"Ria, you know what to do," Catherine whispered to Ria who was sitting next to her as the carriage reach the nearest town to the north. Ria nodded in response and started coughing like she was about to vomit. Catherine shouted for them to stop the carriage and Malcolm went immediately to know what was happening. Catherine held Ria's arm and guided her outside the carriage. There were about five knights with them, including Malcolm, five servants, and the coachmen. 

Five servants along with Malcolm and the three knights gather around Catherine and Ria helping them settle. When they were close enough to the duo, Catherine nodded to Ria as a sign to start. Ria wobbled to the knights with Malcolm and touched them with her hands. Malcolm and the knights froze from their position like someone just took away their souls and their eyes turned white. Ria moved quickly and touched the rest of the servants before they could even react, leaving them in the same state as the rest. The remaining knight with the coachmen stated in front, making it easier for Ria to move. 

When everyone was in the same state, Catherine moved them in one position as Ria made each one of the water bubbles so that they would be comfortable.

"Well, that was fast," Catherine commented and laughed a little. Catalina stayed in the carriage, still nervous about their little plan. "You can come out now, Catalina!"

Catalina slowly descended the carriage and saw the people she worked with looking like dead people. She gasped and covered her mouth as if they did something awful.

"Oh please, they are just sleeping. Visiting the dreamland," Catherine said and almost rolled her eyes but suppressed it, knowing that there is still something important that they need to do. Catherine liked Catalina but there are times, she can't help feel a little annoyed at her little overreactions. 

"You know the plan. I need you to stay here for a couple of hours and look after them," Catherine instructed as she adjusted her black cloak covering her face. Catalina nodded in response trying to look brave. "Don't worry, I will cover this place so that no one can enter here."

With that, Catherine with Ria and Josephine disappeared into oblivion. Catalina just clutched herself, hoping that everything will go according to their little plan.

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"Do you think she can handle herself?" Ria asked when they arrived in the north. Using their abilities, they were able to faster than average people. It was uselessly cold that they constantly need to stick close to Catherine for her fire element and only a few people gather outside. Some would probably say that the North was a ghost town, especially with the cold weather surrounding the area.

"She should," Josephine replied as she scanned the place trying to find at least something worthy to go to. Josephine became certain that visiting the north would be a difficult task, especially with the people becoming warier.

Ria moved closer to the child with her mother who was wrinkled with time and poverty. She carefully approached them, trying not to look harmless.

"Hi," she greeted, and the mother and child shiver in fear when they came. Catherine moved forward and held out a loaf of bread and some cheese and offered it to the family. The old woman examined her closely and slowly reached for the food. 

"What do you need?" She sternly asked as she broke the bread in two and passed it on her young son that was surely in nine to ten years old. The shivering child, shakily took the bread to her mouth, and Catherine felt the pain when the child tried to put the bread that was twice the size of her mouth with her chapped and cracked lips. She turned her focus to the mother who was eyeing the three of them.

"Why are you outside? It's so cold," Catherine commented as she looked in the run-down house behind them. She could tell that the balcony may be provided a better heat than inside the house.

"What do you need?" The old woman repeated. She knew that people just visit this place because of the articles that were released about monsters in the North in the capital. Many people have visited the place to see the monsters that they claimed.

"The articles-" 

"We don't know anything." The mother answered immediately, cutting off Ria's statement and looking at the door of their house with wary eyes. Ria and Catherine glanced at each other noticed that the mother looked like someone who was hiding something in the house. They stepped back and smiled at the old woman with her child.

"Thank you for your time," Catherine said as they start walking back. "There is something in the house." 

When they were about to make a turn, they heard the mother screamed frantically and they rushed towards the run-down house. Catherine pushed the door opened and she saw the mother with her child covering her as her life depended on it. She scanned the place and saw a big creature that seemed almost human but also not quite, staring at her. It was like what she saw back then, but this time, they looked more composed. Ria and Josephine quickly moved the mother and her child to the safe place and returned to back to Catherine's side. 

Catherine slowly moved to the creature without breaking her contact but Josephine pulled her back making Catherine face her. The creature growled and started resisting the ropes that bound him. Catherine made a swift turn with Ria, cornering the creature. They heard the mother shout and beg not to harm her husband. Catherine knitted her eyebrows in confusion, wondering what step she would take next.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

The creature growled louder than the last and broke the ropes that held him. Before the creature could jump to her, Catherine moved her hand to the direction of the beast as the vines that appeared from the ground out of nowhere, circled the beast, and secured it from its position. The creature moved and wiggled in an attempt to be released from the vines. Soon enough, the creature stopped moving as it retreated back to its human form. Catherine and her group went outside to see the mother and her child helplessly crying with each other.

