CHAPTER 16: THE ONES WHO DISAPPEARED

Anneliese walked through the forest, clutching the spell book to her chest. She couldn’t risk slipping it into her bag—it was still soaked from her fall into the river.

As she neared the town, she finally slid the book inside the partially dried bag, out of sight from her parents. Turning onto the main street, she kept her head down, scanning her surroundings, trying not to be seen.

Not a single Officer crossed her path.

Am I lucky to walk so freely during a curfew... or is this the silence before the storm? she wondered, unease curling in her stomach.

At her doorstep, Ann glanced both ways down the quiet street. Still no sign of anyone. She opened the creaky wooden gate, walking to the main door, she knocked twice. When no one responded, she called out, "I’m home, Mumma! Open the door!"

Silence.

She frowned. "That’s... odd."

Circling to the backyard, she entered through the backdoor.

No voices. No footsteps.

Not finding her parents or sister in the drawing room, she called for them, "Mumma! pappa?"

"Mumma? Pappa?..... Adlina" she called again, moving from room to room.

In the kitchen, some utensils were washed, others left soaking in the basin. Ann’s frown deepened—her mother would never leave the kitchen half-finished.

A nervous flutter grew in her chest.

Ascending the stairs, she called, "Adlina? Where are you?" Still no reply. Her sister’s slippers sat neatly beside the bed. She never walks barefoot,

Ann thought, panic blooming in her chest.

She bolted into her parents’ room—empty.

Her heart pounded. Dashing downstairs, she burst through the door and ran to the neighbors’.

"Mrs. Miller? Are you home?" she shouted, banging on the door. "Mr. Miller? It’s Ann—have you seen Mumma, Pappa, or Adlina?"

No response.

She ran down the street, calling out louder, "Mumma? Pappa? Adlina?! Where are you?" Her voice cracked as she screamed into the silence, again and again. She didn’t even know where she was running anymore—just away from the growing uncertainty in her chest.

She didn’t care if Officers caught her anymore.

Racing to the library alley, she banged her fists on the helper boy’s door.

"Liam! Are you in there? Please, open up!"

Only her own echoes answered. Her voice bounced off the empty brick walls, swallowed by the eerie quiet.

"Hello?" she cried. "Is anyone here? Can someone hear me? Please come out! Please!"

Back on the main route, she searched for an Officer—anyone. An hour passed. The sun was sinking lower.... the streets stayed lifeless.

Drenched in sweat, she bent over, hands on her knees, gasping for breath.

"Mr. Herondale... I should go to him!"

At his door, she knocked hard, calling his name. Again—no answer.

Exhausted and overwhelmed, she collapsed near a shuttered flower shop on Bazaar Road. The florist wasn’t there. No one was.

Breathing shakily, she buried her face in her palms. "What is happening? Where is everyone? What should I do now?"

It was as if the townspeople had evaporated. Not a note, not a footprint. The air itself felt hollow.

Then a flicker of hope—"Mr. Enzo! I should contact him!"

She looked around. The cat that had shadowed her these past few days was nowhere in sight.

"Where did the cat go?" she whispered.

Exhaling sharply, she made her way back to her house—a home that no longer felt like one. Her parents wouldn’t be waiting.

Her chest ached.

No matter how hard she tried to push the panic down, it kept climbing back.

Just as she turned off Bazaar Road onto the main route, she heard wheels in the distance.

Turning, she saw them.

Three carriages approached.

Inside the lead carriage, the coachman leaned back. "Sir, there is a woman on the street."

"Stop the carriage," came the voice of Envoy Egnatius.

The coaches halted. The door opened. Members of the Administrative Board stepped out, one by one.

Anneliese recognized him immediately—the Head Envoy who stood in the forest days ago. The one who had nearly thrown her into a dungeon.

Rushing to him, she bowed respectfully. "Is the Board here to investigate?"

Three hours earlier, the Board had received urgent news: something resembling the incident of Windborn disappearance had occurred here—in Haselburg. Not a single resident remained in Windborn. And here, this girl strolled the streets alone.

Envoy Egnatius stared at her. Too much of a coincidence.

Stepping closer, he glanced once at the deserted town, then back at her. , Eyes narrowed. Jaw clenched slightly.

Before she could speak, he cut in sharply. "Isn’t it convenient," he said slowly, "that you were found at the crime scene in the forest... and now again—here, in Haselburg?"