CHAPTER 11

The Slave Runners

The next morning the inn was bustling and lively as the group prepared for their journey south. Elsa helped Anna down the stairs as she was still having problems with her equilibrium, while Kristoff and Jorik prepared Sven and the horses for travel. Olaf did what he could, running small errands for the men and fetching things as everything was put in to order. The distance they intended to travel was mostly through the wilderness, and it would have been incredibly beneficial for Aldrik to accompany them, but his duties lied elsewhere.

Liam had him helping track down Malek and his abductors, which was a far cry from hunting wild game. However, he had the eyes for details others would miss, which made him invaluable. After all, it was him that located the camp outside the city walls that the slavers had been using, and he even found another tunnel that lay incomplete to the north of town. It was impossible to determine how many more men there were involved in the operation, but it seemed that as the city grew, so did the trade in human captives.

Once preparations were complete, and Anna could prove she was able to ride well enough, the party said their farewells and rode out of the city. Liam wasn't crazy about this plan, as now the girls only had two able bodyguards with them, but he knew how important it was for them to visit the trolls and find answers.

By late morning, the men had begun their search anew. They returned to Malek's home and started looking for clues as to his whereabouts. The place was a mess, and in the daylight they could see that it had been some time since the abduction took place. If there were signs of a struggle, they were buried beneath the debris.

Scratching his head in thought, Aldrik looked about the place and heaved a sigh. "I wonder why they tore the place apart like this. If they wanted to just kidnap him, why make such a mess?"

Liam shrugged and shook his head. "I haven't got a clue. It's too much for there to be a simple struggle. It's like they were looking for something."

"What would slave traders be looking for in the home of a blacksmith?" Aldrik wondered.

"Money. Weapons. Who knows? I doubt they knew who or what he really was," Liam replied.

They continued searching in relative silence, focusing more on what seemed out of place. Much of what the blacksmith owned was poured into piles into each room, which suggested that whatever they were searching for was of some value.

After searching for what felt like hours, Aldrik found a small oak box that seemed to lay untouched. Alerting Liam to his discovery, he lifted the lid and was disappointed to find it empty.

"I somehow was expecting something to actually be there," he admitted.

"Well, it looks like a knife of some kind used to rest inside. Look at the felt. It's got an imprint, and I'd say that's very knife-shaped," Liam suggested, pointing to the feint image impressed into the cloth.

Aldrik mulled this over a moment. "I'd say that this knife had to have been somewhat special. Maybe it was some decorative piece that he made? I mean, even the box is pretty ornate for just some everyday blade."

The lieutenant nodded in agreement. "Now the question is why would a bunch of slave traders be tearing apart this man's house looking for it?"

The rest of their search provided no further insight, and they decided to return to the inn and wait for Bertrand and Olvar. They had been tasked with looking into recent news around the city, such as missing persons and other out of place crimes. Whatever was going on was turning out to be far more sinister than they had initially thought.

Bertrand and Olvar returned shortly after lunch, and brought with them the information that they had been after.

"So, as it turns out," Olvar said as he joined the others at the table, "there have been a number of disappearances in just the last several months alone. Mainly children, but a number of men and women have also vanished overnight, and nobody knows why. As for Malek, he's been missing almost a week according to the town watch."

"But why a blacksmith?" Aldrik asked around the edge of a glass of ale.

Olvar shrugged. "I couldn't tell you. The slave trade typically is more concerned with weaker people, the kind that are easy to break and keep down. Mostly, it's women and children, but sometimes men are taken to be laborers."

"Perhaps someone was willing to pay good money for a personal blacksmith. It wouldn't be the first time something that strange has happened," Bertrand added.

Liam placed the little wooden box on the table and opened the lid to show it was empty. "Whatever the reason, we believe that the men that took him also wanted whatever was in this. It looks like it used to hold some sort of ornate knife, the kind that you'd see on display in a collection."

Bertrand pulled on his beard as he contemplated this. "Maybe they felt it was valuable enough to fence."

"No, I don't think so," Liam said shaking his head. "The entire house was a disaster, but this was left in place. They had to search to find this. They knew what they were looking for."

"Is it possible that we're looking at two separate crimes?" Aldrik asked.

One of the waitstaff came by and placed a couple mugs of ale in front of Bertrand and Olvar, who thanked her as she curtsied and returned to the back room.

"What do you mean?" Olvar asked as he whetted his lips.

"Think about it. What if Malek's kidnapping and the theft of the dagger happened at different times?" Aldrik took a swig from his drink and started eyeing the doors leading to the kitchen. "Think she's gonna come back out?"

Ignoring the last comment, Liam nodded his approval of the idea. "It very well is possible. But I think we should focus on finding Malek first."

