Amara landed gracefully on the empty street, her golden mana wings dissolving into faint sparks. Her sharp eyes locked onto Hound, who stood in the dim glow of a streetlamp, barking frantically.
"Hound?" she called, taking a cautious step forward. The beast's ears perked up at her voice, but it didn't stop its distressed barking.
Something was wrong.
Amara knelt beside Hound, gently running her fingers through its fur in an attempt to calm it. "Where's Grey?" she asked softly.
Hound whined and turned, darting forward a few steps before looking back at her expectantly.
Amara's gaze hardened. "Lead the way."
With that, Hound took off into the night, and Amara followed.
****
"Boss, it seems our plan is working," one of the men said.
"Of course it's working. Whose plan do you think this is?"
Menacing laughter filled the warehouse as the kidnappers reveled in the fortune they were about to make.
"It's time." The boss lit a cigarette as one of his companions handed him a phone.
