The wagons joined the line waiting to exit the city, using the same gate that Hadiin and Marian had used when they’d first come to Belleville. Another small wagon, a hand cart and several people on foot or on horse were ahead of them, likely destined for hunting and gathering in the area immediately around the city, or citizens of the few tiny hamlets within a day’s ride. The Watch waved most through with a cursory glance, though they did a cursory peek into the cart and wagon.

When Hadiin pulled his wagon up between the guards, one of them lifted his scruffy face and a feeling of unease hit Hadiin’s gut. It was Thorton, the corrupt member of the Watch who had proved so difficult over the ice cream recipe, someone who probably thought he had reason to hate Hadiin or to get back at him.

The guard slowly smiled with recognition, a smile that was neither friendly nor warm, but cold and calculating instead. “If it isn’t my old friend. Heading out of town?”

He kept his voice emotionless but polite. “Yes.”

“Well, you wouldn’t mind if I had a good look inside that wagon. Gotta do my job, right? And,” he craned his neck to look at Marian and the other wagon behind, “is that yours as well?” The grin turned malicious. “Better get comfortable. We’ll be here a while.” He walked off towards a male youth sullenly slouched against the wall of the house next to the road.

Lucia gave Hadiin a curious and worried look. “What’s going on? You know him?”

Mentally cursing, he relayed to Lucia why the guard had a grudge.

She tsked. “Petty man.”

Thorton had a quick, whispered word with the teen and the latter slunk off very quickly, disappearing between houses.

Hadiin’s feeling turned into one of foreboding. “I think we might be in trouble.”

She had caught the conversation with the boy. “You think he’s tipping Weesely off?”

“Probably.”

Her gaze took in the situation around them. “Two other guards. I doubt they’re carrying magical weapons. None seem like spellcasters.” She bit her lip. “But fighting our way through is no good. They’ll chase. Put a bounty on us. The quest in Mayfair will be cancelled.”

“Weesely probably won’t try anything here at the gate.”

“No. He’ll wait until we’re outside of it and out of sight of town before striking. And we’re not exactly well prepared. No offence to Ravellis, she seems like a nice woman, but just as amateur as me or your sorceress. I doubt the others in her party are much better. And Weesely will either come himself or send experienced hired muscle.”

“We have Corvinus though. He’s gold ranks. That’s high, right?”

“But he’s just one person,” Lucia countered, not optimistic.

Thorton returned, looking smug. He waved to one of the other two guards. “Let’s check these wagons. Make a real thorough search.” He gave the other a knowingly look and not-so-sly wink.

The other guard gave a conspiratorial smile and very slowly sauntered towards Marian’s wagon.

Hadiin and Lucia both groaned.

Feeling helpless, Hadiin couldn’t help but comment to the corrupt guard as the latter made his way to the rear of the wagon. “Try not to let the mimic bite you.”

“Mimic? What?” He yanked back the rear cover of the wagon, exposing the mimic chest. It must have done something because he yelped and jumped back, then cursed a blue streak.

The search was very methodical and very slow. Quite the lineup of other travellers built up and then passed around them to see the third guard. It took almost thirty minutes before Thorton declared himself satisfied.

Amused at his own antics, he waved them through. “You’re good to go. Have a safe trip now, ya here?” He chuckled.

Hadiin metaphorically bit his tongue and urged the horse forward.

Lucia, fingering a dagger in her hand, glared at Thorton as they passed, wiping some of the smug off his face and replacing it with what looked like angry, gleeful anticipation. Definitely not a good sign.

They weren’t long out of Belleville, on the dirt track to the hamlet Hadiin had first arrived in, when Marian pulled the other wagon up alongside theirs, frowning and looking irritable. “That ass is up to something.”

“I think we’d better watch out backs,” he agreed. He looked at Ravellis, who was sitting next to Marian, quite nervous. “Where are we meeting your party members?”

“Oh, um, just up ahead. A little ways.”

“Around the bend. Out of sight of town,” Marian gruffly clarified.

He wondered if there was some reason for that. And if he should have something else to worry about.

Lucia gave him some history and explained the local geography as they drove.

Lubelum was situated on a narrow, mountainous isthmus that linked two continents in the north and south: Atlas and Selva, respectively. The region north of Lubelum was farmed and settled and major roads led to towns and then, eventually, to city-states and territories in the northern continent.

Belleville was on the southern side of Lubelum and the only significant town in the area. Past Belleville, the land was wild and disputed. This whole area had once been home to the elves before humans had arrived. As Lubelum had grown, the two species had quickly contested the land and the humans had won out, bolstered by adventurers with treasures taken from the dungeons nearby.

Eventually, the wild adventuring town had grown into a city and built an army and devastated the elves, destroying their own major city in the region. The elves had retreated into the forests, broken and small in number.

“Hence the horrible speciesist sentiments here,” Hadiin now understood.

“And why it’s so dangerous trying to set up a town this far south. The kingdom is likely trying to expand their territory. The elves will eventually push back.”

“Probably. They’re really angry, from what I could tell,” he agreed.

