Drakon strode through the crowded street, his face set in a grim expression. The old warrior's eyes darted from side to side, scanning the faces of passersby as if searching for someone. Behind him, Stephanos called out.

"Wolf! Wait up!" He shouted.

But the old man paid him no heed, continuing his march. Stephanos cursed under his breath and broke into a jog, weaving between merchants and shoppers until he managed to position himself directly in Drakon's path. He threw up his hands, forcing the older warrior to halt.

"Hold on a damn minute," Stephanos said, slightly out of breath. "The beggar mentioned a boy and an old man. Was he talking about you and Lucian?"

"Yes," he replied, then attempted to sidestep around.

But the younger man wouldn't be dismissed so easily. He matched Drakon's movement, continuing to block his way. "And you're just going to walk away without explaining? What the hell is going on here?"

A group of Thracian guards passed by, eyeing the two men. Drakon seized the opportunity to push past Stephanos, resuming his stride. Stephanos huffed in frustration but fell into step behind him.

"So you know who took Lucian, don't you?" He pressed as they walked.

They passed a group of priestesses, their flowing robes swishing as they moved. Drakon sighed, his shoulders sagging. "Yes, I know who has him."

"Why didn't you say anything back there?"

"I…don’t know."

"Well?" Stephanos prodded. "Who is it then?"

Drakon's pace slowed, and he glanced over his shoulder. "A bandit. Goes by the name of Mira."

"Mira," Stephanos repeated, his brow furrowing. "Never heard of her. How do you know this Mira? And why would she take Lucian?"

Drakon's expression darkened. "It's complicated," he said.

"Complicated? Explain."

Drakon sighed. "Lucian and I... we ran into some trouble on our way to Thrace. Came across a group of teenage bandits. Mira was their leader."

"And? What happened next?"

"They robbed us. Then, we got our stuff back. End of story."

"Wait, that's it? You didn't... I don't know, teach them a lesson? Make sure they won't pull that shit again?"

"You mean kill them? No, I didn't. They're just kids, Stephanos. I don't kill kids."

He sighed. "Look, I get it. But Mira? She's not just some dumb kid anymore. She's dangerous enough to kidnap Lucian right under our noses. Your decision not to deal with her before? That's coming back to bite us in the ass now."

"It wasn't a bad decision. Mira and her friends... they're young and stupid. They don't know what they're doing."

"Easy for you to say," Stephanos scoffed. "You're not the one who has to clean up this mess."

Drakon whirled around. "Easy? You think it's easy for me to decide whether a child lives or dies? Is that the kind of man you think I am?"

"That's not what I meant," Stephanos held up his hands, taking a step back. "Look, I don't like it any more than you do. But if letting one of these 'kids' go means more of my soldiers die down the line... what choice do I have?"

"There's always a choice. Always. The moment we start thinking otherwise... that's when we lose ourselves."

"And what about the safety of the people you love? What if that young person’s stupidity leads to their deaths? When would you draw the line between their lives and this Mira person?"

"Have you considered that girl’s life? She’s still young and has a life to live."

"What about Lucian’s? Have you given it a thought in his?"

"What are you saying?"

"I’m saying that your flawed morality is clouding your judgment to choose what is reality versus what’s right and wrong."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning you’re looking at this in black and white. This is not good versus evil. This is about choosing what’s right and wrong. And you definitely chose the wrong one. If you have chosen to kill Mira, this wouldn’t have happened in the first place."

"I will not have my consciousness filled with the death of a child."

"Mira is not a child. She’s a grown person, capable of killing other people."

"So you would have killed her?"

"Yes, if it means protecting my people and my family."

Drakon began to walk away. Stephanos stood there for a moment, conflicted. Part of him wanted to argue further, to make the Wolf see the practical reality of their situation. But another part recognized the weight of the older warrior's words.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

Finally, Stephanos jogged to catch up. "So what's the plan then? How do we find Lucian?"

"You tell me. You're the investigator here, aren't you? Where do you think we should start?"

Stephanos frowned, mulling over the question. The noise of the street faded into the background as he considered their options. After a moment, he spoke up. "Alright, let's approach this logically. We have to assume Lucian was kidnapped."

"Kidnapped? How can you be so sure? We don't have any proof of that. No one saw him being taken."

"Look, I know it sounds like a leap, but hear me out."

"Go on."

"Think about what we know so far. Lucian's not anywhere near us, not in the temple where we thought he might be. The only lead we have is that beggar who claims he saw Lucian running from this Mira person."

"So?" Drakon crossed his arms.

"So, put it all together. Lucian vanished without a trace. No one's seen him, not even the guards. It's like he just disappeared into thin air. That doesn't happen by accident, especially not in a city this size."

"That's still a lot of assumptions."

