Chapter Eight

Less than a full twenty-four hours later and the little rescue party of three was ready to mount their mission. They had waited for nightfall before setting out and opted to travel in their Dragon forms to make the journey as quick as possible. Sorinah, unable to transform, rode atop her brother’s scaly back instead.

The entire day before they left, the entire lot of them, Geza and Luca included, had gone over every scrap of information they had regarding the Visconti family and the home where they were most likely holding Gabriella and Isidora. From what Luca told them, it made the most sense that the Visconti home just northwest of Varese would be their best bet. It was their ancestral home, secluded and far less watched than their manor house in the city of Milan itself. Their only issue would be getting inside. A home built into the mountains was, as they already knew, much more difficult to force your way into.

Sorinah carried a pack with spare clothes for the men and a few weapons that might help them out, and with that small pack on her back they set out into the night sky towards Italy. The flight, even for two fully grown Dragons, still took them a number of hours to accomplish. When they finally arrived, soaring in on silent wings, it was just after midnight and the Italian landscape below them was dark. Well, nearly dark. A handful of scattered lights dotted the ground below them as they descended towards their mark.

As they had flown in relative silence through the night, Santiago’s mind had begun to ask itself questions. How, again, had Luca been so certain that this Visconti family had taken Isidora and Gabriella? How had this Visconti family even come to know about Isidora in the first place, let alone so quickly after she had been born? He began to wonder if, perhaps, his family was somehow involved in the abduction of his wife and child. Was there some darker plan behind all of this to, somehow, remove him and Gabriella from the picture? His mind reeled and with each mile they drew closer, his heart pounded harder out of anger. By the time they fully landed, Santiago had worked himself up into a fury that could not be subdued.

The moment his claws had firm hold of the dirt, he shifted back to his human form. Costin followed suit once Sorinah had dropped from his back. Once they had completed their shift back, Sorinah offered them both a fresh pair of clothes so they wouldn’t be traipsing about naked. Santiago couldn’t contain his ire, though, and as he hoisted up a pair of trousers he called them out.

“So, tell me, Cousins,” he practically growled. “How do you think this Visconti family came to know about my daughter so quickly?”

“What?” asked Costin, pulling a shirt over his head with a confused look on his face.

“And how, exactly, does your father know with such certainty that they were the ones to take Isidora in the first place?” he continued, taking a step towards Costin as he pulled his own shirt on. “You father was awfully insistent I take a day or two in order to rest before coming here…was it to give him time to get a message somewhere?”

“Santiago, what are you talking about?” questioned Sorinah.

“You know damn well what I’m talking about.”

“No, we don’t,” chimed Costin. “What are you accusing us of, exactly, Cousin?”

“Tell me now,” Santiago snarled, “are either of you, or your father, involved in my wife and daughter’s kidnapping? Do not lie to me.”

“Santiago!” exclaimed Sorinah. “How could you even think such a thing!? Isidora is family and a Dragon of our own blood! Why on earth would we be involved in something like her kidnapping?”

“Yeah!” agreed Costin. “If we wanted to steal your kid we would have waited until you all arrived.”

Costin was not the most…eloquent one in his family. Nor did he think too thoroughly before opening his mouth half the time. This was not the first occasion upon which his mouth caught him a right hook to the face…and it would likely not be the last.

Santiago hauled off and clocked his cousin square in the jaw, seething with rage for no reason other than rage itself. Costin, well versed in fist-fights with his elder brother Geza, took the hit like a champ and came after Santaigo in retaliation. They grappled, struck one another and shoved one another around for a moment or two before Sorinah was able to pry and shove them apart from each other.

“Stop this!” she demanded of them, taking on quite the mom-voice in her anger at them. “You are acting like idiots when we have far more important things to be worrying about right now.”

She gave a brief glare towards her younger brother before turning her eyes sharp and square onto Santiago. He could tell by the look in her eyes that she was both pitying him and pissed at him all at the same time. It was a look that took some of the angry wind from his sails.

“Santiago,” she said, using his name to snatch up all of his attention. “I understand you are upset, worried, and possibly even scared…but we are not against you. We are here to help and we will die before we give up on bringing your wife and daughter home. Please, believe that.”

She reached out and gripped his shoulder, locking eyes with him. They had a staring contest for what seemed like an eternity before he nodded and took his eyes away first. He had to admit feeling shameful about his actions just now…but could you really blame him for having such thoughts? His only daughter and wife had just been stolen from him, after all.

Once they had collected themselves, they set off in the direction of the Visconti compound. Compared to the Balaurescu estate, it was surprisingly easy to locate. A ridiculously sprawling structure of brick and wood that sat nestled against the base of a small mountain Santiago hadn’t bothered to learn the name of. For a while, they debated the best method of getting inside. In the end, they opted to be blatant and upfront about it. They would try the front door.

In hindsight, it was a horrible idea. At first, the Visconti family welcomed them with all the smiles and hospitality that Italians were known for…even at that ridiculously late hour in the evening. The moment the massive front doors slammed shut behind them, however, the entire mood changed, and they were quite literally ambushed. Half a dozen men appeared as if from nowhere and subdued both Santiago and Costin with almost no effort, while another two snatched up Sorinah and carted her off without so much as a how-do-you-do.

Both Santiago and Costin struggled against the men who held them, shouting for Sorinah and doing everything they could manage to free themselves…all to no avail. As if their captors had practiced this very moment, they dragged both Santiago and Costin off deeper into the house. They were brought down into a cellar space that seemed to span nearly the entire length of the house above, though it had been dug shockingly deep into the earth. Essentially, the Visconti family had a Dragon-sized cavern in their basement. It was here they chained both Santiago and Costin before leaving them with a single warning and the only words spoken to them since the ambush.

“The chains will kill you if you transform.”

*

Gabriella stood the moment she heard the sound of people coming down the hall towards the room she and Isidora had spent the past day locked within. Throughout that time she had barely let Isidora leave her arms…and now was no different as she waited to see who would come through the door. To say she was surprised at the answer to that question was putting it lightly.

The door opened and a young woman, perhaps around Gabriella’s age, was tossed inside. As the door slammed shut once more, the new woman spun around and began to hurl swear after swear through the door at their captors. Gabriella was confused…who was this woman and why had they thrown her in here with her and the baby?

“Who are you?” she asked, figuring she had nothing to lose by asking.

The woman spun around, her beautiful green eyes looking over Gabriella and little Isidora for a moment before a look of pure joy and shock burst out across her face. It was a reaction Gabriella had not expected, to say the least.

“Gabriella!” the woman nearly shouted as she started towards her and the baby. “Oh! And little Isidora! She is so beautiful!”

Gabriella took a step back, turning as if to protect her daughter from this strange and seemingly crazy woman. Was she part of this horrible family that had abducted them…somehow trying to play nice?

“Oh, I am so sorry!” the woman exclaimed, looking truly sincere. “I am Sorinah…I am your husband Santiago’s cousin!”

“Santiago? Is he with you?” Gabriella asked, looking worried. “What is going on? Why are you here?”

“We’ve come to save you!” Sorinah exclaimed with a smile that quickly faded. “Though it seems we’ve only gotten ourselves captured right alongside you. When we came in, Santiago and my brother Costin were tackled. They brought me here…but I do not know what they have done with the boys.”

“But why would they put you in here with me?” Gabriella asked.

“Probably because they do not see you or I as threats…considering the only Dragon in this room is a bit too small to do any real damage,” Sorinah said, smiling towards the now sleeping Isidora in her mother’s arms. “Luckily for us, they’ve made a horrible mistake.”