When the three of them slipped into the back door of the Silent Stein, Pax let out a breath of relief. Tyrodon slumped sideways against the hallway's wall, his breathing rapid as he slung his pack around to his front so he could check on Scorch. Tasar stood still in the dim hallway for a moment, holding Warden in his arms and scratching behind his ears, seeming to take as much comfort as he was giving.

“Well, that wasn't as easy as we were hoping, was it?” Pax glanced at the two of them as Talpa leaned against his leg. “How about we let the others know we made it? I’m sure they'll appreciate seeing us in person instead of more reports over the Echoes, don't you think?”

The others nodded and followed him down the hall with much less tension than they'd had during the desperate dash across town avoiding guards. When they stepped into the Silent Stein’s back room, more chaos greeted them.

Someone had moved the large table up against the wall, leaving room for the crowd of people and pets crammed into the space. Some were busy, while others had found a spot to sit and wait. Incedis stood at one end of the room amidst a small group of adults along with Turgan, heads bent together and speaking urgently.

Pax ignored them as he scanned for the rest of his crew. He saw other members of Team Tribal scattered around the room. Even Kurt and Tansa had joined them, huddled together in a heated discussion near other team members.

He wondered, for a moment, how Incedis had convinced them to join the rebels. Kurt, he understood. But Tansa had long resisted getting too involved in the details of their rule-breaking activities. He pushed aside his curiosity, still scanning the crowded room for his friends.

When Pax spotted the rest of his crew seated up against a side wall, pets and all, the last knot of tension inside him relaxed. Sure, they’d updated him once he got within range of the Echoes, but seeing them was better.

“Pax, hand over your messages to our clerks at the table and then come over here, please.” Incedis’ voice drew Pax's attention.

He looked over to see Turgan and the others with Incedis looking his way.

“Give me your packet, and we’ll turn in your messages for you.” Tyrodon nudged him and held out his hand. “Go find out what's going on and let us know.”

Pax let out a weary breath, handed his folder of messages to Tyrodon, and turned to pick his way through the crowd. He did his best not to step on anyone. Just as he reached Incedis’ group, an older man holding a clipboard near the door cleared his throat.

“Group A. It’s time.” He waved toward a small collection of people to his left.

Suddenly tense and focused on the man, they stood and moved together toward the door.

When they were ready, the man opened the door and said, “Follow me. Keep quiet and don't draw any attention to yourselves.”

A moment later, they were gone. As the door closed behind them, the easy chatter in the room died out as people exchanged worried looks with each other.

“First set is away.” Incedis’ gaze was on the door. “May Vitur watch over them.”

“Let it be so,” a stout woman next to him said quietly, while others nodded solemnly and repeated her words.

“Pax, glad you made it, despite a bit of trouble.” Incedis held out a hand to beckon him closer. “Can you give us a quick summary?”

When he sensed a sound barrier pop into place, Pax felt a lot more comfortable sharing details. He didn’t know the three other adults with Incedis. But if Turgan trusted them, then they should be good.

It didn't take him long to recount their encounter with the guards. When he explained Warwick's role in taking them from the guards, Incedis’ brows rose, but he didn't interrupt. The surprise on his face was satisfying when Pax got to the part about Warwick letting them go with an admonition to find a way to save the empire with the rebels.

Incedis shook his head with a wry smile. “The Tower fighters are a different breed. We're lucky the beasts hitting the Ring have increased in size and power. Otherwise, the empire would call them back to use against us. Then we really wouldn't have a chance.”

Pax shuddered at the idea of fighting an army full of people like Mage Warwick.

A small, unobtrusive man cleared his throat behind Incedis, who paused, took a step back, and exchanged some quiet words with the man. When Incedis turned back toward them, he looked worried. “Good news and bad news.”

“Hit us with the bad news first,” the woman said, looking grim.

Incedis aimed a sympathetic look at Turgan and Pax that made worry spike inside him. “I'm sorry to tell you that guards picked up one of Team Tribal’s mages and intend to hold him captive for the Army's new Taming operation. We're hoping they don't Interrogate him first.”

“Who?” Both Turgan and Pax asked at the same time.

“Alaric Stonetread.”

Turgan swore while Pax remembered the cheerful fourth-year earth mage with bright coppery hair that matched the color of his solar salamander, Hex. He’d helped Tyrodon Tame Scorch and didn't shy away from danger.

“We have people working to break him free, but they've already got him moved to a secure location with the army's most valuable assets. Standard procedure is to do an Interrogation for loyalty on anyone brought into that area. Hopefully, as a student, they won't dive too deep. If we’re lucky, your team’s mental training program will keep him from being outed as a rebel.”

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Pax glanced back over his shoulder at his crew, not looking forward to telling Tyrodon the bad news. They all knew the consequences of being identified as a rebel.

“It's out of our hands. Our only job now is to get out of Salman, bind with Quarrybrook’s portable altar and cross the Wilds safely to the new base.”

“But—” Turgan tried to protest.

“No.” Incedis gave him a sympathetic but firm look. “We have people placed in crucial positions that should be able to work behind the scenes to get him out. If any of your team tries to rescue him, they’d capture you, too. They’ve distributed all our names and descriptions for immediate arrest. Believe me, there is no way any of you could get to him.”

Pax felt horrible for Turgan. He knew that if it were one of his crew, he'd never leave the capital without trying to free them. In fact, going after Amil when it was obviously a suicide mission back in Thanhil was what had started this whole adventure.

