Meanwhile, Elliandra was still tied up and blind folded in the same undisclosed location where she had awakened in before. She had tried loosening the ropes keeping her wrists bound, but had no luck. Furthermore, no matter how many times she shouted for someone to answer her, no response ever came.


    Elliandra growled. While she was afraid at first, that fear had turned into anger and frustration, causing her to grind her teeth.


    “Hey, come on. I know someone is out there,” Elliandra shouted, expecting there to be no response like before. However, to her surprise, the person she had spoke to when she first awakened came walking toward her and replied.


    “You’re struggling in vain, “ the unknown person said. “We’re outside of Chrimoria’s jurisdiction. So no one will be coming for you.”


    “I have friends who don’t care about things like jurisdiction. They’ll cut your throat when you’re not looking.”


    “Are you talking about that PI and his mouthy cat?” the unknown person then chuckled. “We know the two of them all too well. They’ve been a minor nuisance. But nothing e can’t handle. Now shut up. Your constant bellowing is obnoxious.”


    Elliandra then heard the footsteps walking away from her. She tried yelling at the person to come back, but they just ignored her. Elliandra was left with nothing else to do other than struggle to free herself. With her hands bound the way they were, she was unable to use magic. With her feet bound, she was unable to move about. No matter how hard Elliandra struggled and squirmed, she was powerless. It filled her with a sense of foreboding that bgan to slowly gnaw on her willpower.


    Just who was this person holding her captive? And where exactly was she?All of these questions constantly plagued her mind, but the enemy gave her no reprive. Not even an ounce of information that might allude to their identity or location, aside from the fact that she was no longer in Chrimoria. That fact alone dashed her hopes that Holden, or anyone for that matter, would be finding her any time soon.


    ***


    Holden and the others arrived at their destination around nightfall. It was a settlement called Shayfield, named after its founder. Most of the building were made of stone, and were on the verge of collapse from neglect. However, a few larger ones remained standing.


    One such building was the town tavern. It had two floors with the first being the tavern floor where food and drinks were served. Although it was hard to tell from the outside, the second floor likely was made up of guest rooms, essentially making the second floor an inn run out of the tavern. There was light coming from within the tavern, along with the sounds of rowdy men clanking cups together.


    “Sounds like they’re celebrating,” Sable said. “Are these bandits, rapists, or murderers?”


    “Bandits,” Holden said. Their the only sort who live here that would gather in such a large group. My guess is they got a pretty big score.”


    “So, we’re avoiding this place then? How are we supposed to find the Leu-.” Sable suddenly felt an ominous energy permeating throughout the area. It was magic, but it gave off a chilling feeling that made the cait-sith shutter. He followed the flow of the magic to a hooded figure wearing black mage robes making her way to the tavern.


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    This hooded figure was a woman. Although Sable couldn’t see her face at the moment, he could see her pale hands. There was also something else following closely behind her. It was some kind of presence not visible to the naked eye, but Sable could sense a similar ominous aura coming from this presence.


    Sable looked up at Holden with trembling eyes. “Holden, any clue what that is? I’m getting bad vibes from that woman.”


    Holden grit his teeth. As he watched the hooded woman enter the tavern “I got a feeling I know who that is. She’s not someone we want to cross. Best stay out of her way until she’s done.”


    “Done?” Sable asked in a mix of fear and curiosity. “What do you mean by done?”


    Ahhhh! The shrieks of dying men from inside the tavern broke out as the ominous energy Sable had felt earlier grew much stronger. A black mist poured out of the doors and windows of the tavern. Within moments, the screms subsided, and it was dead silent.


    The hodded woman then came walking out of the tavern after the black mist dispersed. She noticed the group, and removed her hood, showing her face for all to see. The woman’s face was just as pale as her hands, and she had a scar that looked some large creature had dragged its claws across her face. She was human, and staring at her pupils made one feel like they were looking into an abyss.


    Most of the group froze when they saw this woman, except for Holden, who went up to her as if she were an old acquaintance he hadn’t seen in years. “Leana, I’m guessing you’re in the middle of one of your experiments again.”


    The woman’s face remained neutral. It almost seemed like she hadn’t even noticed Holden’s presence, yet she greeted him nonetheless. “Holden, I haven’t seen you out here in months.”


    “It’s been longer than that, Leana. It’s been at least two years.”


    “Oh, has it?” She said, showing no signs of surprise. “Time seems to travel quickly in the Hollows. It’s the perfect laboratory for me.”


    “Using criminals in one of your twisted experiments, I presume? That’s what got you banished from Lamyros in the first place.”


    “There’s no better use for death row criminals,” Leanna said apathetically. “Besides, my research is for the greater good of society.”


    “Still trying to bring the dead back to life. Typical necromancer, though. Most people who stray from the path of medical magic do so because they’re trying to save someone. I hope you haven’t lost your sanity after all of these years.”


    “Medical magic and necromancy are two sides of the same coin. If we woant to bring back the dead, we must be able to keep their souls bound to their bodies. Only necromancy can achieve that.”


    There was truth to what Leanne was saying. Medical magic was magic that healed, while necromancy was magic that caused decay. They were like a positive and a negative. Put the two together, and they’d cancel each other out.


    “I honestly don’t know what you’re up to, Leanna. I’m just here looking for the Leudox.”


    Leanna nodded her head, and pointed a finger down the street. “They made a base for themselves over there. It’s on a farm just outside of town. Morlax said he felt strange magical fluctuations coming from that area the past few days. They must be doing some kind of ritual.”


    “Give Morlax my thanks as well. Though I guess he can probably hear me.”


    “Of course, Holden. Just because you don’t see or hear anything, doesn’t mean there is nothing there.”


    Leanna then waved goodbye, and started walking away. Sable could feel the strange presence follow her as she left. He finally breathed a sigh of relief once she was out of sight. “That woman was creepy. Just how do you know here, Holden?”


    “I did a job for her around the time I first moved to Chrimoria. His isn’t my first time in the Hollows. Though I’d like it to be my last, if at all possible.”


    “Indeed,” Sable said. “By the way, who’s the Morlax person she was talking about?”


    “Morlax is a wraith she keeps by her side. It’s like a dark spirit created using necromancy that’s invisible to the naked eye.”


    Sable shivered at Holden’s response. “Do you mean it’s like some sort of ghost?”


    “No. Ghosts aren’t real. It’s just a spiritual being. Not the soul of a dead person.”


    Mathias rubbed the back of hhis neck in confusion. “Those kind of sound like the same thing to me.”


    Holden slapped his forehead in surrender. “Let’s just forget about it, and go find the Leudox. The captives are waiting.”