I went into the sunlight with a slight grin and turned my thoughts toward the task at hand. First, the potions. I swung a left and began to move toward the square and the wares for sale. As I arrived in the area, a crowd of people around the square gathered.
I heard some low grumbles and cries of disbelief before I heard the rest, “… And they will only be returned if the outsiders are sent home. This is a matter to be solved by the true chosen ones—sons and daughters of Brindolla.”
I moved closer until I could see who was speaking; a thin pale-skinned woman with blonde hair and freckles was reading from a piece of parchment in her hands. Tears streamed down her face, and a large man stood behind her with a stoic but strained look.
“Your support and attempts to try and solve this issue on your own with these imposters at the helm are admirable, for certain, but they poison our world by being here. To protect them from the outsiders’ influence and backward ways, we have graciously taken in the children of your humble village.”
A low rumble escaped my throat, and the red rage of my anger rimmed my vision in an almost solid border. They had taken all of the children!? And now the were blackmailing the villagers with them to turn against us?
She began to sob uncontrollably as she tried to read the next portion, so the man took it and read it before he spoke, loudly for all to hear, “Please, think of the children.”
I growled slightly louder and gritted my teeth as I fought against my urge to run off in search of them right then. That had been a not-so-subtle threat to the children that were taken or at least that’s what the parchment implied.
“What would you all like to do?” I asked the crowd before me. They turned, the closest to me jumping in surprise and stared at me. “Who did they take?”
The man who had read the last words on the parchment stepped forward and spoke loudly, “My daughter and my son. You know of them. They sold you potions. You rescued my son from two men who were going to rob him and who knows what else. For that, you have my gratitude. They took several other children, from babies to some on the cusp of adulthood. All of them.”
“I see.” I sighed. This was getting complicated, quickly, but an idea hit me. “Well, then it is with hope that I tell you my friends and I have learned of a way to go home—in the North where the High Elves are. We will leave this evening, so that you may have your children back—hopefully. My deepest apologies to all of you, and my gratitude for your help and kindness. If it will put you better at ease, you can watch us go.”
To my friends, I sent a telepathic call to all of them through our Telepathic Earrings, Our kidnappers have upped the ante here, guys. They’ve taken children and teens hostage and won’t return them until we are gone.
What do we need to do? James asked back.
We make like we’re going to leave, then we go get those kids back, man, Yohsuke explained before I could. Leave it to him to realize what I have planned before I can even say it.
I’m gonna take off and see about scouting. You guys get ready. No matter what happens, we move tonight.
After I filled them in on my lie, I nodded to the father. If I remembered correctly, he was the one who found the ingredients his wife used to make potions. He looked at me grimly while holding his wife’s heaving shoulders and nodded back. At that point, I thought everyone just wanted me gone, so I forewent any of the potions I needed and walked to the tree line. The village was undergoing a major morale shift as parents shouted and tore down the streets shouting their children’s names in vain. How had that many people been taken without so much as a clue?
Sure, there were all sorts of nasty creatures who took kids. Fae, changelings in particular, but they left their offspring behind usually. There were other creatures, lycanthropes, who ate anything that was nearby.
I cast Mental Message to Sam and let him know about the situation, “Are your kids okay?”
His response was the same as the others, “My children are gone too.”
I sent him another spelled message, “I’m sorry, we will leave. Please, let the villagers know we will be gone this evening to go home.”
There was no reply. Angry now, I marched for the forest.
Once I hit the vegetation and the trees, I shifted into my owl form, my body shrinking and becoming lighter everywhere. I ruffled my newly-formed black feathers with specs of gold and white throughout them and attempted to take off.
I flapped my wings mightily and fell to the ground anyway. I closed my eyes for a second and searched my mind for the sensations that Kayda had in flight. Watching her take off, it looked so effortless. I pumped my thin little, clawed legs and hopped into the air. I spread my wings and working the feathered appendages swiftly creating liftoff. It took some getting used to the thermals, the gusting currents of warm air that, from Kayda’s memories, created lift that took less work to coast and glide on.
I could fly for a while before needing to rest, but it took some getting used to. All that work, fighting thermal flows and drafts to try and stay flying quickly. Luckily, my wings were about as silent as it gets in the forest.
I flew south for a while, heading in the direction that the bears had said they’d seen strange happenings in and was rewarded for my efforts. About an hour into the flight, I began to notice signs of struggle, some blood, and footprints. Half an hour later, I saw more and more tracks and signs of humanity in the trees. Then I saw what I was both hoping to find—and grim dread settled in my chest.
I referenced my map; more than fifteen miles from the village and under some kind of cloaking enchantments was a structure.
A small fortress with large wooden log walls lashed together with leather straps nailed tight and sharpened to points. The walls had a thin catwalk for archers and watchmen on the inside, and from where I was settled on a branch, I could see that there were four of them. I observed them for an hour. During that time, they stood at the four corners of the wall for ten minutes, then patrolled counterclockwise as soon as the first guard began to move. They paced to the next corner and stood for another ten minutes. From this distance, I couldn’t tell their names or levels, but I could see that they were largely wolf Beast-kin.
