Clive

All through the night Oakbridge citizens and Tagrosi soldiers were united in the purpose of finding Zac. Every house, every stable, every shed, every tree, every nook, everywhere he could possibly be within the town of Oakbridge was turned on its head for our desperate search. My panicked energy fueled the fires of worry in that town, and even masked legionnaires agreed to show their faces so Zac might be less frightened of him.

Wild theories abounded in my mind, many having to do with his true nature. He might very well have developed the power to turn invisible, or into a snake. Maybe he had slipped away into the spirit realm.

And then came the less absurd theory: Clive had kidnapped him as revenge for Avery’s death. I burned with white-hot fury at the thought that someone would actually kidnap my boy, or any child, especially just to hurt me. I imagined hacking Clive into pieces with my silver-edge. Though I had never met the man nor seen his face, I channeled all my emotions into ferocious anger against him.

I’d been up all night, and yet at the dawn’s first light I stormed into the western camp, ready for the fight of my life. White-uniformed soldiers and masked legionnaires alike turned to stare as I entered their camp, some pitying and some curious. If necessary, I’d fight them all to get my son out of their grasp.

In the middle of the camp, I cried out, “Clive! Clive! Get out here, now!”

Maybe had I a full night’s sleep I might not have been so quick to march into the middle of enemy territory and call out a man who had reason to want me dead. Were my mind not so riddled with fatigue, I might have remembered that Oakbridge was on the verge of war with these people and not sought to enflame matters. As it was, aggressively accusing Clive of stealing my boy from his bed seemed like the best possible course of action.

“Clive, you coward! Face me!”

One of the tent flaps opened and out walked a tall man with a leathery face. He wore no shirt to cover his immensely muscular torso, and rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he emerged. I recognized that smug, despicable face, just like his brother’s. I heard Avery in his voice as he said. “Ugh… what? What do you want, savage?”

Before a thought entered my mind, I had him pinned against his tent post with my silver-edge’s point pressed under his chin. The face of a terrified animal had replaced his, and a modicum of satisfaction entered my heart.

“Where is he?” I demanded. “Where’s my boy, Clive? You want to kill me, just kill me, leave Zac out of this!”

He raised both his hands in surrender. “I don’t have your kid! I don’t even know who you are.”

Lies!

I pressed the tip of my sword a little harder against his neck and he tilted his head back, sweat beading up on his brow. He was bound to crack soon and tell me where I could find my child. “Tell me where he is!”

Behind me, I heard iron-edges igniting and the sound of approaching footsteps.

“Back!” I shouted. “I’ll kill him! Get back!”

An invisible force grabbed my by the navel and tore me away from Clive. My weapon dropped from my hand, and the same force spun me around to face Eon Maganti, who’d rolled out into the path between the tents. “Calm yourself!” his voice boomed.

“Let me go!” I cried, desperately trying to squirm free of his invisible grip.

“No,” he said, flatly. One of the rings on his hand glowed and his magic forced me to my knees in front of him, and my head down at the ground. “Listen to me, and be logical. I understand that you’re upset. Your son is missing, and that’s a terrible thing. But I swear to you, none of my soldiers have him. I had Captain Marth check every tent last night.”

“Swear to me?” I spat. “What good is the oath of a politician?”

Eon’s eyebrow raised and his narrowed eyes darted to and fro at the soldiers in the camp. “What was your name again?”

“Piss off…” I grumbled.

“Ahv,” came Captain Marth’s voice from beyond my view.

“Ahv, that’s right,” Eon said. “Listen, Ahv, we have no reason to take your boy. Even if one of my soldiers did take a child from the town, I would have no reason to want to keep him. What do I have to gain by stealing the children of what my men call ‘savages?’ Think on that.”

He raised his hand and his invisible grasp lifted me up into the air by my feet, suspending my upside-down. The blood quickly rushed to my face, causing me to feel dizzy. “Peace, now, Ahv! We are not your enemies. Have you considered that, perhaps, your son has actually left the town?”

I stammered for a moment, unable to speak. Barely able to think.

“My scouts will find him,” Eon reassured. “Go home. Get some rest. Sometimes children go missing. I have children myself, I know. You’ve proven what a good father you are. No need to lose your mind over this small disappearance.”

“Send me with them!” I demanded.

“Pardon?” He tilted his head to one side and returned me to an upright position.

“Your scouts… you said they’d find him. Send me with them.”

“Pfff…” Eon rolled his eyes at me. “You’re in no fit state to go trekking about the forest. Hell, you tried to kill one of my soldiers just a moment ago on suspicion alone.”

“Send me with them,” I demanded again. “Or I’ll go out by myself. And if they find me, you’ll have to kill me.”

Eon’s squinted and leaned his head forward. “I’m sorry… I’m missing the part where that’s an actual threat against me.”

I struggled against his grasp, unable to escape the magic that held me in the air. “Then you haven’t been listening to your men.”

Silence met my accusation. I wasn’t sure if Eon was merely confused or actually frightened by what I’d said.

Eon gestured toward the ground and I collapsed into the muddy path. “Very well. Captain Marth.”

“Yes, Consul?” came the captain’s response from out of my sight.

“Take Ahv here to the scout outpost on the eastern outpost. If his child escaped the town in either direction, it will most certainly be east, toward the next closest Everburn. Even toddlers know better than to wander into lands where they cannot see an Everburn’s glow on the horizon.”

“Yes, Consul.”