Anri had enough stamina to active his Lost in Shadows stealth ability. It hid his aura and presence as he dodged the oncoming guard's attack; pivoting around to steal the dagger from the man's belt and cutting it so the man's pants fell to his ankles to make him stumble over, face-down.

  He saw the bemused and frightened looks from the elven children in the nearby cart: flashed them a cocky wink as he kicked the guard on the ground to make his backside arch up and the man let out a piggish squeal. The comical sight stirred a chuckle from the kids. He ripped off a nearby cloth banner and threw it over their cart. At least he could shield them from the bloody sight he and the other adults were about to make.

  He then tossed the dagger with focus: it landed squarely in the enchanter's forehead before a spell could be unleashed. His boot snapped the pig-squealing guard's neck.

  Mattron did a warrior's Bull Charge attack, slamming the other guard to the ground to knock him out. He twisted his neck then took his sword and shield.

  Servis used a large rock to knock the other guard out and made sure he wouldn't awaken.

  Anri gave a sideward glance to the Tevinter mage with shifty gray eyes. The man did look as derelict as everyone else with faded bruise marks on his angled jawline and defined cheeks. He suspected Servis had been beaten sometime before being thrown in the cart.

  "Can't use magic?" His eyes narrowed.

  The man huffed with bitterness and revealed shimmering silverite bracelets on his wrists. "If I could you'd think I'd be in this situation? These are magic dampeners that block casting. My old enemy made sure I was all but tranquil."

  "Why?"

  Servis laughed. "Because being tranquil would mean I don't get to feel his punishments. Takes away his pleasure from seeing me suffer horrendous torture. Still, he had me tossed in with all the other fodder."

  Anri shook his head, nauseated by this explanation. He focused on unlocking the other three carts, which were mostly filled with children of various ages and races.

  "Thank you, Ser." One of the elven boys stammered. "You have the face markings of that bad man but you're nice."

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  "Mattron, can you find a way out? The kids need to get to safety." Anri faced the templar who had gathered other prisoners to him. He saw at least fifteen people in total.

  Everyone stared about the cavern, which was massive in breadth and height with paragon luster and rare minerals intensifying magic, so what was happening miles ahead of them resonated strongly with sounds of charging magic and explosions.

  "Over there is where they brought us in, the guard used a crystal key to open the way." Mattron searched the enchanter's body and found the key within the robes. He hastily tapped around the rock wall and located the spot to fit the key, an opening gradually formed.

  The kids perked up with energy when they saw a bit of the night sky from the opening.

  "There's likely going to be Venatori guards on patrol." Anri chewed his lip.

  "Even if we get out of this docking area, we can't escape armed guards on foot. Not with so many kids." Mattron sighed.

  Sounds of explosions made the ground quake. The telltale signs of magic in the air made everyone's hair stand on end and skin flush from dry heat. The younger kids began to whimper and cry.

  One of the teenage elves pipped up to volunteer his services as a scout. "I've been running in the hills for years. I was born here."

  "Can you help lead the others back to the city with this good man?" Anri approached the brave boy who keenly nodded. He turned to Mattron, "Help these kids get home and then tell Lysette what's happened. The Templar Order needs to be ready to respond to Venatori activity."

  "Your Worship, what are you going to do?"

  "Anri, Mattron."

  "Your Worship? Are you the Inquisitor?" One of the few adults blurted, which stirred a buzz and whispered confusion among the group.

  Anri feigned a chuckle through his sigh. "I do get mistaken for that hack a lot. Nah, I'm just Anri. No one special." He returned his attention to Mattron. "When I was nabbed, I had been trekking the far northeast side of three hills. I suspect there is a camp there. The only beasts I encountered were hyenas."

  "I know a path we can take. It's got the cover of high rocks but there's not many beasts there. It's on the opposite side from the hills." The teenage boy pipped up.

  Anri nodded and glanced over the kids to check their conditions. "Can you all walk?"

  The kids nodded. The older ones and adults said they'll carry some little ones on their backs.

  "Please do what it takes to get them back safe. I'll stay here and divert attention away from you and..." Anri glanced around and cursed when he saw Servis was gone. "Damn it! Take them and go! I'll do what I can to buy you time."

  Mattron nodded and grabbed as many healing potions he found on the dead guards, then gave some instructions to the adults and older kids. They all filed out of the exit and carefully picked their way out of sight.

  Anri sighed, hoping they wouldn't encounter trouble along the way. He frowned when he saw the girl who had been in his cart wasn't among the escaping party. His heart raced with panic when he couldn't spot her.

  "Damn it!" He cursed again, closed the exit then hurried further inside toward the sound and trouble.