One Night With The Devil

1. Captured

Yuna sat in the carriage, watching the passing scenery with a mixture of excitement and apprehension. The familiar yet unfamiliar streets made her nostalgic and unknowingly, she teared up when she remembered the days she had spent happily before she had been sent away with her grandparents.

'Six years.' She thought. She had been away from home for six years and only she knew how much she had missed her family in those six years. 'I will never leave my family again, irrespective of what happens.' She vowed and wiped the tear that had slid down her cheek.

As the carriage rumbled along the winding road, it came to a halt immediately. The sudden jerk broke Yuna from her stupor and she looked at her maid in confusion.

"Have we reached, Syera?"

"Not yet, Milady. Let me see what is happening." Syera moved towards the window and looked out, beckoning the guards accompanying them.

"What happened, Sir Enver? Why did we stop?"

"Lady, the path is blocked. We cannot go any further." The guard closest to the carriage responded as he tried to assess the situation.

Yuna was startled when she heard people screaming and even more so when she heard them hurl profanities and curses.

"Syera, why is there a commotion on the streets? What is happening?" Yuna peeked out of the carriage, her forehead creasing into a frown. 

"Milady, please stay in the carriage. I will find out what is happening." Enver then got off his horse and pushed through the agitated crowd to find the reason for the commotion.

Yuan fidgeted in her seat, her heart thumping madly in trepidation. 'Why do I feel restless all of a sudden?' She wondered and glanced out of the window. 'Let everything be fine.' She hoped and took deep breaths to calm herself.

Time passed and there was no sight of Enver. Even Syera, who had been waiting patiently all this time, started to have an ominous feeling. 

Unable to withstand the wait anymore, Yuna clenched her dress tight and stood up.

"Milady, where are you going?" Syera stood up in a panic and tried to stop her Lady but in vain.

"Syera, I feel suffocated inside the carriage. Let me take a look."

"But, Milady..." Syera hesitated and looked out of the window.

"I will be fine, Syera."

With a sigh of defeat, Syera opened the carriage door and got off first before helping her Lady.

People kept yelling and Yuna, once again, felt an unknown fear linger in her heart. It was as though something huge and dangerous was about to happen. 

Two guards followed her closely and when they approached the crowd ahead of them, they shielded her, allowing her to make her way.

"I never expected the Sinclair family to lose all their morals and commit treason." 

Yuna heard someone around her speak and she stopped suddenly. 'The Sinclair family?'

"I never expected General Sinclair and his family to be traitors. I always thought them to be righteous and upright."

Yuna felt a pang in her heart and turned to face the two people whispering among themselves. "Who did you say were traitors?"

Her sudden aggressive tone startled the two women and they looked at Yuna suspiciously, only for their expressions to change in a blink. The lady before them was ethereal and they sucked in deep breaths as they admired her divine features. But their admiration dwindled when they saw the belligerence in her eyes. 

It was as though the Lady before them would slit their throats the moment they spoke a word that displeased her. The two ladies gulped in fright and glanced at each other.

"Lady, we do not know anything. Please..."

"Who did you say were traitors?" Yuna stressed, not allowing the two women to get away. From their attire and behavior, she discerned them as not of high social standing. So she could easily make them succumb to her power.

"Lady.." One of the women hesitated and Yuna took a step forward immediately, her eyes shooting daggers.

"We will speak, Lady. We will speak." The other woman sensed the danger in the air. She had not missed the two guards standing behind the young Lady and from her attire and aura, she perceived at once that the young Lady before her was powerful. Provoking and irking her would lead to no good and she loved her life more than anything.

"It is General Sinclair and his family. They are being charged with treason and..."

Yuna did not wait for the woman to continue. She turned on her heels and took off immediately, pushing through the crowd ahead of her with all her might.

"Milady, please slow down," Syera shouted after her as she too followed her. She was appalled to hear the two women's words. 'It is impossible. How could His Grace be charged with treason?' She shook her head in denial and followed her Lady.