“And you still think this is a good idea, going south?”

“I like elves. And I feel sorry for them. Maybe we can help each other.”

“That would make you an enemy of the crown.”

“Only if they find out,” he countered. “And even then, only if it’s not profitable.”

“True,” she allowed. “The nobles here seem to get greedier every year. If you have enough money to pay them off, you could probably get away with anything.”

Belleville passed out of sight when they rounded a curve and a wooded area cut the town off from sight. As the walls and buildings disappeared, it felt as if they were driving into a shadow, a chill coming over them as that faint semblance of security vanished.

Lucia squirmed in her seat. She eyed the farmland on the right with unease, eyes roaming the cornstalks without a hint of trust. She glared at the woods on the left with outright hostility. “I can’t think of a better place for an ambush.” She pulled a second dagger out and, with one in each hand, looked ready to leap out of the wagon seat and stab whatever moved.

Hadiin leaned to the side and called over his shoulder, as the other wagon had moved back behind them again. “Where are they?”

“Here, somewhere!” Ravellis shouted back.

Marian slowed her wagon.

When Hadiin did the same, Lucia growled. “We shouldn’t stop here. I don’t like this.”

“We don’t have a choice. We have to pick up the other two.”

“Where are they?” She waved at the empty road. “Why aren’t they waiting for us where we can see them?”

“I don’t know.” The wagon halted. Wishing he had a weapon too, he jumped down and looked in all directions.

Ravellis and Marian both stood up on their wagon, peering about.

“Glaxis!” the sword-witch shouted. “Logrin!”

The four of them waited in silence. There was no answering shout.

“Glaxis! Logrin!” she called again.

Again, no answer.

“Let’s keep going,” Marian suggested, sitting and flicking the reins. “Maybe they’re further along.” She didn’t look like she believed her own words.

With no other choice, Hadiin climbed back up and got his own wagon moving.

Tense and growing worried, he and Lucia kept watch on both sides of the road. Overhead, the blue sky was marred by a single cumulous cloud. No birds flew. In fact, it was dead quiet. There wasn’t even a breeze to disturb the corn.

The wooded area was not large. The end of it was coming up in another hundred meters. A well-to-do farmhouse, with a barn and two grain silos, was just a bit further than that. There was no movement that they could see at the farm, but the corn was tall enough to block much of the view.

Hadiin reluctantly came to a stop before the trees ended and the other wagon pulled up to a stop next to them.

Ravellis looked very worried. She searched all over in frustration, one hand wringing her robe, the other shading her eyes. “Where are they?”

“You’re sure they knew to meet here?” Marian asked in a tone that suggested it wasn’t for the first time.

“Yes!” She stamped her foot. “Something must have happened to them. Oh my gosh. Glaxis!” She jumped down to the ground. “I’m going into the forest to look for them.”

“Don’t!” Lucia barked. “It could be dangerous.”

“I don’t care,” the woman stubbornly replied, drawing her sword. “I want to find my daughter!” Even so, she hesitated as she faced the shadowed trees.

Marian glanced at Hadiin. “Could be the Weasel’s guys took them.”

“Yes. The guard back there tipped someone off.”

“But surely we would have seen someone ride off ahead of us,” Ravellis desperately insisted.

“Magic,” Lucia said. “They might have had people out this way already and contacted them by magic. Or one of the people who left the town while we were being held up contacted someone.” While the others were focused on the woods, she continued to watch the corn. It came almost to the road and was about chest high. That wasn’t as tall as it would get, but it was enough to easily hide someone if they were crouching or bent over.

Ravellis was both determined to enter the woods and afraid. She looked back up at Marian. “Come with me?” she pleaded.

Marian looked conflicted. But she was saved from having to answer.

Corvinus dropped his reins and put his shield on one arm. The other grabbed his big hammer. “Danger sense is going off. Everyone back—“

Shouts erupted from both sides of them, coming from many voices. Five men on horseback charged from out of the woods, wielding swords and spears. They were poorly dressed and armoured, but they howled with glee and smiled wide like predators about to feast.

Even as their attention was drawn that way, a half dozen men on foot exploded from the cornfield. Just as ill armoured and wielding swords and axes, they hooted and laughed, weapons raised to kill.

“Bandits!” Hadiin spat, though it was obvious to all. Not for the first time, he felt utterly useless and wished that there was something—anything—he could do right now to help.

Ravellis backed up a step, face pale. Then she wailed in despair as the highwaymen and women coming out of the corn ditched a pair of short bodies that had been tied up with rope, leaving them on the ground as they ran for the wagons. “Glaxis!” she screamed. She drew her sword and raised a hand to cast a spell.

Marian couldn’t seem to decide which way to face. But the men on horses were on her side and must have seemed a more dangerous threat. She faced them, arms rising. A bolt of fire shot from her hands.

Lucia’s eyes narrowed and she cursed. “This is not how I fight!” she protested. But both blades were bared and she readied herself to leap down onto the first bandit stupid enough to come at her.

To be continued…