SPELLBOUND

Two hours went by quickly, but Zolan and Luc had yet to return. Samuel was quietly leaning against a tree trunk while staring gloomily at the gleaming city below them. But despite his silence, his aura was leaking out strongly in waves.

"Your aura is leaking out, leader." Levy muttered as he approached the man. "What's your order?"

Samuel's face finally darkened as his brows furrowed together. Zolan was the most reliable among his men in the group when it comes to planning and everything else except for combat. He never missed the time he agreed upon. And yet, minutes had already passed by, and he is not here yet. The men could not help but worry as they knew full well that Zolan hated missing deadlines, more so for the deadlines he set for himself.

In fact, the men already knew that if Zolan misses the time that he had set, it can only mean one thing. Something had happened that had prevented him from coming back on the agreed time.

Pushing himself away from the trunk of the tree he was leaning against, Samuel straightened up and called for Reed.

"Reed, Levy… the two of you must go and look for them." Samuel ordered very seriously. He had a bad feeling about this. "Also, be extra careful. We do not know what we're dealing with yet."

"We will. Don't worry, Samuel." Levy grinned and winked. Reed only nodded before the two set off as well.

It was as if Evie sensed that something was not quite right, she and Zanya both stepped out of their tent and approached Samuel. After looking at Samuel's stern and hard face, Evie could not put her finger on what it was, but she can somehow immediately tell that something was really off. Something must have happened for Samuel's face to be as dark as it was.

"Where are Levy and Reed?" Evie asked after looking around the campsite, noticing that these two were currently missing. Samuel's eyes darted over to Evie and the man could only tell her that Zolan and Luc had yet to return. And now, Levy and Reed too.

Evie instantly felt uneasy, but she fought for calmness. As their princess, she could not loose her cool so easily. "Is Levy and Reed also late now?" she asked after calming herself down and making sure her voice would not waver.

"Yes princess, they should be here by now." Samuel replied to her, after which he turned around and stared wordlessly down the path that led down to the city.

The atmosphere became more tense as no one spoke and just looked at one another. Evie turned to Elias to ask him to start packing up. When time passed and still none of the four men returned, Evie took a few steps on that same path that they took previously. Her hooded eyes were fixed on the city. The men stared at her small back that looked lonely against the brightness of the city lights as they waited patiently for her orders.

"Let's go." She then declared and reluctance immediately clouded over Samuel's eyes. He was torn. He was almost certain something had happened to their comrades while they were in that city. But how could he let the princess go there as well since he was now aware there are dangers unknown in that place?

"Princess… I don't think it's wise for you to go into the city." The big man went against Evie's orders for the first time. "I believe that something bad happened to them. They could have been caught or even badly harmed… I can't let you go there with a clear conscience, knowing there are dangers that might harm you too. There's a big possibility that the dark fae must be there waiting for you to come and then capture you, using Zolan and the others as bait."

Evie was silenced. She knew Samuel's words made sense. There was indeed a huge possibility that Thundrann was the one responsible behind the reason why Zolan and the others are not returning on time. But though she understood what Samuel had said, Evie just could not bear the thought that her men were caught and must have been harmed while she was here, just waiting and keeping herself safe. She felt so bad. How could she allow others to endure harm and danger just so she would not have to?

But she understood the dangers. Still, could she abandon those faithful men who have been all the way beside her since the beginning of her journey? She knew in her heart of hearts that she could not bring herself to do that. Without them, she would not have been able to arrive to this point now. They had never abandoned her. So how could she do that to them? If it were before, perhaps she could still accept it as she was still that slightly fearful and protected princess. However, now that she had grown into her own powers and had experienced dangers and survived them, she was not going to just sit back and take the passive role of being the damsel in distress that need to be saved. No way!

"I fully understand the dangers but nevertheless, I will still go even if you tell me not to. I will never abandon them. If they are in danger, it's my responsibility as their master to save them the same way they did their very best to save me many times before despite the dangers it posed to them." She said strongly and it was Samuel's turn to fall silent. His gaze was deep and contemplative as he stared at the princess.

"Do not worry Samuel, if the dark fae is in there, then so be it. I have my dragons to back me up." Evie then added with utter confidence and fighting spirit that Samuel could do nothing but bow his head and obey whatever she wished to do.

"Alright, get ready everyone. As mentioned, we will head out and find our comrades." Evie's firm voice rang out in the clearing they were camped in.