Lissandra was too stunned for words. Stumbling against the wall, she eyed the woman that approached her. She flinched at her touch, but was surprised by the gentleness as she inspected her bruises. The woman looked harmless; but Lissandra remained cautious; she remembered the number one rule Sir Varus had hammered into her head over and over; never fall victim to first impressions, always assume there is more to a person than meets the eye; even now such rules applied, if not for protecting her liege, but for herself.

"I am not your leader" Lissandra finally said; the woman tilted her head staring into her eyes, Lissandra could see the amusement in them. Void Walkers were infamous for their trickery and destruction in not only Utral, but the rest of the world as well; there appearance was only recent, but their impact has been devastating. Some believe them to be an omen; others believe them to be hired mercenaries; Lissandra however thought of them as nothing more than criminals. The woman interrupted her thoughts.

"It is understandable that you would be confused" the woman guided her back to the bed. "However I will explain everything to you when the time is right" she smiled softly. "You've been unconscious for three days; you must be hungry" shaking away the woman's hand, Lissandra moved to the other side of the room. Three days? Lissandra was panicking; she needed to return to Princess Zara as soon as possible. Assuming the Princess had escaped the attacker, she should have made it to Tarken Port by now. However doubts and fears flooded her mind as she imagined the Princess' fate if she were caught by the Void Walker; none of them pleasant. The woman noticed her concern.

"Loki brought you here" the name meant nothing to Lissandra. "He was the one you fought a few days back when your carriage was attacked; would you like to meet him?" That triggered some memories; Lissandra didn't respond, but her mind racing with questions; if he brought her here, would that mean the Princess was here as well? Or was the Princess already.... The door behind her burst open, knocking her out of her thoughts and feet. A man walked in.

"Hecate, is the girl awake yet?" he asked. The woman moved to Lissandra, helping her up. The man stared, shrugging at his own question "That answers that".

"Loki, the leader wanted to meet you" Glancing at Lissandra before turning back to Hecate, the man raised a brow in question.

"Leader?" he asked. Hecate stared at him.

"Yes, didn't you know?" Loki got a good look at Lissandra with a brow raised before shrugging his shoulders dismissively.

"This is the first I've heard of this; but if you say she is, then I guess she is" Hecate frowned at his lax response.

"This is something I've gone through many times; have you not been paying attention to our annual meetings?" Loki smiled guiltily.

"I may have missed a few details" Hecate stared him down causing him to hold his hands up defensively. "Okay, maybe all the details. Look, I'll make it up to you" Hecate sighed rubbing her temples; she looked between him and Lissandra; an idea formulating. Lissandra was finally able to get a look at the man, she recognized him; she interrupted their conversation.

"What did you do to her?" Loki looked genuinely confused at her question; he looked to Hecate hoping she would provide him with the answer, but she just motioned him to answer.

"Who?" Lissandra, angry, grabbed him by the collar ramming him against the wall.

"The carriage you attacked belonged to Princess Zara of Utral. Now tell me what you did to her!"

"Hey, hey, calm down Boss" he replied gently pushing Lissandra away. "I honestly don't know what happened to the Princess, I brought you here right after our encounter" Lissandra paused, relief washed through her; that would mean Princess Zara was in Tarken Port right now. She needed to escape. Without a second thought, Lissandra pushed Loki into Hecate causing them both to tumble over as she made a break for it. She was greeted with a long corridor running both ways; she did not know which way to start, but forced herself to pick a direction, she was determined to get as far away as possible from the two Void Walkers, she would worry about what to do afterwards. 

Minutes passed, she came to a stop, breathless. The corridors were endless; everything was the same, down to the smallest scratch on the walls. She scanned the area taking in the appearance of everything; the doors were all simple wooden brown, nothing particularly special; the walls, unpainted bearing only the color of the cement; the floor, engineered hardwood but all possessing identical grain. Observing the many doors, she focused her attention to the one in front of her; reaching out, grasping the door knob, she shivered at the cold touch. With a deep breath she slammed it open. Shock overwhelmed her; she was back to where she started.

"Welcome back" Hecate greeted with her usual smile. Lissandra slammed the door shut, turning around trying a different door, the same result. She was trapped; everywhere she went; she would loop back. She knew there had to be a way out; she was determined to break out of this deception. She searched for any clues; even dust on a singled out door would have helped, but there was nothing. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, she approached the door once more, opening it finding Hecate sitting quietly waiting for her.

