Page 11 of The King's Sword
Sabine quickly put on black pants and a tunic. She pulled her hair back, braiding it. After rolling up the pants so she wouldn’t trip, she headed downstairs where she found four men. Two she recognized as Otto and Evander, and the other two had to be the League representatives from Carlon and Nisk.
“Sabine,” Otto said when she neared. “This is Thad.” He pointed to the shorter man with black hair. “And this is Seth.” He indicated the older man with dirty-blond hair. “We don’t use titles here.”
“Good morning.” She noticed each had a jacket and hat in hand.
“Let’s get going,” Otto said, opening the front door.
She went out on the porch where she found her muddy boots. After putting them on, she straightened. Otto stood there holding a jacket out for her. She slid her arms in. The thing was large on her, but it was warm.
“There’s a hat in the pocket,” Otto said. “Let’s go.” His breath came out in a white cloud.
The two of them followed Evander, Thad, and Seth. The group made their way toward the back of the house before cutting across the field, no one talking as they walked. The sky continued to lighten though the sun had not yet risen.
Sabine shoved her hands into her pockets, trying to stay warm.
When they reached the forest, they walked single file between the trees. After a solid hour, they exited the forest and found themselves at the edge of a steep cliff. The four men all got on the ground, lying on their stomachs as they inched closer to the edge. Reluctantly, Sabine did the same, positioning herself on the end next to Otto. Below, the forest stretched out as far as she could see. A narrow path cut between the trees, just wide enough for two horses to ride side by side.
The five of them remained there, lying on their stomachs, no one talking, for hours. If this is what spying entailed, Sabine found it rather boring. The sun shone above them, basking her in warmth. Her eyelids became heavy, and she managed to doze off.
Otto shook her shoulder, waking her, then he pointed to the forest below them.
Sabine lifted her head and looked. At first she didn’t see anything. After a few minutes, she spotted a group traveling on the path. She squinted, trying to see better. At the front were a handful of men dressed in nondescript clothing. Behind them, walking in two lines, were dozens of children.
Fury and panic filled her. Where were these men taking these kids? She had to intervene.
Otto placed his hand on her back, keeping her low to the ground. He shook his head and motioned for her to stay quiet.
The end of the line approached, and Sabine spotted another half dozen men at the back. Once they were out of sight, no one in her group moved for several minutes. Sabine considered everything she’d seen. Nothing had indicated where those people were from or where they were going. She hadn’t heard them speaking, so she didn’t catch any particular language.
Evander suddenly stood and climbed over the side of the cliff. Sabine watched him scale down it, as if it were something he did every day. When he reached the bottom, he took off running the direction the children had gone.
“What’s he doing?” she whispered to her brother.
Otto tilted his head behind them. Sabine scooted back then stood. The others did the same. They began to make their way back through the forest. Every time Sabine tried speaking, Otto glared at her, making it clear no one was to talk.
When they reached the house, Sabine stormed inside and rounded on Otto. “Why didn’t we stop them?”
Thad and Seth removed their jackets before heading to the kitchen.
“We were outnumbered,” Otto said. “There was nothing we could do. Besides, what, exactly, did you see? Could you tell where those men were from? Or what was going on?”
“Bakley children are being kidnapped. I think it’s safe to assume those were our children.” She folded her arms, glaring at her brother.
“And the men?”
“I don’t know,” she admitted.
“They could be Lynk’s soldiers,” Otto said, putting his hands in his pockets.
“Or Carlon’s or Nisk’s.” They were in Nisk after all.
Otto nodded. “Exactly. Until we have more information, we will not act.”
“Then what’s Evander doing?” she asked, hoping he’d gone to free the children.
“Evander went after them to see what’s going on.” Otto removed his hat and ran his hand through his hair.
“It doesn’t make any sense for it to be Lynk,” she said. “I’m married to Rainer. He has no reason to force Bakley into an alliance with him since we already have one.”
