Isa and Mery turned the corner to go to the room and spied a figure sitting on the floor. Isa’s hand immediately reached for her rapier. Mery put her hand out, silently gesturing for Isa to wait.

With silent footsteps she approached the figure, the glint of a dagger in her hand. It wasn’t until she was almost on top of the figure that he cried out, startled. It was Joth, and the wizard quickly stood with his hands in front of him. “Where have you been? I fell asleep waiting!”

“What is it you need, then Joth?” Mery opened the door and motioned Joth inside, Isa noticed that she hadn’t put her blade away.

“It’s Thorn.” He looked at Isa. “She has the spell scroll.”

“The gate scroll? How? Why?”

“I don’t know, but we have to stop her before she uses it.”

“I think I know why,” Mery said quietly. Both Joth and Isa turned to look at her. “She’s like you two,” said Mery. “An outlander.”

“How do you know that?” Joth asked.

“Her name is Rose Camplin, and she got here a few years ago.” Mery gave her head a small shake. “She was just like you, at first, Isa. Dumbfounded at her situation but ready to jump in and make the best of it.”

“Make the best of it? Is that what you said?” Isa felt her voice and ire rising. “This is the person responsible for all these kidnappings, and you say she’s just like me?”

“At first! At first, Isa. Damn it, calm down.” Mery rubbed her mouth. “How do you know?” she asked Joth. “Did Wat tell you?”

“The boy? No, it’s in my quest log.” Joth’s face got a little red. “I noticed a quest yesterday and--”

“Why didn’t you mention it then?” Isa threw her arms up. “All that talk about the scroll and--”

“Let me finish. Jesus. I’m as surprised as you, OK? The night we got back from the cottage, I had a quest. It said ‘Help Isa get home,’ and the first item told me to come to Deney with you. Then tonight, tonight I had a new item, and it said to get the scroll from Thorn before she can use it. I read that and came right up here.”

“Well, looks like we’re raiding a warehouse tonight, and if we have luck with us, Thorn will be sleeping there herself. And if not, someone there can lead us to her.” Mery picked up a small bag. It clinked gently as she put it over her shoulder. “Isa, do ya have what you need? Alright then, let’s get the boy.”

Mery shook Wat awake, and he was dressed and ready in under 5 minutes. She handed him a small vial of red liquid which he stowed in his bag. Seeing the healing potion reminded Isa that she had one, too.

As they walked down the quiet streets Mery said, “This time of night they should have 2 guards on and 3 off. If that’s the case, we can try to walk right in the front door.” She smiled at Isa. “I have a spell called enthrall. Suddenly all eyes on me. Makes for a lovely distraction.”

“I could use that,” Isa muttered. Her stomach was in knots. Every minute wasted was a minute more this Thorn or Rose or whatever she called herself had to read the scroll.

As if reading her mind, Joth said, “She’ll have to be a wizard or a cleric to read the scroll - is she a wizard?”

“No,” said Mery.

“She’s a bard, too,” Wat offered.

“I can tell you all about it, later.” Mery said to Isa, who shrugged in response.

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“Does she know any high level clerics or wizards?” Joth asked Mery.

“I don’t know! We haven’t kept in touch now, have we? Seeing as we’re on opposite sides of the table. She could be stacked to the ceiling with clerics, Joth, and how would I know? How would I know?”

“Let’s just focus on the work at hand,” said Isa. “What’s the plan?”

“Wat and I think that there are usually only 5 guards in the place at a time.”

“And sometimes the captain,” added Wat. “Oh, and sometimes Thorn. Depends but sometimes she’s there. Here.” He pointed, and sure enough they had arrived at the warehouse.

In the distance they could see one man standing at the doorway to the warehouse. From this distance it was hard, but Isa tried to use her clinical eye to appraise the guard. He was muscular but seemed stiff and unsure on his feet. Drunk? Or maybe just muscle-bound in that way some bodybuilders look, as if they can’t quite navigate through a doorway.

