Guardian (Sequel to Fearless)

Chapter Sixty Four

A/N -- Already wrote some more. Back on a roll since I finished my very last college classes last week. :) Also... those of you that entered the fanfiction contest, I am pretty sure I followed you all... but it was so hectic I might have missed some! So let me know if I still owe you a follow. Also, those of you that wrote for the contest, make sure to send me that message with the book you want me to review for you! Lastly, as promised, I'm going to post all the entries that I got for it on a book on my profile. Those of you that want your entries published in said book, send me a direct email with both your entry as an attachment (had a lot of Wattpad entries) and direct permission to post it. PM for the email. Anyhow, heres the chap! Hope you enjoy.

A few days later, Zayn sat in his office. Finally, his troops had arrived from the north. Here in a few days' time, they'd march for the guardian sanctuary and meet up with the rest of the entourage. And then... battle. It was quiet in the room, even with his company. Elizabeth Or'vail sat in with him. She served as his advisor as best she could, giving input on what she knew of the women and the estate.

Baron Riasion, unfortunately, was not blind to the fact that something was about to happen. His troops had become far more defensive as of late, and he'd actually called on allies. New militia swarmed the estate by all the scouts' reports. He'd expected that though, considering Elizabeth had warned him ahead of time.

He scoured over the best map he had of the place. Despite their advantage in numbers, it was a very defensible fortress. It'd be hard to crack the inside without throwing men to their deaths. No, he'd have to be careful about this. Very careful. A new thought struck him hard in the chest.

"Elizabeth," he asked, tearing his eyes from the parchment. "How valuable would you say he holds his women?"

"Very," came the soft response. "He goes through great lengths to obtain and maintain us..." she stopped and corrected herself. "...them."

Zayn looked sympathetic. She still was not free, not in her mind. "And if he saw people marching to take them?"

"He'd defend them. They're his property." Her eyes did not meet his. Rather, they stayed at her feet.

Zayn shook his head. "No one is anyone's property," he said. When she gave no response, he went on. "When death is upon him... when defeat comes banging down his doors and he knows it -would he kill them all out of spite?"

Elizabeth grimaced. "I believe so. But that would be a last resort. As I've said, he's spent a lot of money on each of us... them." She kept doing that.

"I just don't understand," he went on. "How do so many women disappear for so long, and it just slips right through the cracks?"

"Because he's a smart man. Because usually, his men don't leave traces. Because he has allies everywhere, in places you wouldn't ever expect. And because the circumstances behind the abduction is not the same for every woman. If I remember correctly, he took Cricket from the outskirts of a festival when she was young. They took me in a sort of similar manner. Coaxed me away with the promise of a necklace. But we were children," she explained. "Older teenagers and adults are far trickier to get. They know better, and they're usually kept by their husbands. There's too much of a chance of causing a scene... so he goes by other methods."

"Such as?"

"Various things. His favorite method is disease," she answered. "They get sick. Or so everyone thinks."