Chapter 111 Finding Right Answers
Chapter 111 Finding Right Answers
ROWAN POV
The storm had not relented since all that whole while. Even then thunder rolled like a warning across the heavens as I strode down the torch-lit corridor, Nyra beside me.
The urgency in the guard’s voice still echoed in my mind, sharp and unyielding as it played back in my mind.
Even beforehand I knew one thing at the back of my mind. Whatever awaited us outside was no ordinary matter.
I could feel it in my bones, the same way a wolf senses danger long before it bares its teeth…
Nyra kept pace with me, silent like she was scared to her bones. I wouldn't blame her considering how the evening was turning.
Technically, her composure had returned, yet the memory of the moment we had shared
lingered between us like an unspoken truth.
Neither of us addressed it. There would be time for that later. If fate allowed it but for now something really did seemed more important at that moment and required answers -
We stepped out into the rain not minding if it drenched us or not.
The wind howled through the courtyard, whipping cloaks and banners into a frenzy as we walked out.
The Guards parted at our approach, their expressions grim, their eyes avoiding the sight at the center of the clearing.
Right there at the middle of it all the body lay there stolen and mangled.
“Oh, no." I heard Nyra mutter under her breath.
For a heartbeat, I did not move. Then I forced myself forward, my boots crunching against wet gravel as the scent of blood thickened the air.
I couldn't believe what I was staring at, I ran my hands over my face in anguish. It was brutal. Savagely so…The last time I had seen something like this was in the middle of a war…Even so, this was brutal!
" Who could have done this?” I questioned.
Claw marks tore through flesh and bone, deep enough to expose what lay beneath.
The victim’s clothing was shredded, their features nearly unrecognizable. Blood pooled beneath them, diluted by rain that refused to wash away the horror.
Nyra inhaled sharply beside me as she cringed at the sight. Then she turned away, covering her eyes with trembling fingers.
“Gods…” she whispered.
I clenched my jaw. I had seen death before…Too many times. But this was no ordinary killing. It was violent like I had said .
“Who found the body?” I demanded.
The guard stepped forward, bowing his head. “The patrol at the eastern boundary, my Lord. They alerted us immediately.”
Before I could respond, another presence approached from the far end of the courtyard.
We all turned and stared at Aria who was approaching the scene.
She seemed skeptical as he walked in startled at first with her heartbeat beating enough that I could hear it.
Her dark hair was damp with sweat and rain, her breathing still uneven from her run.
She slowed as she caught sight of us, then of the corpse. Horror flashed across her face.
“Lady Nyra…” she breathed.
Nyra turned at once. Without a word, they closed the distance between them and embraced.
Aria wrapped her arms around her tightly, and Nyra clung to her in return, their shared revulsion evident in the way their shoulders stiffened.
“It’s dreadful,” Aria murmured, her voice unsteady. “Who could do something like this?”
Nyra shook her head. “I don’t know. But it’s monstrous.”
Their distress only hardened my resolve…I stepped forward, my voice cutting through the rain.
“Seal the gates.” I ordered.
The guards straightened immediately. “My Lord?”
“The pack is on lockdown,” I said, my tone leaving no room for doubt. “No one enters… No one leaves without my direct command.” I instructed.
"Double the patrols along the borders and post sentries at every corridor. If this is a threat from within, we will find it. If it is from outside, we will crush it.” I clenched my fist.
“Yes, my Lord!” they responded in unison.
I turned back to the body, my gaze narrowing.
“Begin a full investigation,” I continued. “Identify the victim." I gritted through my teeth.
“Question every witness. I want reports on every unusual movement within the last forty-eight hours... Nothing is to be overlooked.”
“It will be done.”
As the guards moved to carry out my orders, one hesitated.
“My Lord… There is something else.”
I looked at him sharply. “Speak.”
He stepped forward, holding out a cloth-wrapped object with both hands. It trembled as he lifted it out.
It seemed to me like he had been skeptical about showing it at that moment and something made him change his mind whatever it was.
“This was found nearby,” he said. “The wolf dogs uncovered it in the underbrush.”
I took it from his hands as well with my hands shaking as well from the cold. The weight was unmistakable even before the cloth fell away.
It was a dagger…
Rain slid along its gleaming steel, revealing an intricately carved hilt.
The craftsmanship was exquisite, but it was the symbol etched near the base of the blade that made my blood run cold.
Something about it felt unique in a way that I couldn't describe. Before I could speak, a sharp cry shattered the air.
“That’s it!”
Aria’s voice trembled as she pointed at the weapon, her eyes wide with terror.
“That’s the dagger,” she said, her breath hitching. “The same one… I remember it. I will never forget it.”
The courtyard fell into stunned silence.
Nyra’s hand found her arm, steadying her, while the storm raged overhead like a herald of chaos yet to come.
I tightened my grip on the dagger, its cold metal biting into my palm.
For some reason my gaze fell to her and I walked slowly to where she was. I could hear my heart beating enough that she flinched when I got closer.
“What do you mean Aria?" I asked.
“That is the dagger, the same that was used to stab me."
I stared at her cold. Whatever game had begun, it was no longer hidden in the shadows…