Chapter 2
It was Keitaro's screams that alerted Najenda that something had gone irrevocably wrong behind her back. She and Mine were still reeling from the shock of Tempest Industries' involvement in the attack when it happened. Years of desk work had dulled her abilities, but she became one with the wind hearing Keitaro's helpless cries. Mine was hot on her heels as she stopped at the gaping entrance of Evelyn's room.
A scene like her own room greeted her with shards of glass littered the floor. Ren, lanky and tall from his recent growth spurt, held little Keitaro tightly. The frail boy was weeping, and Najenda quickly realized why.
There, on the floor of Evelyn's own room and mixed with shattered glass from the window, was a splattering of blood. Najenda could sense anger and confusion twirl in Ren's questioning eyes but avoided looking at him altogether. The shadows of her past have come to bite her, and the kids were caught in the crossfire. Guilt and rage battled inside her; nothing could be more damning than this!
"Her bed is made, and the flooring is damaged." Mine observed from behind her before adding, "If an attacker had to use a knife on a little girl, my daughter gave them hell before they could take her." Her voice was coldly analytical, honed from years of danger, loss, and callous bloodshed.
"Mine... The fact that they took her means she's more useful alive," the older General stated in hopes of comforting her friend, but Mine's anxious energy was palpable in the air. She could see the cracks appearing in her calm exterior as the Minister made her way towards the open window. Drops of blood dotted the windowsill, making her fear the worst. Fists clenched, she made a decision.
"Call for the guards! The grass is still damp where they stood. She couldn't have gone far." Mine yelled urgently. When no one moved, she turned around and zeroed on Ren, "GO ON! What are you looking at?" Ren took off hastily, leaving Keitaro in Najenda's embrace.
"I need to alert the rest of the gang. Tonight is crucial for her retrieval." Mine muttered, visibly shaken from all the grave possibilities running through her mind. She hesitated to think of how Tatsumi would react, were he still in the Capital. The blockheadedly stubborn idiot would raise hell at the loss of his little Ember, one of the many nicknames he'd given their sole child.
The night suddenly reminded her of the days of Night Raid, of when that woman had kidnapped her Tatsumi; dreadful and filled with uncertainty. Najenda was mercifully quiet as she rocked Keitaro in her arms, but her thunderous expressions told Mine a different story.
Ren quickly returned with the Head of Security employed at Najenda's manor. Hearing the explosion, guards had already secured the parameter and were now headed to the area of commotion. They knew the General did not need their help to fend off an assassin or two; it was her family that needed protection.
Finished with the task, Ren entered a secluded room and found himself kneeling on the floor, hands shaking wildly. Evelyn, one of his best friends, and someone he had always promised to protect had been kidnapped for god knows why. His spine shivered; if he had kept his guard up, and went to check on her instead of Keitaro…
No, he thought. That line of thinking is unproductive.
"I shouldn't have left her alone." Regret pooled in his gut as he dwelled on what-ifs. For all his training and boasting, he failed to protect his friend when she needed him the most. He rubbed his eyes with the heels of his palm and made one last attempt to gather his scattered thoughts.
"Now is not the time, Ren." He muttered under his breath. Evelyn needed him now more than ever, and he was adamant about putting his skills to use. He was born a soldier, made to protect his family, and he'll forgo his responsibilities only in death.
Barely an hour has passed since Mine called for an emergency meeting, and now the war room buzzed with the chatter of her Generals and Advisors. Who was behind it? Why? Where were they from, where were they going?
Much to Mine's acute annoyance, they all shouted at each other from across the long table. The guards, suddenly appreciative of their low rank, stood alert along the length of the room, their eyes focused and their faces impassive.
A headache shot through the back of her head as the panicked chaos grew noisier. Would-be assassins had ties to her own government's weapons manufacturer, the neighboring tribes and Western Kingdom sought to play petty games, and her daughter had just been kidnapped from under her nose! Nothing was going her way!
Even to this day, she had no idea why Najenda stepped down and made her leader in her place. The General was made for this, not her. She was good at following orders but not giving them. Years have passed, but doubts about her merit still plagued her thoughts. She longed for the steel strength of Akame, the cutting agility of Sheele, the guidance of Lubbock, and the wickedness of Najenda, but she was just the crack shot of Night Raid. She could observe situations with hawklike precision, but leading a whole nation was out of her skill set; this was what she had always wanted, to make changes, and she had thought she was doing well. Until now.
"That, is, ENOUGH!" Mine roared, halting the verbal scuffle in the room immediately. She took a deep breath and regarded the people in the room with the utmost scorn.
"My daughter is out there somewhere in enemy hands, while you SQUABBLE, like toddlers over a blanket. An unknown and deadly enemy is out there, someone we've overlooked in recent years. This is no child's play! Step up your game or leave this room." She welcomed the sudden quiet, for no one dared to move. Mine swept the room with a defiant glare before addressing her advisors.
"Now, that's settled. Zhon, what do you have for me?" Slowly, the chamber came back to life, though no one spoke without being addressed by their Minister-President. Everyone knew that she would no longer entertain grudges, or sleep; nothing was more important than devising an efficient rescue mission right now.
While her husband, due to his heroic sacrifice, was a physical Dragon incarnate, it went unspoken that President Mine had her own reputation for breathing fire and vengeance. The Royal Cabinet saw the bloodlust in those fiery pink eyes, shivered in dread for the unlucky souls that crossed her path.