They sat beside the mother and waited for them to calm down before the could ask questions. 

"Y-you didn't kill him, right?" The old woman questioned with pleading eyes. "No, we only bound him with strong vines." The old woman looked confused, wondering where they got the vines but dismissed the thought and focus on the group in front of her.

"Seven days ago, my husband returned back from his work, saying that he got a better offer and he would start tomorrow already. We were ecstatic to hear the news and had a feast that night. The next morning he went to work the same but he never came back. I waited for him day and night, wondering when he will be back. I had faith that he will and he did." The woman wiped the troublesome tears that escaped her eyes before continuing her story.

"After five days, he came knocking on the door, with his bloodshot eyes and pale looking face. He got skinner and he looked tired. He told me that he was in a big abandoned basement that seemed to have no end. According to him, there were people and children captured in the basement, unconscious. The next day, he started having seizures. He begged me to tie him and asked not to be released," the woman started crying again, making her daughter cry as well.

"That afternoon, he changed completely to what you saw him today. After some time, he would become tired and return back to normal," The mother finished her story and cradled her child in her arms. The group decided that they stay so that they could gather more information from the man.

The sun was about to set when the man became conscious and they seated far away from the bound creature.

"What did you see in the abandoned basement?" Catherine started. The woman gave the man a drink before he started talking.

"The abandoned basement was heavily guarded and full of full-grown and children people. Mostly they were unconscious but there were times that they would become awake and aware of their surroundings. One by one, the masked men would take one child and one adult and bring them to the back where a door waits."

"How did you escape?" Josephine asked. 

"Every other day, there would be a shift in the guards, especially when the hooded man would visit. On that day, I think they forgot to inject me with their medicine that kept the people they captured unconscious. I ran with all my might and returned back here."

"What were they doing to the captured people?" This time Catherine asked.

"I-I don't know. As I said, they would take one adult and one child to the backdoor and no one except the masked men came back." The man continued as he struggled to keep every word clear.

"Do you know where this abandoned basement is?" 

"The hill in the farthest north with the big old manor is where the basement is." The man coughed after answering the question.

"Thank you," Catherine smiled sadly. She knew that there is nothing that she could do to turn the tables around for the man, even if she used her element. It might just worsen his condition, especially when there is nothing she knew about the medicine that they inject them. She moved closer to the mother and said the unfortunate conclusion she knew, was the best one. Her husband needed to die so that he could rest in peace because Catherine, Ria, and Josephine that it is the only way for them to be safe. The old woman burst out crying but she also knew that it was the safest option they had.  

Catherine went to the back of the house, using her earth element, she grew a poisonous plant which only in their kingdom grew that would easily and without pain take the man's life away. She wiped a few tears that escaped her eyes as the plant produced the fruit she needed. It broke her heart that the child not even in her teens would grow up without a father. If she could find another way to save the father, she would but as time passes by, the man would only put his family in danger.

After taking three fruits from the plant, she waved her hand in front and the plant vanished into thin air. She gave the fruit to the mother as she started weeping again. They left the family of three and headed to the hill where the manor was. It was starting to get dark when they arrived. The eerie atmosphere surrounded the place as if no one has ever visited the place again. The group went to the nearest window and peeked to see nothing. 

Behind them, they heard the crunched of fallen leaves moving closer to their direction. They immediately hid to the other side when Ria fell on her knees. She was already sweating so hard and her breath was ragged as if she has been running. Her energy is starting to take a bad turn for keeping so many people unconscious in her water bubble. Catherine knew that they needed to get back before something worse happens to Ria.

She took a peek to the people who took their place and it was a two hooded man. Catherine thought that these people must've been the ones, the man talked about. They moved to the door near the window and opened it carefully, afraid that someone might see them. Catherine noticed a black zirconium band around his ring finger with a serpent carved in its signet covered in gold.  When the two men went inside, Catherine and Josephine helped Ria and used their element to return to the place where Catalina waits for them.

"Oh, thank goodness you're back. I thought something happened to you guys," Catalina stood up and helped Ria in the carriage. With a swift of her finger, the bubbles burst, and their companions return to their places with their eyes still white. They returned to the carriage and Catherine placed her hand to the ground before they disappeared into oblivion. 

Catherine breathed heavily for she never transported too many people at the same time. They were already on the border of their kingdom when they arrived. Ria snapped her fingers again and the servants along with the knights were back to normal. The coachmen announced that they were almost reaching the kingdom of Bohr. Catherine smiled and rested her head to the back of her sit. She has never used so much of her ability in one day. She looked at Ria and Josephine who smiled at her. Finally, they would be able to see their family once more.