Chapter 66 - A DISTRACTION

They skipped enemies' eyes and slid inside the tent. The inside of the tent was dark and quiet. They couldn't see anything.

Veronica's heart was thumping. She was never this tense even when she went on a journey in the mountains. She couldn't stand the silence and opened her mouth to speak.

That's when they heard a voice from behind.

"What are you doing here? You are not allowed to be here. Leave!"

The calm yet sharp voice was familiar. Veronica called out, "Remus?"

The person ignited a candle and the fire illuminated the face. Veronica was correct. It was Remus indeed.

"Don't just stand there. Leave before anyone enters," Remus urgently hurried them.

However, those two had no intention of leaving. The inside of the tent brightened up thanks to the candle. The special place had no furniture. Only a few jars of water and some glasses.

In the middle of the room, Veronica saw a bunch of men and women tied up. Their hands, legs, and waist were tied with ropes and their eyes and mouths were covered with dark clothes. She counted each one of them, never missing a person.

"Forty eight, forty nine, fifty! There are fifty people! You must be the missing healers, aren't you?" Veronica asked those people in excitement. She couldn't believe she found them.

"Who they are is none of your concern. Please leave!" Remus hissed.

"How can it not be my business? It is precisely my business that I'm here. We thought they died and everyone lost hope. I can't believe they are still alive." Veronica covered her face as she became emotional.

Remus frowned upon hearing her words. He interrogated, "Who are you people? You are not from the desert tribe, are you? Desert tribe would never care for missing healers. They know nothing about healers."

A sudden realization hit him. His eyes widened in surprise, "You can't be from Synetia–"

"We are not Synetians," Veronica firmly denied his claim. She stated, "We are from Utahill. I'm here to find out what happened to my fellow healers."

"Fellow healers? You are a healer as well!" Remus was astonished. Never in his dream, he thought this innocent looking girl wasn't a desert tribe maiden but his own kind.

Veronica replied, "Yes, I am and I'm here to rescue my fellow healers."

Remus shook his head. "You cannot take fifty people with you. you will get caught. And I don't believe you are a healer. I've never seen you in the palace."

Remus was a senior healer and knew almost all the healers who lived in the palace. He could swear that he had never seen anyone who resembles Veronica.

Emerald pupils were rare. In his life, he only saw Veronica's emerald eyes. If he noticed her before anywhere, he would have remembered it. After meeting her, it was the first time he saw emerald eyes. He couldn't forget such charming eyes.

Veronica didn't mention why he didn't see her before. She tried to divert his attention saying, "You are one of us and yet you betrayed your friends. How could you?"

Remus mentioned, "I did not betray my followers. They were kidnapped and I'm here to guard them. This way, they won't try to run off and get hurt."

Veronica accused him, "But they are supposed to work for Synetians. You are wrongly hiding them."

Remus explained, "It's not me who did this. It was the soldiers of Riverhill's plan. There was no room left for us to argue as we knew nothing. We found out only after they were taken here. Only a few of us knew about this. Most healers have no clue about this incident."

He swiftly changed the subject and came to the main point, "Enough of that. I don't know you. You must be a Synetian spy. Leave before the soldiers come in. I cannot help you in any way."

Veronica narrated shortly, "I'm a junior healer who joined recently. I heard about the missing healers and that's why I'm here. Now please answer me, how did the soldiers of Riverhill manage to take fifty people all at once without leaving any mark?"

Remus hesitated before answering, "It was a crystal magic ball. It's a rare and expensive magical item. The king of Riverhill spent so much money just to buy two crystal magic balls."

'They only used one magic ball, didn't they? They couldn't use the other one because everyone left for the safe zone,' Veronica pondered. Afterward, she glanced at him and asked, "Where can I find that crystal magic ball?"

Remus shook his head. "I cannot tell you that. When we work for someone, we have to swear our absolute loyalty to them. This is the contract we signed. I can't betray Riverhill. If you are a healer of Utahill as you said, then I can only tell you to leave before anyone attacks you. This is the only thing I can do for you."

Veronica said, "I'm sorry but I cannot leave without taking them. Tell me where to find the crystal magic ball. I'll find it and then take my fellow healers away."

Remus stepped forward and grabbed her arm with his free hand. "This is not as easy as you think it is. Only magicians can do that. A healer cannot use a magical object."

"I can't…" Veronica became dumbfounded. She was betting the success of her rescue mission on this magic ball. If she couldn't use the crystal magic ball, how was she supposed to take fifty people to the safe place all at one? These people were healers, not soldiers. They couldn't possibly win against trained soldiers.

Not finding a way to solve her problem, she was in despair.

"Listen well, get out of here. Don't look back and go straight to the safe zone. No one knows your real identity. I won't tell others either. You will be safe," Remus did his best to persuade her but she wouldn't move.

Remus sighed and looked around to find the partner of Veronica. He frowned and inquired, "Where is Alzedro? Wasn't he with you? Where did he go?"