Calix

Isha is gone.

Not literally. Perhaps. Or, I am getting paranoid over nothing. But clearly finding her apartment locked from outside, yet no sign of the woman, no prior message, call or anything, is definitely not a good sign. Knowing her personality, Isha will never cancel the date we were supposed to have, without informing me beforehand. Unless, there is an emergency. Is it one of her sisters? Maybe a friend or relative? A snickering voice pricks my brain.

What if it is Isha herself?

I have tried contacting her sisters, search near and about her apartment building, but nothing at last. No information.

"Your Royal Highness." My attention gets taken away due to the frantic voice of Kev, the emotionless bodyguard who hardly ever expresses any traces of human sentiment, rushing towards me as soon as the elevator delivers him to this floor. His phone is in his hands, and from what it seems, I notice the name 'Audrey' shining in the Caller ID.

"What is it?" I ask, the moment Kev reaches me and hands over his phone.

"You would want to take this. It's important." A sense of foreboding hints in his tone, as the tensed man points at the phone now in my grasp.

Hoping no new obstacle has miraculously presented itself in our lives yet again, I place the device against my ears, and find my voice, "Yes Audrey?"

"Your Royal Highness," Audrey's voice deeply shakes, as if she had been shedding tears not long ago, "Your father—he, His Majesty—" the words come muffled due to the constant tremors running through her vocal cords, increasing my restlessness in the process, "Prince Carlos has forbidden me to say anything, yet, before he confirms the matter himself I believe you should be aware of it. His Majesty, he—he perhaps has gathered few nobles all over Syncitia, including from the nearby islands falling in the rule of the country, and has formed a Council. The Council has been set up to express the objective that they are against the relationship of the Crown Prince and a commoner. Not just the Crown Prince but any aristocrat at all shouldn't be in a relationship with a commoner, in their eyes."

"What." The word does not come off as a question but rather a statement, demanding for answers because this? This does not make sense. What he is doing is nothing but preposterous, unless he has gone completely berserk.

"Yes," a half-sob, half-breath leaves Audrey's mouth as she answers in a whisper, "The news came suddenly to me, without any prior warning, right after you left for Miss Sen's apartment this evening. I-I don't know what His Majesty is planning but he wouldn't take such a rash decision without a concrete plan. I am scared, Your Royal Highness. Not for me but for you, and Miss Sen. What if he does something—"

"He won't and that's ridiculous," I spat in frustration and anxiety while running fingers through my current dishevelled hair, "Why would he decide to do so all of a sudden? Has he truly gone insane?" Although I utter the words with conviction, the imagination of His Majesty harming Isha in any way or form, runs wild in my mind. I might as well commit a murder tonight if I find he is connected to the disappearance of Isha, in whatever manner. However, he holds his reputation too close to his heart to actually kidnap someone like a common kidnapper. But the fact that he could easily do so through others doesn't slip from the possibilities.

"I have no idea but the situation at Nirvana isn't well. Everyone is rushing to print notices and there are calls and emails being sent and received from the Council that His Majesty has suddenly formed—it's a top-tier muddle. Where are you—oh." Audrey gasps. "I am very sorry Your Royal Highness. It completely slipped my mind about your date. I shouldn't have called and perturbed you with such matters. Please focus on Miss Sen and yourself for the time being—"

"Isha is missing." My lurching voice gets me a sympathetic look from Kev. "I think she is. I am unable to reach her and her apartment is locked. It's like she has completely disappeared."

"What about Miss Sen's sisters?" Audrey questions frantically, "Have you tried contacting them?"

"Anvi dismissed the call after few seconds due to an online class she was attending, as for Aria, her fiancé answered it, saying she was sleeping. I didn't prod further, not wanting to make them worried in the process. Especially since I have no evidence that Isha has truly been abducted." I heave a deep sigh. "And from what you've just informed, I can't help but think if Fa—Richard is behind Isha's disappearance as well. The sudden changes, the Council, and now Isha. We just can't seem to have one peaceful moment."

"Your Royal Highness, your father, I admit, lacks basic compassion, however, do you think he would ultimately resort to kidnapping? He has after all managed to form a Council with important nobles who are against you. Why would he feel it necessary to kidnap Miss Sen, when he is hell-bent on ending your relationship through the power of aristocracy?"

