Page 11 of Family Found

The land was already complying with what Inkiri had asked, so I just let it. My attention moved outside of myself, just like that time I’d gone to the Stone of Destiny to meet that strange girl. I took in the surroundings.

From our position, we could only see maybe the top two or three floors of the tallest buildings, but the place had a tidy rectangular wall and a courtyard the weeds were busy reclaiming. A weathered sign by the front door read “Castle Doonhall, Hotel, Spa, Club.” There were cola asshats there, both the twisty-horned type and the more normal-looking bagua, all dressed in white in varying stages of cleanliness.

The whole building complex seemed like the kind of place that once would have looked pretentious and polished; a place where you’d have gone to do fancy stuff, like playing golf and eating overpriced food and gossiping about others. My parents would’ve liked it here. For all I knew, they might have vacationed here before the apocalypse without telling me so they didn’t feel obligated to take me along.

But that was just my mind trying to get away from what I had to do, which was to find Kinnek and help save him.

At an angle to the neat rectangle of the main buildings, there were a few others that looked newer—housing for staff and additional event space, maybe.

The land directed my attention to the second to last of these. On its door, there were words in a foreign script, and it wasn’t Lugarran, which I’d have been able to read out loud by now, even if I didn’t know too many words.

Outside that door, there were cola assholes, laughing and drinking together, probably complimenting each other on how awesome it was being on Earth and kidnapping people.

Kinnek was in there, and my blood boiled as much as fear for him made my skin run cold. Before the land let me go back to myself, I heard something; not quite a scream, but more than a sigh. When I came back, I was both angry and scared, and I knew we had to effing hurry.

I blinked at Inkiri, doing my best to be concise. “The castle. There’s a courtyard.” I drew the outlines of what I’d seen in the sand with my finger. “Rectangle. The big building in the middle is the one we see now, but there are smaller ones that form the sides of the rectangle, and there are Koa Esher inside.” Luëris translated as I spoke, and everyone paid close attention. “We don’t need to go there.” I indicated the courtyard. “We need to go here, to the buildings behind the castle. There’s a bunch of them, newer ones, and Kinnek is in here.” Which was when it hit me. “Fudge.” I let out a trembling sigh. “Slaves. He—” I checked with the presence, and my stomach turned. “There are more. We need to get all of them out.”

Everyone but Luëris was quiet, and when he was done translating, no one spoke for a few seconds. I started feeling queasy. Inkiri must’ve noticed, because he put a gentle hand on my neck, running a finger underneath my scarf.

“We go in for Kinnek,” Charles said at last. “We can try to get the others out, but herding too many freed hostages at once can get dangerous pretty fast, and we’re not going to risk that.”

I gasped. “But they all need our help. They’re hurting them! We have to save everyone.”

Charles’s jaw tensed. “We can try, but we’re not geared out for a rescue mission of that scale. If we get it wrong, you could get hurt, your mate could get hurt, and that wouldn’t do anyone any good. So we go in for Kinnek.”

I made a wheezing sound, but nodded.

He repeated what we were going to do in Lugarra, or at least I thought so. I couldn’t follow it. My understanding of the language was still limited, and if someone spoke too fast or used too many words I didn’t know, I was lost.

Like Inkiri right before we’d left, Charles had that commanding tone of voice though, and it came through clear enough. He was like a director with a vision, a director who did not have suggestions or notes for you, but who directed every step, every gesture, every emotion you were to put into the performance. It was as intimidating as it was impressive.

Maybe it should’ve calmed me to be told what to do, but the unease in my belly wouldn’t settle. The situation reminded me of something else. Rain and darkness, cold. Two girls running from men who wanted to hurt them.

Charles addressed the protectors, whose names I didn’t even know apart from Tador, the tactician Lissir had cozied up to. Vergis was getting his gun ready and putting extra ammunition into his pockets from the duffel Charles had brought. What did you call them? Clips? Magazines?

Even Inkiri was getting ready, his eyes going to the castle, his hand settling on one of his swords. I felt so useless, and I didn’t want to be. I closed my eyes.

Can you help us? With the fog? Like you did for that girl back at the Stone? I asked the land.

Yes, easily.

I opened my eyes. “Where—” My voice cracked, and Inkiri clicked at me. “Which way are we going? I mean, I’m not sure that matters. The land can help us. It can make everything foggy.” I checked back in with it. “And it can draw up a storm, even a thunderstorm, if we need that.”

“Fog yes, thunderstorm no,” Charles said.

Vergis spoke up. “No, neither. If the Koa Esher see fog appearing for no reason, they’ll know it’s magic. It’ll put them on edge, and they’ll be extra vigilant. It’s better to stick close to the buildings, like you said, Dad, and catch them by surprise.”

Charles nodded. “Right. Magic. Not my department.”

I told the land, but it had been paying attention anyway. There were a few more exchanges in Lugarran, and Inkiri nodded and added something in turn before leaning toward me.

“Stay very close to me, sadir, and be very quiet.”

I nodded, and just like that, we started toward the castle.

I wasn’t sure what I had expected. I felt jittery, and the colors were brighter. Everything seemed more immediate. My heart was beating so loudly that I was scared the Koa Esher would hear, that I would be the one who tipped them off to our presence. My guys were quiet, after all, and so were Luëris and the other protectors. Even Charles didn’t make all that much noise as he wove his way through the overgrown area between the sand pit and the castle.

Inkiri held on to my wrist and kept me from stumbling and falling. The touch also soothed me, his determination spreading to me. It told me he knew what he was doing, and he had my back.