Samson's hand was held by a delicate touch, belonging to the lady from earlier. She requested that Samson release Lana, and he complied. "Madam Edwards, it's a pleasure to see you," he said, gesturing for her to take a seat at the table. However, she ignored his invitation and removed the apple from Lana's mouth. She then embraced Lana and carried her out of the room. As she walked away, she noticed Nel standing in a salute, gave him a smile and strides away from church.

The bishop, on the other hand, looked at her with anger. He stormed out of the room and scolded Nel. "Why didn't you stop her from entering?" he demanded. Nel stood frozen, too preoccupied with his hands, before finally looking up at Samson.

"Well, she is the chosen one. What else could I have done?" Samson slapped Nel hard. Everything was going perfectly. I could have convinced her to join his side, but this little troublemaker had ruined it all, he thought.

Samson glared at Nel and said, "Go on, leave. You're dismissed." Nel simply nodded and left the church grounds.

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

...

Ruby embraced Lana, who was now feeling more at ease, and asked her where she had been. Lana shook her head, too shocked to speak. Ruby turned towards the kitchen, where Madam Edwards was explaining the situation to Ariek. Ariek was wearing blue pajamas with a pointed hat, which contrasted with Madam Edwards' orange dress. "Thank you so much, Jericho. But he will be back soon."

"I'm afraid so, and I might not be able to protect her next time," Ariek scratched his neck. "Alright, I'll figure something out. Thank you again for your assistance." Jericho nodded and left through the door. She opened it, glanced at Lana with a caring look, and then departed.

"Now what?" Ruby asked, still holding onto Lana. Ariek held his hands together "Listen, Ruby, you need to understand something. She was and still is our captive."

Ruby's expression tightened. "Why can't things change? She's not going anywhere, and she's valuable to us. She's a skilled fighter. She should stay on the team, especially since..." she pauses, biting her lip. Ariek winces and responds, "We have no idea where Dreng is right now, and she might be our only hope to find him if..." He cuts himself off, realizing the implications of his words. "You understand, right my dear?"

Ruby glared in frustration, first Dreng and now Lana. She stormed off to her room, pulling Lana along. Slamming the door shut behind her, she left Ariek to ponder his next move.