Inside the walls were several tents, a pavilion that looked to be a dining area, and a fenced in area with a tarp over top. I couldn’t tell who was in it, but the single guard at the gate in front of it made me think it was where the hostages were being held.
I waited until the next rotation before I took off into the air. I flew high into the sky, careful my shadow didn’t cross the path of a guard and dropped like a rock into the middle of the camp. Just before I hit the ground, I spread my wings wide, hoping that I landed softly next to the central building.
I didn’t. I overcompensated too much and caught a small thermal. It filled my wings and lifted me to the left where I smacked into a crate. It hurt, but I was whole. I eyed the guards that I could see, and while their ears had perked up, they weren’t actively watching me.
I tried to listen for any snippets of conversation or anything I could but to no avail. Seemed the place was pretty against friendly conversation. Seeing only five guards, though, bolstered my hopes that this would be possible. Especially since at this close of a range, I could see that the guard at the gate of the tarp-structure was only level 13.
I looked to the other guards above and saw the highest there was level 14, and he was the one who always initiated the rotation. Seeing these guys made me think that there may be anywhere from five more guards to ten depending on how long the shifts for duty were.
Having stood watches like these when I was in the Marine Corp, it would stand to reason that a watch like this would last only as long as these men were capable of staying fresh. If they were well trained? It could be hours before the next shift change, but with as bored as these guys looked currently, it would likely be soon. As I watched for the next rotation, the guard at the door was replaced by one of the guards on the wall. Then he took t
hat guard’s spot.
Got it. There weren’t many guards if they were doing that, and the likelihood that they had longer shifts was almost certain in my mind.
On the next rotation, I shot silently into the air once more to another branch and waited to see if the guards noted my movements. The highest level guard eyed my direction; he was too far to see his information, so I made a show of nestling and preening my feathers. After a moment of him watching me, he turned his attention elsewhere, and I stuck around and gave him a chance to glance at me a couple more times so I didn’t seem too outside the norm. Though honestly, an owl outside around noon was a little odd to some. I couldn’t be sure he was one of those people—so, we would call it at that. After the next shift that took his attention elsewhere, I moved on and went back to the inn.
Once I arrived, I landed in the fenced-in backyard and made my way inside. I sent a telepathic call to my friends through our earrings and gave them the skinny on what I had seen and told them we would need to strike tonight. Next, I cast Mental Message to Craglim and told him to come to the inn at dusk to “see us on our way” and to bring whatever he would need for the attack.
I made sure Sir Dillon was abreast of our planning and that he needed to placate the townsfolk as well as the mayor. He was to let them know that we knew we had to move on and find our way home.
After that, we waited at the healer’s hut to see to Rowland when our cooldowns expired.
I summoned a Celestial to see about fixing what was wrong with Rowland. The being, who looked similar to the angel I had summoned before, took him into his arms and focused on him for a moment before kissing his forehead gently.
He glowed lightly for a moment, then the glow dissipated. The being laid him down without a word and with a nod.
Then he turned to me and warned, “No more summoning us for a while. The fight goes on, and we need our strength. In great need, we will come.”
He left in a blinding flash of radiant light, unlike Samu had.
Now, I’m not saying he was trying to intimidate us—but it sure as fuck worked.
“I take it that means he’s going to be alright?” James asked.
“I think so,” Jaken said, almost as confused. “Maybe we ought to have the healer check him out?”
The healer came in and smiled. “I thought I would too. Hold on a moment.”
They came over to stand beside Rowland and opened one eye to the light, then nodded. They checked his vitals and seemed satisfied before turning to us. “I think he is on the mend. I don’t know what was done, but it seems to be helping. Only he knows when he will return to us, though, so I ask that you continue to let him rest here. And do not worry, I have heard of your plans to leave—I will see that his daughter is informed if I see her before the cousin does. Good luck to you all, and thank you.”
“Come on, guys. Let's go get our things from the tavern and get ready.” Bokaj stood and made a show of stretching. “Long journey ahead.”
The healer stood and bowed their head. “I wish you all safe travels. Goodbye.”
We left the hut and walked slowly through the village. More than one set of parents glared at us openly. Another set, a pair of bear Beast-kins, stopped us and thanked us for what we had done for this world so far. They wished us luck ahead and shook our hands. It was nice. This scene played out a couple more times before we entered the tavern.
Chapter Two
“Well, get ye goin’ now.” Craglim made a great show of ushering us out of the village. “Get ye gone so the good folk here can have their children back!” He waved back cheerfully at the sullen watchers. “I’ll be walkin’ em ta the edge o’ the forest, so ye can have yer peace again.”
He continued the charade for almost ten minutes as we left in a north-westerly direction. We had planned to travel this way for half an hour, then turn and walk toward the encampment, but with how boisterous and annoying the Dwarf was being, we only made it twenty minutes.
“Alright, you can shut the fuck up now.” Yohsuke rounded on Craglim angrily. “You’re just being a dick. Move as quickly and quietly as you can, and we won’t leave your stupid ass behind.”