"It's not just assumptions. It's deduction based on the evidence we have. If Lucian had just wandered off, someone would have seen him. But he's gone, and the last person who might have seen him was this Mira character. It all points to one conclusion: Mira and her gang grabbed Lucian and managed to get him out of the city without being noticed."

"Her gang?"

"Yes," Stephanos nodded. "Think about it. Mira is what? Less than your weight and mine. She’s female so she’s small in stature and couldn’t have carried Lucian alone. You’ll need help in doing that."

"How do you know she’s not fat?"

"You said yourself. She’s a bandit. So her diet is mainly what she steals, not what she hunts. And that’s not much to eat. Hence, her diet plus all those activities she does everyday proves that she’s not a large person, prompting her not having the strength to carry Lucian on her own."

"I suppose when you put it that way, it does make a certain kind of sense. But if you're right, that means we're dealing with a group that's a lot more organized and capable than I gave them credit for."

"Exactly. Which means we need to step up our game if we want to find the boy before something happens to him."

"Alright, you've convinced me. So what's our next move, investigator?"

"We need to retrace Lucian's steps. Find out exactly where he was last seen and work our way out from there. And we need to do it fast. The longer he's missing, the colder the trail gets."

"But we already know where he’s last seen, in the temple."

"I know. What I’m saying is after that, where did he went?"

"So, we have to go back to the temple?"

"Yes," Stephanos said. "We have to check where he likely went."

The two retraced their steps to the temple. As they approached the sacred building, Stephanos held up a hand, signaling Drakon to stop.

"Look here," he said, pointing to a shadowy alcove on the side of the temple. "This is where Lucian might have been hiding. It provides good cover and a clear view of the street."

To demonstrate, he crouched down in the alcove, peering out at the thoroughfare. Drakon watched.

"And where do you think Mira was positioned?" He asked, arms crossed over his chest.

Stephanos emerged and paced away from the temple, stopping at a spot about thirty paces distant.

"Here," he declared. "This would give her a clear line of sight to Lucian's hiding spot, but still allow her to blend in with the crowd."

Drakon nodded, beginning to see the logic. "So what happened next? The beggar said Lucian ran away, right?"

"That's correct. But the question is, what made him run?"

"Could be anything."

"That could be, but I have a better theory."

"Ok. What is it?"

Stephanos retraced his steps, moving back towards the temple. "If Mira was approaching Lucian's position, he would have fled in the opposite direction."

"That’s true. To where?"

Stephanos jogged away and down a narrow side street.

As they followed this potential escape route, they came upon an abandoned house, its windows boarded up and its door hanging off its hinges.

"Here," Stephanos pointed down. "This could be where Lucian was taken."

"What? How can you possibly know this is it? It could be anyone."

"Only one way to find out," he knelt down, his gaze fixed on the ground in front of the structure.

"What are you looking for?" Drakon asked, peering over his shoulder.

"Footprints," Stephanos murmured, his fingers tracing the dirt. Suddenly, he pointed to a faint impression in the ground. "There. Look at this print - it's quite large."

He stood up, placing his own foot next to the print for comparison. His boot was dwarfed by the impression in the dirt.

Drakon raised his brow. "So what? That could be anyone's footprint. It doesn't prove anything."

"You're right. But how many people do you think have this large footprint?"

"Not much."

"Right, not much," Stephanos said.

"That still could be anyone."

"True, but why would a large person be in an abandoned house? Sight seeing? Masterbating himself off?"

"What do you think he was doing?"

"Waiting for Lucian so he can grab him."

"I see your point."

"So, if that person is a giant of a man, that narrows it down to a few people. And remember, a larger footprint means a taller person like a giant."

"Still, it doesn’t tell that Lucian was here."

He knelt down again, examining the area around the large footprint more closely. "Look here," he said, pointing to a series of scuff marks in the dirt. "These could indicate a struggle. And over there - those drag marks could be from someone being forcibly moved."

"You think this is where they grabbed him?"

"Most likely, yes. The question now is, where did they take him from here?"

"Why don’t we start with the evidence that you stated, like that tall person," Drakon said. "How tall are we talking about here?"

"About as tall as the statue of Helios at the marketplace, I’d wager," Stephanos gestured a hand high above his head.

"You think a giant took Lucian?"

"Not necessarily a giant in the mythological sense, but a man of uncommon height and strength. Perhaps a mercenary or a large thug."

"That’s easy enough to spot," Drakon remarked. "If we do find one, what’s next?"

"We corner that person and interrogate him."

Drakon's lips curled into a grin as he punched his palm. "Nice. Interrogation is my area of expertise."

"I’m sure it is."

"Do we kill him?"

"I’m not really sure about that part, but let’s see once we cross that bridge."

"Fair enough."