Yuna did not heed Syera's words and kept moving toward the center of the crowd. "Father, Mother, Brother." She kept mumbling on her way, hoping against hope for everything to be a lie, a dream she so badly wanted to get up from.

"Please let it all be a lie," Yuna begged as she made it to the front, only for her legs to collapse when she saw her family, her parents and her two brothers, all chained and miserable as they stood facing the angry and perturbed crowd.

"Father," Yuna screamed, but her voice was drowned in the yells and curses of the people. She rushed forward in distress, only to be pulled back by her maid.

"Milady, please," Syera begged and shook her head.

"Syera, let me go. I need to save my family." Yuna tried to shake her off, but Syera's hold on her was too strong and she could not escape her clutches.

"Milady, if you go there now, you will also be in trouble as well," Syera explained, trying as hard as possible to keep her voice low. "You need to stay calm and here if you want to save your family. Please."

Yuna stopped and looked at her parents with tears in her eyes. Her eyes met her father's, who stood strong against all the curses and the furious mob. There was not much change in his expression, his demeanor of being the General of Sakaris not diminishing even for a moment. 

When he noticed his daughter, his eyes softened and he smiled dotingly at her before he became reticent again. He shook his head, ordering her silently to stay where she was before he averted his gaze away lest he should raise anyone's suspicions and put his beloved daughter in danger too.

Like her father, her mother and brothers had spotted her in the crowd. But they did not react much and lowered their heads immediately.

Suddenly, the sound of horses' hooves and neighs garnered everyone's attention, and they made way for the troop of warriors coming their way.

Syera pulled her Lady with her as they watched the group stop in front of captured family. The man leading the group smiled wickedly and Yuna, who had returned to her senses by then, did not miss it.

"General Sinclair." The man spat and smirked in triumph and Yuna clenched her fists in anger. 

"I never expected you and your family to deceive and betray His Majesty this way." 

"Who is he?" Yuna leaned closer to Syera while her eyes still remained on the imperious yet despicable man.

"He is Marquis Iramal," Syera replied immediately.

"Does he have any resentment against my family?"

"I am not sure, Milady. Let me find out."

"Let us find out later. Stay with me." Yuna ordered and returned her attention to the spiteful man.

"Marquis Iramal, time will tell the truth. I, Zachary Sinclair, am not scared of anyone because I have not committed any crime. This is a ploy against me and my family and I am sure His Majesty will realize it soon too."

"Quit being prideful and righteous, Zachary. You and your family are done for." Iramal laughed evilly and Yuna narrowed her eyes at him. 

"Wait for your retribution, Iramal. The truth cannot hide for a long time. The actual traitors will receive their punishment soon. Warn the man behind you to be careful."

Iramal's expression suddenly changed and he stepped forward in fury. But he controlled himself in time when he saw the curious crowd around him.

"What are you waiting for? Capture the traitors and throw them in prison. His Majesty will decide their punishment soon."

The warriors behind Iramal no longer hesitated and dragged Zachary and his sons with them. But they did not dare touch the Lady.

Yuna watched her mother walk behind her father. But there were no tears in her eyes. Even her brothers were not scared of their predicament and bravely faced the crowd and the warriors.

However, her mother stopped briefly before her on the way and dropped a crumpled note, which Yuna did not miss. She pursed her lips and looked at Syera, who was already making her move.

"I will be back, Milady. Please wait here."

Yuna stood still in her place as she watched her family leave her in the crowd. The tears she had so painstakingly stopped fell from her eyes at once and she had to lower her head to stop people from noticing anything amiss from her expressions.

Once the Sinclair family was dragged toward the prison, the crowd thinned out and eventually, only Yuna and a few people were left.

"Milady." Enver appeared before her out of nowhere, his panicked face scrutinizing his surroundings briefly. "We need to leave from here."

Yuna too realized that she had to leave the place soon. So, as soon as Syera returned with the note, she left the place. In her hurry, she did not sense the pair of eyes that had been on her all this time.