The wind rustled through the dense trees as Akatsuki moved silently through the forest, boots crunching over leaves and broken twigs. Kahl knelt by a tree stump, sniffing the air and brushing his fingers across deep boot prints in the mud.
"She was here," he muttered. "Someone—multiple people—passed through with chains. Metal scent is still fresh."
Reeva crouched beside him, her eyes sharp and wild. "I smell blood. Not fresh... old. But beast blood. A child's."
Ivan stood behind them, arms crossed, expression unreadable. "Then we're on the right track."
They followed the trail deeper until it vanished near a quiet stream, washed clean by recent rain. Kahl growled low in his throat. "They covered their tracks. They know how to move without being seen."
Reeva slammed her fist into a tree, bark cracking from the impact. "We were so close..."
From the trees above, Brumir dropped down, covered in dust and grime. "Checked three more hideouts in the woods. Found two empty slave dens. Rotten meat, broken cages, and one old ledger."
Ivan took the damp booklet, flipping through. "No names. Only numbers. Sales and deliveries."
"Someone's still running beast slave routes," Brumir muttered, wiping his dagger on his pants. "But they've moved. This entire forest was cleaned out in the last week."
"Then we keep moving," Ivan said flatly.
Later that day, the team moved to the outer walls of the capital, where hidden tunnels and false cellars had been long rumored to host black market trades.
They broke open one such place beneath a worn farmhouse—finding four men and seven cages.
"No beastfolk in them," Reeva hissed. "But blood's still warm."
They didn't hesitate.
By the end of the hour, the slavers were cuffed and dragged out, tossed before the city guards with forged documents prepared by Ivan. The guards accepted them with wary gratitude, looking the other way at the bruises and missing teeth.
"This will reach the nobles," Brumir said. "They'll know someone's cracking down."
"Let them know," Ivan said coolly.
They swept through one noble residence next—an old family with known ties to beastfolk labor. Reeva and Kahl interrogated the servants while Lio moved through the walls, listening and planting traps.
They found a few hidden documents—ledgers of auctions, descriptions of young beastfolk, detailed traits, even owners' names. But no sign of the princess.
Ivan read through one name, narrowed his eyes, and said nothing.
Three days passed. They combed through caves along the cliffside near the capital. They battled hired guards who were paid to keep "curious" eyes away. The smell of blood and metal lingered everywhere they went—but never hers.
The clues felt deliberate. Or perhaps... misleading.
Night fell again, and they returned to the edge of the city, their torches flickering in the cold breeze. Kahl slammed his weapon into the dirt.
"They're hiding her deeper. Maybe outside the capital."
Ivan didn't answer. He stared down at a map, eyes tracing the lines leading to one estate—the final unexplored location in their targeted area.
He folded the map.
"This is the last spot," Ivan said, his tone low and steady. "The only one left in this sector."
Reeva raised an eyebrow. "Where?"
Ivan's eyes gleamed under the firelight.
"The royal estate. The residence of the human crown prince."
A heavy silence fell.