The Thief (A Tale of Heroes & Demons Book 2)

Chapter 14

Welcome Party

A thick coating of dust covered every surface as Caedmon moved deeper into the building. Memories pulsed from every surface—emotions and events that spoke of the lives that once ran amok within the thin walls of the little orphanage.

But no matter how far he delved into the stories scattered about, no sign emerged as to what transpired to the residents.

He turned back and returned to the front room. He perched himself on one of the chairs, rubbing his chin in exasperation.

If the demons had come—if Demonica had gotten her hands onto those children...Caedmon didn't allow himself to finish that thought.

Are they kind?

Of course, they were not kind. They were demons—Wait. Those words... the thoughts were not his.

Caedmon tilted his head and closed his eyes. Hushed words leaked from between the floorboards, blending together into a constant buzz that flowed through the air and wrapped around his mind.

A giggle.

It sounded like children. Many, many children. Moving from his seat, Caedmon knelt on the ground and listened carefully.

Yes, those were the voices of children. He scanned the floor, pushing aside the smaller furniture, searching... searching...Nothing. There was nothing there.

Leaning back on his haunches, Caedmon ran a hand through his hair with a huff. They were there. Somehow.

"Caedmon?" He raised his head to see Katherine standing in the entrance, eyes wide. "What are you doing?"

Lifting a finger to his lips, he used his other hand to point towards the floorboards and whatever—whomever—lay beneath.

Without a word she moved to kneel beside him. But they had moved too much. No more words crawled through the air towards them.

Caedmon's forehead furrowed as he leaned closer to the floorboards. "Hello?" he called gently.

The murmurs began again, but they were cut off by a sharp whisper. Caedmon turned and gave Katherine a broad grin.

They shifted across the floor, scouring the floorboards closely again. Caedmon's eyes caught on a tiny threadbare rug tucked into the corner out of the room—unassuming and completely suspicious.

With a flourish, he ripped it back to reveal a latched door. Yanking it open, Caedmon peered down to see the pale, wide-eyed gazes of the children gathered. They had found them.

***

"It was chaos." Anora, the young woman that aided the matron of the orphanage, sat before them clutching the warm cup of tea Katherine made for her. "That... demon... just held up the king's head. Just like that." She ran a thumb over the edge of the edge of the mug, eyes absent.

"How did you escape?" Katherine kept her words lowered so they wouldn't carry.

The children were playing quietly in the room next door under the watchful eyes of Raena and Makom, much to their chagrin.

"Luck." Anora shook her head. "That's all it was. Sheer, pure, dumb luck." A small laugh escaped her lips. "We were near the edge of the crowd. There were so many others in front us. So many."

Caedmon met Katherine's eyes before he spoke. "Exactly how long have you been hiding?"

Anora shook her head. "I—I don't know. A few days? Maybe a week? Maybe two? It was so dark. We couldn't tell time. And we didn't dare check." Her gaze shifted to the doorway where the sounds of laughter trickled through.