"What is going on?" Lissandra questioned. Hecate smiled, looking almost too eager to answer her question.

"You are in the Labyrinth, our home" that was not the answer Lissandra was looking for; she was angry and it didn't help that she was already frustrated and exhausted from running around.

"This is your home, not mine" She growled. "Now let me go!" Hecate paused, her gaze hardened. Lissandra could tell she was analyzing her; her thoughts, her intentions. It wasn't anything new to her; she's met plenty of people who do the same. Though as she looked closer, there was something off about Hecate's gaze that unnerved her, but she couldn't put her finger on what.

"Do you really wish to leave this place?" Hecate asked. Now it was Lissandra's turn to observe her; the woman looked genuinely sad, and it actually made her guilty with the way she's been acting; she will admit she may have directed her hostility wrongly. Hecate seemed to only want to help her and from the looks of it, she was the one who nursed her back to health. Her eyes wandered to Loki, the real cause of her problems; he looked bored, but she could tell that he was ready to intercept her if she decided to act hostile.

"Yes" Lissandra answered; the woman sighed before walking past her. Closing the door the woman peaked behind.

"Where do you wish to go?" she asked. Lissandra was taken aback.

"You'll let me go? Just like that?" she asked. Hecate tilted her head confused.

"Why do you ask?" her mischievous smile forming once more. "You are not our prisoner Milady. You request it and we will do our best to grant it" Lissandra eyed Hecate and Loki trying to find any deceit from them. "But from now on we will be escorting you" and there it was, the condition for her freedom; but Lissandra wasn't in any mood to negotiate. She pondered her options; she could go to Tarken Port and hope that the Princess would be arriving as she did, or she could go to Acron and meet the Princess there. Between the two options, going to Acron sounded more appealing, it gave her a better chance at reuniting with the Princess; if she had to wait two weeks for that to happen; she was willing.

"Keel Port in Acron" Hecate nodded opening the door again. A loud horn blared through causing Lissandra's heart to jump. Hecate motioned her to walk through, but she was hesitant. Was this some sort of magic? If it was, then it was something she has never seen before, and she's seen many forms of magic, many of which were performed by their Royal Mage Alzar. She swallowed her hesitation and stepped through. It wasn't until the soles of her shoes touched dirt did she realize just how eager she was to leave her prison. She stood facing the busy streets of the ship yard; the masses of people moving was a breath of fresh air compared to the deep silence in the Labyrinth. Moving forward, she gazed upon the many foreign objects stationed around; Acron was known as the leading country of technological advancement; many call it the land of the future, a land where people sought for the knowledge of science. Though they shared some of their inventions to the other countries, Acron kept most of their greatest creations for themselves; their source of lighting was one example, it was a glass bulb that was able to emanate an orange glow; very similar to the ones she saw back in the room she woke up in; this actually got her thinking of how the Void Walkers managed to get their hands on them. She stopped and stared at a machine with wheels pulling on a wagon; mesmerized she didn't notice a carriage approach. Hecate was quick to pull her back, jerking Lissandra out of her thoughts as the horses passed by.

"If you're not wary of your surroundings, accidents can happen" she whispered, Lissandra nodded dumbly. Hecate glanced at the docking ships realizing why her Master had chosen this particular port as their destination. "If you are hoping to wait for the Princess' arrival, you will be disappointed" Hecate said. Lissandra turned to the woman noticing that her skin complexity had changed and her hair had turned into a light shade of brown, it gave her a more natural look, better to blend in she guessed. Loki was standing next to her also looking different, granted only his skin complexity had changed, but it was still quite a significant difference.

"What are you talking about?" She asked, a feeling of dread overcoming her.

"The Princess no longer exists" Hecate explained, though she knew by Lissandra's expression her words frightened her. Before Lissandra could question her, she continued. "Before all of this transpired, I have been keeping a close eye on you. I was aware of your trip to Acron and have been observing your journey closely; it came to a surprise to me as well when Loki had interfered. I apologies on his behalf for interfering with your mission" Hecate gave Loki a disappointed look while bowing respectfully to Lissandra; the man in turn let out a small laugh. "However your encounter with him might have worked out better for you" Lissandra glared at her.