Audrey's words cannot be ignored. She is right, unfortunately. Which leads me to the point that if truly Isha has been kidnapped according to our suspicions and she isn't anywhere else, then that leaves one other name we know of.

"Veronica." The name escapes like fine wine from both my and Audrey's lips, as the horrible realisation settles upon us. Veronica is still on the loose, and her intentions aren't crystal clear either. In fact, she might as well be furious if she has heard about her son Carlos no longer being the Crown Prince, the one thing she has worked half her life for and also by turning to questionable and immoral actions.

But why Isha? The answer is simple. The sick woman wishes to torment me.

As if on cue, my phone rings. Just as I expected, it is from an unknown number. I hang up Audrey's call, handing over Kev's phone back to him, before picking up the phone call.

"Calix," Isha's terrified, hushed and crying voice echoes through the phone instead of a criminal's, "Please, save me."

"Isha," my voice comes out louder and in a combination of relief and tension, "Isha, are you alright? Wait, where are you—"

"I don't know." Every shaky timbre she produces, builds a layer of fury and panic in me. "It's dark and dusty and—and, I don't know what to do."

"Isha, sweetheart," I control the shuddering tone, "I am here. Nothing will happen to you. Okay? Calm down, take a deep breath, and tell me if it is possible to identify anything near you."

I hear shuffling sounds from the other side, before her whispery voice returns. "It's a barren land, snow-covered with no one or building in sight."

"Shit." A curse leaves alongside my murmur as the fear of her being taken far off, far from my reach, dreads me. But it shouldn't be possible in such a short time.

"Wait," Isha whispers, her voice rising in anxiety or perhaps, joy, "I see a run-down shop not far but—" she sighs, "It's too far. I can't read the signboard. I—"

Before she could speak further, the line cuts off on the other end and terror settles back. I try calling back but the number has already blocked mine, in the span of two seconds.

"Damn it!" I curse clutching my head as I rummage through my brain, drawing all sorts of conclusion and solutions before ordering to Kev. "Contact her sisters and inform them to bring the police. Assist them. If possible, take Carlos with you."

"What about you, Your Royal Highness?" Kev voices his question when he sees me running through the hallway towards the elevator.

I answer while texting a message to Audrey, "I am going to find Isha. Tonight, and she will be harmless." The elevator door closes as Audrey sends me a positive reply to my text, 'Send me every direction and map of barren lands with a run-down shop near as a landmark, in Syncitia.'

Veronica will be dead. I shall make sure of it.

Isha

Terror crosses my face when the phone I had managed to sneak out of the man who was guarding me, is snatched away by him. Red is written across his expression, as he grips the device tight, that I fear it might break with a little tap of his fisted knuckles. I try not to have my fear increase as I glance at his muscular body and tall height towering over me, knowing very well that physically I am nothing in front of him. He wouldn't need a single weapon to kill me, or cause serious injury; those hands are enough. Apparently he is also the same man who had posed as a Royal Executive Guard and hit me with the rod.

Cold sweat prickling my nerves, I tell myself to stay calm and not give in to fear. Think Isha, think.

"How dare you bitch." The man growls stepping forward, as I stagger back. "Who did you call? The police?"

"No," I shake my head, my heart thrumming out of my chest at an inhumane pace, "It's the truth."

"Then who." A strangled howl mixed with a sobbing whimper leaves my throat when he grabs a fistful of my hair, yanking it back.

"No one," I plead, hoping he would spare me but even I know it is a pathetic answer. He had heard me speaking to someone, before snatching the phone away. I should have been more discreet. This is my fault. Always is.

"If he hadn't ordered me not to touch you, I would have already crushed you under my feet." He spits the words with fury evident, slowly releasing my hair from the painful grip.

"Leave her be Rex, she is mine to handle."

As if freezing water has been poured over me, my breath stills at the appearance of the very familiar and heinous voice.

Killian Winora. However, he appears rather different than his usual self that he has always been so proud of. There are bags visible under his eyes, combined with purple smudges, traces of beard growing on his generally clean-shaved face, and him seemingly having lost great weight. It looks like as if Killian has grown five years older than his present age.

Flashes of memories of our last encounter and the persona he had shown me, runs on replay through my mind, my breath increasing little by little and eyes blurring with tears. Tears of fear. Tears of pain. Tears of helplessness.

