105 THE 19TH ACCOUNT: BECKFORTH VS. FRANCUA 7

"Where to next?" Lowen asked as we finished treating and bandaging his wound.

"I'm not sure. Do you have any ideas?" I replied honestly.

"Where is the largest room in the manor?" Jacob asked me. "They might have been holding the hostages there."

"The Grand Room is this way," I responded and led them to the right. It made sense since we have more than twenty personnels in the manor.

We met our other crew members halfway. Some of them have cuts and bruises, evidence of the encounter they had with Beckforth's soldiers.

"We checked most of the rooms from the back and the servant's quarters. No one was there," Neville reported. "Where's Paco, Gondro, and Elgo?"

We told them about the secret room where they were resting. When we neared the Grand Room, the door was blasted with repeated gunshots. Good thing all my crew members have quick reflexes and we were able to dodge the bullets. As usual, since I do not move quickly just yet, Jacob assisted me.