The Princess's Revenge Chapter 47

Valencia’s POV

I couldn't stand it anymore. Every second we wasted talking was another second Logan was in danger. I knew what I had to do.

"I'm going," I said firmly, moving toward the door.

"Going where?" Dr. Vance asked.

"To Eagle's Beak. To find Alpha Logan and give him the antidote."

Xander grabbed my arm. "Are you insane? You'll be killed before you get within ten miles of there."

Xander grabbed my arm. "Are you insane?" he demanded, his voice filled with fury. "You don't even know how to get to Eagle's Beak!"

I glared at him. "Which direction is Eagle's Beak? I'll walk in that direction until I find Alpha Logan."

"That's the stupidest plan I've ever heard," Xander snarled. "Eagle's Beak is over fifty miles away. You'll be killed by rogues, or wild animals before you get halfway there."

"Then I'll die trying," I said, shaking off his grip. "I won't sit here and do nothing while he's in danger."

I burst out of the workroom, my heart racing with desperate urgency. Behind me, I could hear Xander and Dr. Vance calling out in alarm.

"What are you doing? YOU LITTLE BITCH!" Xander shouted.

I ignored him and rushed to the medicine cabinet. My hands shook as I grabbed three more bottles of Moon's Grace from the top shelf.

"Valencia!" Delphine's voice called out weakly. She was sitting up on one of the beds, her face still pale. "What's wrong? You look terrified."

"I have to go," I said quickly, tucking the bottles inside my chemise. "Something important. I can't explain right now."

"Where are you going?" she asked, struggling to stand.

"Take care of yourself, Delphine," I said, squeezing her hand briefly. "I'll be back when I can."

I rushed toward the door, my mind focused on only one thing: getting to Logan before it was too late.

"Valencia!" Xander's angry voice boomed behind me. "You fucking slave, come back here!"

I didn't care what he called me. I didn't care about his authority or his orders. The only person I cared about was Alpha Logan.

The stables were my only chance of reaching Logan in time. I needed a horse.

But as I approached the stable entrance, a metallic smell hit me like a physical wall. BLOOD.

My steps faltered as my hand moved to the dagger, my stomach clenched with dread. Something was very wrong.

I pushed open the stable doors, and the sight that greeted me made my blood turn to ice.

Every horse was dead.

The horses were scattered throughout the stable, all killed in the same brutal manner. "No," I whispered, my voice breaking. "No, no, no..."

My heart hammered against my ribs as I stumbled deeper into the stable. There had to be at least one horse alive. But every stall just had dead horses in it.

"What the hell happened here?" Xander's voice came from behind me.

I spun around to see him, his face pale with shock as he took in the carnage.

"Every single horse has been killed." I said.

Xander stepped carefully into the stable, his eyes scanning the scene. "Landon! Where is he?"

That's when I noticed what he was talking about. There were no human bodies anywhere. Just the horses.

"I don’t know, he was already gone when I got there," I said, my heart racing faster. "But look at this - the killings were recent. The blood is still fresh."

Xander moved to the horse and knelt beside it. "These cuts are clean. Professional. This wasn't done by rogues."

"It probably was Dorian," I said with fury. "He killed them to stop anyone from leaving the pack house."

"Fucking bastard," Xander snarled, standing up. "He's been planning this for—"

His words were cut off by a loud crash from the direction of the castle. We both spun toward the sound, and my blood turned to ice.

Thick black smoke was billowing from the castle windows. Shouts and screams echoed across the courtyard as people stumbled out of the main entrance, coughing and choking.

"Fire!" someone screamed. "The castle is on fire!"

"Oh, Moon Goddess," I breathed, my heart sinking to my stomach.

Xander and I ran toward the entrance. Servants and pack members were pouring out of the building, their faces streaked with soot, many of them still weak from the wolfsbane poisoning.

"What's burning?" Xander shouted to a servant.

"The armory!" the man gasped between coughs. "And the food storage! Both of them are on fire!"

My stomach dropped. "The armory and food storage? Both of them?"

We pushed through the crowd and into the castle. The smoke was thick and choking, making my eyes water. The acrid smell of burning wood and metal filled the air.

"This way!" Xander shouted, grabbing my arm.

We fought our way through the smoke-filled corridors toward the armory. The heat grew more intense with each step, and I could hear the roar of flames ahead of us.

When we reached the armory, the sight was devastating. The heavy wooden doors had been broken open, and flames poured out of the opening. Through the smoke, I could see the bodies of the guards - all of them dead, their throats cut just like the horses.

"The guards are dead," I exclaimed, my voice barely audible over the roar of the fire.

Inside the armory, I could see the destruction. The wooden spear shafts were burning like torches. Shields made of wood and leather were being consumed by the flames. The leather armor, sword sheaths, and bowstrings were melting and burning, filling the air with smoke.

Even the metal weapons were being affected. Sword blades glowed red-hot in the flames, and I could see some of them beginning to warp and bend from the extreme heat.

"All of them are being destroyed." Xander said in horror. "You go ring the warning bell. Get everyone organized to fight these fires. I'll check the food storage situation."

"Where's the warning bell?" I asked quickly.

"Top floor of the castle," Xander replied, pointing upward through the smoke. "The bell tower on the roof. Hurry!"

I nodded and turned to run back through the smoke-filled corridors. As I burst out of the castle entrance, gasping for clean air, I saw a figure running from the direction of the supply storage.

He clearly startled, running toward the food storage that was already burning.

"Hey!" I shouted. "Someone's there! Xander, there's someone!"