Chapter 162
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Lana crept carefully along the wall, hiding in the shadow of the building. It was already beginning to get dark outside, and all the attention of the guards was directed to the new arrivals at the Grand Council meeting. Brian and Ryan should have been creating a clamor on the porch right now, diverting attention to themselves.
Everything around her was familiar from childhood. But these memories did not cause pleasant warmth in the heart. Only sadness and strange longing. It did not smell like home here. And all she could think about was Greg. Did they manage to save him? Is everything okay with him? What if he is hurt? What if...
She shook her head, chasing away dark thoughts and tried to concentrate. There was no time for what-ifs. She had to do her part.
The main building was brightly lit from the front side so that its rear part remained in thick shadow. Ruslana managed to slip unnoticed to a small back entrance, which had been used as an entrance for servants a long time ago. The layout was changed a little since then, and now there was basically a warehouse for all kinds of garbage. But Lana and Brian crawled these places as kids far and wide. And she remembered very well that a small ventilation hatch leading down to the basement was hiding among a pile of boxes.
It was not difficult to get inside. The door was very flimsy and yielded when Ruslana pushed it with a bit straight by the shoulder. She had to tinker a little among the piles of trash before she managed to find the small door in the corner. Inside it was dark and full of dust. Lana really didn't want to go there, but there was no choice. Besides, perhaps it will distract her from those bad thought just a little.
Taking a deep breath, Lana bent down, pulling out the mesh covering the entrance from the wall and crawled inside. She had to move for a long time, wriggling like a worm. A couple of times she almost fell, descending down the mines. Luckily the wall was made of loose old stone, and the claws entered it as if into soft clay.
At some point, Lana even began to suspect that she was lost as from one of the hatches along the passage through which she was crawling sounded a few voices.
"You heard the rumors?" - one male voice said in a half whisper.
"What?" - asked the other with displeasure, apparently not at all tuned in to the conversation.
"It is rumored that the young master is getting ready to take the pack for himself, he wants to take the place of our Alpha. All Wintertown about it is abuzz. They say that Ian is so afraid of his son that he even tried to keep him and this little human, his Mate, here in the dungeon. Lady Veronika seems to be on his side too. And Ruslana also supports him in this."
"Nonsense!" - cut off the second speaker, not whispering anymore. - Some idiots spread all sorts of rumors. Brian, of course, is already an adult, but whos he against our Alpha? Ruslana is part of another pack for a long time now. And Mrs. Winterbourne has always been faithful to the master. Why would she need to support such a madness?"
"Are you completely blind?" - the first cried in anger. - "Our Alpha completely forgot about the pack. Only this year ten shifters left the pack. Some joined others packs, and some became loners. Mr. Ian did not even appear on the first run for the younglings. Do you know how hard it is for young shifters without Alpha? They say one girl almost got stuck in the middle of a turn. The pure thing was so scared to turn again afterward, that shook like a leaf every full moon. Only Mrs. Veronica saved her, not leaving the kid for a minute. And where was he? What could be more important than his people?"
" Quiet it, stop yelling." - immediately hissed at him the second shifter. - "I know everything. So what? Mr. Ian literally picked us all up from the street like abandoned puppies. We went after him on our own. You think it is fair now just to turn our backs on him. He has a lot of problems even without us. Do you even know who we are guarding?"
"No." - Answered the first. In his voice, the notes of curiosity clearly fought with remaining indignation.
"Exactly. And I heard that it is actually a Faceless!" - in a solemn whisper answered the second, forcing his friend to exclaim in surprise.
"That can't be! They should have long gone extinct!" - Hised the first one, finally coming to himself.
"Seems like not everyone! Patrick himself told me. He warned that if you suddenly start to hear a familiar voice from the room, do not believe it! This faceless one can turn into whoever he wants. So pay attention, I heard, these quirky creatures can devour your soul in a second."
Lana gritted her teeth while listening to this nonsense. She barely managed to pull herself together and keep herself from jumping down there to give cuffs to these fools. How could the father do that? He is completely crazy if he thinks that he can hide behind faceless his own wife locked in the basement!
