Chapter 42 - Development

I couldn't believe my eyes. It must have been playing tricks on me. The villa stood like a mirage in the dark. Painful memories associated with that place hit me like waves. My parent's death replayed like a broken tape over and over again. It was one endless loop that didn't seem to end.

Talia touched my arm. "You're cold as ice," she said, beginning to look worried. "Please tell me what's going on. Did you see something? What should we do?"

I squeezed my eyes shut and counted to ten. One, I heard someone knock on the door. Two, Ronaldo stepped inside the room, his hand hidden behind him. I trembled in fear, knowing what was going to happen but realizing that I wouldn't be able to stop it. Three, I watched my father as he took his last breath. Four, my mother's white dress was smeared with blood. Five, everything was on fire. Six, escape. . . Seven, run. . . Eight, survive. . . Nine, revenge. . . Ten. . . What was ten?

"Cybele! Cybele!" I barely registered Talia's hands as she shook me. My eyes tried to focus on her face. She was scared.

"I'm okay," I said, gasping like I was being pulled from underwater.

"Thank God," she said, trembling. "I didn't know what to do. You looked like you were having a seizure." Her brows knitted together. "You're sweating so much. Here," she said, wiping my forehead with the hem of her black shirt. "Do you need water?"

I shook my head no. "Talia," I said, looking back at the villa. "Remember what I told you about my parent's death? I think it happened here." The princess appeared surprised. "I think your mother had the place rebuilt after it was burned down, or at least someone did."

Talia sat crossed-legged in front of me, putting the backpack that held our arsenal on the ground beside her. "Can you still do this then?"

I frowned. "Are you calling me a coward?"

"Nothing like that," she said, reaching for my hands. "But I know it must be painful for you." The princess knew me well. She gave me a hesitant look. "If you can't go through with this, I volunteer to be the one who rescue them."

"Bullocks!" I said, taking care not to shout too loud. "You've lost your mind. Do you think I'll let you play Rambo and endanger yourself?"

"Rambo?" she said, amused. "Couldn't you have used the Princess of Genovia as an example? I think that's more appropriate than some muscular guy with big guns."

"The Princess of Genovia doesn't exist."

"Neither does Rambo," she argued.

"Touche." I glanced back at the villa. At present, few lights were open, but I knew that looks could be deceiving. Tens of guards must be roaming the vicinity as we speak. One false move and we were done for. "Princess," I murmured. "Guards are surely stationed outside, as well as inside. But I know a way in."

"Somewhere we can be safe?"

"If it's still there," I clarified. Talia gave me a questioning look. "You see," I said. "Every property of the royals has an escape route. My ancestors had it built for the protection of the royalty, in case we were attacked by the neighboring forces." My hands tightened to fist. "The only reason we weren't able to use it was because the one who murdered my parents was an insider, Ronaldo. If it were any different, they would still be alive today." Rage washed over me. I felt an intense desire to kill the betrayer.

Talia soothed me by rubbing my back gently. "Where is that escape route? We can also use that to break in right?" She dropped her hand, frowning. "What if they already discovered it? They did have the villa rebuilt."

"The chances of anyone other than royals discovering it are low. The escape route is situated underground." I pointed downward. "Like the one in the palace, there is a tunnel leading inside the villa. It is strategically covered by stones. Even if the villa burned before, they would have replaced the interiors, walls, and roofing, but not the stone floors."

"That makes sense."

"It makes perfect sense," I said, preparing to get up. "And if it doesn't work, I have another plan. Cybele always has a plan." I took the backpack from her, hoisting it over my shoulder.

"Which is?" she asked.

"We find another way, rescue the girls, and get it over with." I stood up, ducking my head. "And if palace guards find us, we shoot."

The entrance to the tunnel was not hard to find. Now that I knew the place well, considering I have played there as a child, I was able to find my way around. The entrance was hidden not far from the villa. It was disguised as a boulder. But really, if you took the time to remove the smaller rocks around and inspect it, you would notice an indentation of some sort.

If you use some strength and pull it, one smaller piece of the boulder would give way, revealing a path. My royal parents were the ones who taught me how to do it, so I could pass the knowledge in case I had my own children. Apart me, everyone else who was aware of it were already dead.

"After you princess," I said, gesturing for her to go first. I expected her to cower, like some girls did when faced with a dark, unknown place. Talia merely nodded and took the flashlight from me. I had to give her some credit. She would be the best wife.

