Chapter 35
Turning back wasthe hardest choice Ava had ever made.
She’d stepped away as Luc, Rafe and Lineka had questioned the frightened trader they’d roused from sleep at a small camp on the Taunen road, and stitched a quick truth seeking into the strip of cotton she always kept in her pocket. She’d pushed past Lineka and then squeezed between Luc and Rafe and held it out to the trembling man.
Luc had sent her a quick look as the trader had taken it, babbling his thanks as if she were gifting him a boon. He’d been so grateful, the sight of her a relief to him, as if he believed the hulking warriors crowding him would not harm him in her presence, when she would be the first to strike him down if he was lying about her child.
She’d questioned him while he’d held her spell work tight in his closed fist, and he repeated the same story.
A girl and some soldiers had already stopped him, and he’d told them to go to Warven.
Tiano had made a face when the four of them returned to the unit waiting on the road and gave her the town’s name. She’d pointed back the way they’d come.
She’d accompanied them from the Illoa barracks. Captain Draper had offered them whoever they wanted as a guide, but Tiano had already proved herself and Luc had asked that she continue on with them.
“Back? How far?” Luc asked.
“The road that curved off to the right about three hours back.” Tiano lifted her shoulders. “I’ve never been there, but I’ve been told it’s small and out of the way. There’s no through route to anywhere. It’s a dead end.”
“How far from where the road splits to the town itself?” Ava asked.
Tiano shook her head. “I’m not sure.”
Ava exchanged a look with Luc.
“We go now,” he said, holding her gaze.
He knew her. And she knew him.
There would be no sleep until they had Viviane back.
“Agreed.” Lineka’s voice was deep and a little hoarse. He’d been a quiet, steady presence the whole way, but now there was a real destination, he all but quivered.
They rode, hard and in silence.
At the turn, they slowed and then stopped, let the horses rest a little and allowed everyone to drink some water.
The moon was high, and in its silver wash of light, she could see no sign of farmland or any dwellings. There was a hill in front of them, dark with trees, and the road seemed to curve around it.
She felt restless, unable to settle, even though her mount needed the rest and she knew she should drink and eat something. But her baby was out there.
This was how her mother and father must have felt when she’d been taken by her cousin, Herron. How her grandmother and grandfather would have felt when her mother had been snatched as a young woman, as well.
It was almost intolerable.
She left her horse with one of the soldiers in the unit, and took her travel bag with her as she walked to the front of the group.
She stood, looking down the road, sipping from her water pouch. She sensed Luc behind her, and then she was enveloped by the warmth of his cloak as he stood at her back and pulled it around them both.
She leaned against his chest, and angled her head to look up at him, but he was watching the road in front of them, too.
She sighed. “I just want to have her back, and for her to be all right.”
“I know.” He tightened his hold.
She faced forward, and then frowned, trying to make out what she was seeing.
It looked like a group of people was traveling toward them, although she couldn’t make out how many.
“Is that?—?”
Luc turned and gave a whistle, and suddenly there was absolute silence as everyone focused ahead.
“It’s a group of riders. It’s unusual for them to be leaving the town this late.” Luc gripped her under her arms, swung her around as he turned, and they both ran for their horses.
Everyone was mounted and waiting when the riders drew near enough that they could make out six horses.
One of the riders, the one in the lead, suddenly called out a hail.
“Gallain?” Tiano pushed forward on her horse. She gave a whistle, and it was answered by at least two of the people shrouded in darkness but getting clearer all the time.
“It’s them.” Tiano turned to her. “It’s the unit from the barracks that went with Lieutenant Hallan.”
Ava didn’t wait. She began to ride toward them, and suddenly Luc was by her side, keeping pace as they galloped toward the small group.
“Mom!” The shout came from a rider in the middle of the group, and Ava tried to swallow a sob at her relief, hearing that voice.
“Vivi?”
They slowed as they reached the group, with Ava realizing the whole unit had caught up, surrounding the six horses.
She saw Vivi was sharing a mount with Genevieve La Rochal, and she pushed past the two soldiers leading the group to envelop both girls in a fierce hug.
“My baby,” she whispered in Viviane’s ear. “I was so worried.”
Vivi gave a gurgling laugh, and was suddenly lifted off her horse into her father’s arms.
Ava kept hold of Genevieve, and the girl put her head on Ava’s shoulder and wept.
Beside her, she was aware of Lineka pulling his son Jon into a hug, then doing the same to Ricardo Bann.
“Where’s Theo?” Rafe’s question cut through the joy of the moment, and the small group went quiet.
“He stayed behind,” Vivi said, voice soft. “Melodie swapped herself for us, that’s how we got away, and Theo stayed behind to try to rescue her.”
“Melodie?” Luc was holding Vivi like a baby in his arms, his piercing gaze locked on to the soldier who’d been riding lead in the group, the one Tiano called Gallain.
“She came with us from Illoa, Commander.” Gallain dipped his head in respect. “Because of her . . . skills.” He suddenly looked uncomfortable, but Ava knew about secrets, especially magical secrets, and didn’t hold it against him at all. It made her like him even more.
“We heard about her from Captain Draper,” she said, and he shot her a look of relief.
“Yes, well, Marchant, the man who took the children, wanted her, and she negotiated our release, in exchange for her allowing him to imprison her.”
“He wanted her more than the children he’d gone to such lengths to kidnap?” Lineka sounded doubtful.
“Her . . . skills . . . were ones he’d been looking for, and he realized he’d made a mistake taking the children. We also managed to convince him there would be plenty of people looking for the children, that he would be better off letting us all go.” One of the other soldiers spoke up, a woman with dark hair, who looked as disheveled as the rest of them did.
“Caro’s right,” Vivi said. “Melodie made herself irresistible to Marchant. I don’t know if he thought he could snatch us again later, or whether he really was done with us, but he let us go, and tied Melodie up.”
“And Theo?” Rafe asked.
“Theo was hiding with us, but Marchant didn’t know he was there. So he was going to sneak out after we’d gotten away, and help Melodie escape.” Genevieve sat up straight on the horse.
“The lieutenant ordered us to get the children to safety. To ride until we had them back with you, Commander,” Gallain said.
“How far from us is this place?” Rafe asked.
“An hour’s ride,” Gallain said.
“There are magical traps.” The soldier who taken up the rear of the small group, a large man with broad shoulders and a slightly crooked nose, warned. “Corporal Ivan Sulaman, Commander.” He put his fist over his heart. “Melodie told us where they were, and how to avoid them, but there could be more.”
“Melodie.” Ava felt something tighten in her. “How old is she?”
“Around my age,” Caro said. “Early twenties.”
That would fit. If it was the same Melodie. She had been five going on six when Ava had met her.
“The town guards are also untrustworthy,” Ivan said. “They’re in the spell worker’s pay.”
“He had the whole town spelled.” The fourth soldier spoke for the first time. “Corporal Jacinta Allein, Commander.” She repeated Ivan’s move, with her fist over her heart. “Melodie destroyed whatever he was using to do it. We never had time to work out the details, but it clouded the townsfolk’s minds until a few days ago.”
“It clouded our minds,” Gallain said. “That’s how he captured us.”
“But not Theo and this Melodie?” Rafe asked.
Gallain shook his head. “Luckily.”
Luc looked around, then caught Ava’s gaze. “I think we all need time to regroup, and rest. We’ll set up camp right here until dawn, and then we pay Warven a visit.”
A ripple of agreement went through the group.
No one wanted to leave this insult unchallenged.
Marchant had taken what he had no right to. And there would be consequences.
It would be a lesson to anyone who thought to take a child from Kassia and Cervantes.
There would be no mercy.