Aurelia opened the storage room to find most of the people from the tavern’s kitchen had made their way into the room. She motioned for them to move out of the way and the men and women thankfully obliged. Aurelia rushed forward and opened up the passageway hatch.
“Gloria’s Angels!” one of the male villagers cried out. “What is that?”
A cook elbowed the man, “Shut it, Jasper, now’s not the time for your questions.”
“Okay, if you want to get out of sight from the soldiers, you’ll be safe down here,” Aurelia told the group. “Follow me if you want, but I won’t wait around for you.” With that, Aurelia made her way down the ladder and focused on the glowing strands of mana around her.
Before beginning the plan to rescue Corbin and his siblings, Aurelia had taken the time to get familiar with the spatial strands of her teammates. She regretted not doing so sooner for more people, but she couldn’t change what had happened. After hopefully saving Corbin, the plan had been for Belle to seek out the location of Robin’s team, and Aurelia would use her skill to track down Belle’s location. Finding the golden strand, Aurelia started moving down the tunnel. A voice from behind caused her to pause.
“Wait!” Lia cried out, “Where are you going?”
“I need to find Belle and Zen. I don’t have time to talk,” Aurelia turned away and started to jog forward.
Lia began to run after Aurelia and got in step beside her. “I don’t know what’s going on or why, but if Zen is involved, I want to help.”
Aurelia turned left at an intersection, not looking at Lia, “What can you do to help? Like I said, I don’t have time to stop and chat.”
“I don’t know, yet. But, I promise not to get in your way.”
Aurelia didn’t answer the barmaid, instead fully focusing on the glowing strand in front of her. She didn’t have the energy to rebuke the girl, so Aurelia decided to let her be for now. Two minutes later, Aurelia jogged into the meeting room from before. The auditorium-like seating was crowded with people, more than when Moon Raven had created the plan to save the Gray siblings. Aurelia spotted Belle and Zen talking to Marge and Admium so she rushed over to the group.
Belle spotted Aurelia and her face lit up in a smile, “Aurelia! You’re alright!”
The two girls quickly hugged before both their faces turned serious.
Zen looked anxiously at Aurelia, “Were you successful?”
“Yes, all four of them got out safely. Justin is hidden with Corbin and Samantha, while Sabin and Robin are waiting for me in the forest just outside the village. They are waiting for-” Aurelia paused when Marge held out a hand.
“We should go somewhere more private,” she looked around the room, “we have let in quite a few villagers in the last couple of hours and it might be wise to find a more private place to speak. The group nodded and Marge led them out of the room, Cadmium beside her. Lia trailed behind like a lost puppy, her hands wringing anxiously. They entered a room with a table and chairs, and they all sat down.
After making sure the door was shut, Marge looked to Lia, “What are you doing here, girl?”
“I want to help!” Lia replied in a determined tone.
Zen looked at his former girlfriend with apprehension on his face, “This isn’t some game, Lia, you could get hurt.”
“This is my home, too, Zen, and I can make my own decisions. Besides, you know I could be of use.”
“How?” Aurelia asked.
Everyone turned to Aurelia, including Lia, and Aurelia got the feeling it was something obvious. Belle was the first to remember why Aurelia may not know what they were talking about. “Lia’s aunt is Duchess Yelena Albrecht, wife of Duke Albrecht of Fellsmarch. Duchess Yelena was originally from Rainy Hollow.”
Lia nodded, “I am still close to my aunt and we send letters to each other frequently.”
“Okay… if your aunt is a duke’s wife, why are you just a barmid?” Aurelia asked.
Lia’s face reddened, “Only my aunt was raised to nobility, the rest of us were not a part of the deal.”
Marge looked at Lia thoughtfully, “Do you know who we are?”
Lia slowly nodded, “You’re Moon Raven, or at least a part of it.” After receiving affirming nods from around the room, she continued, “I had some suspicion with all the random people Ivan would let in and out from the back hallways. Most of them weren’t staying the night and they seemed to come often. I wasn’t for sure what was going on, but after coming down here, it makes sense.” Lia looked at Marge, “What I don’t get, is why you are a part of the rebellion group.”
The older woman smiled, “I don’t intend to share all my secrets, today. But, I believe you can help us. For now, sit and listen.”
Marge then nodded for Aurelia to continue her explanation of what had occurred in the last couple of hours. “Like I said, Robin and Sabin are waiting for word of what has happened to Maia and Eagan. Robin isn’t willing to stay behind while his team is in danger. My plan was to find out where they were and report back, but I was worried about what would happen if they entered town. The guards might take them captive all over again.”
Admium spoke up for the first time, “That is a valid concern, the guards are currently scouring the village for the Gray siblings, and plenty of people have gotten hurt so far.”
“We can’t just force them to sit still, though,” Aurelia pointed out, “The two of them would find a way into trouble if we don’t assist Robin in finding his team.”
