Eric quickly dropped to the ground, hoping that the tall grass around him would conceal him from the sentries in the camp. There were three that he could see, standing above the low barricades that surrounded the temporary camp. Each man was armed with a longbow, held casually in the left hand with an arrow already knocked. There were likely more on the other side of the camp, but Eric’s view was restricted. He let out a low sigh of relief as, clearly missing his sudden magical arrival, the sentries showed no sign of panic or hostility.

You just have to get in, find the prisoners, and get out, he told himself. Samuel hadn’t mentioned anything about wiping out an entire camp’s worth of soldiers. Though Samuel had also said that the camp was a small one, but now Eric saw that it easily reached about three hundred feet in every direction. He supposed it was small for a war or prison camp, but compared to one man, it was massive. And he was expected to find a small handful of captives easily? He laughed at the ridiculous thought.

A raised voice within the camp made him freeze, sure that he’d been detected at last. But it was only a greeting. Glancing up through the blades of grass that were hiding him, Eric saw one of the sentries turning to face inwards, and call back. The words were indistinguishable from this distance, but the tone was obvious. The man was impatient. All sentries felt that their relief came late, even if they were a little early. Eric heard the original voice reply gruffly, then the sentry turned and walked away from his post.

The new man took a few moments to settle into his vigil, setting down a water canteen and some other equipment he’d need during his watch. Then he unslung the longbow from his shoulder, and drew an arrow. Finally, he was ready, resigned to watch the blank landscape for several hours, unaware of the unfriendly eyes watching him from fifty feet away. It wasn’t long before his shoulders slumped, and he gave a long protracted yawn.

Eric activated his Hide Skill and rose, keeping a close eye on the three sentries. They gave no sign that they’d noticed him, so he began to advance carefully. He paid special attention to where he placed his feet, to prevent making noise. He made it to the base of the barricades without difficulty, coming to a stop right next to the spiked implements and crouching low once more. He lost sight of the sentries now, but was completely hidden himself.

Logically speaking, he assured himself, the prisoners would be located as close to the center of the camp as possible. That way, any attempted escape could be spotted at once. Likewise, any attempts to rescue the prisoners by force would be easier to defend against, as no side of the camp offered a distant advantage. Of course, this presented a major problem to Eric, who was attempting a rescue, but he gave that thought no mind. With a combination of his Hide skill and the obvious laziness of the sentries, he was confident that he could slip into the camp easily. He just had to find an entrance, as there was no way he was risking climbing these barricades.

Running along the outside of the camp in a crouched position, Eric quickly found the entrance on the other side of the camp. A gap in the barricades was made here, just wide enough to four men to walk comfortably side-by-side. Or a single carriage, he reflected, for transporting prisoners in and out. Strangely, there were fewer sentries here. Eric reasoned that, inland, there was less of a threat, and therefore no need for concern. Bad luck for them, he thought with a grin.

He got lucky. The sentry posted at the entrance was a tired, older soldier, and he’d broken policy by moving away from the entrance to sit down on a low tree stump. His position was an awkward one in the event of an attack, as he would struggle to rise quickly enough to act. He was also out of the line of sight of his allies, so there would be no notice if he were the victim of a sneak attack. Eric took a few moments to fish through his satchel and pull out the vial of paralysis potion. The pungent chemical spells made his nose wrinkle as he applied it to his weapon.

The man continued to doze as Eric snuck around the side of his field of vision, moving infinitely carefully to avoid making any noise. Once he was behind the man, he moved more quickly, in a gentle arc that took him behind the sentry. Then, without hesitating, he jumped forward and lightly cut the man on his shoulder. It was a superficial wound, only a millimeter deep, but it was enough for the poison to take effect. He clamped a hand over the man’s mouth to prevent him from crying out and held on tightly until the man fell still.

That was the entrance opened up for him. Eric dragged the man just a little further back, wincing as the man’s bow dropped on the tree stump with a slight clatter. He paused, but didn’t seem to hear any reaction to the noise. He stuck the man behind an empty carriage, and moved on. After a quick search to identify any nearby threats he should watch for, and finding none, he scurried over to the next patch of cover, a small cluster of tents. He could hear light breathing coming from a few of them, marking those who weren’t currently on duty, and seizing the chance for sleep.

As he craned his neck around the tents, he saw them. Five iron cages, placed in the direct center of the camp, and two guards. Only one of the cages were empty. He didn’t recall Samuel telling him how many prisoners there were, so Eric had no way of knowing if this was all of them or if there were others, tucked away in another location. Well, he reasoned, he could find that out as soon as he freed them. The two guards were a problem, he reflected, as they kept up a constant patrol around the cages. He’d have no more than half a second of cover if he dashed to the cages now.

That was the end of the stealthy part, he thought, drawing his swords. The blades slid free without a noise thanks to the well-oiled scabbard, and he darted forward. He chose the moment just as one of the guards had turned the corner, leaving Eric at the far range of his peripheral vision. He bolted forward as fast as he could, getting within ten feet before his presence was even registered. Then he activated his Quickstep skill, closing the remaining distance in the blink of an eye.

