Chapter 42 - Under Arrest

Despite having to give directions, Violetta insisted on taking the lead as the six of them rushed to the warren. Into the hills and through part of the forest, they pushed through and onwards through another hilly mass of green before arriving at a small clearing with a copse of oaks and birch that encircled the back wall of the warren. In the thick soil, all around this area was the expansive tunnel network of chambers that made up the warren. Several smoke plumes came from holes in the ground, but the central chamber from which Agog controlled the ventilation of the depths was the one she recognized by a protective dome that kept the rain out. It was large enough with a ring of little vents and a central chimney that was simply impossible to hide. As they approached, she realized that the entrance and the entire area was already surrounded by soldiers.

"Behind me." Violetta demanded and shielded her with her own body, "They are hunting Gobbos."

Six figures emerged from behind trees, each one having a long bow and an arrow nocked at the ready. One for each of them. They had walked straight into a trap, and all because of her. She should have known, but Violetta already seemed to have suspected such a thing and was prepared. Putting her hands up, followed by Sig and Locke, but not Cookie or Cake, the three Mahn of the group moved forward peacefully without any gesture towards their weapons.

Violetta called out, "I am Violetta, currently under the employment of Lady Hilda. I bring a representative who has important information to this warren. Who is in charge here?"

A tall soldier in gilded iron scale armor and sporting an iron helm with a plume of command emerged from the tree line and announced himself, "I am Major Wekts and you should already know I report to General Stronghold. What business does a sellsword, two Kithe and two of our finer soldiers have in escorting a Gobbo here?"

"This is Raeyn-" Violetta was cut off as she stepped forward to declare herself.

"I am Vinaraeya! This is my home. Why are you here!" She stared at the man, he had a thin wispy mustache and a goatee that made him look weak to her, it lacked the hearty mass of hair she had seen of many of the officers throughout the settlement.

Major Wekts seemed to laugh and returned her greeting with a half-bow, "You just present yourself to me for free? With you here we can now burn these rats out."

Violetta gasped, "Then what is all of this? I smell… burning flesh and this black smoke… Is this your doing Wekts?"

"Hardly" He shook his head, "I do believe the honor of this goes to her leader, Chief Mudohoon. All who remain in this warren are set to be purged for crimes against Lady Geraen and her newborn child. Our hand was held only by your unknown condition. And with that, we can put this to the torch."

"You wouldn’t dare." Violetta growled, "Lady Hilda has ordered-"

"The words of a lesser noble carries no weight here. If you oppose, then you should have taken it up with General Stronghold before showing your face here."

"And just how would we know that?" She snapped back.

"Not my problem." Wekts turned and raised his arm as if to direct his troops, "Prepare the hounds and the fire. We will finish what Mudohoon has started."

She stepped past Violetta and marched towards Wekts, the archers snapped their sights on her, but the man was quick to hold them back with a gesture.

"What is it now? You have been spared, and I’ll be taking you back to the settlement where you’ll remain safe. If you seek a fight, you will lose and condemn your escort to a needless death." Wekts looked over his shoulder to stare at her, "You are under arrest. All of you."

"For what?" Locke protested

The two kithe simply laughed and said in rhyme, "Silly Mahn, is that your plan? You surely do not understand."

Wekts shrugged, "Kithe. How desperate to rope them into this. Lady Hilda is still buying favors? Do not resist and you will not be harmed. We are soldiers, not lawless bandits."

"Stop." Came a female voice from the trees, stepping forward was a young woman in a traveler’s cloak and robe, "Is that…. V?"

She recognized the woman in an instant, the mother of the child. Wekts moved to block her path, but she ran around and down the hill, standing beside her and Violetta, "This Gobbo saved my child’s life. I would have bitten my own tongue and drowned if not for what her and those Gobbos have done-"

"Yes, as if they did not have anything to do with the massacre in the first place!" Wekts snapped at her, "It is all too much to believe as coincidence."

The woman looked down at her and smiled before replying to Wekts, "The Dwellin did attack us. The fire and the smoke attracted them in the same way it brought you here. They dwell underground, and while I was miserable and cold these Gobbos truly have nothing. Not even scraps of clothing for themselves. V and the old woman were the only two to possess clothing besides the chief and his entourage."

"This is a military matter." Wekts insisted, "Move aside. They are all under arrest."

"Do as he says." Sig said before drawing and throwing his sword on the ground.

Locke and Violetta soon followed in turn, but she did not want to give up her sword. She did not want to be returned, but more and more soldiers appeared from the tree line, and it was clear they could not win. She drew her blade and set it carefully upon the ground. The two Kithe did not make any such gestures, but Wekts seem to realize they would not surrender in a conventional sense.

"You two Kithe, come here." He gestured to his side, "You are representatives and will not be bound."

"Now he sees." Cookie laughed.

"This was a fun walk, but this situation is ending with nothing more than a talk?" Cake seemed disappointed, "Oh how it would have been fun, see them cut and run. Our duty is done before the sun has set, how much luckier can we get?"

"Lady Geraen." Wekts motioned for the party to be arrested, "Even if she did save your child, the warren itself will be put to the torch."

"A stay." She demanded on her behalf, "They had nothing to do with the attack. They saved me! If not for these Gobbos, both I and my child would not be here."

"Be that as it may, our agent Mudohoon has given me the order." Wekts let it slip, "The rest of these Gobbos are to be killed and I have already accepted the task. There is no reason not to follow through."

"This is murder! There are dozens of children and innocents in this warren." Lady Geraen was becoming more outraged by the moment.

"Arrest her, she has gone hysterical over the natives. General Stronghold can sort this out." Wekts smirked as some twenty men in armor came out from behind the trees, surrounding them on all sides. The archers were still ready. It was over before it had begun. There was no way to fight this.

"I am sorry." She said to everyone, "I did not think something like this would happen."

Chief Mudohoon had sold them out, he was an agent of them all along? The weight of those words crushed her, but she knew that the smell of the smoke coming from the depths was not any normal fire. It was a funeral pyre. Rock’s funeral. She knew that now. Had the smoke led them right to the warren? Perhaps, but she did not know what Chief Mudohoon was doing. Was he not planning to trade her back for goods? Then it dawned on her, he was an agent all along, he was selling them out and completing his mission. Of course, he would be rewarded. Why was she important though? Perhaps she could find out now.

"One question before you take me in," She said to Wekts, "Why did you need me?"

"You should know… Demon." He grinned.

Cake howled with almost insane laughter, "This Gobbo!? You have really lost it, Wekts! I can’t wait to see what happens next."

"Stop that." He scowled at the Kithe, "No one likes it. I’ll have something prepared, the two of you seem tired."

"That is true." Cookie nodded, "Just don’t hurt our acquaintances too much. We will need them for our own purposes."

Demon? The word brought to mind terrible beasts, blackened forms, some with wings. All of them were beings of terrible evil that wreaked havoc in their wake. She was no demon, but it was hard to argue when your life and those of others were on the line. There must have been some misunderstanding. Talking about it would fix it. She hoped.