What seemed to be hours later, the door finally slammed open. Jake stormed in and before Jazz could say anything, he grabbed her and pushed her against the wall.
“I want to know who hired you!” he shouted. “I want to know the fucking name! I want it now.”
“I already told you,” Jazz said, trying to getting out of his grip. “I can’t tell you.”
Jake grabbed her by the arm and started to drag her outside.
“Let me go!” she shouted, trying to struggle against his grip, but he was far too strong. She bit his hands in hope of getting him to let go, but he kept holding onto her. He dragged her outside the dungeons and up a lot of stairs before pulling her into the main courtyard of the mansion.
“Look!” he shouted. “Look!”
Jazz looked up, breathing hard, and felt a wave of shock as she saw the carnage in front of her. The entire area leading to the ancient tunnels was on fire. Bodies of bear shifters lay around, bleeding and burning. She could hear howls of pain and the cries of their loved ones as the bodies were slowly moved away.
The injured were being taken to the healing chamber, which was already overflowing with patients. She could hear a little bear pup crying somewhere as she realized that her father was among those that died.
“Look at this!” Jake roared. “You refuse to give me a name! Now, look at this! You refuse to answer me so I can’t protect my clan! This is what happened!”
“I never meant for any of this to happen,” she stammered. “I didn’t know he could do this. I didn't know he would go so far-”
“That thief was also someone who was hired. Probably by the same guy who hired you!” Jake said. “Whoever hired him ordered him to kill himself if he got caught. The thief took a poison capsule- nightshade probably- and died.”
“A magician mercenary,” Jazz said, tears filling her eyes. “They are weaker than wizards in terms of power and magic, but they are very loyal. They hire a very high price, but they never get caught. They kill themselves if they do.”
“This person will hire someone else and send them.” Jake growled. “Then he will hire another and another! Until you tell me his name and let me hunt him down! Until you answer my questions.”
“I didn’t know that he would hurt so many,” Jazz said, turning to him with a desperate look in his eyes. “I thought it was just a gem. I didn’t know anything.”
“Well, now you know,” Jake said, looking her in the eye.
∞∞∞
Jazz sat in the interrogation room surrounded by Jake and a few of his trusted soldiers.
“What’s your name?” Lawrance asked her.
“Jasmine Gale. Jazz for short,” she replied, looking down.
“What can you tell us about the man who hired you?” Lawrance asked.
“I am a thief, as you know already. I get hired to steal things and I am very good at it, even if I do say so myself. No one had ever asked me to break into one of the most well-guarded mansions of the city before though,” Jazz said.
She took a deep sigh before continuing. “The man approached me at a pub called the evil duckling. It’s where criminals hang, and people often hire me. He wore a long robe that covered his face, and he approached me with an offer. He would pay me a very, very high amount for stealing a gem from the Akai mansion.”
Jazz looked straight into Jake’s eyes and said, “He knew everything. Where in the mansion the gem was kept. When the shift of the guards changed, and the amulets and talisman that protect it. He gave me an entire plan on how to get in and how to steal it and how to get out. He even knew how and by what way it was teleported to the foundry every day. He gave me everything. All I had to was steal it.”
“And what’s his name?” Jake asked. “You know it. Tell me.”
“I can’t,” Jazz protested.
“Give me a name!” Jake said, getting up and slamming his hand on the table. “Tell me whatever you know about him.”
Jazz looked at him with wide eyes and said, “I am sorry. I can’t tell you anything about him.”
“Why!” Jake roared. “Why can’t you? All those people died because you refused to answer my questions. Because you refused, I didn’t know who to hunt down!”
“I never meant to hurt anyone,” Jazz said, tears filling her eyes. “I didn’t know this would happen-”
“Wives are crying over the death of their husbands,” he whispered. “Children are crying over the death of their parents. This man has to suffer! Give me a name!”
