Author's note: this is from Seraphina's point of view

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Zeiroi was a skinny young man with short dirty blonde hair. Per human standards, I would place him at about twenty years old, but the numerous cuts and bruises on his face impacted his appearance and I was not sure about it. He could be younger.

I understood from my chat with Zeiroi that there is a boss called Frac, and that there is a bunch of kobolds here.

Kobolds are something like dogs with a humanoid build. They are physically weak and find strength in numbers. Marius and his group won't have problems taking care of them.

I was concerned by the news that people don't linger in this place for long.

Considering that they knocked me out to bring me here, and I had no idea how that happened, I didn't want to risk being unconscious again and waking up on some sacrificial altar.

It was time to stop playing.

I activated the beacon that was embedded under the skin of my left arm. Thanks to my quick healing, we could do that without leaving any scars or marks that would look suspicious.

With this, Marius and his team should be here shortly and capture Frac and whoever is with him. Even if this Frac person is not behind my kidnapping, he should know how I got here, and that will be a lead.

The low hissing sound announced Krob's appearance. He always scares the soul out of me, so I told him to make noise before he shows up from the shadows if he wants me to still talk to him.

Krob was watching my back since the party, and his presence was the reason why I was so brave. I knew that Krob wouldn't leave my side.

While staying in the shadows, Krob saw how I left the castle-like mansion, and he was communicating with Aldus through their mind link.

Of course, Krob's was here because Aldus allowed it. Normally, Krob's movements are limited to the lab.

"Do you know how close is Marius?", I asked Krob after introducing him to Zeiroi.

"They should be here in about ten minutes."

I was hoping that they are closer, but a place like this probably has some magic barriers, and the proof are shackles around my ankles.

Even without Krob, now that I was conscious, I was not concerned about my safety. As long as I can manipulate air, I can just suffocate anyone who tries to harm me.

I glanced at Zeiroi who stared at Krob with his face pale like he saw a ghost. That was a familiar reaction and I guessed that Zeiroi never saw a ghoul before.

I knew that Krob was always ready for a snack, and we had ten minutes, so…

"You can have a few baddies. Just make sure to spare the boss and be ready to back up Marius when the commotion starts. We need to capture some of them alive for interrogation, and no one should escape. OK?"

Krob's dry lips lifted into a smile, and he disappeared into the shadows without a trace.

I had confidence that Marius will deal with whatever is ahead of him. If he is not capable, Aldus wouldn't put so much trust in him.

Only when Krob was out of sight, Zieroi relaxed, but he still didn't move from his spot.

"You are not Frac's victim.", Zeiroi said while observing me curiously.

Oh, so that's what he was thinking. "No. Not really."

"Are you after Frac?"

"No." I saw that he was observing me curiously, so I explained, "Someone tried to kidnap me, but they failed, so we thought of setting up a trap this time in order to figure out who is behind it. I happened to find myself here, and soon Frac will tell us what he knows."

"That's brave.", Zeiroi said.

"Brave? I don't think so. My options were to hide and hope they don't find me or to do this. If you are in my place, which one would you chose?"

"I don't know…", he said with a thoughtful expression. "I was never in a position to choose."

My heart cracked.

"How long are you here?"

Zeiroi shrugged. "Every day is the same here, so it's difficult to keep track. Years. What about you?"

I understood that he wanted to know more about me. "I live with my father, and I have a boyfriend."

"Is that a husband?"

I remembered that Duke mentioned marriage, home, and that Zoe, Luca, and Ash will have the same last name. "He will be." I surely hope so.

Zeiroi and I didn't chat long when the door opened.

Marius entered first with Calista half a step behind him.

Calista's expression was ugly. "This place stinks. If you mentioned that this place is full of dogs, I would not come."

I forgot Calista's aversion toward dogs. But I thought that it was just for werewolves. It seems that it expanded.

Calista stood in front of my cell with her hands akimbo. Even in dark gray pants and a top, without any embellishments, she looked regal.

"Why are you relaxing here while we are busting our asses outside?"

It was obvious that she was grumpy, and I didn't want to provoke her further.

"What do you mean, relaxing? Don't you see that I'm imprisoned? Even my legs are chained."

Marius opened the door of my cell with a key I assume he took from one of the baddies outside.

"Excuse me, Miss…", Marius said while reaching for my ankles and two seconds later, my legs were free.

Marius really has many skills. I didn't even see how he undid those shackles.

"Thank you, Marius. Can you let Zeiroi out also?" I gestured toward the cell across the hall.

Calista's eyebrows shoot up. "Zeiroi? You made a friend?"

I wouldn't call him a friend, we just met. But he looks like an OK guy, and it would be mean to leave him stuck in that cell.

"There is no harm in letting him go free.", I responded. No matter how upset Calista was, there was no need to take it out on the poor Zeiroi. "Besides, with you taking out all the bad guys, there will be no one to give him food. Do you want to leave him to starve?"

Calista scrutinized Zeiroi while Marius unlocked Zeiroi's cell.

"How do you know that he is not working for those dogs? What if his role was to watch you?", Calista asked.

I heard Aldus's skepticism behind Calista's words. It was obvious that they are related.

"I don't know. But even if he is a spy, they treated the guy poorly and he should be free."

Before Calista could say anything else, I waved toward the door through which Marius and Calista entered.

"I assume that things are safe, and we can get out. Let's go home."

I stepped out and saw several kobolds on their knees with their hands tied at the back. They were all bloody, so they got quite a beating. So far, I saw kobolds only in books, and now I could confirm that they really look like dogs.

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