Willow quickly ducked behind the tree before they could look at her. She unzipped her hoodie and took out the ring she always carries.
It is a special ring given by Brenda to every member of her team. This ring can conceal the nature of the wearer. In other words, it hides the smell and aura of the wearer.
She swiftly wore the ring on the forefinger of her left hand. After taking a few deep breaths to calm her heartbeat, she made the vine of the tree grow longer.
Holding the vine, she stepped foot on it and crawled up until she had a nice viewpoint.
Below her on the street, a few vampires and werewolves are fighting. But the thing is, the vampires and werewolves are fighting together against three vampires.
From what she could decipher, the three vampires look like a family. And stranger is none of them are rogues. Their eyes clear, their smell as that of a vampire and werewolf, they all look normal. Then why is this abnormal behavior?
Deciding to investigate further, Willow sat back, watching the fight. She would have interrupted though they are vampires because they are a family. But the bigger group that has both species are not using any weapons or powers to kill them. They just want to subdue them.
But why? What will they do with them? And where the hell is the patroller? Why is no one responding to the commotion? Vampires have great hearing. Surely, someone would hear them.
Without breaking a sweat, the big group successfully bound the vampires and led them to the car that was nearby.
Oh no. She can't lose them. Willow promptly dropped to the ground and followed them at great speed. She almost missed them, but she kept the car in sight barely. Competing with an automobile even for Fae is a challenge.
Thankfully, the car took a turn and drove on a single path. Sensing she might miss the lead; Willow broke the car window of a nearby car and started it by sparking the wires.
Muttering an apology to the owner of the car under her breath, Willow put foot on the accelerator, not wanting to lose them. She cut off the headlights and followed them at a distance.
Soon, the car slowed down and stopped at the entrance of a building. No, it looked more like a warehouse of sorts.
Willow cut off the engine and keeping note of vampires hearing in mind, sat still. Only once they all went inside the warehouse with the vampire family bound and dragged along, did she relax.
She then crept out of the car and put her hand on the nearest tree. As expected, the tree showed similar images just like this. So, this is not the first time Willow mused.
She searched for the nearest window that would conceal her and would help her in viewing what's going inside.
Finding the perfect tree for her spying, Willow looped her leg on the vine just like before and perched on one of the branches.
She couldn't see anything from this angle. She presumed she must be inside to know what's going on as any sane vampire won't let on full display anything in the direct line of sunlight that would peek from the window.
She waited patiently for the group that captured the family to exit the building. After what felt like 1 hour, the group finally left but not before quickly scanning the premises once again.
Willow waited for some more time just to be sure and then dropped on her feet from the branch. She put her hand on the nearest tree to the entrance.
Guards. Depending on the different faces, there are many and not just vampires. As the group, there are werewolves too.
She doesn't know the exact number, though her power is somewhat depleted, she can take them down. But she doesn't want to risk the lives of the captured ones.
So what? They are just vampires, questioning her conscience.
They may be but they are innocent.
Moreover, her presence in this kingdom will be revealed and she doesn't want it yet. She needs intel about who is doing the kidnappings and for what purpose? Is the king aware of it? She needed a distraction and a huge one if she needed some time to check the warehouse.
She scanned the premises and with a spot locked in her mind, she laid the trap. It is far enough away for the group to check and come back. She laid the vines crisscrossed and covering the entire west side. There, done. Now she needs a victim that has huge lungs to scream.
She didn't have to wait long. One of the werewolves' team guards came outside probably to pee. But before he could accomplish it, the thorny vines she prepared wrapped around his left leg tightly and pulled him into the forest.
As expected, the werewolf started shouting and screaming for his teammates. Noticing the commotion, other members followed suit. The vines dragged the werewolf around, bumping along the trees on their way.
Once the entrance was clear, Willow sneaked inside stealthily. Her back to the wall, she jogged without making a sound, taking note of the place.
Her trap won't keep them much longer. She needs to be there for it to work effectively. It would at max give her a minute or two to scan this place.
Without wasting another second, Willow ran fast inside and opened the doors to the rooms as she went. It seemed like a bunker where the guards sleep during the morning.
There are guns in one room. Weapons of all sorts. Another room looked like a small hospital room where they take blood. Willow scoffed, her heart pounding as she went further and further into the rooms. What sort of operation are they doing here?
She knew she had stumbled upon something big by accident but needed time to figure it out. If an outsider with good skills can stumble upon this place in one week, why hasn't the king's tracking team hasn't heard about this place yet?
Or they heard and didn't care? Could it be that the king himself is involved in this? Willow tucked her thoughts to contemplate later.
For now, she focused on what lay behind the doors. Surely, they must have brought the vampire family here. But where are they hidden? The last room led her to the steps to the basement. Without hesitating, Willow stepped down.
What she saw took the breath out of her lungs. Cages. All around the room, covering from one corner to the other. They must be more than 30 or 40. And every cage is filled with more than one supernatural- Vampires, Fae, a small number of werewolves, she even saw a goblin or two in the corner of the room.
Their bodies are sunken down, deprived of nutrition their body needs. Their eyes hollow as if they have accepted their fate and what is about to happen to them. And it is worse, she can see on their faces. They look like they have been captured for a while.
She thought she had seen the worst but laying eyes on the next cell, her heart stopped. Lying there in a fetal position are children. God! Their age might be 5 or 6 years. There are not the only ones. Now that she has looked, she can identify many among the cells. There might be over 100 Supernaturals and among them 40% are children.
How could someone do this to them? Who could be so cruel? What will they achieve?
Willow knows she is missing the bigger picture, but the images of these children are imprinted on her mind.
Every single supernatural sat defeated. Some holding the bars. Some are locked in chains so heavy, she guessed they couldn't move the muscles even if they tried other than to relieve themselves.
There is no privacy. No hiding here. The vampire family that was brought here is laid down as if they have been drugged. A sudden sound from outside alerted her to impending danger. Shit! She can't help them if she too is trapped.
She scanned once again at the hopeless faces. No one noticed her. Why would they? They have given up hope on escape. But she vowed to herself, she will come back for them.
She can't leave them starving here, especially after witnessing the condition of the kids. She can see the bones sticking out of their body. They are just bones and skin. Malnutrition.
Without thinking about consequences, she concentrated her power around those children. Pretty soon, small bushes with edible fruits filled with water and can be found only on Faeland, sprouted from the ground.
Noticing the disturbance beneath them, the children and soon adults gasped, looking in every direction and finally landing on her.
She stood among the shadows; her face covered in a hoodie.
"Who... who is there?" Asked a brave voice among them.
Willow, who heard the distant sound from outside, realized she didn't have much time.
"No one. You never saw me. But I promise you this, I will free you all," Willow vowed to them.
She then turned to the few vampires who looked hungrily at her. The hope in her eyes crushed her. Tears sprang to her eyes. A lump formed in her throat. This is not the right time. These people need her strength, not her tears.
If possible, she would have given her blood. But if she got caught, what would happen to the rest?
"I'm sorry," Willow whispered with remorse. The vampire's shoulder is dejected as if it's nothing new to them. She then melted into the shadows.
"Wait!" Came the same commanding voice of before. But she has already leaped the ladder, clearing the evidence behind her by making the bushes (fruits have been plucked) buried into the ground once again.
Just as she stepped into the light, a voice said mockingly, "well, well, well, what do we have here?"