“Stop.” Adrian’s croak carried surprising force. “They drugged Duncan’s guards and used wards none of us saw coming. You couldn’t have known.”

  “We’re supposed to protect you.”

  “And you came to get me back.” Adrian met Roderick’s eyes. “That’s what matters.”

  Henrick stood rigid in the doorway. His jaw was tight and his eyes catalogued every bruise on Adrian’s face.

  “We won’t fail again,” he said quietly.

  “I know you won’t.” Adrian managed something close to a smile. “Now get me out of here.”

  “Guards are down,” Roderick reported, his composure returning. “Bound and gagged like the others. We should move before anyone comes to check on them.”

  “Can you walk?” Henrick asked Adrian.

  The prince tested his legs again. They held this time, but barely. “I can manage. Just not fast.”

  “Lean on me.” Roderick moved to Adrian’s side and let the prince put an arm across his shoulders. “We’ll go as fast as you can handle.”

  We moved back down the corridor past the rooms we had cleared and the stairs where the alarm ward had waited. Down through the mill’s ground floor with its hidden pressure plates and unconscious guards.

  The rear door stood open where we had left it. Beyond it, the overgrown grounds waited in the fading afternoon light.

  We were almost out. Almost free.

  Then Brennan’s voice reached us from the tree line.

  “Company coming! Wagon on the road. Five minutes at most.”

  We sprinted across open ground. Adrian stumbled between Roderick and Henrick. Felix and I followed close behind with our supplies bouncing in their packs.

  Brennan met us at the edge of the trees. His face held the grim focus of someone delivering bad news.

  “Saw them from the ridge. A wagon and riders. Coming fast from the east.”

  “How many?”

  “Eight. Maybe ten. Armed.” He was already moving toward where the horses waited.

  We reached the horses. Roderick lifted Adrian into a saddle with the ease of someone handling wounded before. The prince gripped the reins and set his jaw against whatever pain the movement caused.

  “Can you ride?” I asked.

  “I can ride.” Steel had entered his voice, audible even beneath the exhaustion. “Let’s go.”

  We mounted and turned our horses away from the mill. The sound of the approaching wagon reached us through the trees. Wheels on packed earth. Hoofbeats growing louder.

  “They’ll find the guards,” Felix said. “They’ll know we were here.”

  “Let them.” Brennan kicked his horse into motion. “By the time they figure out what happened, we’ll be halfway to Valdmere.”

  We rode into the gathering dusk. Behind us, the mill disappeared into the forest. Ahead, the road stretched toward safety.

  Chapter 33

  Clear Air

  We rode hard until the mill disappeared behind the hills.

  The approaching wagon had not followed us into the trees. Either they had stopped to check on their bound colleagues or they had decided that pursuit through unfamiliar forest at dusk carried too much risk. Whatever the reason, we gained distance with every mile.

  Adrian rode his horse with grim determination. The weakness that had made him stumble in the mill had faded as adrenaline took over. He gripped the reins with white-knuckled hands and kept pace with the rest of us through terrain that would have challenged a healthy rider.

  Brennan led us along trails that did not appear on any map. Paths known only to someone who had spent decades learning this land. We crossed streams and climbed ridges and pushed through undergrowth that scratched at our clothes and faces.

  Finally, as full darkness settled over the forest, Brennan called a halt.

  “Far enough,” he said. “They won’t find us here. Not tonight.”

  We had reached a small clearing on a hillside. The trees provided cover on three sides. A rock outcropping at our backs offered protection from the wind. It was uncomfortable but defensible. The kind of place where experienced travelers made camp when they needed to stay hidden.

  Adrian nearly fell when he dismounted.

  Roderick caught him before he hit the ground. The guard’s scarred face held concern that he did not try to hide.

  “Easy, Your Highness. You’ve pushed hard enough for one day.”

  “I can manage.” Adrian’s voice came out thin and exhausted. The adrenaline had burned away. What remained was a young man who had spent days bound in a dark room with minimal food or water. “Just need a moment.”