"How is kidnapping me from my liege better for me" Hecate did not falter under her gaze. However her smile did morph into a frown.

"You would have been killed had Loki not interfered" Lissandra couldn't believe what she was hearing. Dead? By who's hand? She did not know and she wasn't about to believe it. "Granted I would have stopped the deed before anything bad would have happened to you Milady" Lissandra rolled her eyes.

"You are speaking nonsense" she said turning away. "The only person who could have killed me is that man" she pointed to Loki. Hecate sighed knowing that convincing her would be difficult.

"Your guards would have killed you" she replied but only to cause Lissandra to get angry; it was obvious the girl didn't appreciate it when other people spoke ill of her companions.

"The Utralian people are all loyal to the throne, betraying the Princess is the last thing they would do" upon hearing this Loki burst out into laughs. Lissandra glared at him.

"You actually believe everyone is so loyal? I'm disappointed; you of all people should be aware of how twofaced people can be" he said.

"I believe that there is good in everyone; though I'm starting to doubt that after meeting you" she retorted, her hatred for the man showing in the tone of her voice.

"On the contrary, I am a very friendly man; you should see how I am when I have fun" Hecate stepped in between them, she sighed, facing Lissandra.

"Back on track; when Loki took you to the Labyrinth, I decided to keep track of the Princess during the time you were unconscious; however due to some unexplained circumstances, she disappeared" She paused noticing Lissandra had gone silent. "Milady, what if I were to show you proof? If you are unsatisfied with what you see, I will bring you back here".

"What do you mean, 'show me proof'?" Lissandra asked.

"I can take you to the last place the Princess was located before she disappeared" Hecate explained. Lissandra pondered; even though she didn't believe what Hecate was saying, the offer was tempting. She could either sit around waiting, hoping that the Princess would arrive at the port or have Hecate take her to who knows where. Right now she had the time, and if Hecate was telling the truth then she would need to figure out what had happened to the Princess. She needed to take the risk.

"Take me there" She demanded, the woman nodded snapping her fingers. Lissandra could feel herself lift from the ground all while her stomach churning, the world spinning before her eyes did not help. The trio disappeared from the crowded port with nobody noticing.

There were many woods scattered in Utral; some were built into small cities, some were considered sacred ground for the local people, and some were forbidden to the people due to the monsters that dwell in them; the Ironwood Groves was such place. It was located at the border between Utral and Tandor the country to the north. Some of the world's most dangerous monsters reside in these woods; it was once a place where knights and hero's went to prove their strength and gain glory, however with the amount of deaths that occurred in them, a law was later instigated to forbid any entry no matter the reason. The trio reappeared in the midst of the forest; Lissandra stumbled, feeling nauseous from the teleportation. Taking in a few breaths she looked around, alarms were going off in her head, she recognized the trees; they were local to only one place.

"This is the Ironwood Groves" she mumbled

"That's right Milady" Hecate responded. Lissandra was looking around in panic, she's heard many rumors about it and none were pleasant. From the corner of her eye, much to her shock, she spotted the Princess' carriage. Brushing past Hecate and Loki, Lissandra ran towards it. From the outside it looked abandoned; the horses were gone, the guards and the driver were nowhere to be seen. She couldn't believe it, Hecate was right. Lissandra investigated closer, she peeked inside and her eyes widened stumbling back.

"They are all dead" Hecate said approaching her. "But like I said the Princess is not here" Lissandra was too shocked to reply; despite the tragedy she was at least glad that the Princess was not amongst the bodies.

"You said that there was an unexplainable circumstance, what did you mean by that?" Lissandra whispered. Hecate observed the scene closely for irregular magic activity.

"During my surveillance on the Princess, her arrival in the Ironwood Groves caused some unusual interference to my magic and I went blind" Lissandra raised a brow.

"Blind?" Hecate nodded.

"Yes, something cancelled my magic and I lost sight of the Princess. When I was able to regain my vision the Princess had already disappeared and I was not able to track her down anymore" Lissandra knew of someone who had such capability in cancelling magic, she however did not want to think that he would be involved in this. "It is strange, people do not just disappear" Hecate mumbled, she opened the carriage door letting the bodies pile out. The grisly sight triggered something within Lissandra; she was reminded of the killings done by Loki and the Princess' screams. She looked to him, finding the man standing a distance back uninterested of it all; she clenched her fist.

