XXVI

True to his thoughts, the guards returned and took their armor. It was a long process that required their chains to be taken off, then they were relieved of their armor, one piece at a time while the guards snarled and gloated.

They got touchy with Sorika and Dell took several more beatings, but eventually the guards left off, probably believing that they could do what they wanted with her later, or perhaps it was too much trouble, though Yoreno doubted that last assertion.

They hadn’t pulled anything like that with Mai. They were certainly afraid of her, and never even bothered to have her take off her mage armor. It was too dangerous, and they knew it.

And because of that, Yoreno was also aware that these warriors were no farmers playing at being bandits. These men and demihumans were seasoned killers at the very least.

“I feel naked,” Lev said as he rubbed his upper arm.

“You weren’t wearing that much armor to begin with,” Dell said. “Yoreno and I—now that’s different.”

The guards came back in and passed about clay bowls. Then another entered and ladled soup into each of them. One of the guards also brought in a bucket of water, which surprisingly, it was clean.

“What do you intend to do with us?” Yoreno asked.

“Quiet,” the guard said. “You will speak when spoken too, or learn the hard way what happens to insolent prisoners.”

Once they were alone, Lev complained about the situation. “They’re probably going to auction us off. The women will go for twice the coin, especially Mai, with her magical abilities.”

“Shut up,” Dell said. “We don’t need to think about that.”

“Why not?” Lev asked. “You know it’s going to happen!”

“I said shut up!”

“Enough,” Yoreno commanded. “We all know the situation we’re in. But it’s not going to come to that, because we’re going to escape.”

“How?” Lev asked.

Yoreno moved up awkwardly to the window, the chains between his feet rattling. He jumped and grabbed the ledge and pulled himself up. It was more difficult because of the chain holding his wrists so close, but he still managed. Glancing about, he could see the camp from there, but not fully. There was another window on the other side.

“Yor,” Dell said. “What do you see?”

“It’s pretty heavily guarded,” he said. “There are four guards at the gate, and there are watch towers.”

“It’s impossible,” Dorrin said.

“Shut up, quitter,” Lev said as he gave the tracker a mild shove.

“Leave off,” Dell said. “Wasn’t it you just a little while ago saying how we were all headed for the slave blocks?”

“He’s got a point,” Sorika said. “Lev, you should stay quiet. Your commoner brain isn’t smart enough for this.”

“Ugh!” Mai noised. “Enough of this bickering. This behavior isn’t going to get us anywhere.”

“She’s right,” Dell said.

“Then what can we do?” Dorrin asked as he spread his arms.

“We have a pick,” Sorika said. They walked over to the water and took some. “Once we get Mai free, she can break us out of here.”

“And then we need to find a way to sneak out of this camp without being spotted,” Yoreno said. “Sneak away in the night so by the time they realize we’re gone, we’re far enough away to escape.”

Mai nodded. “Not a bad plan. But with those watch towers out there, Yoreno, how are we going to do that?”

“It’s still raining,” Dell said.

“What of it?” Lev asked.

It was cold, but the prison house had a hearth and they were all huddled around it. Firewood was regularly brought in so they could feed the fire and stay warm. Apart from that, they had mats and furs for blankets.

“Look,” Dell said. “It’s pretty dry around here.”

“Dry you say?” Lev asked sarcastically as he spooned his soup into his mouth. “This isn’t bad.”

They all ate ravenously. They had worked up an appetite on the plateau and being stuck in the wagons for several hours without food hadn’t helped.

Dell had already finished his, drinking it straight out of his bowl without even bothering to use his spoon

“Yeah,” Dell repeated. “It’s dry out here.”

“What are you getting at?” Yoreno asked.

“The rains will stop,” he said. “And then all that water’s got to go someplace.”

“Wait a minute,” Yoreno said as he caught on to what Dell was getting at. “That’s right. The heat from the sun!”

“Fog,” Sorika said. Obviously having caught up.

“That’s right,” Dell said. “We have a good chance of fog cover tomorrow morning, and if not then, the next day.”

“That’s the perfect time to—“

The door opened and they all jerked their heads around.

“Bowls and spoons!” the guard commanded, and two other men came in with him to make sure everything was collected.

They piled all the bowls and spoons into a bucket. Once the guards were satisfied, they stepped out, closing and locking the heavy wooden door behind them.

“Once I’m free,” Mai said, “that lock won’t stand a chance.”

“It already doesn’t stand a chance with me,” Sorika said. “You should probably try to use as little magic as possible when we get out of here. No telling when you’ll need to use it.”

“You’re right,” Mai said.

There was a moment of silence.

“What?” Sorika asked.

“You almost seem like a different person when you speak so much.”

“I speak when I need to speak.”

“Seems so,” Lev said. “Now what about our weapons?”

“That’s a good question,” Yoreno said. “We need them. And I want Dantera’s sword back. I mean to give it to her when we find her.”

“I’m sure they have all that nearby,” Dorrin said. “Probably in some kind of confiscation locker.”

“Or a loot house,” Lev suggested.

Yoreno nodded. “No telling where that is, though.”

“I can probably find her sword,” Mai said. “I’m a mage and I can sense auras after all.”

“What?” Dell asked. “Aren’t only living beings capable of auras?”

“Of life auras,” Mai said with a nod. “Magical items have auras as well.”

“Dantera’s sword is magical?” Dell asked.

“It is,” Yoreno said. “It’s indestructible after all.”

“Yep,” Mai said. “I can probably find it if I get close. And then there’s our armor. It’s too bad they didn’t take mine, because out of all of our gear, mine would probably give off the strongest aura.”

“All right,” Yoreno said. “Escape is our first priority, but if we can get our gear back as well, then we have to try.”

“All together?” Dorrin asked. “That seems like a recipe for failure.”

“No,” Dell said. “Not all of us. We’ll need to split up. “Yoreno and Mai can go for our gear while the rest of us slip out quietly.”

“Actually getting out is going to be pure luck,” Lev said. “We don’t know the layout of this place, and the main gate has a lot of guards.”

“I bet the back gate—if there is one—has far fewer guards, if any.”

“We can try to go for another exit,” Yoreno said, “Looking out the window, I think there might be one above the hill to our right. There are some cliffs pretty close together. It would be a great place to put a gate or a sally exit.”

“So,” Dell said. “We have our plan?”

“Yeah,” Yoreno said with a nod. “I think so. Now we just have to wait for the opportune time.”

“Rats,” Mai said.

“What’s wrong?” Sorika asked.

“I’m never going to get any sleep chained up with my hands behind my back like this,” she whined.

Sorika put her hand on the other girl’s shoulder. “You’ll be okay, Mai. And besides, I kind of like feeding you.”

Lev laughed incredulously and even Yoreno stared in shock.

“What?” Dorrin asked.

“She doesn’t make jokes,” Dell added. “Never.”

Sorika shrugged.

“With any luck,” Yoreno said as he glanced about the prison house, “you won’t have to stay in those chains long, Mai.”

“I hope not.”

“Now we need to get some sleep.”

“Yes, we have to wake up early,” Dell said. “In case the fog comes in the night. If we sleep long, the sun could burn it off.”

Yoreno got up and went to the window again. “It’s overcast. Could keep raining.”

“We need to stay vigilant of the weather,” Sorika said.

With a nod, Yoreno said, “Agreed. We will take shifts to watch.”