Page 66 of The Dark Mage
“You always take all the fun,” Alen grumbled.
Miguel turned with a grin.“Want to swap places?”
The sincerity in his tone surprised Ren’wyn.She wondered how often they shared roles or adapted plans.
“No,” huffed Alen, “but I expect to be fighting next time.Standing guard is boring unless you all screw up and I have to charge in and saveyou.”
The four of them chuckled.Ren’wyn felt a pang of envy.Is this what Fael and I have been searchingfor?
“We’ll throw everything into the river once we grab the gold,” Miguel finished, adding quick, sweeping arrows to the sketch to indicate the escape route.“Then we’ll head east into the forest.We’ll take a long way back—I was thinking we’d pass through…”
His words faltered as his gaze landed on Ren’wyn and Fael.His expression tightened.
“Perfect, Miguel,” Esrin said smoothly.“I love your plans.”
Again, laughter shared among the group.They headed to their tents to dress, leaving Ren’wyn and Fael in the center of camp, unsure what to donext.
“We’ll be out overnight,” Esrin told them.“Bring your packs and grab food bags from Leta.Ren’wyn, are you going to be all right sleeping outside?”
Fael laughed—a bitter sound Ren’wyn didn’t like.Esrin’s question was a reminder of how little he knew her anymore.
She crossed her arms.“I’ve been living outdoors on and off for the last nine months, Esrin.I’ll befine.”
Esrin’s eyes widened slightly.
This was the girl who, at school, had seemed unable to imagine a future for herself—the girl who’d loved expensive dresses, well-prepared meals, and his comfortable bed.Now she stood before him, confident and self-reliant.
He nodded, though his surprise was plain.
“We leave in anhour.”
The long trek to Miguel’s ambush point led through brambles and shrubby wetlands, but Ren’wyn didn’t mind.She paused briefly at a patch of small parnassus flowers in the muck, gazing at them affectionately before jogging to catch up.
Fael turned just in time to drag Ren’wyn away from a cluster of sedges she’d stopped to investigate.His fond smile softened her huff of annoyance.
The eight-mile journey took five hours, including a short stop for lunch.When they reached a wide stream, Fael gently lifted her across, his warm hands steady at her waist as she smiled up at him.His answering grin was twisted—half amusement, half confusion.Damn the lack of privacy.Damn this whole situation.She could have stomped in frustration.
They arrived at the interception point by mid-afternoon.Sycamores, ash, and elm trees grew thickly along the floodplain of the Sorvet River.Alen was already waiting with the cart at the bridge.After handing it off, he led Ren’wyn and Fael to the lookout point—a large, flat rock overhanging theroad.
Esrin, Miguel, and Lia dismantled the cart, laying out a broken axle and wheel.Esrin crouched at the riverbank, calling sheets of water over the edge with just a thought and simple gestures of his hands until the road became a thick, muddy puddle.Miguel supervised, nodding as the puddle widened into a pond, soaking into the dirt.When he tested the mud, it sucked his boot off.He shot them a thumbs-up, grinning.
Lia and Esrin adjusted their hoods and milled around the cart, playing their parts as worried travelers.After Miguel slipped into the woods, they fretted over the “broken” cart for the better part of an hour while the sun sank toward the western horizon.
Ren’wyn stayed perfectly still beneath her gray cloak, blending into the stone as sweat trickled down her back in the heat of the afternoon.
The first shout sounded over the rushing river.
Ren’wyn felt Alen stiffen beside her as the caravan appeared—a tax wagon escorted by five imperial guards.They slowed when they spotted Lia near thecart.
Esrin limped toward her, draping an arm over her shoulder.Their stooped posture and high hoods worked well, giving the impression of respectability while hiding their identities.
Two guards dismounted.One harassed Lia and Esrin while the other rifled through the cart, tossing food and clothes into hispack.
Ren’wyn’s stomach twisted as the first guard shoved Lia to the ground.Esrin knelt protectively over her, but the guard raised his fist while the second guard laughed and drew his sword.
The tax wagon started forward again, the horses straining against their harnesses.But without any momentum, the wheels stuck fast in themud.
Two more guards climbed down, the tax collector screaming at the driver and calling the two by the cart back to help push.The four guards lined up behind the wagon, throwing their weight against it as Esrin and Lia slipped silently into the bushes.