Lana took a deep breath and found the right passage that led to the ventilation hatch in the cell. It was necessary first to make sure that mom is really there.
The opening turned out to be quite small, although she managed to make out the bed against the wall in the twilight. Apparently, after Brian's escape, they made sure to offer Veronika at least some comfort. Now she was lying on a simple but clean mattress, chained only with one leg to the headboard. A thin collar was also put around the neck, the chain of which went to the ring hammered into the wall.
The woman did not move and looked very pale in the faint rays of the sunset, penetrating through a small window under the ceiling. Lana had to look very close to notice how her breasts slightly heave. Her heart squeezed from the thought that Mom could be dead.
Even though she still could not forgive her for wrong decisions in the past. But now Lana began to see Veronika from a completely different angle, and slowly but surely this person started to become understandable and even close to her. As a new acquaintance, in whose destiny you capture familiar moments and begin to feel a special connection between you.
Unfortunately, the hatch was so small that Lana could not even stick her head into it. So she had to go back to that pair of guards.
Crawling to the right place the girl looked down weighing options. If it were not for the faceless story, she could come down and try to convince them to release their mother. But will they believe her now?
On the other hand, she could just knock them out. But she knew both of them, and this option didn't feel right to her. The first one was their physical education teacher from a school in Wintertown. And the second served as an estate guard as long as Lana remembered herself. And though he always grumbled and was displeased with everything. But Lana knew that he had a good heart because not all the tricks of the two young siblings eventually reached her parents' ears.
Sighing heavily, Lana decided to try a good way first.
The duo had just begun to exchange the latest gossip, as a crackling sound sounded from above, and the body fell to the floor in a cloud of dust. Both men jumped up as if stung by the bee in the arse.
"What the hell!" - The guard roared, clutching his walkie-talkie.
"Wait, Mr. Dots. It's me. Lana." - Came from the clouds of dust and in their direction stepped a short, slim girl.
"Lana?" - asked the teacher, Mr. Beckett, stepping closer.
" Wait!" - Immediately cut him off the guardsman, pushing his partner back and pulling a taser from his belt. - "Remember what I said? It can be faceless!"
The girl did not pay attention to his words, stopping two steps away, began to shake off the dust that had stuck to her in the ventilation shaft. The nose immediately started to sting, and she could not resist sneezing several times.
"Bullshit!" - Finally recovered from sneezing fit said Lana, wiping away the tears in her eyes. - "Mr. Dots, you always disliked me. Only Bri and Ryan always got away with their shenanigans. But I did not expect this from you!"
The security guard looks at the girl's dirty face in disbelief.
" Not true!" - he blurred out. - "It is simply not befitting for a young lady to run about with the boys through the swamps and chase mice in the basements. Lady Veronica was always the most upset when I caught you in the next dirty corner."
Realizing that he had said too much, the man immediately smacked his hand over his mouth and squeezed the taser with the second one. But he did not dare to point it at the girl. Seeing this Mr. Beckett hurried to enter into the conversation.
"Ronald, stop it, that's really Ruslana. Can faceless even copy memories?" - he tried to convince his friend, but the guard did not let him come forward.
" Yeah? Then what is the young mistress doing here?" - the guard snapped, squinting at the girl who stood calmly and looked at them hopefully.
"I'm here to free mom." - answered Lana, pointing at the door behind their backs. - "All that Mr. Beckett said earlier is true. Only Bri and Risa were able to escape. And my mother stayed because she got hurt and did not want to delay them. And she was worried about you all, about the pack."
The teacher's eyes immediately widened, and he threw an uncertain look at the door behind them. But the guard frowned and tightened his grip on the taser.
"Why would Mr. Ian lock his wife here? This is nonsense!" - He said in a voice full of anger, taking the radio.
" Why? Cause he is ready for anything for his big goals. He sold me to another pack for a place on the council. And locked my mother and his own son here so that they could not open their mouths and tell the truth. And he took my Mate from me! He sent my Greg to the Island of the crazy Shifters!" - On the last phrase, evil tears rolled down Lana's cheeks. She bit her lower lip and clenched her fists, trying to stay strong. But the shoulders treacherously trembled. The nose started to sting no longer from dust.