“Well, before you arrived, I was just informing Marge and Admium that I had located Eagan and Maia,” Belle said.
“Wait, really?” Aurelia brightened.
“Yes, they are being held in the Rainy Hollow guard barracks.” Belle frowned, “Unfortunately the Duke's men took over the building after defeating the town’s guards.”
Aurelia remembered all the bodies by Lord Gray’s home and shuddered. It had been one of the most horrifying sights of her life. To see all that death in one place was not something she wanted to see again. Killing animals was one thing, but seeing the death of her own race was another. “Well, we know where they are, at least.”
Zen nodded, “We do know that information, but our situation is a lot worse now than it was a couple of hours ago.”
“Since you rescued Corbin and his brothers, more and more soldiers have entered Rainy Hollow,” Marge said. “With the addition of the Baron’s men, we are highly outnumbered in both people and levels.”
“Then what are we supposed to do?” Aurelia asked.
Admium leaned forward in his seat, “We have sent for reinforcements from nearby Moon Raven members, but if we wait too long, the duke’s hold on the village will be too ingrained. The soldiers will find their way down here eventually and there may not be anywhere safe left in town. We don’t want the duke to take his anger out on all the villagers.”
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“Well, any more than they already have,” Lia muttered under her breath.
“Okay, but that still doesn’t answer the question. It is good to know we might have some people on their way to help, but Robin’s teammates are in danger and it seems the duke and baron are set on taking control of the dungeon.”
“What do you mean?” Marge asked.
“There are soldiers from both nobles camped right outside the dungeon entrance, probably to prevent anyone from going in. I expect they are waiting for the dungeon master to show themselves.” Aurelia said.
Both Belle and Zen gave her a questioning look, and Aurelia knew they were wondering if she was going to tell Marge and Admium the full story. When Aurelia had shared her plan to use her crystal to teleport Corbin and his siblings away, she hadn’t elaborated on where the crystal was from or how she got it. Before, all Aurelia wanted was to keep that a secret, but after teleporting the Gray siblings to the dungeon, she had a feeling the secret might get out sooner than she wanted. Thankfully her teammates would never spill her secret without her permission and because she saved Corbin’s siblings, that fact might convince them to keep her secret as well. Aurelia wasn’t willing to give up her anonymity now, so she shook her head at her two teammates.
“I think for now we should focus on getting Robin’s teammates back, and then we can figure out what to do next.” Aurelia thought for a second then asked a question, “Does the duke and the baron really have the authority to just kill the lord of the village and take it over? There has to be more to it than that.”
Marge looked at her questioningly before answering, “No, it doesn’t usually work like that. Rainy Hollow has been here for three generations, and it was mostly just another small town between the city of Fellsmarch and the Capital of Gildenshores, Grand Zenith. With the dungeon around, it will become a hot spot for adventurers and nobles from all across the kingdom. The dungeon will make anyone who rules here very rich, and I believe the duke wants to be that person. The King may be a horrible person, but he prefers to keep the nobles under control. That means he upholds the standing law that the first noble to claim a dungeon is protected under the law. I believe what gave Duke Gladys the audacity to take over Rainy Hollow, is…us.” Marge looked down with a sorrowful gaze.
Belle’s eyes widened, “Anyone who harbors known members of Moon Raven is subject to the law. If Lord Gray knew we were here, Duke Gladys would have cause to punish him for that.”
Aurelia’s heart sank, “So there’s nothing legal we can do to stop the Duke from taking over?”
“Well, that’s not completely true,” Admium said. “If we can prove the Gray children knew nothing of us then Sabin could take his father’s place as lord of the village.”
“Except, Sabin did know of you,” Aurelia cut in.
“Really?” Marge asked.
Aurelia nodded, “I think only Robin and Samatha didn’t know about you guys after Belle told Corbin.”
“We can still work with that,” Admium said. “As long as one of them can put under oath that they did not know of us before today, we can get one of the other nobles to get Duke Gladys to back down.
“I’ll work on a solution,” Marge added. “Lia, let’s get in contact with your aunt, maybe she can help.”
Lia nodded, “Alright, tell me what to do.”
Marge led Lia out of the room, leaving Aurelia, Belle, Zen, and Admium together in the room. Aurelia spoke up first, “We need to hurry, I promised Robin and Sabin that I would report back to them what I learned.”
“It might not be the best idea to lead the two of them back here,” Admium said.
“Why not?” Belle asked.
“Right now the Gray siblings are the most important people to Rainy Hollow. If something happens to them, the village will surely fall to the duke and the baron. If we are to have any chance of removing them from power, we need Robin and Sabin alive and free.”
“They won’t like that,” Aurelia said. “Robin is set on getting his teammates back, even if it means getting into danger.”
“If we get his teammates back alive and well for him, he won’t have much room to complain,” Zen shrugged. “How much time do you have before you said you would be back?”
“Maybe like twenty minutes?” Aurelia guessed, “I said I would be back in an hour.”