His sword took the guard in the middle of the stomach, jabbing to the hilt. The man let out a cry of pain that was quickly silenced as Eric’s second blade cut his throat, but his body slammed against one of the cages, the door of which screeched loudly with the impact. A shout from the other side, the other guard, came, followed quickly by the sound of running footsteps. Then he was around the corner, locking eyes with the intruder who had just killed his comrade.

Eric released the grip on his main sword, sensing that he didn’t have time to pull it free. He kicked off the body, slamming it into the cage once more, and threw himself backward. A glittering blade swung through the space he’d occupied an instant before, and he saw the man’s look of horror as his sword, instead of cleaving Eric, struck his fallen ally. Then Eric hit the ground on his back, hard enough to knock the breath from his lungs.

He rolled backward, avoiding another strike, then parried a third as he regained his feet. The man struck again and again, giving Eric no room to counter-attack as he drove him back, away from the cages. Eric gritted his teeth and moved to the side, but the guard instantly changed his stance to accommodate. This was clearly no novice, Eric thought. Switching the sword to his right hand, he blocked another stroke and jumped back. He had to reach his limit on the torrent of swings soon, and then he could take him down.

Then, suddenly, the man seized up, gave a choking cry of pain, and fell flat on his face. Just past him, Eric saw one of the prisoners, a tall and broad-shouldered man with red hair, lowering his hand. There was still the faint flickering of electricity on his skin. Apparently, he’d severed his bonds somehow, and come to Eric’s aid.

“Thanks,” Eric said to the mage. “I’m here to get you all out. Samuel sent me.”

The man nodded. “I figured as much. Let’s get the others free.”

Eric ran back over to the body of the first guard and yanked his blade free. The first mage he’d freed was using some kind of muted explosion spell to break the locks and yanking the doors open. The other three mages came out with muttered words of gratitude and lined up in front of Eric so that he could cut their bonds. He raised his sword to do just that, then a slamming impact knocked him sideways. Burning pain was radiating from his right shoulder, and he looked down to see an arrow buried there.

He ducked low out of sight again as the sentry loosed another shot, and heard the missile whistle viciously over his head. That was too close. Gritting his teeth, he broke the shaft off the arrow and tossed it aside. Then he moved in a crouch to the second mage, a fair-haired woman with red eyes. He thought that she might be of the Ciayol family with those eyes, and slashed her leather manacles apart first. The instant she was free, Eric heard someone running at him from behind, and dove forward.

A dragon’s roar sounded, and a lot of white light blinded him. The woman was indeed a descendant of Bora Bora, for she’d put her hands to the sides of her mouth and unleashed a torrent of flames on the guard who’d approached. He screamed as he was blasted back, his body aflame. The screaming didn’t last long, though, as the woman pounced, her fingers stretched and hardened to resembled claws, and finished him off. Good choice Eric, he thought to himself. Then he cut the other two free.

“Right,” he said, as the dragon woman and the red-haired mage rejoined them. “There are at least six archers out there, and I’ll never be able to reach them to cut them down. We’ll have to make a dash for the coast. How many of you can make shields?”

All four of them raised their hands, which should have been expected. They wouldn’t be representatives of the College if they couldn’t do such basic magic. Sensing his plan, the four of them positioned themselves in pairs, on either side of him. Then they rose, and ran around the cages for the ocean-side wall. Eric had to restrain himself to keep pace with the others, who on top of being starved, were also not in the best physical shape. One even had a flimsy splint over their knee, but they seemed to push the pain away in favor of their escape.

When they were within thirty feet of the barricades, the red-haired mage dropped his shield and spat out a quick series of words. A red bead of light formed in his hands, and flung itself at the obstacles in their way. A massive flash of fire, and a wide section, wider than the entrance, was blasted apart, sending dirt and wood flying in every direction. Some of the debris struck them, but they ignored the impact.

They were clear of the camp now, and Eric saw a flash of light along the coast. A small ship, hidden via magic, appeared now, bobbing in the choppy waves a mere ten feet from the sand. Eric urged the mages towards it, and the group increased their pace as their escape point approached. Eric turned on his heel and let them pass him, lifting his swords. Just as he did, he saw an arrow flashing down, and batted it aside with one of his blades. If he could see them coming, they shouldn’t pose a threat.

As the mages clambered onto the small craft, they called for him to join them. He shouted back at them to move, that he had another way out, and deflected yet another arrow. The mages seemed torn, unable to desert him after he freed them, and he grinned wryly. The two strangers aboard the craft, however, seemed to have been briefed by Samuel, and immediately began pulling on the oars to push them further away from the shore. Wind was beginning to fill the sail of the ship, and as Eric blocked yet another arrow, he saw it snap tight, and the ship lurched forward. The mages crouched to keep their balance.

“Alright, Samuel,” he said under his breath. “They’re clear now. Whenever you’re ready.”

Almost the instant the words left his mouth, his vision was dominated by a bright purple light that surrounded him. He was treated to a last glimpse of the archers, running forward to get more power on their shots, then he was yanked back into that chaotic sea, racing back to Samuel at incredible speeds. He caught himself just as he was flung out of the portal by Samuel, bracing one hand on the floor as he slid to a stop. An angry and strangely familiar voice reached his ears.

“What the devil is he doing here?”