The night was quiet, but tension buzzed in the air like invisible threads of static. Inside a supply tent at the edge of the humanitarian relief center, Arriel, Lira, and Kell sat hunched around a dim lantern, their cloaks wrapped tightly to muffle their voices and shield the chill.
The flap of the tent was shut tight, and Lira had cast a mild silence barrier to keep their conversation from leaking beyond the canvas walls.
Arriel leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "We saw the man. The ring. The bodyguard. And we have the recording of the auction. But now what?"
Lira glanced down at the small orb embedded in Arriel's ring, which shimmered faintly with captured images. Her voice was low, serious. "We know his name. Iskiel. And the bodyguard—Bardos. Level 34, and clearly trained to spot people like me."
"I don't like how close he was to you," Arriel muttered.
"I didn't like it either," Lira admitted, her expression tight. "But I managed to place both a tracking spell and a listening glyph on his cloak. That should help."
Kell leaned back against a stack of boxes, arms crossed. "Even if we know where they are, we still don't have a way to get to them. You saw the magic barriers around that mansion. It's warded against everything—divination, teleportation, even long-range spellcasting."
Arriel frowned. "So, we watch from afar while they keep selling people like Eryna?"
"No," Lira said. "We take our time and do this right. We need more than just names—we need leverage. We need proof the Kingdom of Mirdia will acknowledge. Otherwise, we're no different from vigilantes."
Kell sat upright. "Here's my suggestion. We don't engage Iskiel or Bardos yet. We stake out the mansion again—watch who comes and goes for the next few nights."
"Like finding his buyers or his business partners," Arriel said thoughtfully. "Maybe even someone from the Royal Decendants."
Kell nodded. "Exactly. Once we identify someone important enough, we hit them where it hurts—public exposure."
Lira pulled out a piece of parchment from her satchel and unrolled it on the crate before them. "Tomorrow, I'll go into town to collect information about local mages and nobles. I'll also refine this—" she tapped the glowing lines on the parchment, "—a detection grid spell designed to map out the layered enchantments over the mansion. I need time and mana crystals."
Kell grinned. "I can ask Bakke again. Maybe he knows someone working in the mansion. A maid, stablehand, anyone we can bribe."
Arriel clenched his jaw, then exhaled slowly. "I'll walk the area around the mansion. Spot patrols. Hidden guards. Escape routes."
Lira gave him a look. "Don't get too close."
"I won't."
They fell silent for a moment, the weight of the mission pressing against their shoulders. The glow of the lantern flickered, casting shadows on the tent walls.
"Do you think… we're really making a difference?" Arriel asked quietly.
Lira stared at him, her expression softening. "We saved Eryna. That's already something. And if we keep going, maybe we can stop it from happening again."
"I just…" Arriel's voice trailed off. "I keep seeing those girls on the stage. Their eyes. No one should ever look like that."
Kell looked away, jaw tightening. "If we screw this up, the only thing that'll happen is Iskiel vanishes and the slaves disappear with him. We have to be perfect."
Lira sighed, brushing her hair back. "Then we do it step by step. Quietly. Smartly."
She looked at both boys in turn.
"No hero charges blind into a fortress. We dismantle this ring piece by piece."
Kell smirked. "Wow, Lira. You're starting to sound like a real strategist."
"Don't flatter me, Kell. You'll ruin it."
Arriel chuckled despite the tension. He stood and walked to the edge of the tent, pulling back the flap slightly. The relief camp was quiet now, most of the staff asleep after another exhausting day of distributing food and supplies.
The border was close, but it felt like another world.
"I hate being patient," he said.
Lira joined him, her voice gentle. "Then be purposeful. Anger doesn't win battles—plans do."
Behind them, Kell yawned and stretched. "Tomorrow, we work. Again."
They extinguished the lantern. Arriel adjusted the flap back into place. The three of them sat in the darkness for a moment longer, side by side, letting the silence surround them like armor.
Whatever came next, they wouldn't face it alone.