Chapter 295 - Circle of Life (2/2)

She understood right away that Shadow wanted them to bring the key along so nobody could follow them behind, just in case the library would also be breached.

She hid the key in her pants pocket and glanced one more look at Shadow. Determination flooded Olivia's face as she promised, ”Help will be here soon, Tilly.”

A faint smile crossed Shadow's face. It had been a decade since she heard that name.

Olivia told her she could keep it if she wanted to, but Shadow insisted on changing Tilly to Shadow.

Given the chance for a new life, she thought the name Shadow had a nice ring to it and she embraced her new name like a new skin.

Little did she know that when death came knocking on her door, she would be reminded that she was once a girl named Tilly, a name her parents, whom she never met at all, inscribed on her clothes when they left her in an orphanage.

Ahhh… the circle of life, Shadow thought.

She forced her eyelids to open, making sure that the secret passage was closed. Her head bobbed left and right as she hung on to her consciousness.

…

Checking her phone, Olivia timed how long they sn.a.k.e.d through the tunnel's maze, and according to her calculation, it was a twenty-minute walk, yet it felt as if they were walking for eternity with how dark and damp the walls were.

As they reached the end of the tunnel, the faint glow of the moon filtered through the half-moon-shaped opening of the exit of the cave. However, the three halted their steps, upon seeing thick steel bars blocked the opening, imprisoning them inside.

The soldier removed his uniform coat, leaving him wearing his grey undershirt underneath. He then placed it on the earthen floor and offered, ”Your Majesty, Your Highness, please take a break. Help will come soon.”

”Thank you,” Queen Isla uttered. She received the soldier's waiting hand and used it to help her sit down on the ground. ”What's your name?” she asked. She prayed that everything would go well tonight, and hoped to repay the good soldier for his service.

”MIB8, Your Majesty,” was his curt reply. Queen Isla didn't probe on. She was actually asking for his real name, but up to the last minute, the young lad still gave her his alias.

Peeling her gaze away from MIB8, Queen Isla observed Olivia from afar. Her daughter-in-law was standing by the steel bars and looked far away from the horizon.

After she witnessed how Olivia reacted to the idea of leaving her personal guard behind earlier, the queen felt that Olivia needed space to grieve for a special person in her life.

Queen Isla's body ached from exhaustion, yet no matter how many times she tried to close her eyes so she could catch some sleep, her mind would never stop talking.

First, she thought about her infant granddaughter and her daughter Princess Maya. Where were they when the attacks happened? Were they safe and sound just like her and Olivia?

Oh, and Maxen too. She almost forgot to worry about Maxen, although she knew her son wasn't easy to kill amongst the rest of the Suis, so she was back to not worrying about him again.

Pushing her thoughts away, she called Olivia's attention and said, ”How about we offer a prayer while we wait?”