Now Mr. Dots eyes widened. He had not seen Lana for many years. But this expression, these stubborn blue eyes full of tears seemed to have brought him back to the past. This could not be acted. Before him stood no other then Ruslana, a stubborn little imp who did not want to yield to her brother in anything. And when boys from the town would start teasing him of his peculiarities, she would always be the first to jump into a fight, even with guys, much bigger than her.
Mr. Dots took a deep breath and, making a decision, put the radio and taser back on the belt. Without another word, he turned and headed for the door of the cell, taking the keys out of his pocket.
The door creaked and not waiting for the men to open it completely Lana slipped between them. Running up to the bed, she froze, not knowing what to do next. Mom did not react to the sounds, did not even move.
"Mom." - Quietly called Lana, slightly touching the motionless woman by the shoulder. But the only answer was silence. Both men hurriedly approached the bed, but Lana didn't pay much attention t their horrified voices.
"Mom, wake up!" - again called Lana already louder and began to shake the woman on the shoulder.
"What is going on? How did it happen?"- Mr. Beckett was indignant, eyes full of resentment and anger, inspecting the pale figure on the bed. Mr. Dots just clenched his fists, and the muscle started to pulsate on the side of his jaw.
At that moment Veronica groaned weakly and opened her eyes slightly.
" Lana?" - She whispered in a cracked voice. - "Girl, what are you doing here?"
"I came for you!" - Lana answered firmly, wiping her tears with the back of her hand, leaving a dirty traces all over the cheeks.
"You have to leave here. I'm alright. I just need some rest." - Veronika said weakly, smiling slightly.
"No, mom, I will go only with you!" - Lana turned to Mr. Dots, and he immediately caught up, hurrying to open the locks on the chains. When he reached the collar, his face became so angry that Veronika even burst out laughing.
"Ronald, I haven't seen you so furiously for a long time. Your ears shook so much from anger only when Lana and Bri planted dead frogs in your lunch." She said mockingly.
Mr. Dots tried to paint a smile on his face, but it turned out badly, because of anger, even his fangs began to show from under his upper lip.
" All because my Lydia tried very hard, and I promised her to eat every last crumb. So I had to eat it even with frogs." - He answered, apparently trying to distract Veronika a bit.
When the woman was finally free, they all together carefully sat her on the bed. Veronica slightly wobbled, but her stare became firmer.
"What is the plan?" - She asked looking at her daughter.
"Bri and the rest should be here already. The Great Council Assembly is about to begin. We have to stop father at all cost." - She answered strongly.
Veronika smiled approvingly and nodded, giving Lana her hand.
"Good. The time has come for everyone to pay off their debts."
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Lana crept carefully along the wall, hiding in the shadow of the building. It was already beginning to get dark outside, and all the attention of the guards was directed to the new arrivals at the Grand Council meeting. Brian and Ryan should have been creating a clamor on the porch right now, diverting attention to themselves.
Everything around her was familiar from childhood. But these memories did not cause pleasant warmth in the heart. Only sadness and strange longing. It did not smell like home here. And all she could think about was Greg. Did they manage to save him? Is everything okay with him? What if he is hurt? What if...
She shook her head, chasing away dark thoughts and tried to concentrate. There was no time for what-ifs. She had to do her part.
The main building was brightly lit from the front side so that its rear part remained in thick shadow. Ruslana managed to slip unnoticed to a small back entrance, which had been used as an entrance for servants a long time ago. The layout was changed a little since then, and now there was basically a warehouse for all kinds of garbage. But Lana and Brian crawled these places as kids far and wide. And she remembered very well that a small ventilation hatch leading down to the basement was hiding among a pile of boxes.
It was not difficult to get inside. The door was very flimsy and yielded when Ruslana pushed it with a bit straight by the shoulder. She had to tinker a little among the piles of trash before she managed to find the small door in the corner. Inside it was dark and full of dust. Lana really didn't want to go there, but there was no choice. Besides, perhaps it will distract her from those bad thought just a little.
