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 tru
ly 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.”
Chapter Nine
The knowledge that her husband had come for her and that he was so near gave Gabriella a surge of strength and courage she had not thought possible, considering her circumstances. With renewed vigor, she looked Sorinah square in the eye and got to business.
“We need to find a way out of here. We need to find Santiago,” Gabriella said.
“It won’t be easy,” said Sorinah. “There is no way we could fight our way…not with a baby. We’ll have to sneak…and be very careful about it.”
“Whatever it takes,” Gabriella said.
She then started to make herself ready for whatever lay ahead. She bundled up Isidora as tightly as possible and gave her a binkie to keep her quiet. She then took a sheet from the bed in the room and fashioned a tight sling she could carry Isidora in…just in case she needed her hands free on this adventure. Once she was ready…they got down to it.
At first, they simply listened at the door. When they were sure no one waited outside, Sorinah picked the lock to gain their freedom. It took her a moment, as she had not practiced the skill in ages, but she managed to get the door open without attracting anyone’s attention and thus they slipped out of their cozy prison as quietly as possible. As Gabriella slipped out, she gently closed the door behind her. The longer it was assumed they were still inside…the better.
Making their way through the house was nerve-wracking. They had to watch every inch on all sides of themselves, keeping themselves silent and out of sight as they searched for Santiago and Costin. The house was massive. They lucked out, however, when they heard voices mentioning the captive Dragons downstairs. Gabriella thanked the Lord above for Sorinah’s knowledge of Italian as they changed course and started to make their way towards the cellar.
At one point, as they neared the stairs leading downward, they were nearly caught in their sneaking by a servant. Had it not been for the young girl’s shadow playing across the wooden floors, they would have been caught dead to rights.
Finally, they descended the cellar stairs to where Santiago and Costin had been taken. When Gabriella saw her husband, shackled and collared by chains, she nearly cried out in both anguish and joy. Had Sorinah not placed a hand on her shoulder, she would have given them all away right then.
They went to the chained men, Gabriella to her husband and Sorinah to her brother. At first, Gabriella worried how they would free them since no one had any keys…but as she began to look at the metal collar around her husband’s neck and the chains coming from it she realized there was no key. Instead…it looked like she had to fit her fingers into a number of holes and then shift a mechanism to release the collar. She was floored by it. It was like a Chinese finger trap….but in reverse and for the neck instead of the fingers. Leave it to the Italians to come up with something so ingenuitive and utterly unnecessary.
She explained it to Sorinah as she went through the motions with Santiago’s collar, exclaiming softly her excitement when the metal collar fell from his neck and took the rest of his chains with it. Immediately, they embraced…as if they had not seen one another in a lifetime. Gabriella felt her husband’s strong arms tighten around her as their daughter was curled sleeping against her chest. His warmth filled her with hope and happiness again and she never wanted to leave his side for an instant. She looked up at him…just taking in the beauty of him before pressing her lips against his in a long-overdue kiss hello.
She could have kissed him endlessly, but alas they would not be granted such a luxury in that moment. They were still deep in the fire with a long way yet to go if they wanted to find their freedom from this place.
“I hate to interrupt…” Costin muttered, breaking them from their kiss.
Santiago cleared his throat and Gabriella only smiled…but they agreed and got their heads back into the game. They knew that going out quietly was not an option but getting out of the cellar in their Dragon forms would be impossible without destroying half of the house. It was the perfect plan.
Santiago and his cousin stripped from their cloths and began to transform while Sorinah packed everything in the backpack the Visconti’s had never thought to take from her. Gabriella watched in awe, always transfixed by her husband’s transformations, and wondered about the future of her baby girl. She worried for her.
