“Children… be quiet, I am back. This time I have a question for all of you.”
The children woke up. Some beds were empty, I would have thought to sedate their spies to make it possible for this right now. While I have done too much I am rather cautious and be ready for some different happenings.
“Children, I want to know. Do you want to leave? We have a nice place for you to live. It might be scary to go, but I really just want to help you. Please think about it, I ask now the others too. I will be back in a while. Who wants to come wait for me, the others please just sleep.”
While vanishing a small rat was still there and listened in. Most were scared, but some were determined. ‘What can be more horrible than being here?’ was the most memorable phrase Snow told me she heard them say.
The whole place was rather filled with many talks. Snow even found the spies, but they were in really poor condition. While she really wanted to help them I told her not to. She has to be clear, they made their own choice and now have to suffer the consequences.
As she described their state even I had sympathy for them. Hanging in chains over the floor, naked and caned. Losing so much money made the caretakers that angry. Still I was able to work it into the plans. The hidden room was easily marked by some smearing on the floor to be found and Snow made that with heavy heart.
Finally the first children came through the shadows.
“Be silent children. Here is something to eat first. We need to be quiet and escape through a tunnel, when everyone is here.”
Seeing me, they were a bit apprehensive, but remembered my face rather quickly. Afterwards the children nibbled on their bread and waited.
After some needed to go back to tell them, that it was really safe a rather large stream of children came. Now we had all of them on the outside and the ones who wanted to stay… well there were none somehow or Snow did not tell me everything. That place must be more horrible as I imagined for everyone to want to leave.
Two hundred and six children were a rather massive blob and would be impossible to get out if there were not the secret tunnels. A rather huge merchant City without black market hidden entrances and exits? Rather unlikely and Snow found many. Even one right next to the Orphanage for a rather gloomy use I would believe.
The owners are already rat food. Strewn into the sewers for Snows siblings to feast on. Now we have to leave before the Guards find us.
That Tunnel was rather meticulous built and came right out of a tool shack of a Farmers house. They are sleeping really tight with the sedative in their systems right now.
The walk into the Forest was rather awkward as the children had to hold hands to keep track. As they could not see in front of them it was already hard for them, but we needed the darkness to hide our escape.
…
“And that is when you came with Leafy right to us to get the children before they were found by the followers.”
Katie, Karen and Isabelle were stunned silly, but what can I do? They asked and I don’t want or need to lie.
The whole travel back through the Forest was more harmonic, as the three Caretakers could organize them way better than us.
“You really stole every child out of the Orphanage. You are insane!”
Thanks Isabelle, I know.
“Better getting them where they can live peacefully than what they do inside there.”
“I heard rumors, but that were just tales, like they always have been around. They are true and even worse? We need to tell the Guards!”
“No need Katie. Snow? Can you tell her what happens right now?”
“Sure. They are searching the whole Orphanage. While I was not allowed to save the beaten children, they were already found. The whole Orphanage is being turned upside down and not only Money but some books where they noted the sold children were found.”
“They sold… what for?”
“Do I really tell you that Isabelle? We are on the corner of different Countries. Slavery is not well seen here, but a few Kilometer in different directions…”
“Still, they would not give that much as slaves.”
“As normal Slaves no, but illegal ones who you have no proof for ever having existed? You can make money with pretty girls and boys in every place…”
“Please stop!”
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
Karen is still a bit horrified, but finally said something and not only listens. Right now we are rather deep inside the Forest and rest, for the children all need rest.
We talk about a travel of close to two hundred Kilometer in uneven terrain. We are happy for the four bringing food and water with so much Mana in them to let them keep going, but they still need to rest.
Worse is, we have to cull some of the more crazy Monsters coming at us. As of right now, we had about a dozen encounters with the biggest being around a dozen Wolves. This is a rather heavy fight between the Monsters around being scared and frenzied. What is the reason of this Stampede coming?
“Ah! I got found!”
“What happened Snow?”
“Some Mages came to search, they found my Shadow Rats hiding here and there. I got them out luckily but it was close. They are on their way back.”
“So no more information anymore. At least the Orphanage was cracked open and they found more than enough evidence for illegal slave trade.”
This will be the talk of the City for a while. Even if they would like to put it under the rug, the sudden vanishing of two hundred children will not be easy to explain and the discovered corruption will have their consequences. I hope the next Orphanage will be more caring and less corrupt.