Taking a deep breath, Lana bent down, pulling out the mesh covering the entrance from the wall and crawled inside. She had to move for a long time, wriggling like a worm. A couple of times she almost fell, descending down the mines. Luckily the wall was made of loose old stone, and the claws entered it as if into soft clay.
At some point, Lana even began to suspect that she was lost as from one of the hatches along the passage through which she was crawling sounded a few voices.
"You heard the rumors?" - one male voice said in a half whisper.
"What?" - asked the other with displeasure, apparently not at all tuned in to the conversation.
"It is rumored that the young master is getting ready to take the pack for himself, he wants to take the place of our Alpha. All Wintertown about it is abuzz. They say that Ian is so afraid of his son that he even tried to keep him and this little human, his Mate, here in the dungeon. Lady Veronika seems to be on his side too. And Ruslana also supports him in this."
"Nonsense!" - cut off the second speaker, not whispering anymore. - Some idiots spread all sorts of rumors. Brian, of course, is already an adult, but whos he against our Alpha? Ruslana is part of another pack for a long time now. And Mrs. Winterbourne has always been faithful to the master. Why would she need to support such a madness?"
"Are you completely blind?" - the first cried in anger. - "Our Alpha completely forgot about the pack. Only this year ten shifters left the pack. Some joined others packs, and some became loners. Mr. Ian did not even appear on the first run for the younglings. Do you know how hard it is for young shifters without Alpha? They say one girl almost got stuck in the middle of a turn. The pure thing was so scared to turn again afterward, that shook like a leaf every full moon. Only Mrs. Veronica saved her, not leaving the kid for a minute. And where was he? What could be more important than his people?"
" Quiet it, stop yelling." - immediately hissed at him the second shifter. - "I know everything. So what? Mr. Ian literally picked us all up from the street like abandoned puppies. We went after him on our own. You think it is fair now just to turn our backs on him. He has a lot of problems even without us. Do you even know who we are guarding?"
"No." - Answered the first. In his voice, the notes of curiosity clearly fought with remaining indignation.
"Exactly. And I heard that it is actually a Faceless!" - in a solemn whisper answered the second, forcing his friend to exclaim in surprise.
"That can't be! They should have long gone extinct!" - Hised the first one, finally coming to himself.
"Seems like not everyone! Patrick himself told me. He warned that if you suddenly start to hear a familiar voice from the room, do not believe it! This faceless one can turn into whoever he wants. So pay attention, I heard, these quirky creatures can devour your soul in a second."
Lana gritted her teeth while listening to this nonsense. She barely managed to pull herself together and keep herself from jumping down there to give cuffs to these fools. How could the father do that? He is completely crazy if he thinks that he can hide behind faceless his own wife locked in the basement!
Lana took a deep breath and found the right passage that led to the ventilation hatch in the cell. It was necessary first to make sure that mom is really there.
The opening turned out to be quite small, although she managed to make out the bed against the wall in the twilight. Apparently, after Brian's escape, they made sure to offer Veronika at least some comfort. Now she was lying on a simple but clean mattress, chained only with one leg to the headboard. A thin collar was also put around the neck, the chain of which went to the ring hammered into the wall.
The woman did not move and looked very pale in the faint rays of the sunset, penetrating through a small window under the ceiling. Lana had to look very close to notice how her breasts slightly heave. Her heart squeezed from the thought that Mom could be dead.
Even though she still could not forgive her for wrong decisions in the past. But now Lana began to see Veronika from a completely different angle, and slowly but surely this person started to become understandable and even close to her. As a new acquaintance, in whose destiny you capture familiar moments and begin to feel a special connection between you.
Unfortunately, the hatch was so small that Lana could not even stick her head into it. So she had to go back to that pair of guards.
Crawling to the right place the girl looked down weighing options. If it were not for the faceless story, she could come down and try to convince them to release their mother. But will they believe her now?