"How are we going to locate these slavers? The camp outside the city was deserted," Olvar asked.

Aldrik emptied his glass and kept an eye on kitchen door, waiting for the waitress to return. "Well, we haven't searched the lake yet. Remember, that's where the tunnel leads out to. Which means that they intend to keep using it. I know I would if I went through all that trouble in digging it out."

"That's not a bad idea. Odds are they have a spot on the far side of the lake where they offload their captives," Bertrand admitted.

"It's settled then. We'll begin our search around the lake. Let's gear up and head out," Liam ordered as they finished their drinks. "I don't want to let them get any further away than they already have."


The sun was high and bright when the men exited the tunnel mouth. It was late spring, and life outside the city was in full bloom. The trees were green and the flowers blossoming, and the birds could be heard singing. There was a light breeze that helped carry the sound across the lake shore, and it was oddly warm for the time of year.

Shimmering brightly in the afternoon light, the indigo water was like the glass of a mirror. Nothing seemed to disturb the lake's surface, and not even the breeze was able to ripple and break the serene image. It was almost haunting how peaceful it seemed in comparison to the their mission.

Aldrik led the search, pointing out many possible locations that appeared to be prime docking points. Most were completely out of view of the city walls, which meant no one would be able to spy any boats crossing the water. Unfortunately, they found no moorings nor boats along the shoreline. However, what they did find was a trail that led deeper into the woods that surrounded the area.

At first it wasn't obvious it was there, and the men nearly walked right by. If Aldrik hadn't taken a second glance, they likely never would have found it. It was a good thing that he was a skilled tracker, as he was able to follow the trail even when it seemed to visibly vanish into the underbrush.

They followed it for a time, until there were clear signs that this was in fact made by humans. It brought them to a large clearing that was divided by a river that fed into the lake, and it was dotted with alder, elm, and hazel. Along the river were several tents and what looked to be large wooden pens.

It was hard to tell from the distance they were at who or what was inside, and they'd be easily spotted before sneaking close enough to see. The sun was still too high, which meant it would be some time before nightfall. They did, however, see smoke rising from near the tents, which meant someone was there.

"I think we may have found our slavers," Liam whispered to the others. "We're not going to get any closer until it's dark, and that won't be for several more hours."

Aldrik shrugged and glanced at the far side of the clearing. "If you want to wait here, I can sneak around and check it out from the other side."

Liam shook his head in disapproval. "No, I'd rather one of us went with you."

"You forget, I've been trapping and stalking my entire life," Aldrik retorted. "Besides, it'd be much easier for me to go alone than to worry about one of you as well. You guys are good, don't get me wrong, but this is a one-man job."

Liam wasn't happy with the idea, but ultimately let Aldrik go alone. He had learned to resign himself in many circumstances, simply because he had to learn to trust others. It was part of being a leader, even if he didn't like it.

Sneaking through dense foliage, Aldrik slowly made his way around the perimeter of the clearing. He stayed several yards away from the treeline as he went, making sure he had plenty of cover from any prying eyes. Unlike most modern hunters, he preferred to use a bow over a gun. It was much quieter, more reliable, easier to reload, and still operated perfectly fine when wet.

He held his bow in one hand and a fist-full of arrows in the other as he crept along, more out of habit than necessity. At first, he didn't realize he had armed himself, and suddenly felt foolish. Though, he did suppose that should any trouble come his way, he'd have the advantage.

Eventually he reached the opposite side of the field, and found that there were several copse of trees nearby that he could sprint to and still have cover. He ran to the closest one and knelt behind a fallen and rotted elm, then peeked around the knot of roots and dirt that protruded from the ground. Then quickly darted to the next grove, and then the next in a series of zigs and zags. Finally, he found himself near the edge of the camp.

Quietly he crept to the edge of the bushes and spied several more wooden pens along the outside of the tents. Inside, he could see handfuls of children that were chained together at the ankles and necks. In another he saw women being held in the same conditions, but saw no men. He could only assume that they were being held in some of the pens on the other side.

Suddenly, he heard what sounded like screaming coming from one of the tents. It was horrific and blood-curdling, and was very much the screams of pain and agony. It barely sounded human, but then it suddenly silenced and a strange quiet fell upon the camp. Some of the children began crying again, until a man walked by and started hitting the side of the enclosure with a sword while screaming at them.

Aldrik had seen enough. There were a few more guards than he would have liked, and even with the others it was going to be tough for the four of them to sneak in and rescue everyone. He didn't like their odds, but he knew he couldn't just leave these people to whatever horrible fate awaited them.

Unfortunately for him, Aldrik had been too preoccupied by the scene he was witnessing to see the men that managed to sneak up behind him. As he turned to head back to the others, he met the butt end of a rifle and fell to the ground. All he saw as he fell to the ground was a quick flash before total darkness.