  We helped him to a fallen log where he could sit and rest. Felix produced a waterskin from his saddlebags. Adrian drank deeply. Some color returned to his face.

  “Thank you,” he said. “All of you. I didn’t know if anyone would come.”

  “Of course we came.” I sat beside him on the log. “Did you really think we’d leave you there?”

  “I thought you’d try. I wasn’t sure you’d succeed.” A ghost of his usual humor flickered across his features. “The consortium’s glyphwright knew his craft. Those wards would have stopped most rescue attempts.”

  “Most attempts don’t have two journeymen with detection sticks and a very determined pair of guards.”

  “And Brennan.” Adrian looked toward where the guide tended the horses. “He found the approach through the channel?”

  “He grew up near here. Knew the terrain.”

  “Of course he did.” Adrian shook his head slowly. “I should have trusted Duncan’s judgment. When he assigned Brennan to guide us, I thought it was just politics. A gesture to make the foreign visitors feel important. I didn’t realize he gave us our best chance at survival.”

  I watched Brennan work with the horses. The efficiency of his movements. The way he’d handled himself throughout the rescue. The tactical knowledge he’d shared without ever explaining where it came from.

  “He’s more than a guide, isn’t he?”

  Adrian glanced at me. “You didn’t know?”

  “Know what?”

  “Brennan served as a scout commander under Duncan’s father during the border conflicts. Fifteen years in the field. Decorated twice.” Adrian’s voice carried a new weight. “He retired after the last campaign. Asked to be forgotten. Duncan honored that request.”

  Brennan must have heard us. He didn’t look up from the horses, but his shoulders stiffened slightly.

  “That was a different life,” he said. His voice was flat. “I’d prefer to keep it that way.”

  “Of course.” Adrian dipped his head in something close to a bow. “I apologize. I shouldn’t have spoken of it.”

  The apology surprised me. Princes didn’t apologize to guides. But Brennan just nodded once and returned to his work, and I understood that whatever Brennan had done in that different life had earned him the right to leave it behind.

  We made a cold camp. The smoke and light would draw attention we could not afford. Instead, we ate dried provisions from our saddlebags and shared body warmth against the chill that crept through the forest as night deepened.

  “I’ll take first watch,” Roderick said. “Henrick will relieve me in four hours.”

  Henrick nodded and settled against a tree trunk. He’d sleep light and be ready to move if Roderick called. This way they’d always have a trained fighter on alert.

  Whatever guilt they carried about the kidnapping, they channeled it into vigilance.

  Adrian had recovered enough to speak coherently. The water and food helped. Rest would help more, but he wasn’t ready for that yet.

  Adrian leaned closer. “I need to tell you something. Something I heard while they held me.”

  Adrian’s voice dropped. “I need to tell you something.”

  Felix and I leaned closer. Brennan joined us after securing the horses.

  “At the mill, you mentioned they talked about a plan,” I said.

  “They thought I was unconscious the whole time. The stun ward left me dazed for hours, but when I started coming around, I kept my eyes closed and let them think I was still under.” Adrian’s jaw tightened. “They weren’t careful about what they said.”

  “What did you hear?”

  “They’re planning an attack. A real one. Not like the brigands in Veldros who were just supposed to scare us.” Adrian met my eyes. “They’re going to hit Dunmarch and destroy everything we built there.”

  The words landed like stones dropped into still water. Ripples of understanding spread outward. Dunmarch. The granary we had repaired. The cross-trade system we had established. The people who had stood with us against the trade commission.

  “When?” Brennan’s voice came out flat and controlled. But I heard the tension beneath it.

  “Soon. They didn’t give exact timing. But the leader said they needed to move before Duncan could respond to my disappearance. Before the search expanded beyond Valdmere.” Adrian paused. “They know Duncan. Know how he thinks. They expected him to focus on the capital first. By the time he looked further out, Dunmarch would already be burning.”