…
We nearly lost a few children. Luckily the surrounding of the Monsters was not planned. If they were attacking all at the same time we would have not been able to protect them all. Why are they so aggressive?
It does not matter for now, as we finally made it. All 206 Children are there. Some were even carried by the older ones, when their little feet did not carry them anymore. All were brave enough and now we are here.
“Welcome to the Lost Village. Here you will not hunger or suffer. As you can see food is already in the making by the Villagers. Please warm yourselves on the food and afterwards rest in the large House over there.”
The Mansion is being filled with blankets and makeshift beds. I might just ask them to come directly to the Castle, but that would be just cruel. Let them rest.
“Belk, we have too few farmers for all of us. When we start sorting I will send some to live in the Village.”
“Of course, my Lord. What is with these children? They are looking rather… scared.”
“They came from a corrupt Orphanage. We broke them out, no need to explain further, but keep your distance and speak softly to them. They are through worse than you can imagine by what Snow told me.”
With that done there is just waiting for them to become less scared. I do not understand how Snow did it. All children? How?!
…
“Um… I just told them the truth and they believed me?”
That does not answer the question, but it might just Snow being Snow. Whatever it is, she brought them back now she has to work extra hard. Right now I prepare an emergency travel to Halk. We do NOT have enough caretakers. There must be a way to bring more.
Katie wanted to go with me, but right now we might be wanted men. It will take some time for the Message to be sent to other places, but if they make us responsible even if we were officially gone, I better be ready for anything.
The aftermath will definitely not be pretty and they need a scapegoat. If the Sisters can wiggle themselves out they might frame me again. Luckily we already had a sentencing against them, so there will be some problems to frame us again as they might just sound vindictive.
Still we are some prime suspects, as we told them we were there for taking kids. Man that sounds still wrong!
…
“You did what?!”
“Please be a bit quieter. You sent me to save Children and I did. Now I need some help from you.”
“I… I told you to ask for the poor Children to be sheltered by you, not for you to just kidnap all of them!”
“Still a bit quieter, the others might hear us. The Orphanage was corrupt. You did not see the caned and hanging children in their ‘reflection rooms’. Also there were stashes of Money hidden and even a booklet explaining when and where a child went ‘missing’, and for how much. Do not tell me you would have not done anything.”
“I would have called the guards!”
“In a City that big and an Orphanage existing that long, you think there are no corrupt higher ups somewhere? You might be found in a ditch with cut throat and they would say it was a robber. Do you not know how the World works?”
“...was it that bad?”
“Worse. Twelve Children were hanging in the rooms nearly flailed to death. We only let them there because… they were a risk. We created a ruse to see who is a snitch and who is not. Luckily we made special plans for everything.”
“Please… Albeit I still do not condone your approach, can you at least explain everything?”
“Only if you swear to not tell anyone. You are right now on a List of liabilities, do you want to be put further up on the list?”
That made her gulp. She did start everything, now you have to keep the consequences.
“I understand. I will go with you, but first I want to hear everything.”
So I told her. The greedy looks on their faces, the children scared and hopeless, the trick we played by being on two places at once while feeding them. The accusation and quick apprehension even if there were just some hearsay of a few children. The escape and locating of the half dead children. The work to make the secret rooms easy to find with smearing some of the dripping blood on the floor next to it. The travel and how many we now have.
“This is so much. How can there be such a corrupt… no, it is Malek. Albeit it is the richest merchant City of Telk, the black market runs deep. How many Children might have been sold… And I even sent some myself when we were overcrowded…”
Self pity will not help you. Now I want your answer.
“So, are you coming with us? We need at least four more Caretaker, Sister Annette.”
“I need time to prepare, but there are some I trust most. They might come with me.”
And with that I waited while eavesdropping and being sure not to be sold out. Trusting people is hard.
…
Sister Annette, Mirabelle and Sina are now coming with us. One less as I demanded, but there is nothing I can do, as the others would not follow into the unknown even if it is the pleading of their Sister in charge. The talks all were rather secretive and nothing was told, just that there is an emergency and Children need their help.
Still they are leaving the Sisters of the Orphanage behind… Or are they? Maybe they can create a branch with us, even if we are not officially on the World map as of now. Bah, at least we have caretakers. I hope she can really work with them, they are extremely scared of grown ups…