Secrets of the Great Oak

Chapter 48

"ANNA?!" Jake called again. His shout echoed off the ancient stones and reverberated back to him seconds later.

"Sir, what are you--," the male servant had re-opened the door to Maggie and Elas' chambers upon hearing Jake's scream.

"Respin," Elas was rushing into the sitting room, shirt untucked and half-buttoned, "What is going on out here?" He looked and caught sight of Jake. "What happened?"

"Anna's not out here," Jake managed to say through his panic.

"What?" Maggie rushed into the room in a shift with her hair unbound. "What do you mean, Jake?"

"I--I came back to grab our bag and the thermos we left on your table and when I went back in the hallway, Anna was gone." Shaking had begun in Jake's hands and traveled through his body down to his knees. "She's gone," he repeated.

Elas and Maggie shared a grave look.

"Did you speak to anyone other than Thalia and the guard at the gate when you came in? Did you come into contact with anyone else?" Elas' tone was not to be trifled with. He was clearly now in charge of the situation.

"No, no. Just the guard at the gate and Thalia in the main hall. We passed a bunch of people on our way down to your rooms, but..." His voice trailed off as a memory struck him.

"But what, Jake?" Maggie pressed.

"Anna accidentally bumped into a guard on the way here. Like physically ran into him."

"That contact could've been enough for him to catch her scent," Elas said it as if the words were a curse.

Maggie's eyes were wild and frantic as she looked from Jake to Elas and back to the open door. "Do you think she was taken?"

"I have no doubt."

Jake's heart threatened to explode out of his chest. This couldn't be happening. Not Anna. Never Anna. This couldn't be happening.

"We must go find her before she can be taken to some dungeon or out of the castle entirely!" Maggie exclaimed, searching the ground for a pair of shoes.

"No, we have no way of knowing where they went. The castle has secret passageways at every turn. There's no telling where they've gone and..." Elas walked into the hallway and wafted the air. "There's not a hint of her in the air."

The pounding in Jake's head grew louder with every word Elas uttered. The edges of his vision became blurry and he couldn't seem to catch his breath. No. This couldn't be happening.

"What do we do, Elas?! We can't just let someone take her!" Maggie pleaded with her husband.

"We won't, my love. But, our efforts of finding her will have to be under the radar. Humans have absolutely no rights here. Whoever took Anna was acting within the law. I cannot claim to have protection over her because fae protection won't extend to humans."

"Wh--what do we do? Tell me what to do." Jake's voice sounded so far away from himself that it startled him.

"There is one way that might lead us to her," Elas stated. "We might be able to use your mating bond to locate her. Can you feel it?"

Jake closed his eyes and looked for the bond within himself. Panic and fear shot through him. He felt her, scared and struggling. She was alive and unharmed. But she was terrified.

"She's alive. I know that much. But, I can't feel anything other than her panic and fear."

"Damn," Elas whispered under his breath.