"This is your fault" she mumbled, approaching him. Pointing an accusing finger at him she screamed "I don't care if it saved me or not, had you not attacked us; I could have at least ensured the Princess' safety" Loki sighed dismissively, only adding fuel to her anger.

"If this is what my day is turning out to be like I really should have just stayed in bed" He mumbled before looking at Lissandra. "I blow stuff up, I create chaos and I eliminate threats. It's what I do. I can't help it if your princess is caught in the crossfire" Lissandra stared, her fist shaking. Unrelenting she punched Loki across the jaw knocking him to the ground. Hecate raised a brow surprised, not expecting her to get violent. However Loki did something Lissandra did not expect, he laughed. "That actually hurt, you should have used that anger back when we first fought. I would have taken you seriously if you did" His response only aggravated her more, she was prepared to follow up but Hecate pulled her back.

"Milady, please calm down, hitting Loki won't get you anywhere" she exclaimed. But Lissandra wasn't hearing any of it; she struggled against Hecate's grip and was surprised by how strong it was, she wasn't able to break free. However she stopped when a bloodcurdling scream echoed in the distance. Everyone paused looking in the direction of the sound.

"Looks like you woke the sleeping beasts" Loki whispered while backing away. Lissandra ignored him, she knew whatever was approaching would be dangerous.

"Milady, I would advise that we leave this place" Lissandra shook her head.

"We can't, I need to investigate the wreckage" Hecate looked hesitant but nodded, she gestured Loki to act. He stepped forth but Lissandra glared at him.

"You will not interfere" she said. "You've caused enough trouble, I don't want you making things worse" Loki did not question her and backed away.

"As you wish Boss" Hecate didn't look pleased but complied to her Master's demands.

A massive beast walked from the shadows, standing just below the crown of the trees; its skin leathery with stone padding, it sported two hulking arms that could probably crush the three of them in an instant. Lissandra was able to identify it by the absence of eyes; this creature was known as a Slagclaw by the locals; it hunts its prey using enhanced hearing and scent and was known for attacking traveling merchants around the country; it is reported that their species originated from this very forest. Lissandra knew things would get messy; she looked to the carriage and noticed a steel sword on one of the fallen guards; it lay between her and the approaching monster. She moved quickly and quietly, knowing that the Slagclaw would notice the corpses soon. Lissandra retrieved the abandoned sword, wriggling it free from the belt. The Slagclaw paused, reacting to the faint sound, it growled, approaching the source. Lissandra stood up startled, accidently cutting her hand with the blade while crunching on leaves with her movement. The beast let out a roar, taking in the scent of fresh blood. Lissandra raised her sword just in time to block the creature's arm swing; the impact was enough to throw her off her feet and into a tree. Grunting in pain, Lissandra pulled herself up, quickly rolling to the side avoiding the charging beast; it smashed through the tree and halted, shaking off the debris. Lissandra stumbled back to her feet, dragged her sword off the ground thrusting it into the beast's back. The Slagclaw screamed and started thrashing around. Lissandra gripped tightly to the sword not wanting to be thrown away. But her grip was faltering; she could feel her skin peal against the roughness of the handle. The beast swerved causing a sudden jolt; Lissandra was thrown away, launched onto the ground with a pile of leaves cushioning her fall.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

The beast towered over her, leaning close, taking in Lissandra's scent. She backed deeper into the ground, disgusted by the drool that was dripping onto her. She tried to crawl her way out but realized that it only aggravated the beast. As it got close to take a bite out of her, Lissandra grabbed a hand full of dirt tossing it into the Slagclaws face. The creature backed away sneezing allowing Lissandra to escape. She created as much distance as possible only to freeze in her tracks when the beast let out an ear piercing scream. Covering her ears she cringed at the sound, she continued backing away, regrouping with the two Void Walkers. Her heart sank when she noticed the trees rustling in the distance. Three more Slagclaws emerged from the woods; the beasts locked their senses onto them, moving closer. Lissandra didn't know what to do anymore, fearful of what will happen next. From the corner of her eye, she saw Loki step forward and Hecate standing defensively in front of her.