“I need to be a little closer,” Mery whispered. She crept toward the guard and then cast her spell. Isa couldn’t make out the words, but she watched Mery’s hands trace patterns in the air. A moment later she stepped toward the guard, speaking to him. He seemed to hang on her every word, and from behind her back, Mery waved them closer.

As they got closer Isa heard Mery saying, “And then when I was a little older, we performed in the Drudin Chamber. I played the part of Panthus - a difficult role, as you well know.” The man nodded, his mouth slightly open. He barely blinked as Wat moved up behind him and knocked him on the head. With swift movements, Wat caught the bigger man before he hit the ground and tied his hands and feet. He shoved a bit of cloth in the man’s mouth and stood.

“Let’s move him out of the way, lad.” Mery picked up his feet, and Wat got his hands under the man’s arms. Together they carted him into the shadows a few feet from the door.

“It’ll have to do; the man weighs a ton.” Mery nudged his thigh with her boot.

She moved to the entrance and pushed the door open silently. Over Mery’s shoulder Isa could see lights toward the back of the large room that revealed a high-ceilinged warehouse. Mery had said the children would be housed off to the right, and Isa craned her neck to try to see that area.

Mery took a few light steps into the warehouse and Isa followed. Next was Joth with Wat in the rear. Mery pointed to the right. Isa saw a large black area that way, and in the dim light it seemed that the darker black was an open entryway. Straight ahead and to the left were pallets of goods, crates, and boxes.

A voice from the left called out. “Llewellyn, that you?’ The voice came closer. “Whatcha doing, man? Piss outside.” A man stepped into the light. He had a mug in one hand. “Bloody hell!” He threw the mug at Mery, who was closest. She dodged it easily, but the mug smashed against the doorframe, and a second voice called out. “Hi Boji! Trying to sleep!”

“Intruders!” the first one called.

“I wish you hadn’t of done that,” said Mery.

Wat started to race toward him, and Mery whistled. “Stay by me, like we practiced.” She moved toward the man, who was pulling his mace from his belt.She swung her short sword, quickly slicing the air near the man, but her strikes were off. The second swing left her with her back to the man for a moment. Wat tried to step in, to protect Mery’s back, but the man’s mace jabbed at Mery, catching her in the kidneys.

Isa’s rapier caught the man for a small scratch on his face, and then Joth’s ray of frost blossomed on the man’s chest. As Joth’s spell landed, the man tried to swing his mace at Wat’s head. He missed and turned partially around.

Before Isa could begin to feel good about this encounter. She heard voices from the right. Two more guards joined the fray. One was in his nightshirt and cap, but he held a mace nonetheless.

Mery focused on the man in front of her. She swung at him and sliced him from shoulder to hip. Blood went everywhere, but the foe still stood. Wat waded in and hit him with 2 swings in succession. The man took the blows and grinned as he stood his ground. “That all you got, boy?” he said. But his own swing went wide when he tried to return Wat’s attack.

Isa moved toward the 2 newcomers and jabbed at the man in armor. Her rapier tip flicked at his shoulder buckle - Isa had been hoping to loosen his armor, but her attack was too weak.

Joth rubbed a bit of something on his finger and pointed it at the man in the nightshirt. “You should go back to bed and sleep soundly until morning.”

The man blinked, dropped the mace to the floor, and walked back into the still dark area behind him.

“Phillip?” The other man glanced to his right. “Where are you going? Phil!” When his friend didn’t respond, the man came at Joth, mace swinging. “What did you do to him?” His blow landed just short of Joth, who flinched, thinking that he was about to be hit.

Just then Isa heard voices behind her. A woman’s voice was saying, “It’s not optimal, but it’s time.”

With a glance over her shoulder Isa saw a short woman wearing red leather armor, a tall bearded man with 2 swords on his belt, and a man in a priest’s robe. They were all standing in the entryway of the warehouse.

The woman gaped at the scene and said, “Mery? Mery Braydon, what the fuck do you think you’re doing?”