Injecting a mocking pout, Killian strides towards my frozen figure, while the man named Rex leaves the small room. His fingers brush against my cheek, tracing them along my jaw. The touch is similar to feeling venomous insects crawling all over, while I stand in a barren land with nowhere to go, no one to help me.

"My sweet Isha, I missed you," the smirking smile adorns his lips, as he coos, his thumb pressing on my lower lip.

A newfound anger surges through and I bite his thumb, hard and without mercy for touching me with those disgusting fingers. I continue biting on it with much pressure till I can feel the coppery-metallic taste of blood oozing out of the bite mark. And he slaps me, his screams meanwhile echoing through the room. Surprisingly, I laugh. I laugh as I wipe the small blood which has formed at the corner of my mouth due to his harsh hit, before slapping him back and kneeing him. With satisfaction, I watch Killian groaning and falling to the dusty, cold floor while holding onto his clothed crotch; the bleeding thumb only adds fuel to his misery. I should've, at the very least, tried hurting that Rex too. My gaze falls on a rake and I quickly pick it up, pointing at him. My gaze moves to the knife peeking out from his pant-pocket. Thank goodness he didn't get the time to use it on me.

Now that I realise, I am shaking and tears have already found their ways out of my eyes. Yet, I continue speaking and demanding for answers. "Why did you kidnap me?"

He groans more, incoherent phrases being released from his mouth.

"Speak clearly before I gauge your eyes out!" I threaten he, who is writhing on the ground; anger, pain, fear, all mixing up in a ball of mess.

"Fine fine!" Killian grunts in frustration. "I didn't—I didn't plan on even contacting you again but, she gave me hope for revenge."

"Who?"

"Veronica." The name smoothly slithers out of his mouth. Veronica and Killian joining hands in whatever sick benefits they are thinking of, doesn't make sense.

"You are lying. That's—that's impossible."

"I am not." He grunts again.

However, within a fraction of second, with a gasp I fall onto the floor. That asshole took the chance of me being distracted and easily made me lose my balance. I groan at the immediate pain jerking through me but instantaneously try to stand up when a handkerchief comes over my nose, a nauseating smell invading my nostrils.

No, I can't fall unconscious again. I possibly can't. My struggling hands find the knife in his pocket and I stab his thigh; left or right, I do not know but I stab him with great strength. If I am going to be unconscious, I am going to make sure Killian is left injured too. At least he won't be able to try anything while I'm in this unfortunate position. This bastard—

Yet. Blackness clouds my vision and I lose my senses.

Calix

"Damn it!" I curse over and over again, hitting my fists on the steering wheel as yet again, I fail to find the right location.

Audrey has in total found fifteen such locations with a barren land and run-down shop nearby as a landmark, in the whole of Syncitia. Five are being searched by the team of police and Isha's sisters, five by Kev, Carlos, Broody and Audrey and the other five by me. We have been able to cover ten locations till now, yet, no sign of Isha or the perpetrators. Time is running out with thirty minutes having already been over.

I speed up through the rocky road from the third location, I've just finished turning upside down. Negative response from the other two groups, as well.

As I pick up higher speed, breaking traffic rules obviously, my phone rings. With the hope of perhaps hearing some good news, I answer the call with my eyes still on the road, and thus not noticing the Caller ID. "Are you alone?"

I frown but my heart beats faster when the realisation strikes. "I am," I answer to the person speaking through the voice-changer device. Fortunately, even if they decide to hack through this car's security camera (installed in the royal cars owned by Nirvana for security), they will find me alone. And perhaps they have already done so as they readily buy my words.

"Head to the barren land near Mienta Hills, uptown of Euthensia, AC-Block, and knock three times on the main gate of the building situated. Do not dare to inform anyone. We are watching you through the security cam. If we notice any odd movement, you will be greeted with Isha Sen's dead body."

"Promise me that no harm will be caused to Isha if I arrive alone," I say, even though all blood is on the verge of being sucked out of my body.

The line goes silent on the other side for a while with some aggressive whispers of few other voices coming through, before the caller returns. "Fine."

As the call ends, I do not dare to move to reach for my phone and call the others. When it rings, I do not pick it up as well and pray that hopefully, whichever team is trying to reach me, would understand something is wrong. Rather, I rush the car to the mentioned location.

All while dark clouds loom over the sparkling stars.