Shattered Heart's Plea

Chapter 08: Kidnapped

Chapter 08: Kidnapped

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Zoe woke up feeling slightly dizzy as the warm rays of the sun pierced through the chiffon curtain. Slowly pulling herself up to sit on the bed, she was still half asleep and could hear voices just outside the door. They continued to chatter, but the sounds were muffled.

She swiftly moved off the bed, the sudden motion making her head spin. Anchoring herself against the bedside table, she managed to stand straight. The voices had stopped, but something else echoed in her ears as she took in her surroundings. Glancing back at the bed, she recognized the silky white floral sheets, fluffy pillows, and the wooden canopy adorned with neatly tied white chiffon curtains. The intricate velvet floral wallpaper on the walls was equally familiar. Every detail was recognizable to her; it was her bedroom.

But at the same time—it was not.

Her eyes narrowed as she noticed a faint glimmer on the wall. She stepped closer, reaching out to touch it, but just as her fingers were about to make contact, a familiar ringing echoed in her ears, causing her to withdraw swiftly.

"It's charmed," she whispered to herself.

She had too many questions and her hangover wasn't helping. But she was sure about one thing, I am not in the manor!

She jumped when the door suddenly swung open, revealing Kinsley. He didn't seem to notice her conscious presence as he walked straight to the sofa in front of the bed and sat down. His brows furrowed when he glanced at the bed and saw it was empty. Abruptly, he stood up from the sofa, scanning the room until his eyes locked on Zoe.

"You're awake,"

He was about to speak when Zoe abruptly pivoted on her heel and charged at him. She quickly noticed his hand raised to block her incoming fist, so she ducked slightly, shifting her weight to deliver a powerful kick. The force of her attack sent him flying into the vanity. He groaned in pain from the impact.

"What are you doing?!" he finally asked after a moment of trying to recover from her attack.

He glanced back at the cracked mirror of the vanity, a testament to the strength of Zoe's attack. She was about to speak when the door of her fake bedroom swung open. Her eyes darted to the two guards entering the room, their eyes widening at the sight of Kinsley sprawled against the shattered vanity table. As the guards moved towards Zoe, likely intending to detain her, she raised her hand and drew in energy from her magic.

"Don't," Kinsley grunted.

Zoe was so focused on the guards that she didn't notice Nicholas approaching stealthily from behind. She screamed when he grabbed hold of her. Her attempts to escape his grasp without using her magic proved futile. As she glanced at the guards, she saw them slowly starting to move again. Her frustration mounted when another two guards entered the room. Feeling a surge of power in her hands, Zoe quickly devised a plan to free herself from Nicholas' hold.

"What's happening here?"

Zoe kept her gaze fixed on the door as she channeled her magic through her hand, pressing it against her stomach. She felt the energy flow effortlessly through her before her magic forcefully pushed Kinsley away. Smirking, she noticed Briagas murmuring in a foreign language. Before he could complete his spell, Zoe quickly seized the vase from the coffee table and hurled it at him. His attention shifted to intercepting the vase, momentarily disrupting his spellcasting.

"We're not your enemies! Can you stop it and drop the poor guards?!" Briagas shouted when all the four guards were not pinned to the wall.

"Drop them,"