The Outskirts: The Rogue Knight (Jace x OC) BOOK 2

The Rogue Knight: 9

I had just gotten out of the shower and gotten changed when Twitch burst into my room.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"They took Cole! The slavers came and got him!" Twitch said frantically. "I escaped to the out the window, then followed them. They're keeping him in west Carthage!"
"We have to get Joe!" I said. I grabbed my Jumping sword and we ran out of the room. When we got to the third floor where his room was, we pounded on Joe's door.
He opened the door, looking like he just got out of bed. "What's wrong with you two?"
Twitch gave him a quick recap.
Joe snapped awake. "We have to find him. Now."
He immediately started bustling around, looking for something. "Go get Jace and Mira, then come back here. Hurry. The longer they have him, the more likely he is to tell them what he knows about Mira."
I nodded, then turned to Twitch. "You get Mira, I'll get Jace."
He nodded and sprinted down the hall. I ran down the hall, making a couple of turns and going down the stairs to get to the corridor where me and Jaces rooms were located. I pounded on his door.
"Jace! You need to get up! Now!" I said desperately.
A few moments later, he opened the door. I opened my mouth to explain what happened, but faltered when I took in what I was seeing. He had a severe case of bed head and was wearing sweatpants and no shirt. His tan complexion showed off his abs and muscle tone. Yeah, he has abs. I managed to tear my eyes away when I heard his voice.
"What's up?" He said, blearily rubbing sleep from his eyes.
I fought a smile off my face. "Get dressed. We have to go. The slavers came and took Cole last night. We're meeting in Joe's room. Twitch went to get Mira."
He quickly grabbed clothes and ran into the bathroom, coming back out fully dressed not even a minute later. He grabbed his rope of the nightstand by his bed and shoved it into his pocket. We sprinted down the hall to Joe'a room. He let us in right away, Twitch and Mira entering a few seconds later.
"Where did you say the took him?" Joe asked Twitch.
"To a warehouse in west Carthage." Twitch replied.
"Alright, we're going to get him. Does everyone have their renderings?" We all nodded. "Okay. Here's the plan."

~Timeskip~

Joe kicked the door open, and entered, bow drawn. Jace stepped through the doorway behind him, golden rope in hand. I followed with my sword. In the room were, Ansel, Secha, and Ham, and Cole was tied to a chair.
"Stand down!" Joe yelled, an arrow ready to fly. Ham charged them, and the rope lashed out, wrapped around his torso, and heaved him upward, snapping his neck sickeningly against the ceiling. His bulky body flopped to the floor.
Ansel, his expression dark but guarded, slowly set down his sickle and raised his hands. "You heard the man, Secha," he said, then his gaze rested on me. He took a few steps closer. "Ah, princess! What a pleasant surprise." I glared at him.
"Stay away from her." Jace growled, stepping in front of me.
Ansel looked at me, amused. "Oh look, you've got yourself a boyfriend."
I walked up to him and kicked him where it hurt. He collapsed to the ground, groaning. He started to get up, but Joe kicked him.
"That's enough," Joe ordered. "On the floor, face
down, both of you."
They obeyed without resistance.
I hurried to Cole and used my Jumping Sword to cut his bindings. "Are you all right?" I asked.
"I'm okay," Cole said. "I thought I was toast. How'd you find me?"
"Twitch," Jace said. "He got away through the window when they came for you. He tailed them here, then came and got us. To make it easy, they brought you to West Carthage." Jace wiggled his golden rope to emphasize his point.
Cole stood up, rubbing his arms where the ropes had limited his circulation.
"You're seemings are gone." Cole said.
I looked down at myself. "Oh yeah, I forgot. We're not in Elloweer anymore."
"Watch out for Ansel," Cole said. "He's dangerous. And he knows we're the people everyone is looking for."
"How much does he know?" Joe inquired.
"That we escaped from Skyport," Cole said. "That you're helping us. He heard that one of us is a slave who escaped from the High King."
"You're outlaws," Ansel rasped. "I took them as a slaves legally. They changed their marks."
"You better pray we're not outlaws," Joe said. "This is about the time when outlaws would start killing witnesses."
"We're not going to kill him?" Jace asked.
Joe looked over at him. "Like this? After he surrendered?"
Jace shrugged. "Too easy?"
"He'll hunt us," Cole warned.
"I'm seldom at a disadvantage," Ansel said. "Can't claim to like it, but I also can't do much to change it. Not while the boy has that rope and you have that bow." He gave a disgusted sneer, then clenched his jaw. "Tell you what. If you let me and Secha go, we'll return the favor. I won't pursue any of you. Easy as that. This never happened."
Secha looked at Ansel with stunned surprise.
Ansel noticed her expression. "What? You got a better idea?" His eyes returned to Joe. "Offer stands."
"This could end badly if he's lying," Twitch pointed out.
Ansel gave an angry laugh. "Traders who lie don't stay in business. I claimed them lawfully. Don't fault me for tracking them down. It's like guzzling vinegar, but I'll  concede that you got the best of me. I'm in no rush to die. It's time to cut my losses and walk away. That's my word on the matter. Secha?"
"Me too," Secha said. "Let us live, and this is forgotten."
"How'd you find me?" Cole asked.
"Does it matter?" Ansel asked.
"You're not the one asking the questions anymore," Cole said.
Ansel heaved a poisonous sigh. "Wasn't magic. I drew an image of you. I have a hand for faces. We hired some artists to copy your portrait, and I rounded up some men to share the pictures around town, offering a reward. Somebody working the door at the dazzle show last night recognized you. Word got back to me in time to have men follow you after the performance. At first they thought they'd missed you, but then you exited late from a side door. Once we knew your inn and your room, the rest was easy."
Joe crouched near Ansel. "You're not a good man. Legal or not, your occupation is despicable. But you're a trader, and I'll take you at your word. If we leave you here, you'll never hunt Cole or Kendal again, and you won't utter a word to the authorities about seeing the group they're looking for."
"That's my pledge," Ansel said. "I'll go on living my life, and you'll carry on with yours. A profitable bargain for both parties. End of story."
"Killing him would be safer," Jace said. "We took out his guys. He might change his mind."
"He'll keep his word, Joe said.
"You'll all get caught," Ansel said. "You've drawn too much attention. It's just a matter of time. But it'll have nothing to do with me or mine. You took out Ham, probably some of my other people on your way down here. That's to be expected. Heat of combat, you or them. Water under the bridge at this point. Sunk costs. You don't want to kill me in cold blood. I don't want to die for doing my job. I'm giving you an out. Let's all go on living."
"He's good," Jace said.
Ansel spat sideways. "I like straight talk."
Joe looked to Mira, and she looked to me and Cole. I considered Ansel, sprawled on the grimy floor. The trader had abducted our friends. If not for Ansel, I would be at home right now, going to school or at volleyball practice or horsing around outside. Jenna and Dalton would be safe, as would the others.
But if slavery was legal, did Ansel have a point? Was he just doing his job? He was a bad guy, but he hadn't killed any of the kids. If he promised not to chase them anymore, I couldn't stand by and let him be murdered, even after the awful things the slaver had done.
Cole gave a nod. "I believe him."
"Me too." I said.
Mira nodded as well.
"All right," Joe said, "We'll take you at your word. I don't want to see you again."
"The feeling is mutual," Ansel assured him. "Let's become strangers. Leave us here and make your way wherever you choose. We'll stay down here for an hour, and we won't pursue you. Reasonable?"
Joe gave a quick salute. "See you never."