"What is taking him so long?" Liam muttered to himself as he peered across the clearing.

It had been several hours, and the sun was starting to set behind the mountains to the west. The waning light painted everything in a orange hue, and the warmth had started to give in to the chill of the night air. If Aldrik was going to return, he would have done so quite some time ago.

They had found a felled tree a short distance from where they departed with the hunter, and they sat silently as they awaited his return. Olvar and Bertrand had pulled out a deck of cards and were using a nearby stump to play. Liam had spent much of the time pacing and worrying about the queen and princess, and praying that their journey was safe.

Olvar mused over the cards he held in his hand. "He is a bit late now, isn't he?"

"Quit stalling and play a card already," Bertrand replied.

Liam scoffed as he watched the two play. "I'm glad that the two of you are taking this so seriously. It's been hours. The sun is starting to set. I knew letting him go alone was a mistake."

"Well, we can go find him. He can't have gone too far," Bertrand said over the top of his hand. "Now hurry up and play a bloody card."

The medic sighed and rolled his eyes. "Don't rush me. You're just upset that I'm winning."

"I'm upset that you're taking forever to play a card," the old weapons master retorted.

Across the field, smoke started to billow into the sky from near the center of the camp. Then, some movement caught Liam's attention, and he motioned for the others to fall silent. Several figures had moved out into the field behind the tents, and one was knocked to the ground by the others.

Liam squinted, trying to focus on the commotion. "Is that...No, the idiot got himself caught!"

Quickly, Olvar gathered up the cards as Bertrand stood to take a look. "Yeah, that's him alright. Well, shall we go rescue him?"

"I have half a mind to let him stay awhile," Liam said angrily. "However, I don't think the queen would be too happy to know we left him to rot. Arm up, gentlemen. We're going in."

Quickly and quietly they zipped in and out of the trees. Dark was fast approaching, and they had the shadows from the trees at their backs to hide them. Each copse of alder had enough cover for them to use, and eventually they managed to make their way behind a thick and hardy elm.

As they approached the camp, they saw Aldrik kneeling in front of a rather large man. His hands were tied behind his back, and he looked as if they had roughed him up a bit too much. Still, he managed to kneel there defiantly, and refused to budge when ordered.

"Yeh betta' pray fer mercy, dog!" the large man bellowed.

Aldrik just sat there silently. The man seemed to take offense to this and kicked him in the face, knocking him over. Two others rushed forward to set him upright again, but the bigger man proceeded to kick him in the stomach. He doubled over, coughing and gasping for air.

"Who sent yeh?" the man spat.

"I don' t'ink he knows anyt'ing, boss," one of the other men interjected.

This infuriated him, and he swung and punched the other square in the jaw. The smaller man went reeling, and landed face first in the dirt.

"He knows! Why do yeh t'ink he's 'ere!?" the man screamed.

Hiding in the bushes, the scouts prepared their weapons. It was clear that these men were dangerous, and their leader was easily the double the size of most. If anyone was going to be a hassle to take down, it was him.

The large man waved a dismissive hand to Aldrik. "Yeh know what? I'll giv' yeh to her. She'll torture yeh nice an' good. I don' 'ave time to waste on yeh."

He motioned for the others to pick up the hunter, and they dragged him back into the camp. The sun was now behind the western horizon, and the night sky was chasing in it's wake. Firelight could be seen coming from the other side of the tents, and it illuminated the nearby enclosures.

The scouts moved swiftly after the men had left, and as they got near the pens they could see the people inside. Most were women and children, though one of the pens near the center was full of men. All look dejected, and most sat there and stared into the dark. Occasionally, a child would begin whimpering or crying, but one of the guards nearby would quickly silence them.

Behind the tents there were boxes and barrels stacked, making for quick cover. The scouts ducked behind them as they moved around the outside of the camp.

Kneeling down a short distance away from the closest tent, Liam turned back to the others. "Okay, here's the plan. Bertrand, I want you to take out the guards near the cells. Olvar, you're going to start searching the tents here on the south side. I'll work my around to the other side of the camp near the water and search there."

"Wouldn't it be easier if we both searched here first?" Olvar asked.

Liam shook his head. "We need to cover as much of the camp as swiftly as possible. Aldrik is in one of the tents. Malek will likely be in one of the cells, so long as he's still here. Besides, I have confidence that you can take most of these men with no problem."

Giving a silent signal, they dispersed and went their separate ways. Liam quickly worked his way around the edge of the tents, and was able to sneak up on a guard in his patrol. With a knife between the ribs, he covered the man's airways as the last bit of life drained out of him, and drug him into the shadows of the night.

