21 Ancient Ring (I)

"Calm down princess. You are making too much noise." Said a manly voice.

'Pedro.' Anna instantly recognised the voice and calmed herself down for a second before stiffening.

'Why would he be here?'

"She is a feisty one, isn't she?" the blonde woman laughed. When the clarity returned, Anna could discern who this woman was. She was the woman from the bar 'Becca'.

"Why are you here, Pedro?" asked Anna ignoring Rebecca's remark.

"Could ask you the same, Princess." Said the man amused.

"I had some business." Replied Anna in an impassive tone. He must have seen her by now so there was no point in hiding it.

"Ho-ho. That much we witnessed." Rebecca laughed heartily. Her eyes started tearing up, recollecting all that she saw. It brought her immense pleasure, seeing the mayor portray so many emotions, none of which were of happiness.

"Where are we?" Anna changed the subject while looking around. They were in a study room, a massive oak desk in the middle of it, accompanied by a chair. There were some bookshelves around the room, a sofa and two sofa chairs parallel to them. Everything in this room looked monochrome, from the black desk, bookshelves and portrays hanging on the wall, to the white sofas.

The realisation hit Anna. Her eyes glistened with an unknown light.

"You are not what I expected princess." Said Pedro, clearing his throat. He realised his mistake only just now, by bringing her into this room.

"Yes, it's a mutual sentiment. Shadow…" the woman's face darkened, realising what the princess had said.

Shadow. The name of the owner of the casino. The renowned yet enigmatic figure behind this successful business. Now she knew why the owner of the casino wanted to entertain the second Princess. He wanted to see her. He wanted something from her.

'Snakes. Everywhere I go, I am surrounded by them.' Anna's face remained the same, but her thoughts could not be read.

"You are pretty clever." Said Pedro gazing at her, with curious eyes. He never met a child like her, who at the age of ten had such eyes and expressions. She looked like a mature woman, who experienced everything life gave.

"Yes. I give the impression I'm an idiot." Anna replied mockingly. His face hardened but could not rebuke her.

All he knew her for was a Godless child. Nothing more than a useless brat, who he could use to his advantage. Yet now, he had to reconsider everything. The plans he made crumbled the very day he met her, saw her running away and the damage she did to two of his rivals.

Ecstatic, he was…although he was annoyed that a table on the second floor was destroyed, he did benefit from the mayor's fall. Now two of his most hated foes where at ill, and he was reaping and sowing from it. They will continue to fight, while he could carry out plans in the dark, trade in the middle and declare his innocence in the light.

"Ho-ho, but princess don't take offence. I did not mean it this way. I am pleasantly surprised." Explained Pedro. He walked to his desk and opened a compartment. He took out a cigar box and placed it on the table. Placing a cigar between his fingers, he cut the end and lit it, contemplating something.

He needed more time now, to think everything through, to see what would happen before he could make his moves.

Anna peeked at Rebecca, but seeing that she was not moving from the door, Anna decided to sit down on the couch. She slowly sank into the soft cushions and inhaled deeply.

'I cannot run now. I need to wait till everything outside calms down.' Anna now had to work with what was given, she never expected Pedro to be such a dangerous person. She did want to meet the Shadow but never wanted her identity to be discovered. Not like this, not when she did not have any leverage.

"Don't even think of going out that door." As if Pedro read her mind, he warned her in a serious tone to do otherwise.

"Why would that be?" asked Anna glaring at him. She had to admit, he saved her but that didn't mean Anna was going to believe he did it out of pity. She was not this gullible, she knew he saved her for a purpose.

"Is that even a question? They are waiting for you. By now they would have surrounded the whole building." Explained Pedro, while puffing a smoke.

"They weren't that many. I could have easily avoided them." Replied Anna, annoyed. She counted them before, ten to be more exact. They were spread around the casino, but most of them were orbiting around their boss.

There was no way a mere ten people could find Anna if she dressed back in her black attire. She knew how to sneak out. There were none outside. Not initially anyway. Suddenly, Anna's frenzied thoughts stopped all at once, dumbstruck. She raised her head wanting to confirm her conclusion.

She was right. He smirked at her but kept quiet.

"You called Baron Jerot." Anna mumbled, quietly.

"Ha-ha. So quick-witted." Said Pedro amused. He wanted to get the word out as soon as possible, so he sent some people to make some noise in front of his house. That is all they needed to do, the rest will be done by the baron himself. He was well known to be a paranoid person, checking dates, numbers and his books wherever he had the chance.

Knowing all this meant that Pedro did not have to even mention the disappearance of the books. He would have found out the moment after he calmed the drunk people at his door.

Anna could not stand being played by this man any longer. She never felt so inferior, never felt like her plans had these many holes in them. Being around him, meant that he could exploit her with every mistake she made.

He appeared to always think a step before her, almost as if Anna's future actions were so predictable.

'Who is he really?' Anna asked herself. He knows so much but doesn't come from an important background. He was a mystery shrouded by layers of mist upon mist.

"Look, you can get out the moment this calms down a bit. The Imperial guards are in a frenzy now, looking for you. The sooner you get home the less chaos they cause around the city anyway." Pedro waved his hand about, trying to calm Anna a bit. But she could not. Not with him in the room.

Deciding against leaving, she took his advice and waited patiently on the couch. A person knocked three times at the door. It followed a specific rhythm as if this was their secret pass. Rebecca walked towards the door, in her hand, she had a knife, large enough to be called a machete.

Behind the door, a man with a slender figure, dressed in a uniform whispered something to Rebecca. She nodded courtly said something back and closed the door. Turning around, she glanced at Anna for a split of a second, but eventually, her gaze landed on Pedro.