On the other hand, she could just knock them out. But she knew both of them, and this option didn't feel right to her. The first one was their physical education teacher from a school in Wintertown. And the second served as an estate guard as long as Lana remembered herself. And though he always grumbled and was displeased with everything. But Lana knew that he had a good heart because not all the tricks of the two young siblings eventually reached her parents' ears.
Sighing heavily, Lana decided to try a good way first.
The duo had just begun to exchange the latest gossip, as a crackling sound sounded from above, and the body fell to the floor in a cloud of dust. Both men jumped up as if stung by the bee in the arse.
"What the hell!" - The guard roared, clutching his walkie-talkie.
"Wait, Mr. Dots. It's me. Lana." - Came from the clouds of dust and in their direction stepped a short, slim girl.
"Lana?" - asked the teacher, Mr. Beckett, stepping closer.
" Wait!" - Immediately cut him off the guardsman, pushing his partner back and pulling a taser from his belt. - "Remember what I said? It can be faceless!"
The girl did not pay attention to his words, stopping two steps away, began to shake off the dust that had stuck to her in the ventilation shaft. The nose immediately started to sting, and she could not resist sneezing several times.
"Bullshit!" - Finally recovered from sneezing fit said Lana, wiping away the tears in her eyes. - "Mr. Dots, you always disliked me. Only Bri and Ryan always got away with their shenanigans. But I did not expect this from you!"
The security guard looks at the girl's dirty face in disbelief.
" Not true!" - he blurred out. - "It is simply not befitting for a young lady to run about with the boys through the swamps and chase mice in the basements. Lady Veronica was always the most upset when I caught you in the next dirty corner."
Realizing that he had said too much, the man immediately smacked his hand over his mouth and squeezed the taser with the second one. But he did not dare to point it at the girl. Seeing this Mr. Beckett hurried to enter into the conversation.
"Ronald, stop it, that's really Ruslana. Can faceless even copy memories?" - he tried to convince his friend, but the guard did not let him come forward.
" Yeah? Then what is the young mistress doing here?" - the guard snapped, squinting at the girl who stood calmly and looked at them hopefully.
"I'm here to free mom." - answered Lana, pointing at the door behind their backs. - "All that Mr. Beckett said earlier is true. Only Bri and Risa were able to escape. And my mother stayed because she got hurt and did not want to delay them. And she was worried about you all, about the pack."
The teacher's eyes immediately widened, and he threw an uncertain look at the door behind them. But the guard frowned and tightened his grip on the taser.
"Why would Mr. Ian lock his wife here? This is nonsense!" - He said in a voice full of anger, taking the radio.
" Why? Cause he is ready for anything for his big goals. He sold me to another pack for a place on the council. And locked my mother and his own son here so that they could not open their mouths and tell the truth. And he took my Mate from me! He sent my Greg to the Island of the crazy Shifters!" - On the last phrase, evil tears rolled down Lana's cheeks. She bit her lower lip and clenched her fists, trying to stay strong. But the shoulders treacherously trembled. The nose started to sting no longer from dust.
Now Mr. Dots eyes widened. He had not seen Lana for many years. But this expression, these stubborn blue eyes full of tears seemed to have brought him back to the past. This could not be acted. Before him stood no other then Ruslana, a stubborn little imp who did not want to yield to her brother in anything. And when boys from the town would start teasing him of his peculiarities, she would always be the first to jump into a fight, even with guys, much bigger than her.
Mr. Dots took a deep breath and, making a decision, put the radio and taser back on the belt. Without another word, he turned and headed for the door of the cell, taking the keys out of his pocket.
The door creaked and not waiting for the men to open it completely Lana slipped between them. Running up to the bed, she froze, not knowing what to do next. Mom did not react to the sounds, did not even move.
"Mom." - Quietly called Lana, slightly touching the motionless woman by the shoulder. But the only answer was silence. Both men hurriedly approached the bed, but Lana didn't pay much attention t their horrified voices.
"Mom, wake up!" - again called Lana already louder and began to shake the woman on the shoulder.
"What is going on? How did it happen?"- Mr. Beckett was indignant, eyes full of resentment and anger, inspecting the pale figure on the bed. Mr. Dots just clenched his fists, and the muscle started to pulsate on the side of his jaw.