  “That’s why they took you,” Felix said slowly. “Not just to remove the political protection, but to distract everyone while they attacked.”

  “The kidnapping and the raid are connected. Two parts of the same plan.” I thought about the coordination we had seen throughout this crisis. The triple pressure in Dunmarch. The sabotage in Veldros. The ward trap at the inn. “They’ve been planning this for weeks. Maybe longer. Every move was designed to set up the next one.”

  “If they can’t control the trade,” Adrian said, “they’ll burn it down. Those were the leader’s exact words. They’ve decided that independent commerce in Keldrath is more threat than opportunity. Better to destroy what we’ve built than let it spread.”

  Brennan stood abruptly.

  He walked to the edge of the clearing and stared into the darkness. His shoulders held a tension I had not seen since the night Adrian was taken. When he turned back, his weathered face had hardened into something that reminded me he was more than just a guide.

  “Dunmarch,” he said. “That’s my territory. My people. I’ve known those folks for thirty years. Alderman Marsh baptized my daughter.”

  “Brennan...”

  “They stood up because we asked them to. Defied the commission because we convinced them it was worth the risk.” His voice cracked slightly. “And now someone’s coming to punish them for listening to us.”

  “We can warn them,” I said. “We can get there first and prepare defenses.”

  “Can we?” Brennan’s eyes found mine. “The mill is between here and Valdmere. Between here and Dunmarch too. If the consortium’s men are already moving, they might reach the town before we do.”

  “Then we split up.” The idea formed as I spoke it. Two problems. Two responses. “Someone rides to Valdmere and warns Duncan to arrange reinforcements.” I looked at the group. “The rest of us go to Dunmarch as fast as we can so we can prepare whatever defenses are possible.”

  “Duncan needs to know Adrian is safe,” Roderick said. “That changes everything. If he thinks Adrian is still missing, he’ll waste resources on rescue attempts instead of sending help where it’s needed.”

  “So we send someone who can speak with authority. Someone Duncan will believe.” I turned to Brennan. “You served under his father. He trusts you.”

  Brennan’s expression shifted. The anger didn’t fade, but something else joined it. Calculation. Purpose.

  “I know the fastest routes to the capital,” he said. “Can shave two hours off the main road if I push hard. Maybe more.”

  “And you can coordinate from there. Tell Duncan what we need. Soldiers, supplies, and whatever else he can spare.”

  “What about Adrian?” Henrick asked. “His Highness isn’t in condition for a hard ride. If we’re racing to reach Dunmarch before the attack...”

  “I can ride.” Adrian pushed himself to his feet. He swayed slightly but remained upright. “Those people protected me and stood with us when it would have been easier to stay silent. I’m not going to hide in Valdmere while they face the consequences of our actions.”

  “Your Highness⁠—”

  “I said I can ride.” Steel entered Adrian’s voice. The same steel I had heard when he addressed crowds in Dunmarch and Veldros. “We started this together. We’ll finish it together.”

  Roderick and Henrick exchanged a glance. Whatever they communicated silently, they reached an agreement.

  “Then we ride with you,” Roderick said. “As always.”

  We worked out the details quickly.

  Brennan would leave immediately. His horse was fresh enough for the journey, and he knew trails that would let him travel even in darkness. By dawn, he could be halfway to Valdmere. By midday, he could be speaking with Duncan.

  The rest of us would rest for a few hours. Adrian needed recovery time, and our horses needed the break even more. At first light, we would ride for Dunmarch. Push hard but not hard enough to kill our mounts. Arrive by afternoon if everything went well.

  “How many men did you hear them discussing?” I asked Adrian. “For the raid.”

  “At least thirty. Maybe more.” Adrian’s face was grim. “Professional fighters. Not brigands. The leader talked about them like soldiers.”

  “Thirty against a town of farmers and tradespeople.”

  “Thirty against a town that’s already proven it will fight back. Remember Veldros? The townspeople rallied when the brigands attacked. Dunmarch will do the same.”