Taking the cue, Pedro walked from his desk, unhurriedly, and picked up a book standing on top of the bookshelf. Anna furrowed, in confusion her gaze alternating from one person to the other.

Pedro placed the book in an empty spot between some books, and the book clicked in. The bookshelf parted open, revealing a dark, barely illuminated tunnel.

"This way, my dear princess." Said Pedro, showing the way using his hands. Anna did not know whether to trust him or not, but she did not have a choice. She was stuck with him in the room.

The tunnel was clean, empty of any rocks that might have fallen since it was built. It was damp, a bit uncomfortable but it was more aerated than the one Grace used. It seemed to be used quite frequently, with small crystals engraved in the stones, shimmering faintly.

"Where are we going?" asked Anna.

"This is the tunnel I use to get here undiscovered. It leads outside." Pedro walked behind her a mere meter away. They soon reached the end of the tunnel, which opened to a canal. It was the Lilith canal, it's waters making their way towards the estuary. At Anna's feet, stood a small boat, made to fit only just two people. She stepped onto the boat, careful not to lose balance and waited for Pedro.

After locking the gate, Pedro tucked the keys in his pockets and jumped in the boat.

"Ahh!" Anna lost balance and landed on her left arm, holding herself by the side of the boat. She glared at Pedro wanting to say a couple of 'blessings'-.

Above the canal, a shadow moved. Anna who was looking in that direction saw someone come their way.

"Someone!" Anna yelled pointing at the man in the cloak. He wore a purple cloak, embroidered in a houndstooth pattern. His eyes glistened in the dark and Anna's soul chilled.

She knew it was too late, as she heard him humming a spell. A ray of red mist covered Pedro and Anna. From behind, two arms surrounded Anna holding her tight. She stretched her arms to grab hold of Pedro.

Her heart was thumping in her chest, anxiety and fear overcome her senses. She could not fight a man with powers like him. She struggled but in vain, as she slowly saw her vision darken.

Pedro who did not expect this was trying to fight the gas that surrounded them, but he could not win. His body felt limp as he lost control over his body. The boat lost its balance and Pedro fell into the cold waters of the canal.

"No!" yelled Anna but the sound was blocked by the man's hand.

Pedro's body sank deeper and deeper in the water, his figure disappearing. Moments before Anna's vision blackened, the man tossed her over his shoulder and carried her in a carriage.

The carriage disappeared in the night, leaving no trace behind. The waters calmed down, the boat stopped shaking and the sounds of the departure carriage were quieter and quieter until everything returned to normal.

~

A bright ray of light landed on Anna's face, disturbing her slumber. She squinted her eyes and opened them slightly. She found herself in a landau, not one made from wood, but one made from metal with a simple fabric cover. Though a hole, a ray of sunlight entered.

She was on her own, on the floor, surrounded by hay and a blanket around herself. Two voices were talking animated outside:

"This kid will bring in lots of money!" said one of them. A crisp feminine laugh rang in Anna's ears.

Her body felt heavy and her mind was buzzing, spinning the images in front of her.

'Where am I?' asked Anna confused. She got up, wobbling a couple of steps as blood circulation returned to her feet. She looked out the small hole, only to see mountains and lush vegetation. Nothing told her where she was or why she ended up here.

It was past midday, the sun shone brightly through the cover of the trees. Anna shivered, covering herself with the blanket, squeezing the edges. She kneeled on a stack of hay and bore her eyes into her hands, trying to remember at least something.

"Ouch!" said Anna, her head spun as a splitting headache flared. Memories of the night before rushed in, Pedro the owner of the casino, the boat, the red fog that covered them and the mysterious man who kidnapped her.

'Hurry, she woke up." Said a woman outside the carriage. Anna gazed in the direction of the voice, trying to find an escape route. A callous female hand raised the cover and a brunette woman glared at Anna.

Anna stepped back, terrified by the apathetic woman. Dressed in tight trousers and a white loose shirt, the woman resembled the look of a typical female thug. At the waist, two bowie knives were visible.

"Right! Kid, do what I say and you won't get hurt." Said the woman, before taking something out her back pocket. It was a rope, thick enough to fasten any person, no matter how strong they were.

Anna jumped on her two feet, knowing what awaits her. She backed away from the woman who was four steps away from her. The woman darted toward Anna and caught her by her hair.

"Ahhh! Let go!" yelled Anna with a raspy voice. Her breath stuck in her throat and tears started forming.

She did not know how she ended here. Why was she kidnapped? Why now? Why her?

Anna's never-ending questions made her stress even more, as she lost all her power to struggle. She knew she could not run, she was locked in a carriage, with no exit and she had no powers to fight her kidnappers.

"I told you to stay still." Said the woman in a dreadfully cold voice. Anna froze scared that the woman might do something to her.

A cloth soon covered Anna's mouth. Her tears were now drenching the cloth, making it uncomfortable and stuffy. Anna could not breathe properly anymore. She peeped at the woman only to see her leaving but no before warning Anna again:

"You are worth a lot, little girl. No one is going to hurt you." Said the woman, a trace of pity crossed her eyes for a second. With that, she turned around and left Anna alone in the carriage again.

The tight rope was hurting Anna's arms and ankles, but she could not move in any way to make herself a bit more comfortable.

Her messy hair stuck to her face as tears kept falling out. She could only cry in times like this.

'I don't want to die like this. I have done nothing. I wanted to live happily.' In this life. Just this once.

Anna's eyes who usually shined glowed in the sun like amethyst lost their lustrous excitement. Anna's dead gaze landed on the hole of the fabric looking outside. Like a bird in a cage, Anna awaited her sentence, knowing very well she had no escape.