Technomancer: Genesis Chapter 27: Kidnapped

Ezra awoke to an unpleasant morning. He was forcibly taken out of his crib while he was unconscious. He was wrapped around a tight cloth-like material. Thus all morning he was bouncing around. He looked up and he saw a woman whose mouth was covered in cloth and her hair was tied into a bun. She had auburn hair and had a slightly muscular build. She wore clothes that were pitch black. Ezra was tied around her belly very firmly. He had recognized her as her wet nurse, Catalyna.

"Ezra, you are awake. Please don't make too much noise or I will have to use methods to make you unconscious and it will be very uncomfortable. We are going somewhere far from Fulmen," Catalyna spoke plainly while moving through alleyways.

Ezra just looked at her and tried to cry.

"Oh please stop the act. I know you understand me. You will give me trouble if you cry and I will have to use force. So please cooperate."

Ezra was baffled. How did Catalyna know? He was very secretive and really did comply with what Aerwyna asked of him. He should have sensed her with his magic aura. Ezra still tried to act like a baby. He still wasn't sure if she was bluffing.

"Please do stop it. You are pretty smart Ezra, I have seen you read, write and wipe yourself many times. So please just really cooperate. I spied on you when you made the magic core explode. I have seen you walk and talk to your mother as well."

Ezra now finally broke the silence as he confirmed that she really did know about his intelligence, "But how? I should have sensed you with my magic aura."

"I'd rather not tell you yet. Wait there is a guard, we have to hide. Don't you make a single noise Ezra, I really will hurt you if necessary," Catalyna swiftly ran up the wall and jumped latching to the other building.

"What? Are you a mage? Why didn't I sense that before?" Ezra inquired.

"A woman has many secrets," she said, "Now hush."

Ezra was confused. He did not know what to do.

'Do I reveal my apt.i.tude to the world or should I let it be? This is giving me a headache. If I do reveal my ability then there will be a mult.i.tude of problems ahead. If I don't try to get out of this, I am unsure of what will happen to me. For now, I am secure at Castle Blackfyre and I can do as I please. If I let this kidnapping happen then there will be a lot of uncertainty in the future. I'll just try to break out then, and try to hide my ability while making a dash back to Castle Blackfyre,' Ezra thought as he furrowed his brows.

Catalyna having sensed this said,"Don't bother condensing your aura. This cloth will prevent you from using magic in any shape or form, It will also conceal your magic, so they won't find you easily."

'I'm so screwed. What the h.e.l.l is this woman planning with me? No matter. I'll try later when she is distracted. Of course, I can't fully trust what this woman is saying,' Thought

Ezra as he planned his escape.

Castle Blackfyre was in a huge uproar. Only half of the elite guard remained at the Castle due to Reitz's new expedition. It was a time where the castle's security was the lowest. It was only a week more before Ezra would have been presented to Bren, the provincial capital of Fulmen. This was a disaster.

Aerwyna commanded a total lock-down on Bren. No one was allowed to enter or exit the capital. After a few minutes of tears, she had sobered up. She normally was a tough woman but when it came to her child she was emotional of course the fact that she was also a new mother had come into play. Hormones for lactating usually made the mother more unstable when it came to their children a few months after childbirth.

"Milady it seems the wet nurse left before dawn during the rotation of the guards. The three guards that were colluding with the wet nurse were caught," a Blackfyre Guard captain reported to Aerwyna.

"Leave them alive. We will need them for interrogation. Let no one except the Blackfyre Guard near them. Anyone who disobeys this will be treated as a traitor and will be executed on the spot. Have all the maids and servants and all the people line up and stay in the great hall. Anyone who leaves Castle Blackfyre aside from the guards that are searching for Ezra will be hanged. There should be no communication except through the guard. No one is to talk to anyone outside the castle. Have half of the guards in the castle search for Catalyna, half will stay. Make blockade, they are most definitely still in the capital. They most probably will leave during the cover of the night. My personal guard, the Riverrunners, will form a platoon and search the whole of Bren for any traces of Ezra. Tell the garrison to double their forces stationed and tell them to look for suspicious women with babies. The platoons from the castle will start searching from the walls going toward the Castle. This shall take place immediately."

"As you command milady," the Captain replied.

Aerwyna prepared her armour along with her guard the Riverruners. They were retainers of Aerwyna from back when she was still living in Castle Riverrun. They were the elite troops of her house and they were the ones she trusted the most.

"Sir Evan, are there any leads we can act on or any sightings of anything suspicious for that matter?"

"Yes milady, there was a sighting of a person in black exiting the castle near the pub on Rex road west of the castle. But the source was only from a drunk at the tavern so we are not too sure if we can act on it, " Sir Evan replied.

"Have a total lockdown of the City, no one is to leave their house. Every one who shall disobey shall be whipped twenty lashings."

"But milady, there might be an uproar the mer-"

"I have commanded it they must comply. These measures are to find Ezra the quickest way possible. We shall compensate for any losses after the lockdown. Also have the most sensitive to magic aura come along with us, that Catalyna has methods of concealing that are surprising "

"Very well, milady. "

"Now, We shall make that wh.o.r.e pay with her life. I will personally end it after we thoroughly investigate." Aerwyna said as they marched out of the castle.