"Your Majesty! Captain!" The young man was breathing hard, as if he'd run all the way from the city. "We've found the carriage!"
The room fell silent. King Aldwin straightened in his chair. "Where?"
"Warehouse district, Your Majesty. Near the docks. The spatial tear deposited it in an abandoned building." The messenger swallowed hard. "There's... there's a body, Your Majesty."
Queen Cassandra's hand went to her throat. "The children?"
"No sign of them, Your Majesty. But Lord Erick..." The messenger's voice cracked slightly. "His throat was cut. And there's another body. Unidentified male, but in a... strange condition."
Captain Aldric stepped forward. "Strange how?"
"Aged, sir. Severely aged. As if he'd died of extreme old age, but his clothes and equipment suggest he was much younger when he entered the warehouse."
The King and Queen exchanged a long look.
"Time manipulation," the Queen said quietly.
"The Millbrook girl," the King agreed. "Which means at least one of them survived long enough to fight back."
"Your Majesty," the messenger continued, "there are signs of an escape route. A tunnel that leads to the adjacent block. And..." He hesitated.
"Speak," the King commanded.
"There's blood, Your Majesty. But not much. Whoever used that tunnel was wounded but mobile."
Captain Aldric moved to the map on the King's desk. "If they escaped through the warehouse district, they could be anywhere in the lower city by now."
"Expand the search," the King ordered. "Double the reward for information. And put every informant we have on the streets. Two SS-rank teenagers can't stay hidden forever."
"And if we find them?" Aldric asked.
King Kendrick's expression hardened. "Then we find out exactly who tried to steal them from us. And we make sure it never happens again."
As the messenger departed to carry out his orders, the Queen remained behind.
"You're thinking of the military situation," she observed. "The rift crisis."
"Two SS-rank awakenings disappear just as we're facing an unprecedented dimensional threat," the King confirmed. "I don't believe in coincidences of that magnitude."
"You think the kidnapping is connected to the invasion intelligence Lucian brought back?"
"I think we're under attack on multiple fronts," the King said grimly. "And losing two of our most powerful assets at this particular moment might not be random bad luck."
The Queen moved to the window, watching the palace guards drill in the courtyard below. "If you're right, then this isn't just a kidnapping. It's an act of war."
"Yes," King Kendrick said quietly. "Which means we need to find them. Before our enemies do something we can't forgive."
"And what about the noble families?" the Queen asked. "The Hawthornes and Blackwoods won't be content with just grumbling about the Millbrooks' elevation if this crisis continues."
The King was silent for a long moment. "One crisis at a time, my dear. First we find our missing assets. Then we deal with the political ramifications of elevating a carpenter's daughter above families that trace their lineage back to the kingdom's founding."
"Some of them are already calling it a mistake," the Queen warned. "They're saying that common blood can't handle the pressure of real power."
"Then they'll learn differently," the King said with finality. "SS-rank abilities don't care about bloodlines. And neither do I."********
Duke Ashford stood in his private study, staring at the letter that had arrived an hour ago. Royal seal, Captain Aldric's signature, and words that made his hands shake with barely controlled fury.
*"...regret to inform you that your son Kael was taken during a security incident while en route to his royal audience. Investigation ongoing. Updates to follow."*
Security incident. As if his heir had been caught in some minor bureaucratic mishap rather than kidnapped by enemies of the Crown.
Edmund pushed through the study doors without knocking, still wearing his travel-stained uniform from the rift perimeter. His usually composed face was tight with worry.
"Father, I came as soon as I got your message. What happened to Kael?"
Duke Ashford handed him the letter. Edmund read it twice, his expression growing darker with each word.
"This tells us nothing," Edmund said finally. "Security incident? What kind of incident?"
"The kind that leaves royal liaisons dead and SS-rank assets missing," the Duke replied grimly. "I've had my own people making inquiries. Discrete ones."
"And?"
"Lord Erick is dead. Throat cut. The escort was ambushed by someone with high-level spatial manipulation, and both Kael and the Millbrook girl have vanished without a trace."
Edmund sank into a chair, running his hands through his hair. "SS-rank fire manipulation. If Kael is alive, he can defend himself. But if they have him restrained somehow..."
"That's assuming his classification was accurate," the Duke said quietly.
His older son looked up sharply. "What do you mean?"
"That's assuming his classification was accurate," the Duke said quietly, moving to stand by the window.
"What do you mean?"
"There's been something different about Kael since his first awakening ceremony. Something I can't put my finger on." The Duke's voice was thoughtful, troubled. "The way his essence feels when he's using his abilities, the intensity in his eyes during training... it's not just power, Edmund. It's something else entirely."
Edmund leaned back in his chair, considering. "You think he's hiding his true capabilities?"
"I think our younger son is more than what the Classification Stones measured," his father said grimly. "Much more."
The two men stared at each other across the desk.
"You think Kael is more than SS-rank?" Edmund asked finally.
"I think Kael is something the Classification Stones weren't designed to measure," the Duke corrected. "Which means whoever took him might have had very specific reasons for wanting him."
Edmund stood, pacing to the window. "The timing bothers me. This kidnapping happened just as we're dealing with the rift crisis. Lucian Valorian returns with intelligence about organized invasions, and suddenly our most powerful new awakenings disappear?"
"You think they're connected?"
"I think enemies smart enough to organize a years-long intelligence operation are smart enough to identify and neutralize our strategic assets," Edmund said grimly. "And if Kael really is beyond SS-rank..."
"Then he's not just our son anymore," the Duke finished. "He's a weapon both sides will kill to control."
The study fell quiet except for the ticking of the mantle clock.
"What are your orders, Father?" Edmund asked finally, though they both knew he served the Crown's Military, not House Ashford directly.
Duke Ashford was quiet for a long moment, staring at the reports spread across his desk. "The Crown asked us to wait."
"And?"
"The Crown lost my son," the Duke replied coldly. "I'm mobilizing our house guards for a search party. Full sweep, starting with the warehouse district."
Edmund nodded, understanding the political implications immediately. "The other noble houses will notice. Once they see House Ashford taking action..."
"The Hawthornes, Blackwoods, even the Valorians will want to join in," the Duke agreed grimly. "They'll frame it as loyal service to the Crown, but we both know what it really is."
"A chance to be the ones who rescue two SS-rank awakenings," Edmund said. "The political favor that would earn them..."
"Exactly. Which means this search will turn into a circus within hours of word getting out." The Duke moved to his desk, already beginning to draft orders. "But I won't sit idle while my son is missing, politics be damned."
"Have you been able to get word to Marcus?" Edmund asked, referring to their eldest brother who served as captain of the King's Guard.
The Duke's expression darkened further. "He's probably dealing with the fallout at the palace. All our attempts to reach him have been... redirected through official channels."
"Someone's blocking our communications?" Edmund asked sharply.
"The Hawthornes have significant influence in the royal communications office," the Duke said grimly. "And they're not the only house that would benefit from keeping us isolated right now."
"They know that having an SS-rank awakening increases our political power," Edmund realized. "If Kael goes missing permanently..."
"House Ashford's influence diminishes considerably," the Duke finished. "Which makes room for other houses to rise in the succession hierarchy."
"And if we find evidence that this connects to another noble house?"
Duke Ashford's expression hardened into something that would have made his enemies take several steps back.
"Then we stop treating this like a kidnapping," he said quietly, "and start treating it like an act of war."