The servant gasped as the commander's oppressive presence receded. Her timid face fell to the ground, relieved.
Ignoring her subordinate, the Saint looked around the clearing, her hand finding the hilt of the sword at her side.
"Search everywhere. Do a full census. We have to know if anyone else is gone."
Orrin nodded. "I will handle it personally. Wake everyone!" He shouted. "Let no one rest until we get answers!"
The camp, which was gradually coming to life, suddenly burst into action. Each person sought out their superior to check in, and those in charge reported to the Shieldbearer with their findings.
"Do you think the guards wandered off?" Noble chewed her lip. "Maybe we aren't as far from the Wonder Woods as we thought."
Certainly, looking out into the darkness could get quite tedious. It would be easy to get distracted.
"We are far from that part of the forest," was all Syrce answered.
Around them, everyone called out to the missing pair, digging through wagons and supplies in case they might be hiding.
After consulting with a man who pressed something into the Shieldbearer's hand, the second-in-command returned with the results of his inquiry.
"It seems Drusus and Livia were taken, My Lady." Orrin delivered the findings to Syrce.
He held out some dirt for the woman to examine.
"I see. So they didn't just ignore their duties." The Saint frowned. "I feel a little bad about cursing their mothers now. In hindsight, my threat to hang them up by their toenails for the next part of the journey might have been excessive."
"You threatened that?" Noble looked at the woman, wide-eyed. She had been standing beside the woman during the entire ordeal and had not heard those words.
"Did I not say it aloud? Must have just been in my head," Syrce waved off the concern, "I wouldn't have done it…probably."
'Yes, she would have.' Noble resisted the urge to shiver.
'I know.' Flint responded in her head.
Unaware of the silent conversation, Syrce continued her questions. "Was anyone else taken?"
"No, My Lady. Everyone else has checked in." Orrin dipped his head.
"They are getting smarter, or they just got lucky," the Saint tapped her chin.
'I don't like this.' Flint's sharp gaze scanned the perimeter.
Noble understood. The third-in-command couldn't ask what was going on without arousing suspicion, but the newcomer who fell from the sky could.
"Who are they? And why are they taking people?"
Certainly, it wasn't other humans unless Syrce thought everyone outside of her group was inherently stupid.
"We call them the Watchers. They are some of the less powerful creatures from the darkness." Syrce's grey eyes burned with anger.
Noble suddenly felt self-conscious. Were creatures staring at her right now without her knowledge? She sent a quick scan with her second sight to the surrounding area.
Nothing was there....Nothing that she could see!
What if they were out there and she somehow couldn't sense them? That would be terrible.
Child of Promise needed to know more.
"What do these watchers look like?"
Syrce looked at Orrin, who shook his head.
"We don't know exactly. They don't come out in daylight. We experienced them on our way to the North. A few of our people would go missing each night. It stopped happening on the other side of the Wonder Woods and beyond. We assumed it was because our system of alerts had gotten better."
"The artifacts would tell the watchmen when anyone came or went from around our wagons. If they sounded the alarm in time, the creatures would scatter without causing harm. I had hoped they left us alone for good, but I guess they were just biding their time." Syrce sighed.
"If it has been a long time since they last attacked, how can you be sure it is them?"
Noble didn't like the idea of a creature stealing people in the night, but she liked the idea of jumping to conclusions even less.
Orrin held out the dirt in his hand. "The monsters leave behind reddish dirt. It's not like anything we have around here."
Flint and Noble leaned forward to inspect the fistful of earth. Most of it looked like what was mixed in with the grass, but there were red flecks mixed in.
Picking up the red dirt, Flint felt the strange grit. "Weird. It isn't sandy or rocky. Nor is it completely rough or smooth. It is certainly organic, almost like tiny strings."
Either the creatures wanted to let the humans know that they were being stalked, or they simply couldn't help shedding the bits of silt as they moved around.
Noble's heart sank. Not only had the kind gentleman been taken, but it was very likely her fault. By letting down the barrier, even for a moment, Drusus could have allowed the deadly creatures to approach undetected.
Flint offered the dirt to Noble, and after she refused, he returned it to Orrin.
Child of Promise sighed.
"Have you tried tracking the monsters? At least if you found one, you would have a better idea of what you are up against."
The Shieldbearer lowered his head. "I will go look for them this time, Lady Syrce."
"I forbid it," the Saint denied him easily. "Those who go searching don't come back."
"Drusus is my cousin's son." Orrin insisted. "I am a better tracker than anyone else under your command. I have to at least try."
The guilt in Noble's heart grew heavier. She hadn't known the Shieldbearer long, but he seemed kind and honest. She could feel his growing grief.
Shaking her head, Syrce gave her subordinate a sad smile. "Your goal is admirable, but I cannot let you--"
"I will go with him," Noble stepped to Orrin's side.
"What?" Both Orrin and Syrce looked at her in surprise.
'WHAT?!' Flint echoed in her head.
"I can fly and bring Orrin with me. If he can track it from the air, then there is no danger of us being ambushed by the Watchers."
The Saint stroked her chin.
"I don't know if that's a good idea. Have you fought things like this in other Realms?"
"I have fought many creatures, both intelligent and fearsome. I would like to help solve this mystery." Noble bowed deeply. "Please."
'Have you lost your mind?' Flint's question was punctuated by an audible grunt. 'These aren't real people. They are fiction constructed by the Nightmare. Why should we care what happens to them? They died long ago, and our actions will not change that.'
Noble spared him a glance.
'These people can kill us or save us, and you say they are not real? While we are here, they must be real. They exist because we do. And I am responsible for some of these good people being abducted. I cannot have that on my conscience. I am going to go…with you or without you.'
'You cannot be serious!' The curmudgeon looked ready to tear the belt around his waist off with his teeth. 'Give me one logical reason I should go on this little hunting trip.'
'Neither of us will be able to sleep if we know there is something out there silently picking off the people of the caravan. We could be next. We have to stop it.'
This wasn't like the creature on the shore. This monster, or groups of monsters, was an imminent threat. At the very least, she needed to know its capabilities to protect those who were left.
Unaware of the silent conversation, Syrce looked at the Shieldbearer with an unreadable expression. "Do you really think you can find the culprit, Orrin?"
"The sooner we leave, the fresher the trail will be. With Lady Bel's help, we should find it within the hour. I am sure of it." Orrin placed his hand on his heart.
"You have an hour. No more. We must get moving before the sun gets too high." Syrce patted the man on the shoulder. "I wish you luck."
"Thank you, My Lady." Orrin clicked his heels and prepared to leave.
She turned to Bel. A tear formed in the corner of her eye. "They grow up so fast," she muttered to no one in particular.
"I won't let you down," Noble's eyes opened wide as she received an affectionate hug.
"I know. You never do." Syrce released her friend.
Unsure how to respond, Noble simply nodded. There was one thing left to do.
Through The Other's Voice, she spoke to her chained companion.
'You don't have to go. Figure out how to move your tether and—'
'Oh no you don't! You aren't getting rid of me that easily!' Flint puffed out his chest. 'I didn't move the tether last night, and I'm not moving it right now.'
'You are afraid of your anchor going back to Cook, aren't you?' Noble hid her smirk.
'What? Of course not. Now get us out of here. She's coming this way!'
Shaking her head, the floating Master prepared to leave.
They only had an hour.
She hoped it would be enough.