Chapter 30

“You will come willingly,” the man told her, readying his bow and fixing it on his target. Yet it wasn’t Shizuku he was aiming at—but someone standing in the courtyard. “Wait…!” His target was a mage, who was talking to a soldier outside. Even from a distance, Shizuku could tell who it was. She’d recognize him anywhere. There was no mistaking it. Shizuku covered her mouth with both hands. She almost shouted his name, but the man’s glare kept her quiet. She glanced briefly at the door, where the gray-haired mage was standing with his arms crossed, and he issued Shizuku a frosty warning. “I’ve cast a barrier on the door. No one can get in, so just give up.” There was a hint of boredom to the mage’s voice. He didn’t sound like he had when he let Lyshien go. Shizuku was already trapped inside a cage. Faneet addressed Shizuku directly, his voice merciless and uncompromising. “Now, let’s hear your answer. Time is running out. Are you coming with me or not…? Decide quickly.” Shizuku felt a sense of despair as she gazed at Erik’s back, where the man’s sharp arrow was aimed. How had it come to this? She bit hard on her quivering lip, and it occurred to her how sudden and anticlimactic farewells could really be. Carrying a magic remedy and a pot of tea on her tray, Mea knocked on the door, but there was no response from inside. Finding this peculiar, she opened it herself. “Master? Are you there?” There was no sign of anybody inside the room. Not only that, but her master’s belongings were gone, too. Mea put down her tray and looked around. On the small table was a jug of water, a glass, and a torn-off piece of loose-leaf paper. She picked it up. On it were two words, written in the language of this world. Thank you. “Master?” Outside, the sun had started to set. As the night crept in, so, too, did stillness and quiet. Mea surveyed the room, which was growing darker by the minute, but no matter how long she waited, Shizuku never opened the door and came back. END OF BABEL ACT TWO