Ezra Ironforge sat on an ornate pillow inside Orhin's tent, wondering why the old man had never once asked him to light his pipe. It was common for people to ask Flairus to light their pipe, but Orhin had never asked a single time. Was it a sign of respect, or the opposite?
"What has got you so in a huff?" Orhin asked through the mouthpiece of his pipe.
"They aren't back yet. Anai said she saw a half a building next to a crater, and another crater down the same street. The King was in Mabank."
Orhin's eyebrows lifted in surprise.
"She also heard people talking about Lucas. Apparently, the King projected his voice into the city, and spoke to him by name. No one knew who Lucas was, but they definitely know his name now. She said as far as she could tell no one saw him, Grum, or Brecken, so it's safe to assume the King didn't come in contact with him. If they got into a fight, people would be talking about it from here to Gustington."
"Good, good. Lucas is far from ready. He would have been crushed, the poor boy."
"There's more. The King wasn't looking for a fight. He was asking Lucas to come with him. It was an offer, not a threat. From what Anai gathered, no one was killed at all during the entire ordeal. The King offered to teach him, and when no response came, he just up and left."
"An offer? That's new," Orhin said, a large puff of smoke billowing from his mouth, his brow furrowed in thought.
"So, what should we do? I can send Anai out to search for them."
"Send her out Ezra but tell her to be careful. Have her check the roads but focus on the forests. Maybe they are traveling through there, hoping to avoid detection. If she doesn't find them, they will probably meet up with us at Passtown. Master Grum would know that's where we are going. Tell her thank you for me when she gets back."
Ezra pushed through the red bordered flap leading out of the tent. Anai wouldn't be back for another couple of hours. In his pack he carried her dress, neatly folded. Bombs clinked against one another on his belt as he walked.
She had insisted she go and search for them before asking Orhin. Ezra told her to wait, but she rarely listened when her mind was made up. Asking the old man was just a formality. At the very least, if Grum and the new members were caught and killed, it wouldn't drag the rest of the group down with them. Lucas was Orhin's proclaimed chosen one, but freedom wouldn't do any good if they were all dead.
As he made his way back across the camp, its members were already packing up to move. It wasn't like in the beginning anymore, when he had to oversee each step of the process to make sure the wagon train left at a reasonable time. All the training and organizing he and Anai did created a well-oiled machine. He was quite proud of it.
As he walked, he made mental notes of who he came across, taking a head count. It wasn't talked about much, but every so often someone would disappear without a trace. It was never the popular or established people, they didn't leave unless something drastic happened. It always seemed to be the quiet, alone, or new. Most of the time, the missing person was labelled a coward and quickly forgotten. It wasn't like they had a shortage of people forgotten or looked over by the empire.
With each city, town, and farm they passed through, there was always a chance to pick up more freedom fighters. Anytime their numbers grew over about thirty is when the disappearances began. After Lucas and Brecken, they were now at thirty-five. His sister noticed it too. She often said a pattern like that is rarely unintentional. The thought of someone disposing of weak links around camp to make room for new members was concerning. Who had the right to make that call for someone?