At that moment Veronica groaned weakly and opened her eyes slightly.
" Lana?" - She whispered in a cracked voice. - "Girl, what are you doing here?"
"I came for you!" - Lana answered firmly, wiping her tears with the back of her hand, leaving a dirty traces all over the cheeks.
"You have to leave here. I'm alright. I just need some rest." - Veronika said weakly, smiling slightly.
"No, mom, I will go only with you!" - Lana turned to Mr. Dots, and he immediately caught up, hurrying to open the locks on the chains. When he reached the collar, his face became so angry that Veronika even burst out laughing.
"Ronald, I haven't seen you so furiously for a long time. Your ears shook so much from anger only when Lana and Bri planted dead frogs in your lunch." She said mockingly.
Mr. Dots tried to paint a smile on his face, but it turned out badly, because of anger, even his fangs began to show from under his upper lip.
" All because my Lydia tried very hard, and I promised her to eat every last crumb. So I had to eat it even with frogs." - He answered, apparently trying to distract Veronika a bit.
When the woman was finally free, they all together carefully sat her on the bed. Veronica slightly wobbled, but her stare became firmer.
"What is the plan?" - She asked looking at her daughter.
"Bri and the rest should be here already. The Great Council Assembly is about to begin. We have to stop father at all cost." - She answered strongly.
Veronika smiled approvingly and nodded, giving Lana her hand.
"Good. The time has come for everyone to pay off their debts."
Lana crept carefully along the wall, hiding in the shadow of the building. It was already beginning to get dark outside, and all the attention of the guards was directed to the new arrivals at the Grand Council meeting. Brian and Ryan should have been creating a clamor on the porch right now, diverting attention to themselves. Everything around her was familiar from childhood. But these memories did not cause pleasant warmth in the heart. Only sadness and strange longing. It did not smell like home here. And all she could think about was Greg. Did they manage to save him? Is everything okay with him? What if he is hurt? What if...She shook her head, chasing away dark thoughts and tried to concentrate. There was no time for what-ifs. She had to do her part.The main building was brightly lit from the front side so that its rear part remained in thick shadow. Ruslana managed to slip unnoticed to a small back entrance, which had been used as an entrance for servants a long time ago. The layout was changed a little since then, and now there was basically a warehouse for all kinds of garbage. But Lana and Brian crawled these places as kids far and wide. And she remembered very well that a small ventilation hatch leading down to the basement was hiding among a pile of boxes. It was not difficult to get inside. The door was very flimsy and yielded when Ruslana pushed it with a bit straight by the shoulder. She had to tinker a little among the piles of trash before she managed to find the small door in the corner. Inside it was dark and full of dust. Lana really didn't want to go there, but there was no choice. Besides, perhaps it will distract her from those bad thought just a little. Taking a deep breath, Lana bent down, pulling out the mesh covering the entrance from the wall and crawled inside. She had to move for a long time, wriggling like a worm. A couple of times she almost fell, descending down the mines. Luckily the wall was made of loose old stone, and the claws entered it as if into soft clay. At some point, Lana even began to suspect that she was lost as from one of the hatches along the passage through which she was crawling sounded a few voices."You heard the rumors?" - one male voice said in a half whisper. "What?" - asked the other with displeasure, apparently not at all tuned in to the conversation."It is rumored that the young master is getting ready to take the pack for himself, he wants to take the place of our Alpha. All Wintertown about it is abuzz. They say that Ian is so afraid of his son that he even tried to keep him and this little human, his Mate, here in the dungeon. Lady Veronika seems to be on his side too. And Ruslana also supports him in this.""Nonsense!" - cut off the second speaker, not whispering anymore. - Some idiots spread all sorts of rumors. Brian, of course, is already an adult, but whos he against our Alpha? Ruslana is part of another pack for a long time now. And Mrs. Winterbourne has always been faithful to the master. Why would she need to support such a madness?""Are you completely blind?" - the first cried in anger. - "Our Alpha completely forgot about the pack. Only this year ten shifters left the pack. Some joined others packs, and some became loners. Mr. Ian did not even