If it weren't for the beam of the flashlight, the tunnel would have been pitch black. I could barely see my hands in front of me, let alone where I was stepping. It was also cold inside, though the worry for my friends and Talia's presence beside me kept me warm enough.

"How many properties like this does the palace own?" Talia asked. "I meant your family," she corrected. Her voice rang and bounced on the tunnel.

I looked straight ahead. "Ten? Twenty? I don't remember the exact count," I said. She remained silent. "It would have been nice to have a honeymoon on each of them though. If it was still my property."

"I can't believe that you're thinking about that right now," she teased.

"Can you blame me?" I said, smiling despite the danger the loomed over us. "I was only thinking of revenge since I was a child. That deprived from my needs as a teen."

"What needs?"

"Don't what needs me Talia," I said, nearly tripping over a rock. "You know exactly what I'm talking about." I heard her chuckle.

It didn't take long before we reached the end of the tunnel. The pathway simply stopped with a wall. I shone the flashlight up. Like expected, there was a hole up there. I reached out in the dark, trying to feel for something we could use to hoist ourselves up. A rope was dangling just over my head. I tugged it downward, revealing the end of a rope ladder.

"Is your gun locked and loaded Talia?"

"Yes," she said. "My knife is also readily available, just in case. You'll go up first?"

I nodded. "Go right behind me. If something happens, you escape okay?" She refused to answer so I had to repeat myself. "Okay?"

"Okay," she mumbled.

"Good." I made sure the backpack wouldn't fall off before I started to climb. Since the ladder was made from rope, I swayed a little before I was able to get my balance. After several feet up, I felt Talia test the rope and climb underneath me. The flashlight was clamped tightly between her teeth.

Several feet up, I finally realized that the rope ended there. It was attached to the side wall, knotted tightly on a hook. "Hand me the flashlight please," I said, reaching my hand below. Talia gave it to me after removing it from her mouth. Shining the flashlight up revealed another indentation on the roof of the hole. If I were to push it upward, it would reveal the exit which would take us directly inside the villa. I glanced down at the princess. "This is it," I said. "Ready?"

"As long as I'm with you," she said, squinting so she could see me from what little light the flashlight offered.

With some difficulty, I tried pushing the stone slab above us. At first, it didn't give way immediately. The stone wasn't removed for a long time, so I was expecting that to happen. After several tries though, and a bucket of sweat later, I finally heard the stirrings of the stone. Carefully, I pushed it upwards. Light peeked from the space that I have made. For a moment, it blinded me with its brilliance.

I waited for my eyes to adjust before I completely pushed the stone aside. No one was pointing guns on our heads, which I took as a good sign. Here goes, I thought as I poked my head out. As I surveyed the area, I saw a stack of potatoes in the corner. There were also different spices on jars, along with other ingredients.

"We're in the pantry," I said to Talia. "I think it's safe to come out." Using my arms, I grunted as I lifted myself up. My muscles screamed with pain from the effort. Once I was standing on the hard floor, it was easy to pull Talia next. She remembered to replace the stone slab so it wouldn't get discovered.

"Where do you think Van and Brooke are?" she asked.

I turned the flashlight off, tucking it in my jeans pocket. We would need it later to escape. "This is a villa," I said. "One that the royal family used before to have a vacation. At least the old version." A knot formed on my stomach. I pushed the thoughts of my dead parents away. If I were to rescue the girls, being sentimental was not an option. I needed to endure.

"Anyway," I continued. "Even this villa is equipped with cells for the prisoner. If Brooke and Van were caught, they are probably held there."

"And where is there?"

I tried to recall the layout of the place. Mother and father were adamant on keeping me away from the prison cells when I was a kid, but I knew where it was. I pointed to the east. "We go that way," I said, taking two bananas from one shelf that was stocked with food. I tossed one to Talia and peeled the banana that's in my hand.

"What's this for?" she asked, looking curiously at the fruit like it was a blob from outer space.

I took a bite. "I'm hungry."

After consuming the food, Talia and I stepped out of the pantry. The area wasn't guarded at all. If you thought about it, no one would attack from the pantry, so why would the guards even put surveillance there? I gestured for Talia to follow me. We sneaked around, halting in every corner so we could see if a guard was stationed in our path. If there was one, we would take a detour.

"Cybele" Talia whispered, making me stop.

"Hmmm?" I said, putting my back on the wall. "What is it?"

"We passed a surveillance room, with computers and all. The guard on duty was sleeping."

"Bloody hell," I said, wanting to kick myself. "I forgot about the security cameras."