"If this continues the way it is, you will hurt yourself. Let Loki handle this" Lissandra didn't say anything only looking away frustrated. She knew she had no chance against four of the beasts; she couldn't even handle one of them. "Loki!" Hecate called out. "Make sure the carriage is intact" the man saluted in acknowledgement.

Glancing to the one on the far left, then to the one on the far right, Loki focused his attention to the one closest to the wreckage. His hand raised, the Slagclaw exploded; the rain of blood stopped in the air before bolting to Loki, gathering into his palm. The blood bubbled before shooting out, and like a guided projectile, it punctured through the chest of one before turning around and decapitating another. The projectile expanded into a disk slicing the last beast down the middle. This was all done in a matter of seconds. Lissandra stared in shock; only now realizing how quickly Loki could have killed her during their confrontation. The blood splashed to the ground, Loki turning to them with a proud smile.

"Well? How was that?" Hecate smiled, nodding with approval; Lissandra remained silent still stunned by Loki's brutality. Hecate turned to her checking to make sure that she was alright; not counting her previous injuries she was left with only minor bruises. Pulling out some bandages, the woman started wrapping them around Lissandra's bloodied hand.

"I'm fine" she protested, but Hecate wasn't listening. Lissandra sighed letting the woman finish before making her way towards the caravan.

Inspecting the wreckage Lissandra was relieved to find it completely intact; she hated to admit it, but she was glad Loki was able to eliminate the threat before it got too out of hand. She knelt down focusing her full attention on the scene, eyes darting between all the evidence; she analyzed each piece with great detail. She started to recite what she observed. The wounds on guards were the first to catch her eye.

"The two guards were caught off guard, cut open with some sort of heat weapon" She stood up looking around; the trees, the bushes and the dirt. "No signs of an all out attack, this was done discreetly, most likely a single assassin" She turned to the driver. "Small scar on his neck, had a blade held to his throat and was later killed by a steel weapon, judging by the width and thickness of the wound, he was killed by the same weapon that our soldiers are equipped with". She went silent; everything Hecate had said was the truth. Her heart clenched with fear; she couldn't believe that her own people would turn against them. Regaining her thoughts, she turned her attention back to the carriage. "No damage on the carriage itself and no signs of a struggle, the Princess must not have fought back. The vehicle shaft is also undamaged, horses were set free" She looked at the ground, tracing the dirt with her fingers. "The tracks end here; judging by the deepness of the wheels in the dirt. This was their intended destination" Stepping back she summarized her findings. "The guards who turned rogue, threatened the driver, rerouting their destination here. They later killed the driver once they've arrived" Lissandra paused, scratching her head. "But here's the puzzling part. The assassin had to be already among the people present; or could they have picked someone up on the way" She looked closer inside the carriage. "No, only the Princess was sitting inside. It is possible that whatever attacked was here from the beginning; but there are no signs of settlement and no monster could have dealt these wounds, it was a person"

"I highly doubt it was teleportation, no traces of such magic being used" Hecate commented, she was stunned by Lissandra's tracking skills; to be able to analyze her surroundings and understand exactly how everything played out, she was deeply impressed.

"Then we're still at a blank" Lissandra mumbled.

"Maybe the Princess herself was the culprit" Loki suggested. Lissandra stared at him unbelieving.

"The Princess is incapable of killing, let alone fight" she said.

"Oh?" Loki challenged. "Now that seems pretty flawed" Lissandra glared at him causing him to shrug his shoulders. "I would think that even royalty should at least know how to defend themselves".

"I am there to protect the Princess" Lissandra answered which only got Loki's smile to widen.

"Well here you are, not with the Princess" Lissandra's glare deepened.

"And whose fault is that" she spat before turning back to the wreckage. Loki chuckled before his ears perked up, hearing something approach, his hand shot out catching an arrow before it could make contact with Lissandra's back; she turned around surprised. They heard clapping, then the sound of metal boots clanking.

"Archers?" Lissandra questioned as they were surrounded.

"You never fail to impress me Lissandra" an old man approached. Lissandra's eyes widened, her fears were coming true.

"Alzar..." she hissed taking a step back. The old man noticed this, a cruel grin forming as he approached them; he glanced at Loki and eyed Hecate before turning back to Lissandra.

