I stalked across the burning fields in snow leopard form, keeping pace with the general's horse. The acrid scent of smoke lay heavy and thick in the air; the heat nearly too much to bear. My eyes watered from the smoke and I felt as if I were being cooked in a giant, open-air oven. Every few paces, I paused to cough and wished that I had a water-soaked rag tied around my face, like the general and his men.

While I still wasn't happy to have been subject to plans made without my knowledge, once the general explained what he had in store for me, all of that anger evaporated. To my surprise, Kesio accompanied us while Leihalani went off with Rachael and the earth mage. One would assume that the imperious elven prince would avoid a rude human woman who didn't fawn all over him.

We met with one of Captain Genthana's lieutenants by a cottage that was not currently on fire. I threw myself on the grass, letting the night-cooled earth soak into my belly. The man was speaking to another soldier when we came upon them. He didn't notice me at first, but when he did, his helmet fell from numb hands onto the scorched ground. Swearing, the lieutenant hastily bent down to retrieve his helmet.

"Your Royal Highness, General," he said, bowing and saluting.

"What is the status of this building, Lieutenant?" the general inquired.

"Clear, except for the tunnel, sir."

"What can you tell us about these buildings and the tunnels?" Kesio asked, resting his hands on the pommel of his saddle and leaning forward.

"There are six cottages," he replied, eyes shifting over to me and back to the crown prince. "We cleared all of them, but only managed to explore one of the tunnels before you arrived."

"And what did you find?"

"Rudimentary sleeping quarters. From what little we've managed to gather from the humans held here, they stayed in the cottages and only went down to the tunnels either to escape sight or to have their powers siphoned off."

My ears pricked up at that, drawing the lieutenant's attention again. The general noticed and said, "She's not going to eat you, Lieutenant."

Well, that's debatable, I thought with a mental smirk, tail tip swaying in the ash-covered grass.

"Ah, yes, sir, my apologies," the lieutenant replied, straightening. "Would you like to enter the building?"

The general swung down from his horse, followed by Kesio and the other soldiers. "Yes, lead the way."

The lieutenant nodded and turned to step into the cottage. I waited patiently, not wishing to overstep any boundaries. But the general gestured me to go ahead of him. Whiskers twitching, I rose and padded up to the cottage door.

I paused at the entrance, bracing myself for an onslaught of unwashed human bodies. But, to my surprise, everything smelled relatively clean. The cottage itself wasn't a home, per se, but more of a barracks-type dwelling. There were at least three rooms that I could see, and every one had at least four bunk beds crammed into the space.

Two times four is eight, eight times three is twenty-four, I counted. Twenty four people in a cottage that was barely larger than a reasonably-priced apartment in Streamfield. Twenty-four times six was ... too many. Far too many. All of these kids taken from their homes and held for ... years? Oh, God.

The beds all had clean mattresses and blankets; next to the beds were these little trunks. I spied toys and books, as well as random crafting materials. My furry brows bunched together. I wasn't expecting this sort of treatment from kidnappers.

I heard Kesio point out as much to the general as they entered the cottage.

"This way," the lieutenant urged, walking past a closet that apparently served as the bathroom. He entered another room that couldn't be observed from the door. "The tunnel entrance is here," he explained, lifting a trap door.

Oh, there was no way my leopard ass was fitting down there. Gathering the magic, I shifted, startling the lieutenant. He blushed furiously in the dim lighting and turned to face the wall.

"Something wrong, Lady Alina?" General Whitesword inquired, crossing his arms.

"Paws don't climb ladders very well," I explained, making clutching motions with both hands. "I'll shift back once I get to the bottom."

"Go ahead, then."

Gritting my teeth, I bit back a tart reply and pivoted to descend the stairs. As if I needed his permission.

My bravado lasted about as long as it took me to get to the bottom. While the cottage didn't particularly give off any creepy vibes, down in the tunnel it was a different story.

I dropped to the ground, toes curling upon impact with cold, hard dirt. Ahead of me stretched the tunnel, lit intermittently by small globes of magic. The whole effect was sinister and gloomy. Immediately, I shifted back, grateful for the warmth my thick fur coat provided. I peered deeply into the shadows, assuring myself that nothing was going to jump out at me.

No, there was nothing but dirt and despair here.

One ear rotated back, catching the sounds of booted feet on wooden ladder rungs. I moved forward, allowing Kesio, the general, and the rest of the soldiers into the tunnel.

Without waiting for an order, I lowered my muzzle to the ground and began to search the area for a trail to follow. After spending so much time among the elves, their scent didn't bother me as much anymore. So, I was able to put it aside and focus on the human ones—which greatly outnumbered their captors.

At first, the tunnel was straightforward. Early on, I did find one of the rudimentary alcoves the lieutenant mentioned earlier. It was completely bare, except for a blanket that lay crumpled up in the corner. So I continued on.

The tunnel extended a fair bit until it suddenly broke off into two. I paused and sat on my haunches, trying to decide which one to go down first.

"What is it?" the general asked, coming up to me. Sitting as I was, the tips of my ears came up to his shoulder. I turned slowly and held up a paw with the pads facing outwards, hoping he understood the gesture. My spine might be more flexible as a leopard, but gestures that required finesse proved difficult.

