“What is this place?” Elliott asked. “I’m guessing these kids are from Bizayn?”

  “How do you know?” the elf replied.

  Elliott smiled as he gestured to Lyla. “Meet Lyla. She’s a Shadow – a former member of their Delta squad.” The orcs bristled, fingers gripping the handles of their axes even more firmly than before. Even the elf took a step back. “Oh, don’t worry. She’s with me now. Under my protection. Attack her and you attack me. You don’t want to do that.” He winked at them.

  “She told me about the child programs in Bizayn. Then you have the stealing money; taking kids across the lake; the kid outside that I saw using magic. And now, this place. You’re rescuing children from Bizayn’s programs?”

  “Not just Bizayn,” the elf said, green eyes focused on Lyla with a mixture of disgust and curiosity before she turned back to Elliott. “The other human kingdoms also. Only Rhian and Aldren weren’t part of it, that we know. But we didn’t want to take the risk of the authorities finding out.”

  “Where are you rescuing the children from?”

  “Follow me. We’ll speak elsewhere.”

  The elf led them along the outside of the hall as the two orcs returned to the stations on either side of the entrance they had come through. They passed tables where children shouted boisterously at each other, as they huddled over bowls of bread and stew – one particularly mischievous boy flicking dollops of the stew at a girl sat nearby whose face was becoming increasingly red. An adult at the table glared at the boy, who slowly lowered the wooden spoon in his hand.

  Laughter rose over the tranquil music as the elf led Elliott and Lyla to the far side of the large hall. A small brown-haired girl was chasing after a boy, who was carrying a small, stitched doll in his hands. She was fast and nimble, but the boy managed to just stay ahead as they weaved between the tables – sometimes, they didn’t even bother, jumping up and running across the tabletops as the other children giggled and the adults were exasperatedly trying to get them to stop.

  The boy jumped from the edge of a table to land ahead of Elliott. The girl tried to launch herself towards him but her foot caught and she went sprawling towards the outer wall, head first.

  Someone screamed.

  But the girl hung mid-air – her face grimacing, her eyes closed – an arm’s length from the wall. Elliott channelled a little more mana, turning the girl upright and letting her land gently to the floor. The thief was similarly suspended – one leg in mid-running stride. Elliott dragged the boy back, took the stitched doll from him and gave it to the little girl.

  “There’s a limit to teasing,” Elliott said. The little girl looked genuinely thankful, wrapping her arms around one of his legs as she held onto the doll. He pried her arms loose and gently pushed her away. No need for them to get comfortable. Saving her from a broken neck cost him nothing in that moment. That might not always be the case.

  “Lead on,” he said to the elf, aware of the eyes in the room that were following him. Even Lyla at his side gave him peculiar glances. He sighed quietly to himself. That’s why he didn’t tend to save people too much. It created expectations. And then they’d get all upset and moany if he sliced off someone’s head for talking out of turn to him. They never quite understood that saving one person didn’t mean he had to save everyone. Or anyone, for that matter.

  As they neared the opposite side of the hall under the gaze of the guards dotted around the perimeter, the sound of running boots echoed from a wide entrance nearby that the elf seemed to be headed towards. A moment later, a dozen or so figures emerged – dwarves, humans, orcs, beastkin, elves. They wore a mixture of plate and leather armour, swords or maces at their waists or axes on their back. Two of the elves held bows, quivers full of fletched arrows hanging from their waists.

  “Lady Aurae,” a dwarf at the front said.

  “What’s going on?” the elf – Aurae – replied. Those closest to them from the hall had turned to see what was happening.

  “Had a breach in tunnel six,” the dwarf said, eyes on Elliott. “I’m guessing it was him? Korom called it in. But then we’ve had another breach. Tunnel three. About three minutes ago and we haven’t heard from Korom again.”

  “It’s probably my companion,” Elliott said and all eyes turned to him. He could feel her through their [Ethereal Bond]. “She’s harmless. As long as you don’t poke her. Bit like a bear. Her name’s Isabel. She’s almost at the place where I met you,” he gestured at Aurae. “Please do bring her to wherever we’re going.”

  Aurae nodded at the guards, who nodded back before walking towards the other side of the room, doing their best to not needlessly scare the children. As they walked past the other guards, they shared a quick word or two. The extra vigilance was obvious in the guards that were spoken to.

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  “Lady Aurae then?” Elliott said as the elf walked them through the wide entrance, into a large tunnel that opened out into another large chamber with several other tunnels leading off.

  “It’s not an official title,” Aurae replied, leading them to the right and one of the tunnels there. Four guards stood in pairs on either side of the tunnel entrance, but said nothing as they watched the three of them walk by. The tunnel Aurae led them into ended in a dead-end but had six iron doors – three on either side – along the way. She led them to the very last one, on the right.

  “…them know,” someone was saying when the door opened and the room fell silent.

  It was a modest room, dominated by a table in its centre surrounded by eight chairs – five of which were occupied. The brick walls had various lists and maps pinned to them, between the oil lanterns hanging in each corner. There was an elderly man sat opposite the door, at the head of the table, his narrow face lined with wrinkles and a wispy moustache. There was an orc on his left – as tall seated as a man would be standing – and a dwarf to his right. Sitting alongside the dwarf was an elf, opposite a feline beastkin.

