My chest tightened. Hensley. He was my age. He had told me he missed his old comrades in Tijan… Now he would never see them again.
The sun's next ray revealed a large gathering of men and women in dress I did not recognize. Caltothians. Their clothing blended in with the surroundings – dark brown breeches and long green tunics, covered in a thick brown cloak that hooded their faces.
One of the first things I noticed was that there was no chainmail or plate armor anywhere on them. That must have helped them catch the keep's regiment by surprise. Without the rustle of metal rings, the enemy had managed to blend right in with the rest of the forest… until a passing patrol had come across their place of hiding.
Who knew how many more would have been captured had it not been the day of our mock battle? Most of the keep's regiment had been dismissed to view the affair from the keep's towers; only a few had been assigned to patrols.
"I count fifteen, but there might be more out back." Darren's voice was barely a whisper.
The Caltothians seemed to be arguing over what to do with the remaining hostages, although it was hard to know for sure as they were all speaking at once. Only short fragments of speech carried over to where Darren and I hid crouching.
At one point, one of the Caltothians strode forward and grabbed a prisoner by the back of his braid. She brandished a jagged-looking blade against the base of his throat and shouted something to the others. Another Caltothian rushed forward to pull her back but it was too late. The woman dropped her grip and a thick spray of blood spewed from the man's neck.
One of the hostages let out a muffled cry.
My fingernails dug into Darren's arm so deep he bled. I dropped it immediately. Three soldiers – and now one knight - were dead. I glanced at the non-heir and saw fury.
"We've got to do something," he growled. "I can't just watch them slaughter my own people."
My throat burned and I forced myself to speak softly. "I can light a fire." I could see it now. "I could cast one large enough to get the Caltothian to investigate… I know they probably won't send all of their men, but they might be confident enough to leave only two or three guarding the prisoners since they are already bound."
Darren's jaw clenched, and for a moment he looked like he was fighting himself. Finally he said, "You need to go far enough that it takes them a while to return. I can handle the ones that stay behind, but I need to know you'll hide as soon as you've got their attention." He ran a fist through his hair. "I'll help the hostages back to the keep, but you need to promise me you'll stay safe until I can send help."
I squinted into the trees. The woman was already pointing to another one of our knights. I needed to go. Now. Before the others found the same fate as the man with the braid. I stood and Darren grabbed my arm.
"Don't you dare get caught." His voice was oddly strained.
"Why?" The words fell from my lips before I could stop them. "Why would you care?"
Darren looked away from me. "Just don't, okay?"
"Okay."
He looked at me then. For a moment he said nothing. When he finally spoke his expression was dark. "Run, Ryiah. Run fast."
And with that, our plan was set in motion.
****
I sprinted through the trees, leaping over jagged granite and forcing my way through thick brush as I made my way across the dense forest. I needed to get as far away from the Caltothians – and the Keep - as possible. It was hard to keep track of time as I ran. I needed to put at least ten minutes between us. I wanted to do more but I was afraid if I spent any more time running, another knight would die.
I came to a stop in front of a towering pine. Just behind it was a thundering white stream. The river would keep the fire from spreading west, which was where I would seek shelter. The pine's thick smoke would draw the Caltothians out and there was no chance the Ferren's Keep regiment would miss it.
I placed my palms on the trunk of the tree and set to work projecting my casting. The pine was close to three hundred feet – at least fifty taller than the rest of its surroundings. It would take much more power than normal to exert a casting of its range, but I had not used my magic once that morning. I had a full reserve to draw from. And pine burned fast.
In five minutes I had the highest branches roaring in red. A thick gray cloud straddled the sky. The top quarter of the pine was engulfed in flames.
I released my casting and stumbled back, slightly dizzy. The distance had been a greater effort than I expected. Still, the fire was burning high and there was no missing its smoke. Darren would see it any second.