“Clever,” I whispered to Flea.

“Remember when the POWs escaped and Prince Ryne’s men helped      fix the fence?” Flea asked.

“They added this then?”

“Yup.”

Wow. Ryne had really been thinking ahead.

Loren shushed us and climbed through the opening. Quain      gestured for Flea and me to go next. He entered last, closing the door behind      him. We stepped on the soft dirt of the training ring. No longer used for      horses, this area had been the exercise yard for the POWs when Estrid had been      in charge. The roof overhead blocked most of the moonlight.

After pausing to let our eyes adjust to the darkness, Loren      continued. To me, the guys resembled darker blobs against the blackness. I      wondered how we would find Estrid without light.

Before entering into the main stable area, Loren dug in the      loose dirt off to the left. A faint metallic jingle sounded. Then he reached up      along the wall and this time a clang rang out. Quain passed me, joining Loren.      He muttered and cursed under his breath. Eventually a small yellow glow filled a      bull’s-eye lantern. Loren slid the shutter until only a thin beam of light      pierced the darkness.

They’d left a back door and an escape kit. Handy. We crept into      what had once been stables. Now the stalls all had metal bars and thick locks.      As Loren swept the light over one empty cell after another, I considered. Why      would Cellina bother to lock up people who couldn’t move? Who needed no      care?

I caught up to Loren. “She’s not here. Is there a storage shed      inside the complex?”

He glanced at Quain and Flea.

“There’s that hay barn,” Flea said. “There wasn’t anything      inside it except a couple straw bales.”

“Show us,” Loren said.

Flea took point and we stayed close behind him. He slipped from      the stables. Loren closed the lantern, hiding the light. We scanned the area for      any guards before crossing the open space between buildings. A creepy sensation      raised the hairs on my arms as I imagined hidden gazes watching us.

Leading us to the smaller barn, Flea paused outside the      entrance. Was another ambush waiting for us? He pulled on the door. The hinges      squeaked. We hunched over as if under attack.

“Sissies,” Quain said as if he hadn’t flinched, as well. He      entered first.

We filed in around him.

Loren moved the lantern’s slide, letting the light out.      “Bingo.”

Prone forms lay on the bales and were piled on the floor. They      appeared to have been tossed without care. They all wore yellow POW jumpsuits.      We spread out, searching the bodies for Estrid. Except Flea. He stood near the      door, almost pressing against it. His arms were wrapped around his stomach and      he had a panicked look on his pale face.

“Found her,” Loren said.

Estrid had been placed on a stack of bales near the back.

Loren waved Flea over. “Come on, Flea, we’re running out of      time.”

“I...” Flea swallowed. “Can you bring her over here?”

“Why?” Loren asked.

“He’s going to be sick if he gets too close,” I said, moving to      join Loren. “Quain, we need your muscles.”

Stepping on a few of the others, the three of us managed to      carry Estrid to Flea. With a queasy grimace, Flea crouched next to her. He      touched her forehead then spun to heave, spilling the contents of his stomach in      a wet plop. I placed my hand on the back of his sweaty neck, sending him energy.      After a few moments, he stopped.

“What—” Estrid started.

“We’ll explain everything later,” Loren said. He helped her to      stand.

“Who—”

I turned so she could see my face.

“Oh, Avry.” She glanced around. “My staff?”

“No time,” Loren said. “Let’s go.”

With Estrid in the middle, we retraced our steps back to the      stables and out the back door. Estrid tsked over the hidden exit, but otherwise      remained quiet. Impressive. My anxiety increased as we entered the forest. Would      Kerrick still be here?

We returned to the location we’d left Kerrick and Eva. Sounds      of moving soldiers filled the forest around us, but that wasn’t why I panicked.      Kerrick had disappeared again.

“Now what?” Quain asked.

Loren scanned the forest. “North?”

“You asking or telling,” Quain said to Loren.

“Kerrick said north,” I said before they could launch into an      argument. “We go north.” And hope we’d find Kerrick and Eva on the way.