“At least there’s some good news.” Incedis gave Turgan a reassuring look before tipping his head toward Pax. “We have Pax and his crew to thank for an exceptional haul of important messages. Together with the few that we pried from other messengers, we are building a valuable picture of the current status of the Empire's assets and knowledge.”

Pax felt better, excited to hear that their efforts were making a difference. A part of him had wondered if the bulk of the messages would just be business communications between powerful people or personal missives, instead of crucial military knowledge.

“They don't tell us everything, by any means. But we're putting together hints that, combined with our other intelligence, have told us which bases we need to evacuate and which ones are likely still safe. We also have some idea where the various strike teams might be, so we can either ambush them or avoid them.”

“The ruins?” Pax held his breath, waiting for the answer.

Incedis gave him a happy nod. “Safe, as far as we can tell. Though the strike team headed by your Captain Langley completely wiped out one of our smaller bases and hasn't returned yet. We're searching for information about where they might head next.”

Pax felt a sudden wave of sadness, imagining Captain Langley's deadly team ambushing an oblivious rebel base. It would have been a slaughter, especially once they took out the few high-level mages and warriors and moved on to the lower-level recruits. Maybe they would take them prisoner?

Then the images from the recent cleansing events popped into his mind. Even if they took prisoners, they’d likely drag them to nearby towns to use as brutal warnings to keep others from joining the rebellion.

“One message had information about supplies needed for the Awakening caravan heading to Thanhil, so we have a better idea of its schedule. As for the main army, they’ve kept their plans much more secret. So, we still don't know a lot about what they’ll do with the bulk of their troops yet.” He gave Turgan and Pax a shrug. “But that's out of our hands after today, a job for someone else. We need to get safely out of town and cross the Wilds to get to the ruins, so we can help turn it into a new rebel headquarters.”

Pax glanced back to where the first group had been sitting. “Are we all going to meet up outside the walls once we get out?”

Incedis shook his head. “We'll be traveling the way rebels travel, groups of ten or fewer. Otherwise, we'll attract too much attention from the beasts at night, and things will quickly balloon into the effort it takes for a Purge Camp to travel. Speed and stealth are our best assets. Everyone needs to avoid confrontations of all kinds.”

Turgan looked at Pax in alarm. “So, our team won't be traveling together for the trip north?”

“No, we’ll split you into crew-sized groups with a couple of senior rebels to boost your strength. We want to keep fighting crews together. But we don’t want students all on their own out there, either.”

Turgan didn’t look happy, and Pax couldn’t blame him. Despite the logic that smaller groups had a better chance of arriving safely, it was still hard to split up from people you cared about and not know for days if they survived the Wilds.

“Mage Eldan, once she arrives, and I, will join Pax’s crew. We’ll divide up the other senior rebels among the rest of the student crews.”

Surprised, Pax asked. “Why would both of you come with us instead of Turgan’s crew? He’s the one working on the plans for everyone with you.”

Incedis pursed his lips and gave a small shake of his head. “Why do you think?”

Pax heard a quiet snort slip out from Turgan beside him. And as soon as he thought about it, it was obvious. If there was one mage with powers critical to the rebellion's success, it was him.

“Sorry. I wasn’t thinking.” Pax still had a hard time considering himself as extremely important. But until they found another light mage who could do what he could, they needed to keep him safe.

Upon further consideration, it was surprising they didn't send an entire battalion as an escort. But, as Incedis had said, small and stealthy crews would have a better chance crossing the Wilds unnoticed.

“To round out your crew to ten, we’re also bringing along a street kid who made a reasonable case for coming with you.” Incedis motioned to his right. “I thought you’d appreciate having him along instead of Kurt, who was pretty insistent on joining our crew."

Pax frowned, agreeing that he’d much rather not be stuck in close quarters with Kurt for any length of time. But what street kid? His gaze followed where Incedis was pointing.

To Pax’s surprise, he saw a sullen young boy sitting against the wall with his arms wrapped around his knees. Kai's dark, unkempt hair partially obscured his face, which had a few visible scars, evidence of past encounters and skirmishes.

Pax recognized his gaunt frame and poorly fitting clothing. It was the boy he’d attempted to Awaken. When he noticed Pax looking his way, Kai’s eyes narrowed and looked defiant.

“Don't worry. We'll get Kai outfitted once we stop by our hidden base outside the walls. That’s where we’re keeping one of Quarrybrook’s portable altars, so we can stop looking over our shoulders. And Kai's current look is perfect for our trip through the sewers.”

“The sewers?” Turgan asked.

Pax groaned about the sewers but was more than willing to navigate through them if it would get him to a new altar, so guards couldn’t track him anymore.

The older adults chuckled at their reactions to traveling through the sewers.

“Welcome to the glory of being a true rebel.” The woman next to Incedis reached out and patted their shoulders. Then her humorous expression turned solemn. “We do whatever it takes to survive and to help everyone else survive.”

A grim determination moved through the small group, and Pax let out a harsh chuckle. “Well, it's not like most of my crew doesn’t have firsthand experience with using the sewers to stay safe. I guess it's time to return to our roots.”

The woman gave him an approving nod just as Incedis disabled the sound shield and motioned for them to head back to their friends. “Get ready. We’ll be leaving soon.”

As they walked away, Turgan reached out to stop him and shake his hand. “Best of luck out there, Pax. I expect to see every one of you alive and well at these ruins everyone's talking about. Got it?”

Pax nodded, already thinking about what might be ahead of them and determined to make it through safely.