Each tunnel had a fair amount of scent covering them, indicating that both were used equally. Eeeny-meeny-miney-mo ... I rose and turned right, tail bobbing a few inches above the ground.

We followed the tunnel to the end, which happened to lead to another ladder. I stood off to one side as General Whitesword sent three soldiers up to investigate. They returned a few minutes later, stating that it was merely another cottage on the property and empty.

The second tunnel was slightly longer and also led to an empty cottage. As Kesio and General Whitesword discussed the next step, I backed up and went back down the hall. There was an anomaly that I'd encountered on the way and I wanted to check to make sure I wasn't imagining things. The scents here seemed to congregate, layer upon layer of odor as if they were standing in front of me.

As I passed over the spot, my nose grazed a crack in the dirt. The distinct odor of humans wafted through the fissure.

Alarms blared in my head and I reared back, the hair on the back of my neck and spine puffing up.

I didn't even notice General Whitesword was following me until he spoke. "What—" the general began, but I quickly shifted, making frantic, cutting motions with my hands. All activity in the tunnel ceased, every male elven eye turned upon me.

Laying a finger to my lips, I pointed to the spot where I found the crack. The general walked up to it and drew a long dagger from his belt.

"Here?" he breathed.

Mutely, I nodded and stepped aside as he gestured to the soldiers. One by one, they drew daggers from their belts and held them up, poised to strike at the wall.

Before the first strike landed, I quickly shifted back into leopard form, feeling more comfortable with claws and teeth than as a half-naked human.

The elves made quick work of the wall; huge chunks of dirt and rocks peeled away, falling to the hard-packed floor. In less than five minutes, a shout went up among the soldiers and the daggers went away. A burly man who had the physical appearance of a Tsola bodyguard used his shoulder to break down the last remaining pieces. He fell through the hole, twisting with inhuman grace; pale light from the globe on the wall glinted off of the dagger he raised in one hand as he went in.

Shouting, the soldiers rushed into the gap, their deep voices nearly overshadowing the terrified screams of children. Ears pricked towards the sounds, I bounded forward—only to be pressed backwards by retreating elves.

"Back up! Back up!" General Whitesword was shouting. More than half of the men backpedaled and spread out along the tunnel.

Eeling around them, I stuck my muzzle around the corner and was instantly overpowered by the stench of fear. A group of ten children ranging in age from six to about thirteen huddled together, some with pale purple shapeshifter eyes. All of them wore the same long, drab-colored smock, whether they were girls or boys. But what struck me the most, other than experiencing their sheer terror at being discovered, was the fact that almost all of their hair was completely white.

I fell heavily to my haunches, at a loss on how to comprehend what lay before me. Whatever I expected to see, this was not it. Their skin was pale, as if they had been denied exposure to the sun. Only one boy still had some color to his hair, but it was auburn and not sandy blond.

Jimmy wasn't here.

I stared at the children, barely registering the words of comfort the general was offering them. As my eyes scanned their rigid, terrified bodies, I noticed something shift in the corner. A shadow that was not childlike in any way seemed to phase into the earth.

Slowly, I rose to my feet and slunk, belly low, into the chamber. My vision narrowed, until all I could see was the shadow as it clawed at the wall. Trembling voices that suddenly lifted in an excited exclamation of "Shapeshifter!" and the lower voices of elves demanding to know what I was doing barely registered.

Muscles clenching, I tensed then exploded forward. Jaws opened, fangs bared, I lunged at the humanoid shape and bit down on a mouthful of fabric. The person screamed, their high-pitched voice giving me no clue as to whether they were male or female. Grunting, I lowered my haunches and began tugging.

The elf twisted around and began to beat on my head and neck with their fists. Pain blossomed as one blow knocked against my right ear. I stumbled sideways, a tiny starburst of light flaring up in one eye, but I kept my jaws locked tight.

Snarling, I reached out with one snowshoe paw and swiped at their legs. Screaming, the elf tripped and fell; cloth ripped and momentum threw me backwards. Shaking my head, I lunged forward, only to be shoved to the side by several elven soldiers. Hunched in the dirt, I peered through armored legs as the soldiers grabbed the cultist and yanked them upright.

Long black hair fell back from an angular, yet feminine face. Fury and fear vied for dominance in her expression and she struggled in the soldiers' hold. They twisted her around and shoved her to her knees in the chamber. Ligaments and bone ground against each other, causing her lips to curl in pain.

"Where are the others?" General Whitesword demanded, standing over the woman with one hand on his sword.

Through the pain, the woman tossed her head back and glared at him. The general looked over at me and made a motion with his hand.

I wasn't a vindictive person. Grudges and grief weren't part of my personality. I had never threatened anyone with my leopard form before coming to Atlantis, but this woman had not only tried to box my ears in, but she essentially sealed these kids in a tomb to die.

So it was easy to rise to my feet, stalk over to her, and roar in her face. The acrid scent of urine that followed was not pleasant, however.

"Where are the others?" the general repeated calmly.

Through her tears, the woman began to speak.