Chương 63: Chapter 57: An Act of Contrition

Jack woke to pain; it wasn't a sharp pain like a knife wound should feel. He had been stabbed enough in the past to know the difference. In fact, in that regard, he felt whole. This was more a dull ache that made his body feel distant and sluggish.

"Easy," Kael said as he placed a hand on his chest. Jack blinked, eyes struggling to focus on his surroundings. He was back in his room in the guild hall and the fact that he had missed his team's presence was concerning. His throat burned. His stomach felt tight and unstable, like something important inside him had not quite settled back into place. He lifted a trembling hand toward his abdomen. Kael caught his wrist, gently guiding it back to his side.

"Don't. You need your rest. I did what I could, but you know there is a limit to my magic." That explained why he wasn't in worse shape. Jack swallowed what little saliva he could muster.

"How am I alive?"

"In a way," Kael said. Jack could tell he was getting uncomfortable.

"But only because Warren saved you first."

"Warren?" He asked. Seraphine stepped forward now, arms crossed with worry.

"We don't know how, but he tracked you to the sewers. Then he carried you all the way back here. You might want to think about forgiving him now," she added with a sad grin. Jack closed his eyes for half a breath and nodded.

"Where is he now?"

"He took Aldric and the Watch guards on a raid. He's leading them to their hideout," she said as she glanced around the small spartan room. Jack could tell something was amiss, but he didn't press it.

"Did someone tell Katherine why I didn't make it to the restaurant?" Jack asked as he tried to push himself upright once more as his companions looked at each other. His vision swam as Seraphine sat on his bed put a hand on his chest and pushed him back down.

"Stop," she said.

"You lost too much blood." Jack clenched his jaw, holding her gaze.

"You didn't answer my question."

"She never reached the restaurant." Her answer made Jack's chest tighten.

"Her guards found the flowers," Kael added quietly.

"On the street. No sign of a struggle." Jack thought back to the thugs' comments in the sewers.

"They took her."

"Yes," Seraphine said. Jack turned his head away slightly, eyes fixed on the ceiling, his fear and anger boiling to the surface.

"Who's out looking for her?" This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.

"Everyone who needs to," Seraphine replied.

"Lord Thann raised the alarm the moment she didn't arrive home. The watch is out in force. The gates are being monitored, and the Dock Ward has been locked down." He tried to swing his legs over the bed, but he was weak. Still, he pushed himself forward, finally pressing his feet to the floor. Kael put a hand on his shoulder and stopped him from rising any further.

"My magic closed your wounds, stopped the bleeding, and stabilized your organs. It cannot replace what you lost. If you push yourself right now you could die." Jack lurched forward, but Kael easily overpowered him with a single hand, pushing him back onto the bed.

"I need to find her," he strained.

"Jack," she said.

"You can barely stay conscious."

"You don't get it. I need to find her." He tried to move off the bed once more, but Kael was unrelenting.

"We have already mobilized the entire guild. We will find her," Kael reassured him.

"No, you won't," Jack growled. His head was spinning.

"The kind of people who grabbed her planned for this. They have networks and smuggling rings. They won't be stopped or found so easily."

"Trust us. We are doing everything we can," Kael said.

"It's not enough!" He pushed Kael's arms away as he bolted up, struggling to stay conscious. Pain answered immediately, sharp and absolute, tearing through his abdomen and dragging heat up his spine. His breath hitched. His hands scrabbled uselessly against the edge of the cot, as if gripping the edges would help him find relief from his agony.

"I need to go," he said, voice hoarse.

"She is out there somewhere. Desperate and alone."

"And do what, Jack?" Seraphine said pushing her anger down.

"I know you're upset, but you can't even stand up. You're only going to be a liability and likely end up killing yourself."

"I do not care," he pleaded, tears now streaking his face as he fought Kael to escape the prison of his bed.

"They took her. I am not lying here while other people fix my mistakes." Seeing no other option, she placed her hands on him, and pressure could be felt in the room as it flowed from her to Jack.

"There is nothing you can do to help her. Please go back to sleep. You need your rest." Aldric's boots sounded in the corridor. He entered Jack's room a moment later, armor scuffed, expression tight. Kael and Sera sat slumped against opposite walls as Jack lay still on the bed. Aldric looked at each of them and spoke.

"We hit the hideout. Hard." Kael perked up.

"And?"

"We caught a dozen," Aldric continued.

"Low- and mid-level hands, mostly cutpurses and other lowlifes. The place was a real nest."

"And Katherine?" Kael asked. Aldric simply shook his head, and it hit like a hammer blow.

"No sign of her. No sign of the guild head either. Whoever's running the guild is gone, and her with them." It was her lack of comment that drew his attention to Sera's silent tears.

"What happened?" She knew what it might cost her, but still she told him the truth.

"I had to use magic to calm him." Aldric's eyes bulged, his face turning red as he yelled.

"You can't, Sera. You agreed. We agreed to never manipulate one another. Not like that. Not with magic!"

"You didn't see him, Al," she said, tears still streaking down her face.

"He would have killed himself looking for her!" Kael had stood up during Aldric's tirade, only now placing himself between Seraphine and him.

"It was the right call," he said, glancing back at Seraphine.

"He might hate you for it, but you did the right thing. And I will defend you to both of them if I have too. For now, we have a job to do." Aldric exhaled through his nose and stormed out of the room. Kael and Seraphine stood there for another moment, listening to Jack's steady breath. Then, one by one, they left to help with the search. The door to Jack's room opened soundlessly as a figure slipped inside.

Dressed nearly all in black, they moved with practiced ease, crossing the room without disturbing so much as a candle flame. Standing near his bed, their hand fished into their jacket, withdrawing an item. The movement was quick and deliberate. The figure then placed it on Jack's chest before they disappeared into the night. Jack woke in silence. It was likely late night, early morning; the candle in his room had burned itself dark. Something rested on his chest.

He frowned and lifted it with unsteady fingers, straining to see it in the pale moonlight. It was a folded note. Inside was a single line. Foal Millworks, a retired mill near the River Ward docks. —S Jack closed his eyes and began to sit up.