The complex was nowhere near inactive, with many people moving about. The soldiers were alert but relaxed, obviously not concerned about anyone resisting or even noticing their presence. Fair enough, given the remote location on the mountain. It angered him even as it eased some of the tension in his gut. The more relaxed the soldiers were, the easier it would be to sneak in and retrieve Brenna and any other children.
The fact that the town of Mountainview and populace in this area were ignorant or blatantly ignoring what was happening fired up the rage he’d been able to suppress while they made the journey to this point. The direction of his rage wasn’t entirely fair, as his own townspeople had sold out Brenna and others like her, but they were a convenient target.
How had he been blind to what was happening around him? Granted, he spent as little time as possible interacting with other people, letting his cousin handle the estate and lord’s responsibilities for him and only showing up when absolutely necessary. He preferred to be out in the wilds working with local hunters. Even then, there was still talk. He typically found other things needing his attention and avoided those conversations.
Was he really so reticent that he’d ignored the whispered murmurs? The disappearances two or three times a year? Guilt amped up his other emotions, carving his need for action into a desperate, sharp edge inside him.
Closing his eyes, he sank into his magic and watched the ice blue and misty white swirl around. The wall surrounding it was still clear but formed a barrier nonetheless. He knew from trying that the magic could pass through it, but it wasn’t free like it had been when the wall shattered and he joined Celina in healing for the first time.
Brenna deserved a better soul-guardian. One who wasn’t afraid to embrace magic.
Echoes of sound reached him from the pass below, breaking him out of his morose thoughts. Bringing himself back to the outside world, he focused on the sounds, identifying three travelers approaching based on the voices. Following his instinct, he moved down the hillside, until he was hugging the crumbling fortress wall. Slithering very close to the ground, he let the shadows produced by the dense greenery help hide him.
Moving incredibly slowly, he tilted his head into a painful position so that he could see through a crack in the pile of fallen stones. It was a low view unfortunately, showing him only the legs of numerous men and horses who had entered and were lingering between the guardhouse and the stable.
Multiple sets of boots approached from the direction of the guardhouse.
“You’re late! We were expecting you three days ago. Got a quarry with you?”
“Sorry for the delay, Captain. Bad weather. The kid was trouble, so Jack kept putting him under. Tag him as orange until we see how he behaves in the group environment. He’s smart enough to warrant watching.”
“One mage brat, as ordered,” a new, sneering voice said. A loud thump accompanied a young boy falling to the ground in an unconscious heap. Bruises and dried blood marred his face where he lay against the dirt, arms twisted behind him with rope. Even from a distance, there was a lump visible on the boy’s head.
Rodric guessed he was around Brenna’s age. Not unusual, according to Celina, since it was a common age magic began to develop. To think all this information was ‘normal’ knowledge in some places. He fought a shudder up his spine, forcing his muscles still.
“Orange? Kavesh, what’s with this group? That makes two oranges and a red. I swear they’re getting less docile each season,” the captain grunted in annoyance. “At least you have a reason for being late. Neither Rejak nor Van’s group reported in. Should’ve been back two weeks ago.”
“They enjoy wreaking havoc.” The man who had dropped the boy gave a harsh laugh. “Probably holed up together during the storm and entertained themselves instead of moving through. Wish we would have done the same instead of riding through the rain.”
“We pay you for retrieval, Jack,” a new voice reprimanded. “Damaging them beyond use does us no good. Indulge your violent tendencies on your own time and money.”
“The lieutenant is correct,” a deep, gravelly voice said. “It appears you are going to be short your quota, Captain Darrett. You should have hadat leastten mages with so many men allocated to this region. I expect better.”
“It’s been an unusually bad season, Commander Gorman,” the captain reasoned. “We lost a team early on to the Calderrans.”
“One? Sounds like you’ve lost three.” The commander scoffed. “You’ve delayed long enough. Don’t wait on the others to return. They can find new jobs if they’re still alive. I need to get back, but I’ll leave a few of my men with you to help with transport since you’ve lost so many. Don’t make me come out for a status report in the future, Captain. You’re easily replaced.”
Captain Darrett cursed as the commander stomped toward the guardhouse. “You heard him, start packing. I want to be out of here in two days. Command has decided we’re done with this outpost for now; it’s becoming noticeable. Going to have to recruit three replacement teams for next season and start scouting a new holding facility.”
Low voices became muffled as the soldiers moved their horses toward the stable, kicking up enough dirt to block his view momentarily. When the dust settled, he saw a soldier with the boy over his shoulder approaching the main building some distance away. They’d guessed the large, three-story building was where the kids were being held, probably below ground. The confirmation was nice, but he hoped that Cass had gotten her eye on Brenna.
“Hey, girl!” The soldier’s shout came from farther away near the stable. “Come get these horses.”
Rodric froze, his eyes scanning the surrounding rocks. There!
As quietly as he could, he lifted his head up and to the left, peering through a higher crack in the remaining wall. His neck muscles strained as he held his head level with the viewpoint without moving the rest of his body. Even lifting his head like this was a risk, but he couldn’t resist the slim possibility the soldier was yelling at Brenna.
A tiny child, not more than an underfed six-year-old, came out of the stable. Shoulders hunched, dirt covering her from head to toe, her hair in a tangled mess that may have once been a braid. A length of rope dyed blue was looped around her throat in a tight necklace, standing out boldly against the dull, dirt-laden clothing she wore.
Reaching out, she took the nearest horse’s reins without looking up. Rodric’s heart pounded as he lay unmoving against the rocks, his mind racing as decoded the color system the guards were using. He wondered what color Brenna had been labeled. She was a strong girl, but in this instance, he hoped she was a meek blue like this little one and not the more brutally handled orange or red the leader had mentioned.
Grabbing the child by the front of her dress, one of the men jerked her forward a step so that she was right under him, small head tilted as far back as it could go, feet barely touching the ground. It was a precise move needing no adjustment, telling him the soldier had done it frequently with this little one and probably the other children as well.
“You remember the rules?” The voice identified the bully as Captain Darrett.
She gave a quick nod, a jarring fear to the sharp dip of her head.
“You steal anything or try to ride away, we’ll catch you. And we’ll make dinner out of whatever horse you tried to escape with. That’s all you’ll eat until we reach the trade point. Got it?” The captain gave her a shake, and she nodded frantically.