"Let's just consider ourselves lucky that he's asleep," she said. "Shall we go back and check the video recording? It will help us know if they're in the building or not."

"Good thinking princess. How many guards did you see inside the room?"

"Just one."

I cracked my knuckles. "I'll take care of him."

We backtracked to the surveillance room. Talia closed the door as quietly as possible. While she did that, I went to the guard who was asleep in his seat. It only took a hard chop to his neck to put him in deeper sleep. It could be that he was dead, but I didn't want to risk a struggle.

"Sorry mate," I said, pushing his chair aside with a huff. "Talia, I'm not sure if he's alive or not. Tie him up and gag his mouth with a rope from the backpack so he won't make a ruckus."

The princess didn't hesitate to do my request. While she was busy pulling the ropes from the bag, I turned to the surveillance screen. It comprised of 9 screens in total, each with 4 areas to cover. I concentrated on the screen for the prison block. "Are you done there?" I asked. "I want you to look at this."

Talia glanced one more time at her handiwork before walking to me. She moved nearer to the monitor I was pointing at. "It looks like a woman," she said, squinting. "Her face is covered with hair, so I'm not really sure. But it doesn't look like Van or Brooke." Talia straightened up, turning to me. "If they're not in the prison cell, where could they be?"

I went to the keyboard and began to type fast. "Perhaps the recording could tell us about it."

I rewound the tape. At first, I didn't see anyone on the cell block but the lone prisoner and the guard standing outside. Suddenly, Van and Brooke appeared on the screen. I let it rewind a bit more before playing it at normal speed. "Shite," I murmured. "It's Ronaldo." My blood boiled as I watched him drag Van and Brooke outside the cell. They were accompanied by 4 other guards.

Talia gasped. "Where do you reckon he took them?" I shifted to the next monitor and rewound the tape. I did it repeatedly so I could follow the girls and see where they were taken.

They ended up somewhere at the back of the villa, where a well was situated. I remembered that well. It hadn't been used for a long time. My ancestors used to collect water there by means of rainwater. However, I vaguely remember my parents installing a tube there so water could collect when it was opened. Kind of like turning a faucet on and watching your drum pool with water.

I bumped my fist hard on the table as I watched in a mixture of fear and anger at what came next. Ronaldo forced Van and Brooke to go down the well. He then had the four guards close it off with a huge stone slab that was especially made for the structure. I became terrified as I realized what Ronaldo did.

Somehow, something on the far corner of the surveillance room caught my eye. I ran to it. There was another smaller monitor there. It showed the interior of the well. A waterproof camera was installed inside. Ronaldo, you sick, sadistic bastard. What have you done?! I rewound the video and saw the well start to fill up with water. Van and Brooke were inside, desperately trying to open the lid. Ronaldo must have ordered his men to record their death so he could watch it later.

I ran to Talia and grasped her hand. She too was shaking in fear. "Are they?" she asked, her eyes turning red.

"No," I said stubbornly. "The recording was made a few minutes earlier. We'll get there in time." Talia and I didn't waste another second. We ran back from where we came from, to the pantry, then down the tunnel. When we re-emerged to the other side, I took out my gun. It was going to be a blood bath.

I lead the way to the back of the villa, expecting to see Ronaldo and his company there. The surprising thing was, no one was in sight. I was expecting it to go down like fireworks. "This can be a trap Talia," I said, giving her the backpack. "Get the rifle and prepare for ambush. Shoot everyone you see. I'll get Van and Brooke."

Not waiting for her to answer, I hurriedly went to the well. With all my might, I pushed the stone lid. It was heavy. Far too heavy than I anticipated. Two men or more were needed to push it aside. However, the desperation to help my friends gave me the strength I needed. Sweat poured down from my body as I heaved on the stone. It began to give way.

Slowly, the stone moved an inch, and then another. "I see them," I gasped, pushing once more. Droplets, a lot of it, came from my face. I didn't know if it was still sweat or tears. "I'm here Van," I said, refusing to acknowledge her limp body. "Talia, help me!"

The princess was by my side in an instant, lowering the gun. She went for Brooke, who was floating face down on the well. As for me, I lifted Van's limp body away from the water and down to the ground. I began to perform CPR on her, hoping against hope that I came in time. It didn't take much before Van coughed water from her mouth. I let her lie to her side so she could breathe better.

"Brooke," she moaned. "Please. . . My Brooke."