"You truly have exceeded all of my expectations" he said. Lissandra remained silent. "You should have died two days ago. But here you are, very much alive, with friends no less". Lissandra muttered her next few words, but loud enough for Alzar to hear.

"You planted that fox... you knew I would approach it. You tried to have the guards kill me before they would bring the Princess here..." she hesitated to continue.

"Yes, yes. But as you can see she is not here" Alzar spat, very annoyed by the fact. "And you will tell me where she went" Lissandra snorted a laugh.

"Me? How should I know?" Alzar raised a brow obviously surprised.

"Well, we seem to be in quite the predicament. You and I both do not know where the Princess has run off to" he turned around waving his hand dismissively. "No matter" the archers drew their bows taking aim at them. Lissandra was panicking ready to jump inside the carriage for cover. Releasing their strings, arrows flew at them. Hecate rushed between the two and conjured up a dome of blue energy blocking the attack. Alzar paused, turning around.

"Impossible" he whispered. "My magic jammer should have negated all magic use in this area" Hecate smiled at him before dispelling the shield.

"So that is what blinded me" she said; her eyes narrowed on him; Alzar stared back. Before anyone could react however, Hecate pulled Lissandra and Loki close, teleporting them out.

Still not used to the sudden jump Lissandra stumbled on her feet upon arrival. She felt sick and was trying her best to keep her stomach down. She got a good look at where she was. It was the room she woke up in. Looking behind her, Loki was making sure that Hecate was unhurt; Hecate smiled to him before turning to Lissandra.

"You're not hurt are you?" she asked. Lissandra shook her head.

"I'll survive" she whispered. Loki's laugh was the next thing she heard.

"What's so funny?" she questioned.

"Everything actually" he managed to muster out in between chuckles. "Who would have thought that someone so deep within the royal court is actually a traitor" he shook his head. "What a twist". Hecate immediately stepped between the two; she saw Lissandra's clenched fist and she knew Loki had a sick sense of humor; a fight breaking out was the last thing she wanted. She turned to Loki and with a single look got him to back away. Lissandra turned to her; ever since meeting the woman, she has been nothing but kind to her, helping her, even saving her.

"Why are you so insistent on helping me?" she asked. Hecate remained silent. Lissandra waited a bit before sighing. "If you do not want to answer, I won't push for it"

"Milady, I understand that you are distraught and confused; however I do not believe now is the right time to tell you the truth" Lissandra looked to her, nodding in acceptance; though she didn't like it, she understood that there were more pressing matters. She swallowed; her mind was in jumbles; she had always been wary of Alzar, but she always believed him to be loyal to the crown; his betrayal was definitely shocking. She sat down on the floor, formulating plans of action. She needed to get this information to Prince Lucas but she also needed to search for the Princess; she now knew there was a high possibility that she was alive; after all, nobody would go through all the trouble of kidnapping a Princess just to kill them; that alone gave her enough determination. Lissandra noticed that the Void Walker's skin had returned to being pale white. She shifted her attention to Hecate; with everything that has happened in the last few hours, Lissandra finally felt she could trust her.

"I know I am in no position to request this..." Hecate perked up, knowing what her next words will be. "But will you continue to assist me?" Hecate jumped at the chance, giving her a deep bow.

"It would be my pleasure to continue serving you" Lissandra looked away awkwardly, a slight blush forming over her cheeks; she was not used to such display of respect towards herself, but she could see the passion in her eyes; they were the same as her own when she served the Princess.

"You want to report to the Prince" Loki suddenly said; Lissandra turned to him quite surprised. "What? It's obvious isn't it? You have two options; either report to the Prince or search for the Princess yourself" Lissandra didn't reply, she could tell he was up to something; she may trust Hecate, but she was still wary of Loki. "I however think it would be a very bad idea to go to your little prince" Lissandra's eyes narrowed.

"What makes you say that?"

"Let me put it in simpler terms Boss" he pointed to her. "Your traitor friend is from a high position in your court" he then started to motion his hands in a cross formation. "That, is bad for you" Lissandra stared, confused.

"Loki is saying he doesn't think that going back to the capital will forebode well for you right now. Alzar is an influential man on the royal court; he most likely would frame you for the Princess' disappearance" Hecate explained, but Lissandra was determined.