The plan was simple. The women would hide under the protection of Costin, who would curl around them as Santiago clawed and dug his way up from the cellar through the staircase. Considering their captors had never assumed one of their prisoners would manage such a thing, the cellar stairs and their surrounding structure were not reinforced to withstand the strength of a raging and fully-grown Dragon. In a matter of moments, Santiago had managed to rip a sizable hole up through the stairway and part of the ceiling surrounding it. As he crawled out, drywall and sheetrock falling all around him, Gabriella and Sorinah climbed up onto Costin’s back and clung tightly to him as he followed Santiago out.
By the cacophony of screams and shouts all around them, Gabriella was sure they had raised quite the alarm with their sudden breakout. Their brazen escape was not over yet, however, as Santiago unleashed a wash of fire down what remained of the large corridor that ran through the house. From somewhere not far off, the roar of another Dragon could be heard rattling through the timbers of the house. They all knew that such a sound was not good. Santiago took it as his cue and slammed his body hard against the ceiling, breaking through to the roof and then the open night sky after a few solid attempts. Clawing his way out, he ripped open a path for Costin to follow without putting the women in too much danger while still on his back.
When the cool night air hit her face, Gabriella gasped and held Isidora all the closer against her. She was baffled that the little girl hadn’t cried once throughout this entire ordeal, but instead remained nestled happily with her binkie in her mouth. Of course, she had her bright blue eyes wide open, taking it all in…but she issued not a peep.
Looking around, she caught sight of her husband rising high into the air not too far from them. What she did not see, was the dragon who had appeared in the skies behind her, Sorinah, and Costin. The look of confusion on her face as Santiago began to speed towards them was answered by the wave of searing heat and fire that blasted by them far too close for comfort.
Costin pumped his massive wings hard, lifting them higher and higher into the air to put distance between them and their foe. Gabriella and Sorinah watched as Santiago grappled with a menacing, dark green dragon above the flaming and smoking Visconti Estate below.
Her husband fought like a demon born straight from Hell itself. He tore at the green Dragon with both tooth and claw, sending the Visconti Dragon’s blood flying and his yelps of pain echoing into the night. The green Dragon managed to wrestle himself free from Santiago and retreated, barely surviving the fight for how savagely Santiago fought against him.
It would not be as simple as that, however, as the moment the green Dragon retreated, two more took his place. Santiago found himself confronted by two Dragons of dusky blue and sandstone coloring. They looked young and inexperienced…but the fire they unleashed on him was just as hot as any f
ully-grown dragon.
As he attempted to protect his eyes from their fire, they swooped in for the attack. Massive, deadly claws opened and outstretched to dig into his scaly flesh and tear at what they could. Santiago howled in pain, lashing out with his own tail like a whip to fend them off.
“Costin!” Gabriella cried against the wind and Costin’s wings. “Help him!”
Costin turned his massive, chocolatey-brown head in acknowledgment and moved in towards the battle. Knowing full well he carried precious cargo, he kept back enough to keep them from too much of harm’s way…but he was still close enough to unleash a fiery blast of his own. A careful blast was aimed at one of Santiago’s attackers, throwing the Dragon off enough to give Santiago the upper hand once more.
Gabriella watched, impressed, as her husband practically threw the other two Dragons from the sky in his rage and need to protect her and their daughter. When they finally limped away, barely able to fly, Santiago was bloody and beaten…but he was alive and had won their freedom. No other Dragons came after them and none followed as they began to make the long flight home.
It would take them hours, flying slowly through the quickly brightening sky, but that mattered little to any of them in this moment. They had succeeded in saving Gabriella…and just as importantly, the baby Isidora. None of them truly realized the impact the events of this night would have on the future, but the ripples that would affect their world later on down the line had already begun to flow.
Chapter Ten
As they flew, Santiago felt a sense of unease come over him. It had all seemed far too easy…or had that simply been because his rage had been so fierce? He tried to recall all that had happened from the moment they were taken captive to the moment they had flown away free. Of course, their idiotic attempt to just walk right in the front door was something he would feel anxiety over for years to come. But after that, he and Costin had been hauled off and shackled in the basement of the place, left alone and with no explanation whatsoever from their captors.
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