appear on the first run for the younglings. Do you know how hard it is for young shifters without Alpha? They say one girl almost got stuck in the middle of a turn. The pure thing was so scared to turn again afterward, that shook like a leaf every full moon. Only Mrs. Veronica saved her, not leaving the kid for a minute. And where was he? What could be more important than his people?" " Quiet it, stop yelling." - immediately hissed at him the second shifter. - "I know everything. So what? Mr. Ian literally picked us all up from the street like abandoned puppies. We went after him on our own. You think it is fair now just to turn our backs on him. He has a lot of problems even without us. Do you even know who we are guarding?""No." - Answered the first. In his voice, the notes of curiosity clearly fought with remaining indignation."Exactly. And I heard that it is actually a Faceless!" - in a solemn whisper answered the second, forcing his friend to exclaim in surprise."That can't be! They should have long gone extinct!" - Hised the first one, finally coming to himself. "Seems like not everyone! Patrick himself told me. He warned that if you suddenly start to hear a familiar voice from the room, do not believe it! This faceless one can turn into whoever he wants. So pay attention, I heard, these quirky creatures can devour your soul in a second." Lana gritted her teeth while listening to this nonsense. She barely managed to pull herself together and keep herself from jumping down there to give cuffs to these fools. How could the father do that? He is completely crazy if he thinks that he can hide behind faceless his own wife locked in the basement! Lana took a deep breath and found the right passage that led to the ventilation hatch in the cell. It was necessary first to make sure that mom is really there.The opening turned out to be quite small, although she managed to make out the bed against the wall in the twilight. Apparently, after Brian's escape, they made sure to offer Veronika at least some comfort. Now she was lying on a simple but clean mattress, chained only with one leg to the headboard. A thin collar was also put around the neck, the chain of which went to the ring hammered into the wall. The woman did not move and looked very pale in the faint rays of the sunset, penetrating through a small window under the ceiling. Lana had to look very close to notice how her breasts slightly heave. Her heart squeezed from the thought that Mom could be dead. Even though she still could not forgive her for wrong decisions in the past. But now Lana began to see Veronika from a completely different angle, and slowly but surely this person started to become understandable and even close to her. As a new acquaintance, in whose destiny you capture familiar moments and begin to feel a special connection between you.Unfortunately, the hatch was so small that Lana could not even stick her head into it. So she had to go back to that pair of guards. Crawling to the right place the girl looked down weighing options. If it were not for the faceless story, she could come down and try to convince them to release their mother. But will they believe her now?On the other hand, she could just knock them out. But she knew both of them, and this option didn't feel right to her. The first one was their physical education teacher from a school in Wintertown. And the second served as an estate guard as long as Lana remembered herself. And though he always grumbled and was displeased with everything. But Lana knew that he had a good heart because not all the tricks of the two young siblings eventually reached her parents' ears.Sighing heavily, Lana decided to try a good way first.The duo had just begun to exchange the latest gossip, as a crackling sound sounded from above, and the body fell to the floor in a cloud of dust. Both men jumped up as if stung by the bee in the arse. "What the hell!" - The guard roared, clutching his walkie-talkie. "Wait, Mr. Dots. It's me. Lana." - Came from the clouds of dust and in their direction stepped a short, slim girl. "Lana?" - asked the teacher, Mr. Beckett, stepping closer. " Wait!" - Immediately cut him off the guardsman, pushing his partner back and pulling a taser from his belt. - "Remember what I said? It can be faceless!"The girl did not pay attention to his words, stopping two steps away, began to shake off the dust that had stuck to her in the ventilation shaft. The nose immediately started to sting, and she could not resist sneezing several times."Bullshit!" - Finally recovered from sneezing fit said Lana, wiping away the tears in her eyes. - "Mr. Dots, you always disliked me. Only Bri and Ryan always got away with their shenanigans. But I did not expect this from you!" The security guard looks at the girl's dirty face in disbelief. " Not