I agreed wholeheartedly, and the Dwarf just chuckled at the angry Elf. His plate mail, treated with light leather padding under each plate to prevent noise, was really pretty quiet—perfect for stealth and defense, but the Dwarf in it was still an annoying fuckstick. I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing I liked his gear. He carried his warhammer, a great-headed affair with a metal shaft and leather handle, in both hands and lagged behind us in the woods a ways. We didn’t let him fall too far behind, but we didn’t want him right up our asses either.
Like I said before, I don’t fucking like him, Yohsuke reiterated for the third time in twenty minutes.
I know, man. We all don’t, but he’s a necessary evil. Now, about this place. Something is off. I scanned the area around us to be sure it was clear before continuing. It’s almost too poorly guarded. You all know the setup. What do you think we should do? I feel shitty for not thinking it a good idea to plan back at the tavern, but there were too many potential watchers. They would’ve guessed something was amiss
Well, we could wait until they get to their corners. Bokaj could silence the one guarding the entrance to the tent, then we take out the guards on the wall at the same time. I mean, they are considerably weaker than we are. It shouldn’t be too hard right? Jaken pointed out.
I had to admit—I agreed. I mean, it wouldn’t be a cakewalk that was for sure. But still, our work would be cut out for us. Our only true mission was to get those kids out safely and get them home.
We walked on in silence, stopping when the world around us stilled, then continuing once we were sure the coast was clear.
Could we have just teleported there? Sure. If I wanted to go into hostile territory with a good chunk of my mana gone and without having the chance to see our surroundings first for optimal positions. So we walked. Was it boring and trivial? Sure. At times. But a necessary evil.
It took us into the early morning—I would have guessed around one or so, but I wasn’t sure. We really took our time getting set up. Luckily, with the darkness having fallen, the enchantment seemed to be lifted. Maybe it recharged at night?
I could talk shop whenever. It was time to get these kids to safety.
We had Yohsuke set up on the north side of the place at the corner outside the range of sight of the wall. Then Jaken stood by outside the south and James to the east. I let Kayda out and hushed her mentally. She was going to stay at the west side and watch for trouble.
Having a stroke of brilliance and wanting to be sure of something, I approached Craglim about getting into my collar. It could hold one willing creature, so there was no reason it couldn’t hold the Dwarf, right?
It took some convincing, something along the lines of, “Get in this fucking collar, or we tie you up, hang you from a tree, and leave your ass as a piñata for a whole bunch of things to hit and bite at.”
“Wha’s tha’?” He shook his head. “Fine, but if I miss the fightin’, I’ll ring yer bell.”
Once he was tucked away, I shifted into my owl form and flew into the encampment to the spot I had landed earlier. I shifted back and let him back out. I clamped a furred hand over his mouth as he took a breath to start cursing. We were well hidden behind these crates, but the sound would attract unwanted attention.
I cast Mental Message and told him, “Shut the hell up or the children are dead and likely your family too because these guys won’t stop until we’re gone, and they don’t seem to have any morals about how that happens.”
He scowled and nodded. My mana recovered in a moment, then I shifted into my owl form and flew back out unnoticed. I repeated the process with Bokaj, putting him into the collar and transporting him. Once he was out of it, he nodded, and then we began. Everything happened at once.
Now! I whispered through our telepathic bond.
&nbs
p; Bokaj pointed his Wand of Silence at the guard we could see on the ground, hit him, and I watched as Craglim sprinted straight at him. He began trying to shout, but no words cleared his throat.
I looked up in time to see the one on the north of the wall drop with an arrow in his back and a smoldering hole in his forehead. I heard a thud behind me and looked up to see James on top of the guard, taking his claws and shoving them into his victim’s throat savagely.
Bokaj turned and fired two more arrows into the east corner guard, just as Jaken’s sword shot into his chest. Kayda, last and certainly not least, flapped up, grabbed the final guard, and lifted him into the air with a tug. I threw a Winter’s Blade at him. The spell, a sword the size of a longsword made wholly of ice, sailed into his chest, and Kayda dropped him before the projectile burst, causing blood and gore to splash to the ground. With a final thud, his head hit the ground from more than twenty feet up, his whole body crashing behind it. The audible crunch of a shattered neck was all that could be heard.
“He said you would come,” said a voice that naggingly enough, sounded familiar. I looked to my right and walking out of the pavilion was a dear, old friend. “I didn’t believe him, but he was right. Remember us, panther? Or are you a fox? The master said you were a Druid, but we didn’t expect you to come as you had. Didn’t expect you to come back to Sunrise. Druids don’t normally care for cities, towns, and all that shite. But I do know what you are.”
“Oh yeah?” I goaded. “What’s that? I didn’t know you had graduated from taking a kid’s lunch money to kidnapping. Though it doesn’t seem like a stretch.”
The wolf Beast-kin growled menacingly. His gray fur covered by significantly nicer armor than last time. He had a nicer cudgel too. Last time I had seen him and his friend, they had been level 4—now, they were level 17 and way better armed. Not that I was worried. Ten more level 13 guards stepped out of the pavilion behind him. The flap opened, and I could smell the scent of food and wine. Some of them were armed with bows, the others armed with swords and axes.
Into the Dragon's Den (Axe Druid Book 2) Page 7