  All eyes fell on them, except the elderly man’s. His hazelnut eyes settled on Lyla as he tilted his head.

  “Professor Khasran?” Lyla blurted out.

  A smile crossed Khasran’s lips. “Lyla?”

  “You know him?” Elliott said to Lyla. Aurae had moved around the table to Khasran’s side and bent down to whisper in his ear while he kept his eye on Elliott and Lyla.

  “He was a teacher at my academy. I haven’t seen him in over a decade. I heard rumours that he was dead.”

  “They wished I was,” Khasran smiled, before turning to Elliott. “And who might you be? Aurae tells me you’ve taken an interest in our…operation. And you appear with a Shadow. Is the Empire getting more creative with their assassins? You’d be sorely mistaken if you thought you had a chance with me.”

  Lyla leaned over to whisper in Elliott’s ears. “He was considered to be one of the best. Excels at close quarters and was as adept as an assassin as he was as a warrior.”

  Elliott smiled. Perhaps a worthy challenge. Most likely not.

  “Much as it might be amu–” Elliott began when Khasran [Teleported]. He thought he was being smart.

  Mana crackled behind Elliott, imperceptible to everyone else. Elliott turned, pushed out his open hand and grabbed Khasran by the face. He slammed him into the wall – the whole room shuddered, tiny rocks falling from the ceiling. Khasran smiled, bringing his right hand up for an uppercut, and his left swinging at Elliott’s face with a knife.

  Elliott let go, twisted his body to avoid the first blow and bent his knees a little, ducking below the knife. He pushed out both hands palms up, catching Khasran’s midriff and launching him backwards. Khasran slammed into the adjacent wall and dropped to his knees. More debris loosened from the ceiling. He wasn’t smiling now. He cocked his head. The others in the room were still watching Elliott, unaware of what had just happened. Except Lyla, perhaps.

  “You’re more skilled than I expected,” Khasran said. Someone gasped at the table as Khasran stood up, dusting off his knees.

  “And you’re as weak as I expected,” Elliott replied. “I’ll give you one warning. Attack me again and I’ll kill you, along with everyone else in this room. Then I’ll kill every other adult in this haven of yours. Would you like to test me?”

  “Who are you?” Khasran asked.

  “A friend. Or an enemy. You choose.”

  “Can I at least know your name?”

  “Elliott.”

  “Why do you want to know about what we’re doing here?”

  “Curiosity.”

  “What do you want to know?”

  “What is this place?”

  Khasran locked his eyes with Elliott’s as he walked back around to the head of the table.

  “Leave us,” Khasran said to the others.

  “Professor,” the Orc said, his voice surprisingly soft.

  “Go. Whether you’re here or not, I believe he is capable of doing exactly what he said.”

  Elliott and Lyla stepped to one side as the other four got up and left the room. Aurae was the only one who stayed behind, taking the seat on her father’s right.

  “Sit,” Khasran said. “Please.”

  Lyla did so, but Elliott leant back against the wall by the door, his right leg bent at the knee as he rested the sole of his boot against the brick. He folded his arms in front of him.

  “Go on,” Elliott said. “What is this place? Where are you rescuing the children from and where are you taking them?”

  “You already know the kids are from the programs. We wait until they’re being transported from one location to another. Hit the caravans. Bring who we can back here, before sending them to a better place.”

  “To the orcs and the beastkin?”

  “For now.”

  “How long have you been doing this?”

  Khasran glanced at Aurae, who had kept her eyes on the table the whole time as she listened. He turned back to Elliott. “Thirteen years.”

  “But you…” Lyla cut in, frowning, “…were still teaching at the academy then.”

  “I was.”

  “So you were helping from the inside?” Elliott asked.

  Khasran nodded.

  “Why?”

  Khasran met Elliott’s eyes. “I had my reasons.”

  Elliott noticed the slight flicker of Khasran’s eyes towards Aurae. There was something else there. A relationship of sorts. He didn’t press it.

  “Why don’t you put an end to the programs?”

  “We don’t have the strength for that. Right now, a few kids go missing every few weeks or so, but it’s not enough for the Empire to come after us. If we try to stop the programs themselves, they’ll send everything they have. Those kids are the backbone of the Empire’s strength.”

  “Why do you hide it from Aldren? I take it the king doesn’t know you’re here?”

  “This was as far from Bizayn as possible, and we weren’t sure which way Aldren would go when the war began against Rhian. Best way to stay hidden is to keep it a secret, don’t you think?”

  “Do you know the locations of each of the programs?”

  “Some of them”

  “Can you find all of them?”

  Khasran raised an eyebrow but there was a glint of curiosity in his eyes. “Probably. Why do you ask?”

  A loud bang spun their heads to the door. Someone was knocking very loud.

  “Come,” Khasran said.

  It was an older woman, in her forties, her grey hair up in a bun, her smooth face showing the early stages of aging – a little more pinched here and there. She looked familiar. Then it came to Elliott. She was the one who had come with the elves and the orc to find the kids outside.

  “Caphri. What is it?” Khasran asked.

  “They’ve found us.”

  “Who?”

  “Shadows.”

  Khasran and Aurae’s eyes snapped to Elliott and Lyla.

  “Don’t look at me,” Elliott protested. “I didn’t invite them here.”