The Wizard's Queen

Chapter 31

A familiar red head was staring down at Charlotte Towers when she finally opened her eyes. She groaned in pain as she tried to recall how she had gotten on the cold stone floor. It was damp and musky wherever she was. It was freezing too.

 Charlotte's hands were beginning to turn blue from the frigid air. Her eyes locked in on the bars, eyes widening as the realization hit her. She had ended up in the dungeon and her husband was nowhere to be seen.

"Mirin!" Charlotte gasped as she wildly looked around in search for her beloved.

Her mind flashed back to the ambush. Michael had attacked the giant's library in Iceland where they had been hiding. Somehow, he had found a way to become stronger than the giants with those monstrosities he had sent to overpower them. So many corpses had been animated with the ability to use magic. Even worse, the magic they could use had been altered to allow for god like abilities. 

Charlotte hadn't stood a chance against them as they surrounded her. She had told Mirin to run and never look back. Strangely, he had been calm the whole ordeal. For seeing magic for the first time, he barely batted an eye as he rushed to escape. She hoped he made it out alive.

Charlotte gasped as she was pulled into a hug by her friend, Theresa. She hadn't realized she had been crying and panicking as Theresa urged her to calm down. Charlotte yanked back, glancing up at the woman, happy to see that she was still alive. 

Theresa looked exhausted. Her lips had a slight blue tint while her eyes were bruised and bagged. For over a month, the woman had been held captive. Charlotte hated how defeated her friend looked standing there.

"Mirin, is he-" Charlotte began.

Theresa shook her head as she studied her friend. "He isn't here."

A huge weight was lifted off Charlotte's shoulders as she let out a relieved sigh. He had escaped. He was safe. Somehow, he had been able to evade the Captain of the Wizard Army, Stryker Murrell. 

Stryker had a perfect streak of capturing and detaining alleged criminals yet her brilliant husband had somehow outwitted him. She knew her husband wasn't dead, she could still sense his presence out there in the world.

"He made it," Charlotte sobbed. She looked up at her friend, noticing the sadness in her eyes.

"He made it, didn't he?"

"I assume so. They haven't mentioned him being held here," Theresa sighed.

"Then why do you look so sad, did something else happen?"

Theresa averted her gaze from Charlotte as she tried to compose herself. Charlotte's capture wasn't the only ambush that happened that day. Michael had planned a simultaneous attack on the base where her daughter was. She recalled the panic by everyone in the prison as the guards talked of the world going dark for a moment that day. Charlotte patted her shoulder, concern in her eyes as she studied Theresa's pain on her face.

"He attacked Chelsea at the base," Theresa admitted.

"Is she ok?" Charlotte questioned.

"I don't know. All of his forces were wiped out. Only Ripper and Bethany made it out alive, but barely. Ripper is in the hospital recovering from life threatening wounds while Bethany is back at the mansion on bed rest." .

"That's a good thing, isn't it?" Charlotte inquired.

Theresa's green eyes filled with tears as she locked eyes with Charlotte furiously shaking her head as she held back her own sobs. Her mind flashed back to the culprit, recalling the last time he had acted out in such a way. His father had been killed in action during a mission in the fairy realm. Some demons had escaped into the realm and the Task Force had been sent to help aid the Fairy king in preventing them from crossing over to the human realm. It was supposed to be a simple mission. No one was aware that an actual demon prince would be heading the breach.