  “Rallying is one thing. Winning is another.” I thought about the people we had worked with. Alderman Marsh with her practical wisdom. The smith who had shared materials despite the commission’s orders. The baker who had traded ash for grain. Good people. Brave people. But not warriors. “We need to give them an advantage. Something to even the odds.”

  Felix spoke up. “The techniques Merrick taught us. Drawing power from stone. Anchoring ward effects to natural formations instead of manufactured containers.” He met my eyes. “We could set traps. Real ones we can trigger when the attackers approach.”

  “You’re talking about offensive ward work.”

  “I’m talking about defensive ward work that happens to explode in people’s faces when they try to hurt our friends.” Felix’s voice held an edge I rarely heard from him. “We’ve never used our skills to hurt anyone directly. But if thirty armed men are coming to burn down a town that trusted us...”

  “Then we do what we have to do.” I nodded slowly. “Ice wards. Lightning if we have enough power. Something to stop a charge and break their momentum.”

  “You’d need significant energy reserves,” Brennan said. “The kind that comes from large anchor stones or prepared battery systems. Dunmarch doesn’t have either.”

  “It has bedrock. Our friend Merrick showed us how to tap the energy in natural stone. The patterns are complex, but Felix and I have practiced them.” I looked at my partner. “Can you establish the power draw while I set the triggers?”

  “I think so. The resonance work is similar to what we did in Ironhollow.” Felix’s expression turned thoughtful. “We’d need to identify the right stone formations. Find places where the bedrock is close to the surface.”

  “We’ll figure it out when we get there.” I stood and stretched muscles that had grown stiff from sitting. “Right now, we need rest. Whatever comes tomorrow, we’ll face it better if we’re not exhausted.”

  Brennan departed within the hour.

  He clasped my forearm before mounting. The grip was firm. The kind of handshake that conveyed more than words.

  “Keep them safe, lad. The people in Dunmarch. The prince. Your partner.” His eyes held something I had not seen before. Trust, perhaps. Or faith. “I’ll bring help. Whatever Duncan can spare. Just hold on until we arrive.”

  “How long?” I asked. “Realistically.”

  “If I reach Valdmere by midday, Duncan will need time to gather forces. Travel time after that.” Brennan calculated silently. “Tomorrow night at the earliest. More likely the morning after.”

  “That’s a long time to hold against thirty men.”

  “Aye.” Brennan mounted his horse. The animal shifted beneath him, eager to move after the long rest. “But you’ve surprised me before. Both of you have. Maybe you’ll surprise them too.”

  He rode into the darkness without looking back. The sound of hoofbeats faded. Then silence.

  I returned to the clearing where Felix was already arranging his pack as a pillow.

  “You should sleep,” he said.

  “In a minute.” I sat beside him and stared at the stars visible through the gap in the tree canopy. “This isn’t how I expected the rescue to go.”

  “We got Adrian out. That’s what matters.”

  “And now we’re racing to save a town from an army.” I laughed softly. “Somehow our missions keep getting more complicated.”

  “At least we’re consistent.” Felix adjusted his pack. “Do you really think we can set up defensive wards strong enough to stop thirty armed fighters?”

  “I think we have to try.” I thought about Alderman Marsh and her determined face. About the smith who had defied the commission. About everyone in Dunmarch who had chosen hope over fear because we asked them to. “We convinced those people to stand up. Now someone wants to knock them down for it. If we don’t help them, who will?”

  “Duncan’s reinforcements. Eventually.”

  “Eventually isn’t good enough.” I lay back and closed my eyes. “We have until tomorrow afternoon to figure out how two journeymen glyphwrights stop an army. Shouldn’t be a problem.”

  “When you put it that way, it sounds almost reasonable.”

  “Get some sleep, Felix. Tomorrow’s going to be long.”

  I dreamed of Dunmarch.

  A different Dunmarch. Smoke rose from burning buildings. Bodies lay in the streets. Everything we had built was torn apart by men who saw destruction as a business strategy.