Eramus rose and started forward, but after a few paces tripped over a thick tree root, nearly fumbling to the ground. Arnan scoffed. "This is already going so well. Lead us to our demise, oh great one."
Kieran shot a stern look in his brother's direction, silencing him.
They made their way slowly through the wooded area surrounding the mercenary camp, careful to avoid making any noise that would give them away. It was difficult to maneuver through the dense underbrush, but they reached their destination just as the last bit of color disappeared from the horizon. Several men sat around a campfire, their speech slurring as they dived deeper into their flasks.
"How are we going to find her?" asked Arnan. "She could be inside any of these tents. Surely you don't intend to check them all?"
"I intend to do whatever it takes to rescue her," Eramus replied without offering him so much as a glance.
Arnan groaned and pulled a knife from his waist. "I hope they are as drunk as they sound."
Kieran grabbed Eramus's shoulder, his face pale. "Finding her may not be so difficult." He pointed between two tents where a man tugged a struggling, petite form forward. Evree attempted to jerk from the man's grip and fell to the ground. He yanked her to her feet and sneered.
"Let go of me!" she shouted before he forced her into a tent and they disappeared from view.
Arnan gripped Kieran's arm, keeping him hidden in the shadows. "Don't be brash," he whispered. "We'll get her out of here." The sympathy in his tone surprised Eramus. For all his arrogance and hostility, Arnan seemed to care about his niece, but showing compassion wasn't one of his strengths.
Eramus grabbed a dry branch from the ground and pulled the hood of his cloak over his head. "I'll sneak over and light this. Once the flames catch the first tent, we'll head straight for Evree."
Kieran nodded, and Arnan sighed, but he made no retort. Eramus left them crouching behind a wide oak and made his way into the clearing. With their backs facing him, the men sitting around the campfire didn't notice his approach. Eramus lay down on his stomach and slid the branch past their feet. The piece barely reached the flames, and he held his breath that no one would see the long stick protruding between them.
Once the fire took hold, Eramus dragged the branch back to him.
"Hey! What's that?"
Eramus froze. All four men turned and stared at the flaming branch. One staggered to his feet and bent over to examine the wood. In his drunken state, the man lost his balance and smashed into the ground, face first. Eramus's stomach lurched when a pair of blue eyes met his.
"There's a man holdin' on to it!" The words came out squeaked and slurred, but clear enough the others turned to confirm. Upon spotting him, they jumped from their places on the log and staggered towards him. Eramus scrambled onto his rear and scooted backwards, but in seconds, they hovered over him.
"What do we 'ave here?" said the man with the blue eyes, pulling a long blade from his scabbard. "You're not one of us."
Without giving him a chance to respond, the man swung his sword. Eramus held up his palm, ready to cast his shield spell, but the blade clanked against metal before he could conjure his magic, crashing into another sword just above his head. Eramus glanced over his shoulder and found Kieran posed for attack and Arnan at his side.
