Therefore, George was expecting Zach to retaliate very soon and Zach's earlier response to his heartfelt request made him even more certain that whatever Zach was planning was going to take place in the near future.
Just like George, Christina sensed Zach's restlessness as they walked down the aisle with the guests making noise on both sides. But to her, there was only silence as the only sound she could register was Zach's uneven breathing despite the calm on his face. Even if it hadn't been for the bodily signs, Christina wasn't exactly stupid. She was in face sometimes even more perceptive than her father who was a seasoned veteran in reading people. Therefore, she could tell that something wasn't right with Zach. But given the occasion and the people all around them, she couldn't ask Zach about it. She could only wait until the conclusion of the wedding ceremony to ask him about it or to assist him if she could help him out in any way.
The aisle wasn't as stretched out as Zach was finding it to be at the moment he walked down with Christina towards the altar. Zach took a breath of relief as soon as they reached the end of it and stood in front of a priest with their backs to the crowd of guests. Zach wondered what kind of religion the aborigines of the Elizabeth city believed in but he decided not to care about it.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have gathered here today to bear witness to the union of two families through the sacred rite of marriage. Marriage is a beautiful and sacred union, a reflection of the love and commitment shared between two individuals. As these two stand before us today, they do so with hearts full of love and anticipation for the future they will build together. They have chosen to make a lifelong commitment to one another, to love and support each other through all of life's joys and challenges. As their officiant, it is my honor to be a part of this special day and to help facilitate their wedding. We ask for the blessings of those present, and for the love and guidance of those who have gone before us. May their marriage be filled with joy, love, and laughter, and may they always find strength and comfort in each other's arms. Let us now bear witness to their love and commitment as they exchange their vows and become one in marriage. If anyone wants to oppose this union, speak now or forever hold your peace for this commitment will surely last a lifetime." The priest finished with his opening remarks gave a hearty smile that was as benevolent as the morning dew in summer season and gazed intently at Zach and Christina as if giving them a last chance to back out if they wanted to.
Seeing that their gazes held no doubt, the priest turned towards Christina and asked, "Do you Christina take Zach to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish until death do you part?"
Christina remained unfazed in the face of the priest's question as if she had no hesitation at all as she answered with a smile on her face, "Yes, I do."
"Do you promise to be a faithful and loving wife, to honor and respect him, to be a source of comfort and support, and to stand by him through all of life's joys and challenges?"
"Yes, I do." Christina's smile grew brighter and more precious every time she answered the priest's question.
"And do you vow to create a home together that is filled with love, compassion, and understanding, and to always communicate openly and honestly with each other?"
"Yes, I do."
There was a chorus of applause and cheers from the audience as Christina completed her wedding vows giddily.
The priest appeared to be satisfied with Christina's answers as if he wasn't the officiant but the judge who was going to make the decision whether Zach and Christina would be married or not.
Zach on the other hand was growing a little restless wondering if the plan was going forward as he expected or if Diana had run into any kind of hurdle because it was already a little past the time he had designated for the extraction mission.
The priest turned towards Zach this time and asked, "Do you Zach take Christina to be your lawfully wedded wife, to join with her in the sacred covenant of marriage, to share in all of life's joys and challenges together, and to love and cherish her always, until death do you part?"
Christina looked on with a little expectation towards the man who was going to be her husband soon.
Just when Zach was about to say something, in response to the priest's question, a flare launched into the air right outside the wedding hall and its flashy light illuminated the surroundings a tad more than the sun and the sound made by the shot from the flare gun attracted the attention of the guests towards it.
That's when Zach knew that it was time to leave. He felt sorry towards the girl he was about to leave at the altar but he was left with no choice since he might not get another chance to escape later on. As soon as the prince's men made their move, the three of them would be left with no route of escape.
Zach grabbed Christina's shoulders and pulled her towards himself slightly before whispering, "Sorry" in her ear. He then pulled out several smoke bombs from his Weapons Arsenal and threw them on the ground in the manner of those flashy ninjas from the island country.
The smoke filled the entire wedding hall as all the guests began to scramble towards the exits thinking that it was some enemy attack so as to ensure their own safety. Chaos ensued as the people ran like they were in the Olympics finals.
This was exactly what Zach wanted from them. He needed to create enough chaos so that the three of them would be able to escape unnoticed by all the guests.
Kolt who was witnessing everything at a distance from a high vantage point wasn't surprised at all. In fact he had been waiting for something like this to happen ever since he had seen how daring Zach had been during their slight interaction. The fact that he had tried to assassinate him in front of everyone was a testament to his courage and rebellious attitude towards authority. Therefore, he had been sure that Zach would retaliate in some form very soon.
As such, he hadn't ordered his troops to retreat despite having accomplished his goal in this place. Instead he ordered his soldiers to surround the place like an iron curtain that wouldn't let even a bird escape its confines. So, Kolt was sure that whatever Zach was planning was bound to fail because his soldiers would never let him escape this place even if he wanted to.
The only thing that caused Kolt to furrow his brows in annoyance and slight surprise was the sound of the distant but distinct explosion he had heard. Kolt hated surprises because they had the potential to ruin his carefully laid out plans no matter how perfect the plan might be.
The explosion was definitely close to the encirclement of the troops he had positioned around the Luther family estate. Kolt could have assumed that the explosion could be a coincidence only if the several incidents had been mutually exclusive. The several incidents were definitely connected since the explosion sounded as if in tandem with the flare that launched near the wedding hall and the smoke that spilled all over the hall subsequently. It was as if someone had carefully planned everything out and had timed everything down to the last second.
Kolt deduced that Zach had called for reinforcements. The earlier explosion also corroborated that fact. But what made him ponder more deeply was the fact that Zach shouldn't have found the time or the opportunity to send a message to anyone since he had positioned his men for that very purpose. He wanted to know what method Zach had used to get his message across to his people who had no doubt come to rescue him now considering that they were bombarding everything without holding back.
Nothing was going as Kolt had intended as the chaos allowed Zach to escape his eyes and those who were keeping an eye on him. Meanwhile, his reinforcements were getting closer and closer to him.
Kolt was worried that Zach would make contact with his men soon and that was something he wanted to avoid at all costs. It had taken him too much time to corner Zach and he didn't want him to escape his clutches so easily. In order to avoid such a scenario from coming true, Kolt turned towards his guard mage, irritation evident on his face and ordered, "Get my warhorse ready. I want to see how he dares to escape when he already signed the agreement. I won't let his designs of escape come to fruition even if I have to capture him myself in the act."
The guard mage acted as if he had no tongue inside his mouth and the one he did was only for show as he nodded with his eyes and left in a hurry obviously to carry out the orders given to him by his lord Prince.