true!" - he blurred out. - "It is simply not befitting for a young lady to run about with the boys through the swamps and chase mice in the basements. Lady Veronica was always the most upset when I caught you in the next dirty corner."Realizing that he had said too much, the man immediately smacked his hand over his mouth and squeezed the taser with the second one. But he did not dare to point it at the girl. Seeing this Mr. Beckett hurried to enter into the conversation."Ronald, stop it, that's really Ruslana. Can faceless even copy memories?" - he tried to convince his friend, but the guard did not let him come forward." Yeah? Then what is the young mistress doing here?" - the guard snapped, squinting at the girl who stood calmly and looked at them hopefully."I'm here to free mom." - answered Lana, pointing at the door behind their backs. - "All that Mr. Beckett said earlier is true. Only Bri and Risa were able to escape. And my mother stayed because she got hurt and did not want to delay them. And she was worried about you all, about the pack." The teacher's eyes immediately widened, and he threw an uncertain look at the door behind them. But the guard frowned and tightened his grip on the taser. "Why would Mr. Ian lock his wife here? This is nonsense!" - He said in a voice full of anger, taking the radio." Why? Cause he is ready for anything for his big goals. He sold me to another pack for a place on the council. And locked my mother and his own son here so that they could not open their mouths and tell the truth. And he took my Mate from me! He sent my Greg to the Island of the crazy Shifters!" - On the last phrase, evil tears rolled down Lana's cheeks. She bit her lower lip and clenched her fists, trying to stay strong. But the shoulders treacherously trembled. The nose started to sting no longer from dust.Now Mr. Dots eyes widened. He had not seen Lana for many years. But this expression, these stubborn blue eyes full of tears seemed to have brought him back to the past. This could not be acted. Before him stood no other then Ruslana, a stubborn little imp who did not want to yield to her brother in anything. And when boys from the town would start teasing him of his peculiarities, she would always be the first to jump into a fight, even with guys, much bigger than her. Mr. Dots took a deep breath and, making a decision, put the radio and taser back on the belt. Without another word, he turned and headed for the door of the cell, taking the keys out of his pocket.The door creaked and not waiting for the men to open it completely Lana slipped between them. Running up to the bed, she froze, not knowing what to do next. Mom did not react to the sounds, did not even move. "Mom." - Quietly called Lana, slightly touching the motionless woman by the shoulder. But the only answer was silence. Both men hurriedly approached the bed, but Lana didn't pay much attention t their horrified voices."Mom, wake up!" - again called Lana already louder and began to shake the woman on the shoulder. "What is going on? How did it happen?"- Mr. Beckett was indignant, eyes full of resentment and anger, inspecting the pale figure on the bed. Mr. Dots just clenched his fists, and the muscle started to pulsate on the side of his jaw.At that moment Veronica groaned weakly and opened her eyes slightly. " Lana?" - She whispered in a cracked voice. - "Girl, what are you doing here?""I came for you!" - Lana answered firmly, wiping her tears with the back of her hand, leaving a dirty traces all over the cheeks. "You have to leave here. I'm alright. I just need some rest." - Veronika said weakly, smiling slightly. "No, mom, I will go only with you!" - Lana turned to Mr. Dots, and he immediately caught up, hurrying to open the locks on the chains. When he reached the collar, his face became so angry that Veronika even burst out laughing."Ronald, I haven't seen you so furiously for a long time. Your ears shook so much from anger only when Lana and Bri planted dead frogs in your lunch." She said mockingly.Mr. Dots tried to paint a smile on his face, but it turned out badly, because of anger, even his fangs began to show from under his upper lip." All because my Lydia tried very hard, and I promised her to eat every last crumb. So I had to eat it even with frogs." - He answered, apparently trying to distract Veronika a bit. When the woman was finally free, they all together carefully sat her on the bed. Veronica slightly wobbled, but her stare became firmer. "What is the plan?" - She asked looking at her daughter."Bri and the rest should be here already. The Great Council Assembly is about to begin. We have to stop father at all cost." - She answered strongly.Veronika smiled approvingly and nodded, giving Lana her hand."Good. The time has come for everyone to pay off their debts."
