Page 86 of I Married A Syllen

“How much of it have you dumped?” I demanded.

“We’d literally just started when these things trapped us. Please, loosen them. They hurt,” the younger male whined.

Ignoring his request, Mirella ran her scan and started moving towards the position of the first scattered pod. We spread around that area and picked up the nine pods they had placed so far after my mate confirmed it was safe to touch them with our bare hands.

“If they’re trying to spread this, why drop it in the forest instead of in our main streams of water?” I asked as we completed that task.

“Because this type of chemical requires gastric acid to activate its abilities,” my mate explained.

“I see,” I said pensively.

“However, I’m curious as to why here? Why plant them in this specific area of the forest?” Mirella asked our captives.

“I don’t know. He just gave the coordinates we had to cover,” the brown-haired man said.

“Who is he?” I demanded.

He hesitated and cast a nervous glance towards his companions.

“I asked you a question!” I snapped.

“Ludwig,” the older man replied in his stead.

“WHAT?!” Mirella exclaimed with the same shock we all felt. “Professor Ludwig?!”

“N-no. D-Doctor…” the older man moaned painfully.

“His cousin, Dr. Bran Ludwig,” the younger male said in a defeated voice. “He’s the Research Director at Procrea.”

“Bran Ludwig gave you those bags and instructed you to scatter those pods?” Mirella insisted.

“Yes,” he replied.

“Do you know where that Procrea place is?” I asked Mirella.

She gave me an uneasy look but nodded.

“Show me,” I demanded.

Mirella swallowed hard and brought up her holographic display above her bracer. It showed a large building right next to the Sateira River.

Big mistake on their part…

“Let’s go,” I commanded.

“What about us?!” the light-brown haired man called out. “You can’t leave us here! And he needs medical assistance!”

Every fiber of my being wanted to end them right here and now. However, they could be of use to us, especially if that other Ludwig attempted to deny accountability.

“Drannor, Nym, take those two,” I said, gesturing with my chin at the two younger males.

I marched towards the injured older male and crouched behind him. When I lifted his chin to straighten him he started shouting for mercy. His companions joined their voices to his when my Osheos did the same with them. They believed we were going to slit their throats. And by the shocked look on my mate’s face, she thought the same.

We emitted an ultrasonic pulse from our chests. Depending on the intensity, it could either soothe someone’s pain or knock them unconscious. We went with the latter intensity. The men went limp, silence returning in the forest.

While Nym and Drannor loaded the younger males onto the backs of their respective Nordjarimms, I walked to the closest Sentinel tree to send a rallying call. It was time for us to take matters into our own hands.

Chapter 16