Free Magus (Advent Mage Cycle) by Honor Raconteur Page B

Hazard.
    "Garth?"
    "Yes, Night."
    " For your sake, I hope the next person we find isn't a boy. "
    I groaned at the very thought. "That makes two of us."
    ~*~
    We didn't find a boy next.
    We found three girls.
    Once we reached Ashton, we'd eaten a hearty supper in the taproom, then scattered in different directions. Chatta and I had gone upstairs to start searching the city. I hadn't been at it for more than twenty minutes when I stumbled across the nearest prison—and the occupants of that prison.
    "Chatta," I urgently grabbed her attention. "The prison has three inmates that are magical."
    “Where?”
    “Just north of us,” I answered.
    She immediately shifted her focus, and within moments saw what I had felt. "Three girls," she whispered in dawning horror.
    I had suspected they were girls—I can sometimes feel gender in power, although not often—but hearing her confirm that made me sick to my stomach. I hated the idea of anyone in prison, much less young women. "We've got to get them out of there," I said in rising panic. I was already rolling off the bed, heading for the door.
    Chatta was right behind me, darting off the bed. "I'll get Eagle and Hazard, you tell Xiaolang. Meet us in the stables in five minutes."
    A thought occurred and I shook my head. "We need to switch," I disagreed, already out the door and going down the stairs. "You know what the inside of the prison looks like, you go find Xiaolang. I'll get the other two." Xiaolang would need all the time he could get to plan a breakout.
    Chatta's eyes lit up as she saw my point, but she didn't do anything more than nod sharply before she was out of sight, moving quickly toward the back of the inn.
    As it turned out, I found Hazard and Eagle on the street. They were weighted down with several packages—food and the like—but apparently were done with the shopping, as they were heading back toward the inn. I waited until I was close to them before speaking, not wanting anyone to overhear. The streets were fairly empty at this time of night, but it never hurt to be cautious. "We found three more."
    They both stopped dead, eyes flaring wide in surprise. It was Eagle that asked the obvious. "Where?"
    "Local prison. Chatta's telling Xiaolang now."
    They didn't ask another question, just started for the inn again, their pace so quick that they were nearly running. We made a brief detour past our rooms, long enough to throw everything inside, then I led the way to the stable yard.
    The small yard was empty, filled with nothing but shadows and a pile of hay. I almost turned back toward the inn, thinking that I had somehow passed Chatta and Xiaolang, when I saw a flicker of movement near the stable door. Looking harder, I realized that it was Chatta, and she was waving me forward. It was so dark I could barely see her.
    I wasn't inclined to stay disgruntled by the darkness for long—it might come in handy later.
    I crossed the stable yard with Hazard and Eagle close on my heels. Chatta moved out of the doorway, giving us room to enter the small stable.
    Xiaolang was bent over a bowl filled with clear water. From the glimpse I gave it, I saw that Chatta had done another scrying of the prison, apparently so that Xiaolang could see for himself what the interior was like.
    Smart girl.
    Xiaolang gestured us closer, gaze not moving from the water. "Garth."
    I obeyed the terse summons and went directly to his side. He was pointing at the image in the bowl, and I followed the direction of his finger. There were three girls in a small, dank cell, their ages ranging from about fourteen to seventeen. They were cold, a little dirty, and huddled together as if trying to find some comfort. From what I could see of their features, I guessed them to be sisters—they looked remarkably similar to each other.
    "The collars around their necks," Xiaolang asked with quiet anger, "what does that mean?"
    All three girls wore a loose collar around their necks. I growled when I saw the