Streamfield Shifters: Hide & Seek

Chapter Twenty-Two

I stalked across the burning fields in snow leopard form, keeping pace with the general's horse. The acrid scent of smoke lay heavy and thick in the air; the heat nearly too much to bear. My eyes watered from the smoke and I felt as if I were being cooked in a giant, open-air oven. Every few paces, I paused to cough and wished that I had a water-soaked rag tied around my face, like the general and his men.

While I still wasn't happy to have been subject to plans made without my knowledge, once the general explained what he had in store for me, all of that anger evaporated. To my surprise, Kesio accompanied us while Leihalani went off with Rachael and the earth mage. One would assume that the imperious elven prince would avoid a rude human woman who didn't fawn all over him.

We met with one of Captain Genthana's lieutenants by a cottage that was not currently on fire. I threw myself on the grass, letting the night-cooled earth soak into my belly. The man was speaking to another soldier when we came upon them. He didn't notice me at first, but when he did, his helmet fell from numb hands onto the scorched ground. Swearing, the lieutenant hastily bent down to retrieve his helmet.

"Your Royal Highness, General," he said, bowing and saluting.

"What is the status of this building, Lieutenant?" the general inquired.

"Clear, except for the tunnel, sir."

"What can you tell us about these buildings and the tunnels?" Kesio asked, resting his hands on the pommel of his saddle and leaning forward.

"There are six cottages," he replied, eyes shifting over to me and back to the crown prince. "We cleared all of them, but only managed to explore one of the tunnels before you arrived."

"And what did you find?"

"Rudimentary sleeping quarters. From what little we've managed to gather from the humans held here, they stayed in the cottages and only went down to the tunnels either to escape sight or to have their powers siphoned off."

My ears pricked up at that, drawing the lieutenant's attention again. The general noticed and said, "She's not going to eat you, Lieutenant."

Well, that's debatable, I thought with a mental smirk, tail tip swaying in the ash-covered grass.

"Ah, yes, sir, my apologies," the lieutenant replied, straightening. "Would you like to enter the building?"

The general swung down from his horse, followed by Kesio and the other soldiers. "Yes, lead the way."

The lieutenant nodded and turned to step into the cottage. I waited patiently, not wishing to overstep any boundaries. But the general gestured me to go ahead of him. Whiskers twitching, I rose and padded up to the cottage door.

I paused at the entrance, bracing myself for an onslaught of unwashed human bodies. But, to my surprise, everything smelled relatively clean. The cottage itself wasn't a home, per se, but more of a barracks-type dwelling. There were at least three rooms that I could see, and every one had at least four bunk beds crammed into the space.

Two times four is eight, eight times three is twenty-four, I counted. Twenty four people in a cottage that was barely larger than a reasonably-priced apartment in Streamfield. Twenty-four times six was ... too many. Far too many. All of these kids taken from their homes and held for ... years? Oh, God.

The beds all had clean mattresses and blankets; next to the beds were these little trunks. I spied toys and books, as well as random crafting materials. My furry brows bunched together. I wasn't expecting this sort of treatment from kidnappers.

I heard Kesio point out as much to the general as they entered the cottage.

"This way," the lieutenant urged, walking past a closet that apparently served as the bathroom. He entered another room that couldn't be observed from the door. "The tunnel entrance is here," he explained, lifting a trap door.