"Who has?"
"The devil. He's fixated on you. On the others, too, but mostly on you."
"The devil?" Macey asked. "The Mahoun?"
Talon nodded weakly. "I've been his prisoner for years. He made me his confidant, the person he talks to when he gets bored. He gets bored a lot."
"How did you get away?"
The man sighed. "I don't know who he was. A man with blue hair. Young. Didn't say anything, just unlocked my cell door. He said the guards were dead, so I decided to try my luck at escaping. Most of the other prisoners were too weak or scared to even try."
He coughed and the healer handed him a glass of water, which he downed in one large gulp.
"How long were you there?" Macey asked, wondering whether Malan knew that his brother had been in the Mahoun's dungeons. Why hadn't the prophet done anything about it?
"I don't know, time flows differently there. It's been hard to keep track. There was war on Earth when I was captured. People wore different clothes from the ones you're wearing. Women wore dresses, not trousers like you."
"In that war, how did people fight?" Cam asked before Macey could. "What kind of weapons did they use?"
Talon looked confused. "Swords, bows, lances. Trebuchets, sometimes. Lots of metal armour."
Macey turned and exchanged looks with her men. That sounded a lot like the middle ages. Talon hadn't been a prisoner for years, he'd been captive for centuries. Maybe they shouldn't tell him that just yet.
"If you got out, does that mean we might be able to get in?" She tried not to put too much hope into her words. This might be the moment they'd waited for. Once this was over, she was going to hug Izban and forgive him all his snide words.
"I think so," Talon muttered, his voice growing weaker. "I'm sorry, I..."
His eyes closed and he stilled.
"That's enough," the healer said, looking exhausted. "I need him unconscious for the next bit, it would hurt him too much. Setting bones is not a nice affair."
Macey nodded and got up, turning to the other Wardens. Amber had dressed again, looking both excited and proud of her boyfriend.
"It seems this may be our chance," Macey said. "Are we ready?"
Cam nodded. "As ready as we can be. Everyone is rested and has been fed. All we need are orders of what to do."
Easier said than done. Everyone was looking at Macey again, waiting for her to tell them what to do. When did she become the chief strategist? She didn't know anything about war and battles. Kelpies were a peaceful species, despite the legends.
"Cam, you will lead the kelpies through that hidden door, if it's still open. One of the kabouters will come with you and assess whether the wards inside the earth have been lifted. If they have, you can mentally tell Flint, who will be waiting here with the other kabouters, ready to attack from below. Amber, you're our eyes in the sky."
"What about me?" Jared and Rónàn asked at the same time.
Macey smiled at them. "You're with me."