first to manifest and it was erratic at best. The kind of power she had at full potential was enough to eliminate a whole continent with just the snap of a finger.

"If you insist"

"I'll get my shawl," she said and opened the window to go back to her room.

As she opened the window, the door to her room was also opening and when it opened fully to allow the person at the other side of the door entrance, May gasped.

"Where is my mother?"