Chapter 141: a setup

Chapter 141: Chapter 141: a setup

Madame stared at him for a moment before a thin, humorless smile appeared on her face. "You sound awfully confident that this will be the last time I see them."

The elder glanced in the direction the vehicle had gone, then returned his attention to her. "Babies you picked up from some dumpster don’t automatically become your sons."

Madame’s smile vanished.

For a moment, she said nothing. Her fingers curled against her palms, and the warmth that had filled her face while speaking to Amelia gave way to something cold. She had heard plenty of cruel remarks from the elder over the years, but he had always managed to find a way to make them personal.

She lifted her chin and met his eyes. "And how about your sons?"

A flicker of anger crossed the elder’s face, followed by something darker that he quickly buried beneath his usual composure.

Madame noticed.

She knew exactly where to press if she wanted to hurt him, but she had never been interested in trading insults for the sake of it. She simply wanted him to understand that he had no right to speak about her sons as though they were disposable.

"Start preparing for their funeral."

Madame’s stomach tightened. She had spent years protecting her sons from people who thought their lives were theirs to gamble with. She wasn’t about to let this man frighten her into silence.

"What makes you think I’ll be attending a funeral?" she asked, her voice steady despite the tension in her shoulders. "Perhaps you should worry about your own people first."

"You still don’t understand, do you?" The elder shook his head faintly. "What they’re about to face is bigger than them. Bigger than me. Bigger than this entire territory."

"But if you ever need comfort..." He paused, turning his attention back to her. "You know where to find me."

Madame stared at him, unable to decide whether she was more disgusted by his threat or the strange confidence with which he had offered himself as her source of comfort.

***

The armored vehicle had been rolling through the darkness for two hours.

Outside, the world was pure black—no streetlights, no distant towns, nothing but the twin beams of the headlights cutting a narrow path through the night. Trees and rock formations flashed past like half-formed shadows and vanished again.

Inside, the seating was arranged in two rows. Caleb drove in silence, eyes fixed on the road. Amelia and Amy sat in the front passenger seats. The three brothers occupied the back row, their larger frames making the space feel tighter than it was.

Reid stretched his legs as far as the limited room allowed and let out a long, exaggerated sigh.

"This is a very boring ride."

Amelia didn’t turn around. Her voice stayed low and steady.

"We need to stay focused. We’re not in Moonfist Territory anymore. Any kind of ambush... or anything else... is possible. We have to stay aware."

Reid stretched again and let his head tip back against the seat.

"This boring quiet trip is going to kill us before the enemies do. What’s the secret mission again?"

Amy answered without looking away from the dark road ahead.

"There have been intel reports. The Underworld Territory has some kind of secret lab inside the Forbidden Forest. We’re to go there, gather every piece of information we can use to bring them down, and eliminate anyone who refuses to cooperate."

Amelia turned slightly in her seat.

"What do you actually know about the Underworld Territory?"

Amy’s brow furrowed.

"They’re almost impossible to take alive. The moment they’re caught, they kill themselves."

Amelia already knew that much. What she didn’t know was whether Moonfist Territory simply lacked deeper information... or whether they were keeping it from their own people.

The vehicle suddenly slowed, then came to a complete stop. Caleb cut the engine.

"This is as far as the vehicle can go. The rest is on foot."

They climbed out one by one. Each person shouldered their own bag. Caleb locked the armored doors with a sharp electronic click.

"If anyone who isn’t us tries to access this vehicle, it will explode. We can’t risk the enemy getting anything from it."

Without further comment they started walking into the dense, lightless forest.

Dean fell into step beside Amelia.

"If you get tired, I’ll carry you. Walking is nothing to me."

Reid immediately scoffed.

"I’ll do it instead."

Caleb’s voice cut through the dark. "Can the two of you save your nonsense bickering for when we’re back in Moonfist Territory? We’re in forbidden land. Don’t attract anything."

The brothers muttered under their breath—half grumbles, half curses—then fell silent and kept walking. Amelia moved forward with the group, but her mind was already elsewhere.

A cold certainty settled in her chest.

We’re walking into a trap.

She could feel them—multiple presences waiting in the dark ready to strike. Their scents floated openly through the trees. Why? Didn’t they realize everyone in this group could sense them? Or did they believe she was still weak enough that a direct assault would work before she recovered her full power?

Caleb raised a fist. The group stopped at once.

"We’re being watched."

Even in the near-total darkness, their senses painted a clear enough picture of the positions surrounding them. Amy’s voice cut through the silence with contempt.

"Show yourselves. Hiding in the trees only makes you look like cowards."

A pale mist began rising from the forest floor, curling around their boots and climbing higher with unnatural speed. From every direction, pairs of glowing red eyes appeared between the trunks. Murderous intent thickened the air until it felt almost solid.

Then the figures stepped into view—Underworld subjects, their forms half-shrouded by the mist.

Amelia’s voice snapped out.

"Don’t breathe it in—"

Caleb didn’t wait. He launched forward in a blur, already committing to the attack.

"Wait—!"

It was too late.

A shadowy arm shot out of the mist and closed around his throat with brutal force, lifting him clean off the ground.