Before they had time to comprehend what was happening, several men burst out of the storeroom. All were dressed in black, their faces concealed behind dark scarves that revealed only their piercing eyes. Their massive, threatening silhouettes betrayed seasoned experience, and each of them was armed, some wielding clubs, others short, keen-edged blades.
Lucian reacted instantly. He seized Helia by the arm and pulled her behind him, retreating slowly. One of the men positioned himself directly in front of the door, cutting off any escape.
Madame Cecilia, her gaze filled with restrained panic, murmured in a broken voice,
"I'm sorry… They took my husband hostage. I had no other choice."
"What do you want?" Lucian asked, in a tone meant to sound calm though it betrayed an underlying tension.
The men did not answer. They advanced slowly, their stares growing increasingly menacing. The air became stifling. Helia felt her heart hammering violently in her chest, an icy fear twisting her stomach.
"Money?" Lucian offered. "I can give you ten times whatever you were promised."
One of the assailants let out a sneer and tapped the club hanging at his side.
"Sorry, sir, but we're loyal to our clients. You understand—our reputation is at stake."
Another man, slowly circling around Lucian toward Helia, added with an amused yet chilling intonation,
"We're just going to have a little fun. Don't worry too much."
Helia felt herself freeze, unable to move, her throat dry. These men were not mere thugs. They were dangerous, and worse still, they seemed disturbed by the sick pleasure they took in the situation.
Until then, Lucian had been retreating slowly, searching for an opening, but he soon found himself backed against the wall, trapped. Still shielding his sister with his body, he cast her a brief glance before slowly slipping his hand behind his back. He discreetly passed her a small bracelet.
She recognized it instantly: an invisibility artifact he often carried.
She immediately understood what he intended.
"Helia, do it," he whispered urgently.
She shook her head in horror. She could not abandon him like this.
But at that very moment, the man approaching struck with brutal force. Lucian tried to dodge while pushing Helia aside, but the club came crashing down on his arm.
"Hurry!" he shouted in pain.
In a surge of panic and adrenaline, she snatched the bracelet from his hand, slipped it on, and activated it. At once, her body dissipated into thin air. The men stopped dead, stunned.
Taking advantage of the confusion, she slipped out of their reach, but in her haste, she brushed against a shelf and knocked over a vase.
"She's just invisible! Get her!" One of the men shouted.
Three men immediately lunged at Lucian, striking him relentlessly with their clubs. Two others, alerted, turned their attention to searching for the young woman. Helia was terrified, but she knew she had to escape quickly and find help. Still, one man continued to block the exit. She tried to move as silently as possible, her breath caught in her throat.
Lucian's cries of pain echoed through the room. Behind the counter, Madame Cecilia wept, hiding her face in her hands. Tears also welled in Helia's eyes, but she could not bring herself to look in Lucian's direction.
Summoning her courage, she decided to act. Pressed against the wall, she glanced toward the shelf where several porcelain vases were displayed. She knew that the moment she lifted one, the men would realize where she was. Taking a deep breath, she seized a vase and hurled it with all her strength toward the man guarding the door.
The projectile struck him violently on the head. He collapsed under the impact.
Without losing a second, she grabbed two more vases and flung them at the men trying to surround her. The element of surprise cost them precious seconds. She seized the opportunity to rush toward the door, flung it open, and bolted up the staircase.
The moment she reached the upper floor, she tore the bracelet from her wrist and ran at full speed toward Sir Aldric.
He startled when she suddenly appeared before him, her eyes filled with tears, her breath ragged.
"My Lady?" he exclaimed.
"Aldric… Lucian… Hurry!" She stammered in terror.
Sir Aldric immediately grasped the gravity of the situation. Without asking a single question, he drew his weapon and rushed toward the jewelry shop, accompanied by two other knights.
Terrified, Helia collapsed into the arms of the knight who had remained by her side. He clumsily tried to comfort her, murmuring soothing words, but she was gripped by uncontrollable panic. Her breathing was shallow, her body trembling violently, her mind unable to process what had just occurred.
Aldric and his men reached the shop within seconds. When they forced the door open, swords raised and ready to cut through the air, they found only a heavy silence, broken by muffled sobs.
The attackers had vanished. Only the storeroom door, gently swinging in the draft, bore witness to their escape.
On the floor, Lucian lay motionless. His face was so badly bruised as to be barely recognizable, a deep wound on his head oozing a thin stream of blood that mingled with the shards of shattered glass strewn across the floor. His breathing was labored, each inhalation drawing from him a barely audible groan. His hair, usually silver, was now nearly crimson, soaked with blood, clinging in thick strands to his battered skin.
Aldric cursed under his breath and immediately knelt beside him.
Cecilia, still hidden behind her counter, burst into sobs at the sight.
"I… I'm so terribly sorry…" she stammered.
One of the knights moved to comfort her, but Aldric remained focused on Lucian. He turned sharply toward his subordinate.
"Fetch a medicus. Now."
The knight nodded and ran from the shop.
As Aldric gently pressed against Lucian's forehead to stem the bleeding, hurried footsteps echoed on the stairs. Helia had arrived, still followed by the knight guarding her.
When she saw Lucian lying on the floor, a strangled panic seized her.
She tried to rush to his side, but Aldric stopped her with a firm gesture.
"He's alive," he said in a calm but authoritative voice. "Do not touch him, you could worsen his injuries."
Tears streamed down Helia's cheeks as she bit her lip, stifling a sob.