Cornelius ran through the palace corridors, his elderly legs protesting every step, lungs burning with exertion. His weathered hands clutched a leather document folder against his chest like it contained the secrets of the world itself. Sweat beaded on his wrinkled forehead despite the morning chill.
"Prince! Prince!" he called out breathlessly, his usually composed demeanor completely shattered by urgency.
He burst through the doors of Prince Ethan's private chambers without even knocking a breach of protocol that would normally be unthinkable. Ethan stood at the massive window overlooking Valisar, hands clasped behind his back, watching the city awaken in golden morning light. The prince's grey eyes tracked the movements of merchants opening shops, guards changing shifts, the intricate dance of urban life.
"Prince Ethan," Cornelius gasped, struggling to catch his breath. "Huff huff You need... you need to see this... immediately..."
Ethan turned from the window, his sharp gaze taking in his adviser's disheveled state with mild surprise. The old man was always composed, always proper. Seeing him like this breathless, sweating, agitated meant something serious had happened.
"Cornelius," Ethan said calmly, gesturing to a cushioned chair near his desk. "Sit. Sit down before you collapse. Catch your breath." He moved to a side table and poured a glass of water from a crystal pitcher. "Here. Drink this."
Cornelius bowed hastily, his formal training overriding even his panic. "Your Highness, I"
"I said sit," Ethan interrupted firmly but not unkindly. "Whatever this is can wait thirty seconds for you to remember how to breathe properly."
The old adviser sank gratefully into the chair, accepting the water with trembling hands. He drank like a man who'd found an oasis in the desert long, desperate gulps that made his throat work visibly. When he finally lowered the glass, gasping for air, he carefully placed the leather folder on Ethan's polished desk.
"Prince," Cornelius said, his voice still shaky but more controlled now. "This is a serious problem developing in Valisar. You know we've been hearing reports about missing children in the western district, yes?"
Ethan's expression hardened. He moved behind his desk, grey eyes fixed on the folder with predatory intensity. "Yes. We've had reports. Four children over the past two weeks—all from poor families, all disappeared without trace. The city watch has been investigating, but so far nothing concrete." His jaw tightened. "Why? Has something changed?"
Cornelius leaned forward, his weathered face grave. "Young lord..." His voice dropped to almost a whisper, as if speaking the words too loudly might make them more real. "A child has gone missing in the eastern district as well."
"What?!" Ethan's composed mask cracked. He shot to his feet, eyes wide with shock and horror. "The eastern district? That's under my brother Arnold's direct protection. His security is supposed to be impenetrable!"
"I know, Your Highness," Cornelius said heavily. "But it's confirmed. A baker's daughter, eight years old, disappeared from her home two nights ago. No signs of forced entry, no witnesses, no trace. Exactly like the western district cases."
Ethan's hands pressed flat against his desk, knuckles going white. For a moment, the calculating prince disappeared, replaced by genuine fury and fear. "This isn't random crime anymore. This is organized. Someone is operating across multiple districts with impunity."
"There's more, Your Highness." Cornelius opened the folder with careful, reverent movements. "This arrived at the city watch headquarters an hour ago. The watch captain brought it directly to me, knowing you'd want to see it immediately."
He withdrew a piece of parchment from the folder. The paper was crumpled, stained, and worst of all covered with dried blood that had turned the edges dark brown.
Ethan's breath caught. He reached for the letter with steady hands despite the rage building in his grey eyes. "Who sent this?"
"We don't know yet," Cornelius admitted. "But based on the content... I believe it's from one of the missing children. One who managed to escape, at least temporarily."
Ethan opened the letter carefully, mindful of the bloodstains. The handwriting was shaky, desperate, clearly written by someone terrified and injured. Some words were smeared, making them difficult to read. But the message was clear enough:
TO THE PRINCE OF VALISAR
Please someone help us. We in west Valisar several children are going missing. I am a victim of this terrible act. Please we are trapped in this nightmare please help me and those other children who gone missing too.
These uncles are very scary. They hurt us. They took my friend Elena and she never came back. They say we're being sold. I don't understand what that means but everyone is crying all the time.
In my attempt to escape I heard the guards talking. They said there are other children in a warehouse. They called it the Bartion warehouse. I think it's near the old docks but I'm not sure. Please prince you have to find us. Give us justice and catch those evil uncles who took us from our families.
I'm hiding now but they're looking for me. I can hear them. Please hurry. There are so many of us. We're so scared.
—A child who wants to go home
The letter ended abruptly, the final words trailing off into a smear of blood that suggested the writer had been interrupted. Or worse.
Ethan read it twice, his grey eyes blazing with cold fury. When he finally looked up, his expression was carved from ice and steel.
"Bartion warehouse," he said quietly, his voice deadly calm. "Cornelius, what do we know about it?"
