Slowly, they moved around the body toward the stable, the first structure they needed to clear. Cass and Sev would be clearing the guardhouse. As the towers were destroyed, and mostly inaccessible, they had chosen to ignore those. Taking light, gliding steps, as he would while stalking prey, Rodric dropped low to the ground and made his way to the perimeter side entrance. Scanning the rough pen showed no signs of human movement. Taking up a guard position, he pressed against the wall of the stable as Connor entered the barn.
Rodric kept his ears tuned to Connor’s movements but his gaze to the fortress. A fluctuation of shadow near the far wall caught his eye. The ripple in the mist was followed by silent movement as Sev followed Cass away from the guardhouse.
Connor’s face was thunderous when he returned to the barn entrance, his muscles thick with tension, whatever he’d seen clearly upsetting him.
Rodric squeezed his shoulder and signaled that the guardhouse was clear and they needed to continue forward.
With a grateful nod, Connor stepped into the night, eyes turned upward.
Above, a hawk flew in deceptively lazy circles, dipping along the currents of the wind. Hovering near the far side of the fortress, the hawk rolled in the air, making two full rotations before swooping up high. Returning to its smooth glide, the hawk looped the fortress again before disappearing into the shadows. It reappeared next to them, swooping close enough to nearly brush Connor with a wing on its way to the tree.
A smile touched Connor’s lips as the hawk brushed by him. Facing Rodric, he signaled that there were two men on the far side of the keep that he would handle, while Rodric should continue.
Nodding, Rodric watched the hawk shadow Connor from above as he made his way along the mountainside, disappearing into the shadows between the mountain and the back wall of the keep. Worse than before, Rodric was jittery with the need to finish this hunt and retrieve the ones they’d come to save.
Pausing outside the entrance to the keep, Rodric checked his grip on his blade. Muffled shouting and movements came from inside the hall that made up the ground floor of the keep. The large room with dining tables, fireplace, and access to the dungeon was the one place that had worried Cass. Depending on the number of people, someone might try to run down to the children with vicious intent.
Steeling himself, he entered the room.
Sure enough, Sev was standing guard on the back center wall, defending the stairway. A dead man lay nearby, blood pooling by his midsection. Rodric nodded in satisfaction when he noticed the red boots, indicating that the abusive Jack was dead. Across the room, Cass battled two soldiers, working them slowly into the corner, away from the exit points and stairwell. They were grunting and cursing loudly but appeared to actually be decent swordsmen.
Rodric watched just long enough to assess the situation before turning to Sev. “Why are they still alive?” Cass was superior to everyone he’d ever seen with a blade, and faster.
“Wants them for questioning. After overhearing a few comments from the men in the guardhouse before we took them out, she decided it would be fitting to take a few below and turn the tables on them.”
“You’re not going to help her?” The sooner they handled the soldiers, the sooner they could leave.
“Shimira!” Sev raised his voice to be heard over the grunting soldiers and clash of metal. “Might you desire some assistance from your devoted hunter?” Stealth and silence had ceased to be necessary at this point in the rescue.
The hint of a smile twitched her lips as she tipped her head toward Sev without taking her eyes from her opponents. “I’m good!”
“She’s good.” Sev grinned at Rodric, who rolled his eyes.
“Anyone go below yet?” The delay grated on his nerves, spiking his anxiety. He needed to see that Brenna was here and safe and find Celina. Every moment drove the need deeper.
“Only enough to clear it. Drew this one up from the dungeon.” Sev kicked at the boot of the dead man. “They were expecting us, so the scuffle started the second we entered. Cass didn’t even have time to make it into the shadows before they attacked.”
“If you’ve got her back, I’m going below.”
Sev gripped his free arm. “I’ve got both your backs.”
Nodding, Rodric slipped behind Sev to tread down the stairs. The wrongness of the silence grew heavier with each step he descended. Cold, damp, and dark, the dungeon was quiet with fear.
Using his hunting senses, he assessed the dim room. The light emanated mainly from an open area by the stairway, where a worktable, chair, chains, and various tools and implements were present. Separate stairs at the far end would lead to the cellars. Only one of the other wall brackets held a candle, keeping the room dowsed in shadows of dreary gray.
One large cell made up the majority of the space to the right, while two smaller cells filled the left wall. After a thorough check confirmed that no one would jump out at him, Rodric studied the largest cell. Piles of unused chains dotted the space. The gate sat propped open, a visibly mangled locking mechanism indicating why the space was not in use. On the far side, the metal bars were warped and spread apart enough for a small body to slip through.
Despite the horror of the scene, Rodric smiled, pride swelling in his chest at the sight of Brenna’s handiwork.That’s my girl.
Approaching the farthest cell that held the children, Rodric knelt down, bracing his hand on the locked gate. Two boys were visible, but no Brenna. Distress rolled through him like a storm and iced his spine.Where is she? And where are the others?
The older of the two stepped forward to block his younger comrade. The new boy he’d seen brought in lay unmoving in the back of the cell. Rodric swallowed the fear that washed through him, hoping that the fight hadn’t been similarly driven out of Brenna.
“I’m Rodric. I’ve come with some warriors from Calderre to rescue you. As soon as we finish handling the soldiers, we’ll get you out of here.” The teen gave him a disbelieving look, not moving from his protective position. “My soul-daughter Brenna is being held here as well. We came for her, but we’re not leaving without all of you.”
“You’re the hunter.” The teen’s expression turned to astonishment. “Brenna said you would come, but no one ever gets rescued.”
Fierce love and relief welled. She’d believed in him. “That’s not entirely true. Do you know where she is? Or the other girls?”
