The Dark Blade: Return Of The General.

Chapter 21: The Alliance

Jacob stormed across the hospital parking lot toward his car, fury radiating from every step. "Marcus Nico is working directly with my brother. This is not just about revenge anymore. They are all connected—the Nicos, the Crimson Dawn, Elijah. Everything ties together."

Leo jogged to keep pace, his tablet clutched against his chest. "Sir, we need to regroup and strategize. You cannot face this alone."

"I am not planning to," Jacob replied, yanking open the driver's door. "Call everyone. Carl, the remaining team members, anyone we can trust. Emergency meeting at the safe house in thirty minutes."

Twenty-eight minutes later, Jacob stood in a converted warehouse on the industrial side of Seron that served as his hidden base of operations. Maps covered the walls, surveillance equipment blinked with data streams, and weapons lined metal racks along the back wall.

Carl arrived first, his military bearing evident in every movement. The former special forces operative had served as Jacob's second-in-command during his time with the Himulan Sect. Behind him came six other fighters—hardened warriors who had followed Jacob through countless battles.

Leo projected images onto a large screen mounted on the wall. "Here is what we know. The Nico family did not just have business dealings with the facility where Elijah was imprisoned. They funded the entire operation through shell companies and offshore accounts."

Documents flashed across the screen—bank transfers, corporate records, coded communications spanning fifteen years. The evidence was damning and comprehensive.

"Why would they fund a prison for dangerous children?" one of the fighters asked.

"Because they were not just imprisoning them," Jacob answered grimly. "They were recruiting them. Training them. Turning damaged children into weapons they could control."

Leo pulled up additional files. "The facility officially burned down fifteen years ago, but financial records show payments continued for another three years afterward. They moved the operation underground, taking their most promising subjects with them."

"Elijah," Carl said simply.

"Exactly," Leo confirmed. "Bishop Nico likely freed Elijah personally, gave him resources and training, and pointed him at the Krigg family like a loaded gun. Elijah got his revenge, and the Nicos eliminated their political rivals in one night."

Jacob paced like a caged predator, his mind assembling pieces of a conspiracy that had been decades in the making. "But Elijah is not the type to stay anyone's weapon for long. He would have started planning his own moves the moment he was freed."

"Which brings us to their current relationship," Leo agreed, switching to more recent surveillance. "Our intelligence suggests significant tension between Elijah and the Nico family. Marcus has been trying to assert control, but Elijah refuses to follow orders he disagrees with."

"They are using each other," Jacob concluded. "Elijah needs the Nicos' resources and connections. The Nicos need Elijah's military strength and knowledge of the artifacts. But both sides are planning to betray the other first."

Carl stepped forward, his tactical mind already working through possibilities. "Then we use that against them. We are outnumbered and outmaneuvered in a direct confrontation. But if we can turn their alliance into a war—"

"We let them destroy each other while we focus on the real threat," Jacob finished. A cold smile crossed his face. "I like it. Leo, what do we need to make this work?"

Leo pulled up a communication analysis. "Marcus and Elijah communicate through encrypted channels, but we have access to their network. We can plant false information that makes each side believe the other is planning immediate betrayal."

"Make it convincing," Jacob ordered. "Leaked conversations, doctored evidence, whatever it takes. I want Marcus convinced that Elijah plans to kill him the moment the ritual is complete. And I want Elijah to believe the Nicos are preparing to eliminate him first."

"That gives us maybe six hours before they figure out they have been played," Carl warned. "We need to be ready to move the moment the chaos starts."

Jacob studied the map showing the ruins of his family estate. "The ritual begins at dawn. That is when Elijah will be most vulnerable—focused on whatever twisted ceremony he has planned. If we can get him distracted by a Nico attack at the same time..."

"We have our window," Carl agreed. "I will position teams around the perimeter. The moment Elijah and Marcus start fighting, we move in and—"

Jacob's phone rang, cutting off the planning session. The screen showed Roseline's name. Ice formed in Jacob's stomach as he answered. Roseline would not call during strategy unless something was critically wrong.

"Jacob, you need to get back to the hospital right now," Roseline's voice was tight with controlled panic.

"What happened? Is Anna okay?"

"Security footage shows someone entering her room fifteen minutes ago. Male, mid-thirties, wearing a doctor's coat and hospital identification. But when I checked with hospital administration, no such doctor exists in their database."

Jacob was already running for his car before Roseline finished speaking. "Where is Anna now? Is she safe?"

"I do not know," Roseline admitted, and Jacob could hear her running through the hospital corridors. "I was in the cafeteria getting coffee. When I came back, her room was empty. No signs of struggle, but she is just gone."

The drive to the hospital took four minutes. Jacob broke every traffic law in existence, his mind screaming with worst-case scenarios. The baby. Anna's fragile condition. The fake doctor who could have done anything while Roseline was away.

He abandoned his car in the emergency lane and sprinted through the hospital entrance. Roseline met him on Anna's floor, her face pale with guilt and fear.

"I should never have left her alone," Roseline said as they ran together toward the room. "Even for five minutes. I failed you, Jacob."

"Later," Jacob ground out. "We find her first. Blame and guilt come after."

They burst into Anna's hospital room. The bed was empty, sheets pulled back as if Anna had gotten up voluntarily. Her personal items were gone—her phone, her shoes, the protective amulet Jacob had given her weeks ago.

Jacob's combat training took over, his eyes scanning the room for any evidence. There—on the bedside table, weighted down by a medical cup so it would not blow away.

A note written on hospital stationary in red ink that looked disturbingly like blood.

Jacob picked it up with shaking hands, reading words that made his blood run colder than arctic ice:

"Your wife and child for the amulet. Midnight. The old bridge. Come alone or they die."

At the bottom of the note was a symbol Jacob recognized instantly—the twisted version of the Krigg family crest that Elijah had adopted as his personal mark.

Roseline read over his shoulder, her expression hardening into something deadly. "It is a trap. An obvious trap designed to separate you from your allies and get you vulnerable."

"I know," Jacob replied, his voice empty of emotion. The cold calm that came before battle was settling over him like a familiar coat. "But it does not matter. That is my wife and my child. I will walk into whatever trap Elijah has set, and I will burn through anyone who tries to stop me from getting them back."

He checked his watch. The time was 6:47 PM. Midnight was five hours and thirteen minutes away. Enough time to prepare, to gather weapons, to plan one final strategy.

But as Jacob turned to leave, Roseline grabbed his arm. "Jacob, look at this."

She pointed to something he had missed in his initial scan—small drops of red on the floor leading to the window. Jacob knelt and touched one. Still wet. He brought his finger to his nose and sniffed.

Not blood. Paint. Red paint designed to look like blood drops.

"He is taunting you," Roseline said quietly. "Leaving a trail like some sick game. Showing you exactly how he took Anna and daring you to follow."

Jacob stood, his jaw clenched so tightly his teeth ached. "Then I will follow his trail straight to wherever he is hiding. And when I find him, when I get Anna and my child back safely, I am going to make him wish he had died in that facility fire fifteen years ago."

He pulled out his phone and called Leo. "Change of plans. The bridge. Midnight. Elijah has Anna."