"I took the liberty of investigating immediately upon receiving this letter," Cornelius said, producing another document from the folder. "The Bartion warehouse is a three-story structure located in the southern docks district. It's registered as a storage facility for imported textiles and dry goods. The owner of record is a merchant company called 'Velvet Trading Consortium.'"
"And who owns the consortium?" Ethan demanded.
Cornelius's expression darkened. "That's where it gets complicated, Your Highness. The ownership is buried under multiple shell companies and intermediaries. But after some digging, I found the name at the top." He paused. "Lord Cassius Verne."
Ethan's fist slammed into his desk with explosive force, making Cornelius jump. "Verne. That corrupt piece of filth. I've suspected him of illegal activities for years, but could never prove anything concrete."
"He's well-protected politically," Cornelius warned. "He has allies in the merchant guilds, connections to several noble houses, and substantial financial influence. Moving against him without ironclad evidence would create significant political backlash."
"Then we get ironclad evidence," Ethan said coldly. "And we do it now, before any more children disappear. Before whoever wrote this letter " he held up the bloodstained parchment "dies for trying to help us."
He moved to his desk and pulled out a sheet of official palace stationery. "Call the new squad immediately. Tell them it's urgent. Planning room, thirty minutes. Everyone."
Cornelius rose from his seat, bowing deeply. "At once, young lord. I'll summon them immediately."
As the old adviser hurried from the room, Ethan returned to his window, staring out at Valisar. Somewhere out there, children were being held prisoner, terrified, hurt, possibly dying. And one brave child had risked everything to write that letter, to give them a chance at rescue.
Hold on, Ethan thought, his grey eyes cold as winter. We're coming. And God help anyone who stands in our way.
Half an Hour Later - Planning Room
The planning room was austere and functional a large table surrounded by chairs, walls covered with maps of Valisar, and a sense of military efficiency permeating every detail.
Captain Darius Kaine stood at attention near the head of the table, his blonde hair perfectly styled in its military cut, his robust build radiating disciplined strength. His cold blue eyes tracked everyone entering the room with professional assessment, noting posture, weapons, readiness.
To his right stood Lieutenant Sera Ashford, her strikingly beautiful face composed in its usual stone-like expression. Her auburn hair was pulled back in a severe braid, and her piercing blue eyes seemed to look through people rather than at them. She stood with perfect military posture, one hand resting lightly on the pommel of her short sword.
On the left side of the table, Magnus Caldryn leaned against the wall with deceptive casualness. His crimson eyes always predatory, always watching tracked every movement in the room. Over the past weeks, he'd been working his body relentlessly, and it showed. His athletic build had become more defined, muscles moving with deadly grace under his dark uniform. Shadows seemed to cling to him like living things.
Beside Magnus stood Finn "The Blade" Corvus, his dark hair pulled back in a practical ponytail that kept it from his face during combat. His restless fingers played with a dagger, spinning it absently a nervous habit that spoke of coiled energy barely contained. His sharp eyes darted around the room, cataloging exits, potential threats, opportunities.
Brutus "The Breaker" Stone stood like a mountain at 6'9", his massive frame making even Darius look small. Arms crossed over his barrel chest, his intelligent dark eyes studied the maps on the walls with surprising intensity for someone of his size. Despite his intimidating presence, there was a strange gentleness in how he moved, careful not to accidentally bump into the smaller squad members.
Marcus Reed sat at the table, his staff leaning against his chair, fingers tracing spell patterns in the air unconsciously as he reviewed magical theory in his head. His nervous energy had calmed somewhat over the past weeks, confidence growing with each successful training session.
Rhea Varyn stood slightly apart from the others, her grey eyes watchful and calculating. She'd integrated into the squad's dynamics, but still maintained a professional distance. Her fingers rested on one of her many poison vials, a habit Magnus recognized from his own weapons-checking routine.
The door opened, and Prince Ethan Valisar entered with Cornelius trailing behind. The prince's usual cold amusement was completely absent, replaced by ice-hard determination and barely suppressed fury.
"Thank you all for coming so quickly," Ethan said without preamble. He moved to the head of the table, placing the bloodstained letter down where everyone could see it. "We have a situation. A critical one. Read this."
The squad members gathered around the table, reading the letter in heavy silence. Magnus's crimson eyes tracked across the desperate words, his shadow aura flickering with barely contained rage. Finn's constant dagger-spinning stopped. Brutus's massive hands clenched into fists. Even Sera's stone facade cracked slightly, blue eyes filling with cold fury.
"Children," Brutus rumbled, his deep voice vibrating with anger. "They take children. This is... this is unforgivable."
"How many are missing?" Darius asked, his military mind already processing tactical implications.
"Four confirmed from the western district," Ethan said. "One from the eastern district under my brother Arnold's protection. Possibly more we don't know about yet the poor families might not have reported disappearances, fearing they won't be believed or helped."