In my haste to save Van, I have nearly forgotten about one of the most important people in my life. I turned to Talia. She was also performing CPR on my best friend. The problem was Brooke didn't stir an inch. I scurried to them. Talia moved so I could do the CPR. I supplied air in Brooke's mouth, but still, she didn't stir.

"Fuck it mate!" I said, feeling fresh, warm tears flowing down my eyes. I started pumping again. "If you don't survive this, I'll kill you. I mean it!"

"Cybele please," I heard Van sob, her voice raspy. "We've only just found each other."

I supplied another batch of air into Brooke's cold mouth. This time, she coughed water out, just like what happened to Van. The relief that washed over me was completely palpable. Brooke coughed and gasped on the floor. Talia rubbed her hands on my best friend's back to comfort her.

"Don't scare me like that," I said, staring at my best friend with reverence.

I gave them a few minutes to rest. In reality, we could not afford to waste time and stay here. Too much was at stake. Ronaldo and his other men could go back anytime. A guard could accidentally stumble here and see us, or perhaps, someone would enter the surveillance room and realize what was going on.

However, Van and Brooke weren't in the condition to move yet. They needed rest. Talia and I stood guard, rifles in hand, as our two friends recovered on the ground. We were quiet, too shaken up by the event. Van was the first one to speak. "Thank you," she said with her gravelly voice.

"Don't mention it again," I dismissed. "Ever."

"Sorry," she said.

"Apologies are for later. You need to recover fast so we can get out of here."

It was Brooke's turn to speak. She sounded as bad as Van. "We can't."

I faced her, ready to unleash my fury. "What do you mean we can't?! You nearly died there Brooke. I'm not taking chances again."

"We need to go back Cybele," she said "We met someone at the prison. We can't leave her behind."

"You're asking me to risk my neck, along with all your necks so we can rescue this goody-goody girl that you've made friends with," I spat. "Well wake up Brooke. We're not exactly in a rescuing mode here."

"Please your majesty," Van said. "If there's any good left in you that Esmeralda didn't take away, you need to rescue her. There's something about this woman. I don't think she deserves to be left alone there." Van tried to stand up. She was so weak that she almost fell down. Talia rushed to her aid. "If you don't rescue her, I will."

"You guys have gone mad," I said, shaking my head. "Do you agree on this Talia?"

The princess considered. "I don't think anyone deserves to be imprisoned here. I'll willingly rescue her."

"Damn this, all of you," I said, tightening my hand on the rifle. "Talia, stay here and guard these two. As soon as they're able, give them a gun and head straight for the car."

Her forehead creased. "Where are you going?"

"Rescuing the damsel in distress," I said before turning around and heading for the tunnel. It was time to go back to that hell hole.

One thing came to mind as I entered the villa after a few minutes. Where was Ronaldo and his men? Judging from the hour, they must have been fast asleep, but still, I wanted to know what particular room they were in, especially the betrayer, so I could end his life. It was probably not a wise decision to do, seeing that I was alone.

I exited the pantry and backtracked to the cell block. I passed the surveillance room and slipped inside. The guy from earlier was clearly dead. I felt no remorse from killing him. As I checked the screen, I saw that only one guard stood outside the cell where the woman was imprisoned. It was going to be too easy for me.

Several minutes later, I was already sneaking behind the guard. "What the?" he said before I knocked his head with the hilt of my dagger. The same dagger that Brooke loved. One dead guy was enough for the night, I thought as I took the keys from his pocket.

My attention shifted to the woman in the cell as I opened the door. It creaked noisily. I had to hurry. "Excuse me Madame," I said, glancing around to make sure that no one heard the noise. "Please come with me. I'm here to rescue you." The woman didn't acknowledge me. In fact, she continued sitting on her bed, her face covered with tangled hair. "Didn't you hear me" I said, stepping inside. "Let's go now before they catch us."

Silence met me. I sighed. "Look Madame," I said. "Our time is running out. If you don't want to come with me, I'll forcefully take you. God knows my friends can't wait to rescue you." Still, the woman didn't answer. "Okay," I shrugged. "If that's what you want, I'll get you now."

With some caution, I went to the woman on the bed. As I neared her, I couldn't help but think that something was off. I was merely inches from her when I leaned down. "Madame?"

An overwhelming sense of curiosity enveloped my body. Somehow, I felt like I needed to see her face. I didn't even ask for her permission. With trembling hands, I parted her hair from her face. The world stopped revolving from its axis as our eyes connected. I would know those green eyes anywhere. It was like I was looking at a reflection.

"Mother?" I gasped.