Chapter 544: Too Late to Run

A Day Before

The moment Tobias stepped out of the castle, he did not stop walking.

Not until he had reached the outer path that led toward the barracks.

Only then did he allow his pace to slow.

His expression remained the same—calm, indifferent, slightly tired.

Anyone watching him would think he was simply returning to William’s chambers as instructed.

But Tobias’s mind was anything but calm.

*Move,* Ryker urged.

"I know."

Tobias entered the chambers and then came out again, whistling as he did. He moved nonchalantly, throwing a coin as he walked, but his eyes searched for movement.

Once he was in the clear, he turned quickly.

A shift of direction that could easily be missed by anyone not paying close attention.

He veered off toward the darker side of the compound, using the path there to go back to the castle, but instead of going through the front, he moved through the back.

He had just made it there when he heard voices shouting, orders being given out as Victoria had already begun to summon warriors.

Just that was enough to get Tobias to move faster.

His steps were light and controlled.

He kept to the shadows, slipping between structures, avoiding open spaces.

Every movement was deliberate.

Every turn calculated.

If anyone saw him now—

If anyone questioned him—

Everything would fall apart.

This part of the castle had no guards, so it was easy for him to slip past.

Tobias slipped through the hidden pathway located between two stone walls. If one didn’t know the way, then they could miss it.

The ground beneath his boots shifted immediately as he walked through. It was rough and uneven.

Rocks scattered across the narrow passage.

The path twisted slightly as it led away from the castle. It was obvious this wasn’t a route for regular use, and if not for the fact that some guards used it to have rendezvous during their watch and discussed it, he never would have found out.

He moved quickly despite the terrain.

Careful not to slip.

Careful not to make unnecessary noise.

Behind him, the distant sounds of activity grew louder.

Time was running out.

*They are moving faster than expected,* Ryker said.

"I know."

Tobias pushed forward.

The narrow passage eventually opened into a wider stretch of land.

From here, the cliff was not far.

He moved straight through the final stretch of rocky terrain until he reached the building, through which he continued to the back. This building had fewer guards, but he had to be careful too.

He did not go in to search for Annabeth and Nathan. He could only hope that they were already at the agreed meetup, especially given the fact that someone had told Victoria about the escaped prisoners.

Tobias continued his walk until he got to the cliff, and he exhaled immediately.

The members of the Silver Creek pack were there.

He immediately noticed Annabeth’s blonde hair, and he made his way to her.

A few of them turned to him immediately. Recognition flashed in their eyes, but this was no time for greetings or even questions.

"Annabeth," he called immediately as he reached her.

She turned at the sound of his voice.

"Tobias," she said in relief. "Thank the goddess you are okay. I was scared for a moment there."

Tobias nodded.

"Tell me you guys have started."

Annabeth nodded.

"Yes. We didn’t wait."

Her voice was steady, but there was urgency beneath it.

"We started sending people down before you arrived, just in case things took a turn. We are sending children and the elderly now."

Tobias nodded once.

"Good."

His eyes shifted briefly toward the edge of the cliff.

Ropes had already been secured.

Figures were descending carefully into the darkness below.

"Where are Nathan and Benny?" Tobias asked her.

Annabeth turned slightly and pointed to a corner.

"Over there."

Tobias nodded and started making his way toward a pale-skinned man, Annabeth just behind him. His hair was a pale ginger color, and it was obvious that he scarred easily.

He was crouched beside a child, speaking softly.

"It’s alright," he said. "Just hold tight. Don’t look down. Your brother is down there, okay?"

The child nodded nervously.

He secured the rope carefully before guiding the child over the edge and immediately turned to Tobias.

"Benny," Annabeth said. "This is Tobias."

"I appreciate what you’ve done," Benny said gratefully. "Working with my people. Helping us move—"

Tobias cut him off with a small shake of his head.

"There’s no time. I hate to say this, but you can thank me later. We need to move now. Victoria has been alerted that there are people who have escaped from the dungeons, and I suspect it’s you guys. And she’s gathering warriors. We will need to move faster."

Benny immediately turned to his people.

"Move faster," he ordered.

Movements became quicker immediately due to the urgency in his voice. But as fast as they became, they still had to be coordinated and controlled.

One wrong move on the cliff and it would cost lives.

Tobias had just taken a step forward to assist when something cut through the air.

His instincts reacted before his mind did.

He moved and twisted out of the way just as an arrow flew past him.

The arrow was close, but not close enough.

Tobias barely had time to register it before a second arrow came.

This one he did not fully avoid.

Pain exploded at his side as the arrow made contact with his body.

A sharp breath tore from his throat.

His hand immediately went to the arrow lodged in his side.

"Damn it—"

He snapped the shaft and pulled it free in one motion, just as blood flowed freely and fast.

The next thing he heard was laughter.

It was low and mocking, but the voice was familiar.

"Well," the voice drawled, "that was disappointing... I thought for sure that I had you."

Tobias froze.

"Paul."

Paul stepped forward slowly from the shadows, a bow still in his hand.

A smile stretched across his face.

"William, my boy, you thought you were smart, didn’t you? You thought you could help the enemy get away," he said to Tobias.

Tobias clenched his jaw, pain flaring again at his side.

Behind him, the Silver Creek warriors reacted instantly.

Weapons and shields were drawn as Tobias became surrounded.

"Oh?" Paul said with a tilt of his head. "It’s a protective formation. You all are protecting someone who betrayed his employer?"

No one answered him, but that didn’t seem to bother him as he continued speaking.

"I wondered, how much did you guys pay him?" Paul asked. "From what I know, the Silver Creek pack has lost their main aim of income, so how were you all able to hire him, or was he never one of us before?"

"What do you want?" Nathan growled out.

Paul chuckled.

"Oh, don’t look so tense," he said. "And it’s pretty obvious what I want, old man. Victoria has ordered that anyone who can get the prisoners to her, dead or alive, will be rewarded handsomely. She would even give us whores for free. I wouldn’t need to pay a dime to those shriveling packs that would do anything for money. I would just get everything for free instead."

"So you are doing this for sex?" Annabeth asked him.

She could hardly wrap her head around what this man was saying.

"Well, sex is just an added bonus. I’m doing this for the thrill of it," he told her, then lifted his bow again.

"You don’t think you would survive alone, would—" Benny stopped as he growled.

There were more of them.

"Oops, did I forget to mention that there were more of us?" Paul asked. "My bad."

Just as Paul said it, the ground began to tremble.

At first it was faint, barely noticeable, but then it grew.

It became louder.

"Can you fight with the injury?" Tobias asked Ryker.

*An injury has never stopped us before,* Ryker replied.

Wolves started running toward them, charging at full speed. There were about a dozen of them, different builds too, all moving with the same deadly intent.

Just as Tobias and some warriors started shifting, arrows began flying again toward them.

This time, they were not just normal arrows.

Fire-tipped arrows cut through the air, lighting the darkness with streaks of burning orange.

One struck the ground nearby.

Another hit a rock, sparks flying.

The Silver Creek pack were quick to react.

"Don’t stop moving down, no matter what," Benny ordered those who were at the ropes. "We’ll do what we can to hold them back, but don’t stop moving."

Ryker stood in the place where Tobias was, already ready for battle.

He ran toward the wolves coming at them along with the others, and they immediately clashed head-on. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Tobias had thought they had more time, that they had time to escape before Victoria’s warriors would reach them but it seems he thought wrong and it was already too late.

Too late to run.