Magnus spoke for the first time, his voice quiet but carrying an edge sharp enough to cut. "Your Highness, you mentioned your brothers. How is security divided in Valisar? If children are disappearing from multiple districts, we need to understand the territorial situation."
Ethan nodded, appreciating the tactical question. He moved to a large map of Valisar on the wall, gesturing to different colored sections.
"Valisar is divided into three primary administrative zones," he explained. "I oversee the central and southern districts the palace, the noble quarter, the merchant sectors, and the southern docks." He indicated areas marked in blue.
"My eldest brother, Prince Arnold Valisar, controls the eastern districts." He pointed to areas marked in red. "That includes the military garrison, the eastern trade routes, and the wealthy residential areas. Arnold is... pragmatic. Focused on military strength and economic growth. His security should be impenetrable, which is why a child disappearing from his territory is especially alarming."
"And the third brother?" Sera asked.
"Prince Sebastian Valisar rules the western and northern districts." Ethan indicated areas marked in green. "The working-class neighborhoods, the western docks, the industrial sectors, the slums. Sebastian is more... idealistic than Arnold. He focuses on social programs and trying to improve conditions for the poor. But his resources are stretched thin, which might explain why the initial disappearances went unnoticed there."
Magnus studied the map intently, his assassin's mind noting patterns. "The western district where most children disappeared that's your brother Sebastian's territory. The Bartion warehouse where they're allegedly being held " he pointed "that's in the southern docks. Your territory, Your Highness."
"Correct," Ethan said. "Which means this is my responsibility to handle. And I'm bringing all of you in because this requires skill, discretion, and the ability to operate outside normal legal constraints."
"What exactly are you asking us to do?" Darius asked carefully.
Ethan's grey eyes were cold as winter. "I'm asking you to infiltrate the Bartion warehouse, gather evidence of this trafficking operation, rescue any children held there, and capture everyone involved alive if possible. Dead if necessary." He paused. "Lord Verne has powerful political connections. We need either overwhelming evidence to prosecute him legally, or we need him to disappear so quietly that no one can prove we were involved. I leave the method to your professional judgment."
"When do we move?" Finn asked, already eager.
"Tonight," Ethan said. "Intelligence suggests shipments happen at midnight likely when they transport the children to buyers. We hit them during the transfer, maximum evidence, maximum chaos for them, maximum advantage for us."
Magnus's crimson eyes locked onto Ethan's grey ones. "And if we find that this operation extends beyond just Verne? If there are people in your brothers' territories involved in this?"
Ethan didn't flinch from the challenging gaze. "Then you report to me, and I'll coordinate with Arnold and Sebastian. Despite our political differences, none of us would tolerate child trafficking in our territories. This isn't politics, Caldryn. This is about saving innocent lives."
For once, Magnus believed him. The fury in Ethan's eyes was genuine, not calculated. Whatever games the prince played with Magnus's freedom, this was personal.
"One question, Your Highness," Rhea said quietly. "The child who wrote this letter. Do we have any idea who they are or if they're still alive?"
Ethan's expression darkened. "We don't know. The letter arrived anonymously at the city watch. No signature beyond 'a child who wants to go home.' The blood suggests they were injured, possibly recaptured." His jaw tightened. "Which is why we move tonight. We may already be too late to save the writer, but we can save the others."
Brutus spoke, his deep voice filled with unexpected emotion. "I had a sister once. Younger. She disappeared when she was seven. Never found her. Never knew what happened." His massive hands trembled slightly. "If there is even one child in that warehouse, one child who wants their family back, we save them. Whatever it takes."
The room fell silent, the giant's confession hanging heavy in the air.
Darius straightened, military discipline reasserting itself. "Then we have our mission. Cornelius, I need everything you have on the Bartion warehouse blueprints, ownership records, known associates of Lord Verne, guard schedules if available."
"I'll have everything compiled within the hour," Cornelius promised.
"Good." Darius looked at his squad. "We have eight hours to plan and prepare. This is our first real mission together. We do this right, we do this clean, and we bring those children home. Questions?"
Magnus raised his hand. "Rules of engagement?"
Darius's expression hardened. "Anyone actively participating in holding children prisoner is a hostile. Neutralize them however necessary. But I want at least some alive for interrogation—we need to know if this network extends beyond Verne."
"Understood," Magnus said, his shadow aura pulsing with barely restrained violence.
Ethan stepped back, gesturing to the squad. "You have my full authority and resources. Whatever you need, Cornelius will provide. Save those children. Expose this corruption. Show Valisar that justice still exists."
He paused at the door, looking back. "And make sure whoever wrote that letter didn't die for nothing."
The door closed behind him, leaving the squad alone with their mission.
Magnus looked at the bloodstained letter on the table, at the desperate handwriting of a terrified child. His crimson eyes blazed.
We're coming, he thought. Hold on just a little longer. The shadows are coming for you.
To Be Continued in Chapter 31...