Free Web NovelChapter 41: Chapter 41 Racing Against Time
Bella’s POV
"Everything will be fine. We won’t let her leave this place. I promise," Hugo assured me, his strong arms wrapped around Leah as she writhed and fought against his hold.
Her eyelids remained sealed shut, confirming she was still trapped in that strange, dreamlike state.
"Your son - where is he right now?" I demanded, turning to face the distraught woman whose eyes had gone wide with terror.
"He’s waiting in our car outside," she stammered, and my brow furrowed with concern.
"Isn’t he trying to escape too?" I pressed.
The woman lunged forward, her desperate fingers clutching at my sleeve as she tried to drag me toward the exit. But I couldn’t abandon my post.
I had to remain here with Leah. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
"Please, just tell us what we need to do to help my daughter - I mean, Bella’s daughter," Derek interjected, his words stumbling over each other before he caught himself.
"To stop their wandering, you must administer wolfsbane every few minutes. But be warned - that dosage could prove fatal for any young child," the woman explained, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks.
The pieces clicked into place. She’d been using wolfsbane to control the sleepwalking episodes somehow.
Her warning rang true though. An overdose would be lethal for a child.
"Derek, we have to dose Leah with wolfsbane immediately. The moment she takes it, we can’t delay our departure by even a second," I said frantically, my sweaty palms grinding together.
"Understood," Hugo replied, motioning for a warrior to fetch the wolfsbane.
I couldn’t bear to enter that room and witness my daughter’s anguish.
Zack and Tara were secured in a separate chamber under warrior protection, out of danger for now. Only Leah was trapped in this nightmare.
The wolfsbane administration took several minutes, and the instant they finished, I burst through the door to examine her condition.
She was gradually succumbing to sleep against Hugo’s broad shoulder, and the sight brought tears to my eyes.
"I have to leave now. I need to locate the source before she awakens again. Every second is precious," I announced urgently, sprinting to my bedroom to collect my emergency supplies.
Derek was already preparing to accompany me.
"Hold on, you’re going with her?" Hugo questioned, still cradling Leah protectively.
"Obviously. Someone needs to escort her," Derek answered.
The two men locked eyes in an intense, wordless exchange while I impatiently drummed my foot against the floor.
"Time is running out," I snapped, shooting Derek a withering look to emphasize that if he truly intended to join me, he needed to move immediately.
"Fine. Stay safe. I’ll watch over the children," Hugo conceded reluctantly, finally releasing us.
Derek and I raced toward the exit and encountered the frantic woman in the corridor.
Her child was probably moments away from consciousness.
We bounded down the staircase, and honestly, I lost count of how many times I cracked my knuckles during our descent.
Upon reaching the parking area, her husband was preparing to administer another dose to their son.
"Stop! Don’t do it!" I shrieked, charging toward them.
"What’s happening?" the woman cried out in alarm.
I yanked open the car door and gently gathered the boy into my embrace.
Derek moved to assist, helping to soothe the child as he twisted restlessly, semi-conscious and attempting to wander away.
"Where are you headed, sweetheart?" I whispered tenderly.
"To assist the elderly gentleman," the boy mumbled through his trance.
His mother’s sharp intake of breath echoed around us. They weren’t merely talking in their sleep - they could actually communicate.
"Can you describe the location for me?" I requested.
"It’s up in the mountains. That direction."
Still lost in his hypnotic state, he gestured toward the shadowy mountain silhouette beyond the forest and began providing remarkably precise directions.
His mother remained motionless, shocked by his every utterance.
Once he completed his detailed instructions, I signaled to his father to proceed with the wolfsbane.
"You’re probably curious why I didn’t question my own daughter. She’s never visited that location before, so she couldn’t provide directions. She would simply follow blindly, which wouldn’t benefit our mission," I clarified for the woman.
"I understand." The woman seemed to grasp my reasoning, nodding without further inquiry.
The mountains weren’t distant. Derek had already started his vehicle, engine rumbling, prepared to race from the lot.
I abandoned everyone else and leaped into the passenger seat.
Another car packed with warriors trailed behind us. Their mission involved locating and intercepting any additional children traveling in the same direction.
It was becoming obvious that the woman’s son and my daughter weren’t the only ones responding to this mysterious summons.
Midway up the mountain highway, we began spotting them. Children - wandering aimlessly, confused, trudging toward the wilderness.
The warriors leaped from their vehicles to intercept them, administering wolfsbane and transporting them to safety.
We maintained our speed. That wasn’t our responsibility.
The child rescue operation rested in their capable hands.
Our objective was discovering the man - the one summoning them.
Something strange happened to Derek during our drive. He suddenly began shifting uncomfortably in his seat.
"Is your husband aware?" he asked abruptly. "Does he know about the children’s suffering?"
I whipped my head toward him, bewildered by his decision to mention my husband while I was consumed with worry about the children.
Perhaps he was attempting to distract me, otherwise I’d probably shatter my knuckles from anxiety.
"No," I mumbled. "I informed him I was coming here to assist the children, the afflicted ones."
"So you weren’t lying about having a husband?" Derek inquired.
The moment those words left his lips, I turned away, focusing on the road ahead.
"Why would I fabricate that?" I hissed quietly.
"Well then," he pressed on, "does he love you? Does he care about the children? If he does, why did he allow you to come here completely alone?"
His questions cut deep, each one more difficult to digest than the previous.
I recognized his desire to learn more about my life beyond this place, but I had nothing to share with him.
The reality was far too complex.
"He loves both me and the children. You don’t need to concern yourself with that," I stated, still refusing to meet his gaze.
"Well, if he truly loved you," Derek responded, "regardless of his schedule, he should be here beside you."
Before I could defend my husband, he added softly, "Just like I came for you."
My head snapped toward him again. I stared in shock, struggling to comprehend his implication.
First the mysterious call, and now this. What was happening with Derek?
