The Travels of Rose Ashmaw

Chapter 29

Akana: Why did you have us removed from the guard all those years ago?

Leon: What kind of question is that? You abducted me!

Akana: It was clearly for your own good, just like now.

Leon: What?

Cecillia: We were your best recruits but you had to go and ruin it.

Leon: The only one who ruined it was you when you abducted me!

Pricilla could be seen looking into the basin of water again.

Leon: Are you still continuing to invade my privacy? And you three wonder how you got removed from the guard.

Pricilla: I'm just trying to ensure there isn't something important you haven't told us.

***

Rose, Mizzu, and Kizik were making their way down a hallway, the only thing other than them were some empty sconces and an occasional door. Mizzu held a torch above her that crackled with flame as it illuminated a small amount of the hallway around them.

Rose: I hope that Dad is okay.

Mizzu: I'm sure that he is fine.

Kizik: Leon's tough, he'll be okay.

Just as they were passing a door, Rose stopped. Kizik stopped and both he and Mizzu looked at Rose.

Mizzu: What is it?

Rose's ears swiveled this way and that.

Rose: I can hear someone. I think...I think it's Dad!

Kizik: Which way is it?

Rose pointed at the door next to them on the right.

***

Leon: You need to just let me go, and you need to leave.

Cecillia: Maybe going after your daughter would shut you up!

Leon had a wry smile form on his muzzle.

Leon: Be my guest, just make sure it's somewhere that I'll be able to see it happen.

Cecillia had a baffled expression.

Cecillia: Have you lost it? I just threatened your daughter.

Leon: And I'm not concerned with you being able to do anything to her, If you think that the training you got from me would help you in that fight then you have a rude awakening coming.

Before Cecillia could respond they heard a door several doors down get slammed open.

Akana: What?

Cecillia looked to Akana.

Cecillia: What do we do?

Another door was slammed open, closer this time.

Leon: There are three of them! One can—

Before Leon could finish his sentence Cecillia had wrapped cloth around his muzzle to stop him.

Cecillia: Akana, what do we do!

Akana: I...I...

There were several minutes of silence until said silence was broken.

Rose: That was this way!

While muffled there weren't that many rooms between them now. The slamming of doors continued to get closer until a stomping could be heard in the room adjacent to the one they were in.