58 The Silent 5

" Ahh.. " Arnav groaned as he felt a solid punch on his nose. Almost gagging, he raised his hand to touch his nose, only to find it was broken, with blood all over his face.

Beauty was sitting crossed legged on his chest, so there was no way for him to get up. A warm breath filled his ear, as Beauty leaned in to speak, whispering, " Don't be afraid Wolf. This was evident. Just another proof, women are stronger than men! "

With that, Arnav felt the pressure being lifted off his chest as she got up. He sat up and glared at Beauty. But there was nothing he could do now. What was done, was done! The winner was right in front of them.

Murat came forward and patted him reassuringly on the shoulder. Taking his hand, he pulled him upwards, whispering, " You look like a mess. Let's go to Casualty. "

Arnav nodded.

" The outcome, as you see is clear. Beauty will lead this Operation. I will inform everyone once we have more information on Obadiah Stane. You may retire now. " With these words, the boss turned around and proceeded out of the room.

" Let's go! " Murat spoke.

Walking out of the Great Hall, they bid good bye to Night Owl. Their plane was scheduled to depart next morning. Till then, they had the time to clean up.

As they entered Casualty, Arnav threw away the blood stained napkin that he had been holding till now on his nose. Sitting on a chair, he groaned as he felt his nose. It was truly broken. What was he supposed to say when Sofya asked him about it? Another headache!

Murat was rummaging in one of the cabinets for first aid box. It was not until a few minutes later that he did manage to find it. Opening the box, he took it to where Arnav was seated. Dabbing the cotton with antiseptic liquid, he began cleaning Arnav's blood when he spoke up, " What am I going to tell Sofya about this? "

However, before he could answer, the door opened again and Beauty and Gabriel walked in. Beauty seemed to be supporting Gabriel as she limped in, her leg turned at an awkward angle.

" What's wrong? " Murat asked hurriedly.

Beauty didn't reply anything. She placed Gabriel on the side chair as she turned around to find the first aid box. Murat was however faster than her. He had already taken out the box and handed it to her, as she fretted around. Muttering a quick thanks, Beauty focused on task at hand. Carefully lifting the black trousers that she was wearing, a bloodied leg was revealed where it appeared a chunk of flesh had been taken out.

Gabriel was breathing heavily. Her breathing came out in slow rasps as that of a dying person. She shuddered slightly as Beauty's expert hands touched her wound but bit her lip to prevent any sound from escaping. Beauty was having trouble herself cleaning the wound. Her hands shaking slightly, she again touched the inner muscle of the wound, only to get a loud yelling from Gabriel.

" Sorry, Sorry! " Beauty apologized. It must have hurt like hell.

However, Arnav had noticed something odd. Coming closer, he saw the wound was in a perfect circle shape, with the sign of a serpent eating it's own tail carved into the flesh. The muscles inside the circle looked like they were burnt.

Swallowing, he looked up at Gabriel and asked her in a drawing voice, " Have you met the Red Paladin? "