Haldir sat on his broom and stationed right next to the door. Along with others, he flew the couple back to the palace unaware that he was being ogled at.

As soon as they reached the palace, there was another earth shattering jolt that was so loud that Level One shook.

​​

"I must go and see what has happened," said Adrianna with concern etched on her face.

"No, my Queen. I am sending a team of security personnel first to inspect what is happening," suggested Haldir.

"I will go and see now!" Adrianna insisted. She asked the carriage man to take the carriage to the first level. She looked at Dmitri and saw the approval in his eyes.

Haldir couldn't say anything against his queen's wishes and so they all went to Level One.

Adrianna instructed not to touch the carriage to the ground. She took her wand out and stepped out of it midair to mount the wand. Dmitri sat behind her and together they flew to the source from where the noise was coming. The security flew around them tightly.

They must have gone some hundred yards on the left where there were few buildings standing closely and were shocked to see the scene.

A huge serpent had risen, shattering the earth and was now swaying. The wizards and witches along with kids had run to take some cover. He was whipping his tail on the road, splintering it, sending stones flying in every direction.

Rhys!

From the corner of her eyes, Adrianna saw Ziu flying towards him. Before he could take his wand out and do something to Rhys, she raced to him.

The three of them were now in front of the serpent.

Adrianna took the wand out and immediately cast the spell, "Sila Corundis!"

Rhys froze. His mind froze.

Ziu pursed his lips for being a second late. He had recognized Rhys and wanted to take him to a lonely place to extract his memory he was so desperately hunting for.

"How did he manage to escape?" asked Adrianna.

"I have no idea," replied Haldir with a stone cold face.

"Adrianna, please remove the spell so that I can take him in custody and interrogate him," offered Ziu.

"What do you know about him?" she asked with narrow eyes feigning ignorance.

Ziu was thrown back with the question but he recovered immediately. "Nothing. I just wish to interrogate him."

On an afterthought, she nodded and removed the spell. By the time all this was happening, she had already entered Rhys' cell and had wiped clean all the memories. She had planted the same ones that she had planted in the security personnel with a small difference – Rhys seemed to slither around in an underground dark cave. A little more spicy details were added.

As soon as Adrianna removed the spell, Ziu cast a spell on Rhys and both of them disappeared.

Adrianna and Dmitri laughed as soon as they reached the carriage. "He would be busy devouring his brother's mind today." Dmitri tittered.

"Yes, but if he vents his frustration, I am afraid that he could even mentally impair Rhys."

"In that case we need to give Rhys some protection," said Dmitri with a frown. He knew that Ziu was notorious.

"Hmm…"

Adrianna summoned Mihr when she reached the royal palace and asked him to monitor the interrogation. "Do not interfere in what he does to him. Just check that he doesn't harm Rhys."

"Yes, my Queen," bowed Mihr and left.

---

When Ziu took Rhys with him, instead of going to the prison facility, he took him to his office. Rhys was back in his human form and looked around with stupidity in his eyes. He couldn't believe where he was.

"What did you do in the Werewolf Realm?" asked Ziu. Slowly, he entered his cell.

Rhys stared at his brother for a long time and blinked. "I don't remember…"

Ziu traversed his entire mental landscape but all he found was dark cave and mountains and bushes. Frustrated, he came out. "Didn't you go to the Werewolf Realm as I had asked you to?"

Rhys shook his head. "No… I think I was kidnapped and kept underground…"

Ziu seethed. So that was why he was not able to track him for two days. He looked at his brother and felt like twisting his brain forever, but what use would that be. Either his memory had been severely tampered with or he was just too stupid. In anger, he raised his wand to send him back to the Serpent Kingdom but Mihr arrived just in time.

"Why is the prisoner here?" he asked with anger on his face.

Ziu was taken aback at Mihr's sudden entrance. "I- I was interrogating him. He would have lost his mind in the Wizard's prison." He stuttered.

"This is not the protocol. Even if you have to cross-examine him, you have to have some more ministry people around," replied Mihr as he went to hold Rhys by his arm to make him stand. "I am taking him to the temporary prison in the ministry where the Queen would also talk to him."

"Okay, I will come with you," said Ziu.

"No, it is not required," Mihr said and immediately disappeared.

In rage, Ziu pounded his office table.

Things were becoming difficult for him. He needed a new strategy. Perhaps a full-fledged war on the Wizard Kingdom was the last resort left now. He had to gather the army of serpents. He had to call his father's minions. He had to talk to his father.

---

Back in the ministry, Adrianna was sitting across Rhys. She had entered his cell in order to repair his memory. She had anticipated Ziu's actions and had taken the risks accordingly.

When it was all done, she said, "I am sorry for erasing your memories but it was necessary."

Rhys rubbed his neck and said, "I am happy that you kidnapped me else Ziu would have shredded my mind by now."

Adrianna smiled. She remembered when just after she had talked to Rhys, he was being called by Ziu mentally. She had created a shield around him and prevented Ziu from tracking him. The kidnap was necessary so that Ziu didn't suspect their agreement.