“Alright,” Brian said. “Our priority is Carlos. If we manage to get him out, we will try for this tracker too. But remember, if it goes south, we run. We are not risking our lives for the bear.”
“Lilly,” Helen said. “We need your squad on this.”
“Right,” Lilly said. “Let’s do this.”
“I am coming with you,” Brian said. Lilly nodded toward him before turning around and walking away.
Chapter 3
“Four guards are surrounding the prison area,” Brian said. “Both Carlos and the tracker are being kept captive in the lower dungeons before they are moved to a more secure location. It will be easier for us to sneak around the area and free them. Getting into a fight with the guards is something we cannot afford."
"Right," Lilly said. “Which is why we must take down the guards that are guarding the prison. There are four guards, which is something we can handle. But, if even one of these guards gets away and manages to ring the alarm, we are all done for.”
“We will go around the back. There will be two teams. One will be led by Lilly and one by me,” Brian instructed. “I will take down the guards. Once we are confident that we are secure, we will give the signal. Then, I want you to rush in and get the prisoners out, and run away instantly. We don’t know how injured those two are, so you guys might have a handful. If the signal doesn’t come within the next half an hour, I want you to leave.”
“We are not leaving,” Lilly said, firmly. “If we don’t get the signal, we are coming with reinforcements.”
“Lilly, it’s not worth the losses,” Brian said. “We have already lost so many men.”
“We leave no man behind!” Lilly said.
“Leave no man behind!” Her squad chanted with her and Brian sighed. Lilly knew she had won the argument, and she turned around to signal her guards. It was time to take a stand for themselves and fight against the tyranny of the bears.
“Onwards!” Lilly shouted.
“Onwards!” her squad chanted.
***
Kai panted as he struggled against the chains that held him as the guard held his leg.
“You could have avoided all of this,” Panther said, his voice soft. “If you had just left instead of following the wagons, you would have been safe.”
“You don’t have to do this,” Kai said. He knew that he stumbled onto something huge and that he had to do everything in his power to get the news to Jake.
“I have to, Kai,” Panther said. “You saw too much. You will inform Jake, and then I will have more problems on my hands. I am afraid I can’t let you go. I am also sorry for what I am about to do to you, but I can’t risk you escaping. Even though these chains are Alor, I still need to be sure.”
“What-” Kai started to say but a second later he got his answer. The guard held a huge pointed metal stake against his knee. Kai struggled against the chains that bonded him as his heart started to race.
A second later severe shooting pain spread through his body as the metal stake was hammered into his knee. The metal burned his muscles and eroded his bones, leaving him completely incapable of walking.
“I spiked the stake with an acid,” Panther said. “Crude but effective. I am afraid that once the acid has had time to erode your tissues away, you will never heal.”
With that, he turned around and walked away, leaving Kai screaming and withering in pain. The torture was horrendous as his body tried to heal the injury but failed to do so. It was like he was being stabbed over and over again.
Eventually, he slumped down, his hands chained above his head. He was exhausted and severely injured. The guards had been torturing him for hours before Panther had finally shown up. They seemed to relish having someone to torture and break, and Kai had been their favorite target. Jake was too far away, and all Kai had managed to do was waste more energy.
He knew that all was lost. He would never manage to escape this hell and the Rain clan would get away with whatever they were planning. By the time Jake would realize that his tracker had been gone for far too long, it would be too late. Kai was sure that Jake would send the entire army after the Rain clan, but by then it would be too late.
He was so exhausted that he almost didn’t hear the shouts in the distance, or the sounds of claws and swords clashing against each other. In fact, his mind was so flooded with pain that he didn’t even realize when the door slammed open and a whole group of people rushed in.
“He is very severely injured,” a melodious voice said. “They broke his legs. He won’t be able to run! I need two men to carry him! The guards are down, so we should have no problems. Just remember, don’t use guns! We can’t afford to make too much noise!”
Kai opened his eyes, his mind hazy with pain. He saw a pair of glimmering hazel eyes looking at him with a gaze so intense that he almost shivered. He knew those eyes. He knew the blonde hair that framed that lovely face. He knew those luscious lips, because years ago he had kissed them.
“Lilly?” he whispered weakly.
Her gaze hardened, and she turned around.