"Prince Lucas would believe me over him, I've served the Princess since we were children. He trusts me" Hecate nodded in agreement but she looked saddened.

"Yes, the Prince will believe you; but the rest of the court won't. I know that most of them dislike you; they will try to pin this on you the moment they get the chance, and with the King away from the capital, they hold more leverage than the Prince does" Lissandra was stunned that she knew that detail about her; it was true though. Normally the role of a retainer was given to someone with high status; someone who was educated and trained in the arts of protecting a member of the royal family. A retainer of the royal family was an honor of the highest order. She however, was a commoner, an orphaned commoner no less and she becoming a retainer did not sit well with the noble houses; over time they did learn to accept her, but they still loathed her. Hecate voiced a suggestion. "If you wish milady, I can send the Prince a personal letter to warn him of the treachery. In the mean time I would suggest we begin searching for the Princess" Lissandra pondered, weighing her options. It wasn't impossible to inform Prince Lucas about the betrayal, especially since they could teleport to the Capital; but being able to start searching for the Princess as soon as possible was far more appealing to her.

"Where would we even start searching?" she asked. Hecate simply waved her hand as the room started to change.

The furniture shifted form; no longer a bedroom, a meeting room emerged; there was a large wooden table at the center, maps pinned on all the walls.

"What just happened?" Lissandra asked.

"The Labyrinth has no solid form, it allows me to freely manipulate it with my magic" that explained why she was unable to escape; Hecate did not allow her to. Lissandra looking impressed looking at all the maps; one particular diagram stood out from the rest.

"This is the layout for the main Castle, how did you get your hands on them?" Loki laughed causing her to turn to him.

"Let's just say your security isn't as tight as you think" Lissandra could only raise a brow at him before turning back to Hecate who shrugged at her; she sighed, at this point it was easier to go along with it.

"Milady, why don't we start with your findings" Hecate suggested. "We now know that it was your Royal Mage that made an attempt to either assassinate or kidnap the Princess, but was thwarted by some mysterious force. If we can figure out whom, we can find the Princess" Hecate pulled out a map of Utral and marked three points on it. She pointed to the Ironwood Grove.

"If we are certain that the Princess is alive then her kidnapper couldn't have gotten far" She pointed to two small towns closest to the woods. "Amberdale and Shutter are the only places they could have gotten to in such short time" Lissandra however was skeptical.

"It is a possibility. However there was another thing that I found odd about the scene, I didn't mention it as we were focused on other things" she paused, recalling the thought. "There were no traces of a getaway; it was as if the Princess and her captor just vanished; are you certain it was not teleportation?"

"Like I said there was not traces of a teleportation spell being used" Hecate responded. Loki decided to step in with a possible answer.

"There is a technique used by the people in Wei, they call it Fleet. It makes it impossible for people to track down movement; a lot of their assassins use it". Wei was the country to the east and was known as the country of prosperity, a land rich with culture and beauty; its kingdom so vast that it occupied half the world. Lissandra, upon hearing this became fearful; she was not aware of such technique and it only made her more concerned than she already was. For one, she's heard of many mysterious deaths amongst the nobles in Utral; she could only imagine how many of them were assassinations made by the Eastern Kingdom. Second, if the Princess was kidnapped by these assassins then it was highly likely that they plan to use her as a bargaining chip; Wei and Utral were never on good terms. If this really was the case, then at least she can be certain the Princess will be kept alive; but that meant they needed to find the Princess before Wei actually got their hands on her. Lissandra faced the map.

"Amberdale would be the likely place" she said.

"Why Amberdale?" Hecate questioned, not doubting her, just curious.

"Amberdale is a criminal's haven, none of our guards ever step foot in there and the people wouldn't even blink to a kidnapping"

"If we are going there, then I know somebody who could help" Loki responded with a grin. Lissandra didn't know why, unlike all his other smiles this one was particularly creepy; it was as if he knew she wasn't going to like what he was going to say. She hesitated, but asked anyways.

"Who do you have in mind?"

"The Underground Man" She was prepared for anything except that; Lissandra stuttered in absolute shock.

"As in the notorious criminal in all of Utral! That Underground Man?" Loki nodded.

"Of course; who else would it be?" Lissandra was sweating, nervous even. She buried her face in her hands.

"What did I get myself into?"