Chapter 154
Whoosh! The arrow flew. Hundreds of feet away, Gilbert had no time to dodge. The arrow struck him square in the gut, punching clean through.
Nolan lowered his bow with icy calm. “Bring him back. Alive.”
“Yes, sir,” Ross replied, immediately setting off with the others.
With the pursuit underway, Nolan turned and rushed back to the carriage. “Serenity. What happened just now?”
He also had heard that thud from inside. He yanked open the curtain, only to catch a glimpse of a slender, bare leg.
Inside, Tina had been checking Eliza’s leg for signs of a centipede bite. In one swift motion, Tina snatched the curtain from Nolan’s hand and yanked it shut again.
Eliza quickly called out, “Your Highness, do not worry. I am fine. A centipede got into the carriage just now. Tina was checking to make sure I was not bitten.”
Nolan hesitated for a moment, then, upon hearing that a centipede was involved, his brow furrowed as he asked, “Was it venomous? Did it make contact with your skin anywhere other than the wound?”
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Inside the carriage, Eliza was about to shake her head, but then something occurred to her. She extended her right hand and, sure enough, the tip of the finger that had touched the centipede was beginning to show signs of dark bruising.
Tina’s expression shifted slightly, and she opened her mouth to speak, but Eliza was already moving. She quickly retrieved a bundle from the carriage and pulled out a set of silver needles.
Without hesitation, she took one and pricked her poisoned finger, slowly drawing out the toxic blood.
Next, she took a detox pill that Mary had prepared for her and swallowed it in one go.
Once she had completed all of this, Eliza let out a sigh of relief and smiled. “Thankfully, it was just a light brush. The poison isn’t too deep, so it’s manageable.”
She had been careless. She hadn’t expected the centipede to be so poisonous. But given the situation at the time, if she hadn’t taken it into her pocket farm, she probably would have been bitten, which could have made things far worse.
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Eliza had no regrets about how it played out. However, inside the carriage, Tina was filled with regret. “It’s my fault for being too slow. If I’d dealt with that person first and returned to the carriage sooner, you would never have come into contact with that centipede.”
Outside, Nolan was equally remorseful. He had forgotten that foreign assassins were most skilled at using such tricks. But there was worse to come for him.
“Your Highness,” Ross said, hurrying back with the others, their faces grim. As soon as Nolan saw their expressions, an unsettling feeling settled in his chest.
The next moment, Ross spoke. “Your Highness, I’m sorry, but after the thief took your arrow, he was still able to move. By the time we caught up, he was gone.”
All they found was a large pool of blood on the ground. It was clear that the arrow wound had been severe, but Gilbert had somehow managed to escape.
“Send someone immediately to search for him,” Nolan said, about to issue a command. But before he could, Eliza emerged from the carriage. She jumped down and glanced in the direction Gilbert had fled.
“Your Highness, there’s no need for a search. There’s no point in wasting our time over one mere assassin,” Eliza said.
After all, with Sophie in their grasp, Gilbert would eventually return. For now, they had more important matters at hand. It
was already a bonus that they had eliminated so many of Sophie’s allies along the way.
Given Gilbert’s serious injury and his escape, it was unlikely he would return anytime soon.
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Chapter 154
Eliza now saw an opportunity to proceed with the main purpose of her mission, the Rain Ritual in Plutonville.
Two days later, Eliza and her group finally reached the borders of Plutonville. As they neared their destination, they could feel the temperature rising. The heat was becoming unbearable.