“Wouldn’t it be quicker if you went to save them by yourself?” Belle asked Aurelia.
“What do you mean?”
Belle snapped her fingers, “Well your teleportation thing can get you and Robin’s teammates away quickly. What can Robin or Sabin do to help that you can’t do by just going invisible and teleporting Maia and Eagan out of there.”
“Well, I guess that’s true enough. We need to get someone to stall Robin and Sabin, though, as it will take me longer than 20 minutes to get back to them.”
Zen smiled, “Leave that to us.”
----------------------------------------
Aurelia was once again invisible, walking into a secure building on her way to save some strangers. She had known Corbin, but everyone else she had or might save that day was alien to her. Aurelia laughed to herself at the thought. The people of Eldria may be aliens to her, but she was the actual alien in their world.
Aurelia walked behind a set of the duke’s guards as they entered Rainy Hollow’s guard barracks. The place was moderately secured, not as bad as Lord Gray’s mansion had been, but still enough that Aurelia needed her invisibility. The guards in front of her turned left, but Aurelia went right towards the basement.
Before Aurelia had left, Belle had given her directions towards where she believed Maia and Eagan were being held. The barracks had its own mini-prison, just like the manor house, so it was likely the two were being held there. Apparently, the village didn’t have a true prison, but with a place this small, crime was very minimal.
When she arrived at the door leading down to the prison, Aurelia was faced with her first real obstacle. Two guards were standing directly in front of the prison door. In her last jailbreak, Aurelia had used the sleeping smoke potions to knock out the guards. She only had one bottle left, and Aurelia was worried about using it now. If guards regularly patrolled the barrack hallways, then sleeping guards would immediately alert the others that something was wrong. The smoke also lasted a few minutes before dissipating, meaning Aurelia might end up getting herself knocked out in the attempt.
That left Aurelia with two options, kill the guards or make a distraction. And as Aurelia had no desire to kill people, she went with the second option. She looked around her for a moment, before deciding to go with the most classical distraction in the book.
A couple of minutes later, the guard barracks was on fire. Unlike the other buildings in the village, this actually impacted the duke’s and baron’s guards. So they started running around, looking for ways to put out the blaze. This included the two who originally stood by the dungeon entrance, allowing Aurelia to sneak down the stairs unnoticed.
In the basement of the barracks, there were four cells ready for use. To Aurelia’s surprise, none of those cells were in use, making her heart pound in worry. The cells were all in a row facing the stairs, with closed doors to either side of the hallway. She studied the glowing strands of mana around her, and found that the door to her left had been recently used multiple times. Guessing this is where she should go next, Aurelia started walking in that direction. Before she could even get to the door, the sound of pounding steps behind her caused Aurelia to jump to the side.
A guard raced down the stairs, his tabard smelling of smoke. He ran to the door she had been walking towards, and pulled the handle. The frantic guard shouted into the open doorway, saying, “We have to leave, now!”
Another voice from inside the room said, “What are you talking about? We can’t leave now!”
“The whole building is on fire! The only water mage we have is occupied by the dungeon, so he won’t be able to get here in time. We need to leave!” the frantic guard replied.
“Nine Hells! Who let this happen?” another voice shouted.
Aurelia walked forward and peered inside the room. To both her excitement and dismay, she spotted the two individuals she had been searching for. Maia and Eagan were on the ground, beaten and chained up. The two did not look like they would be in any condition to be up and about.
“What about the prisoners?” the second guard asked.
“Drag them with you, I don’t care, but we need to get going, now!” the frantic guard said.
“They won’t be waking back up anytime soon,” the third guard said.
“Just grab them and go!” the frantic guard rushed into the room and put Maia over one shoulder. The other two guards snapped into motion and moved to grab Eagan.
Aurelia cursed under her breath, realizing she would lose her chance if she let the guards take the two away. She also didn’t want to be caught with the building burning down around her, so she decided her only chance was to attack. Staying invisible, Aurelia used a spatial slash on the closest guard. The spell was practically invisible as it flew across the hallway impacting the guard at his knees. The frantic guard cried out in pain, dropping Maia to the ground. Aurelia didn’t give the second and third guards a chance to figure out what was happening and sent two more spells their way.
Aurelia moved quickly making her way toward Maia as Eagan fell to the ground atop the two guards. The first guard was screaming in pain and confusion as he stared down at his decimated legs. Aurelia grabbed Maia and dragged her on the ground in the direction of Eagan.
“What is that? What is that?” one of the guards cried out.
Aurelia ignored the guards as she finally reached Eagan as well. Before she could pull out her dungeon crystal, an impact on her mana shield caused her to jump in surprise. She turned around to see that one of the guards had thrown his helmet in her direction.
“Who’s there?” the second guard cried out.
Aurelia finally got out her crystal and placed a hand on both Eagan and Maia as she said, “It’s Your Royal Highness.” A blast of light later and all three of them had disappeared.