As he passed one of the tents at the end of the row, he overheard the large man from before talking to someone inside. He stopped behind a couple crates and a wagon and listened.

"She'll be 'ere soon for the blacksmith, right? Make sure she 'as dis as well," the man said.

Another voice, a woman's, responded. "Celeste will be pleased. Are you sure he is the one?"

"Celeste?" Liam whispered to himself. "Where have I heard that name before?"

"He's got the mark, jus' like yeh said," the man replied.

"Then you've done well for yourself. The boat should be here in a few minutes."

He had heard enough. He needed to find Aldrik and Malek before this Celeste arrived, and he needed to rescue these people. But, with so many there, he wasn't sure he was going to have time.

Speeding through the shadows, he happened upon another guard that was relieving himself behind a tree. He moved cautiously, and as the man finished and turned around he jabbed his dagger into the man's throat. He sputtered for a moment as he choked on blood and then fell limp to the ground.

As he started to search the tents, he saw movement near the river. A boat had arrived, and most of the men in the camp seemed to be gathered around it. Standing in the darkness of the tents, he watched as the passengers exited the craft. One in particular, dressed in dark red robes carrying a tall staff, caught his attention.

The large man was there holding a lantern, and extended a hand to the robed figure. Pulling the hood back, he could see it was a woman. She had dark brown hair, and the lamplight illuminated her fair features. She was quite attractive, but seemed incredibly arrogant. In fact, she seemed incredibly familiar.

It's the woman from the ranch, he thought to himself.

Celeste slapped the man's hand away from her like one would swat at a fly. The man quickly retracted from her and bowed away. As she stepped off the boat, she quickly looked down the row of tents, and for a second Liam was sure she was looking right at him.

He took no more time in searching the tents. He rushed through each one, but there was no trace of Aldrik. The crowd hadn't left the makeshift dock just yet, and Liam took the opportunity to cut back across the camp to the others.

He found Olvar sneaking out of one of the tents with Aldrik in tow. The man was worse for wear, with blood dried into his shirt. His face was battered, and one of his eyes was heavily bruised.

"Good God, man, how are you holding up?" he asked as he approached the couple.

The hunter gave a shrug, as if everything was fine. "I've had worse, I'll tell you that much. The man hits like a woman."

"Well, I'm glad you've still got your arrogance and sense of humor," Liam replied.

They quickly returned to the holding pens and saw that Bertrand had managed to start setting the children free. He held the door open for them as they managed to hurry out and into the woods nearby.

"We have problems. Big problems," Liam said as they approached.

"Why doesn't that surprise me? Nothing about this job has been easy since we started," the older man said with a hint of annoyance.

"The woman from the ranch, Celeste...she's here."

Aldrik nearly jumped at this. "Wait, she's here? Are you sure?"

Liam only nodded in reply.

Cursing to himself, Aldrik looked at the others. "Seriously. She creeps me out."

"We better speed this along. I don't know how long they're going to stay at the dock," Liam stressed.

As they managed to empty the last of the cells, the party from the river came into sight. The large man was in the lead, with Celeste right beside him. They were fast approaching the interior of the camp, and it was clear that they were headed straight for the holding cells.

With the last of the prisoners escaping into the woods, the scouts rushed to follow. Just as they reached the treeline, shouts and screams of anger could be heard emitting from the slave trader's camp. Several men from inside the camp ran out to the middle of the field and started to search, but quickly forfeited the effort.

Making their way back down the trail, the scouts started interrogating the men looking for Malek. None seemed to know who he was, and as they questioned the last of them they found the prisoners gathered around the base of a large elm.

"Why has everyone stopped?" Liam asked as he approached the large group.

One of the women came forward and made an awkward curtsy. "Talia, sir. The children are too scared, and most of them aren't from around here."

"They're too scared? Of what?" Olvar asked as he looked them over.

Most of the children were quite young, and the rare few that were old enough to no longer fear the dark seemed just as terrified. In fact, most of the men and women seem scared out of their minds, and with good reason.

Bertrand shook his head in disbelief. "Most of them are still babes," he replied.

"Talia, we're looking for a man named Malek, a blacksmith. He wasn't with the last group we released. Is there any chance he's with one of the others?" Liam asked in earnest.

She looked around at the gathering of people. "I'm not entirely sure. There were a few other men with us, but most were sent by boat this morning. There is a small group still over there."

She pointed to a handful of men that sat with some of the children on one of the tree's massive roots that had snaked out of the ground. They were talking in soft tones, trying to help keep the younger children calm.

Thanking the woman, Liam approached the group of men and looked them over. "I don't suppose any of you know a man that goes by the name Malek, do you?"

"Yeah, that would be me."

He was a tall man, and built like an ox. He had long brown hair that was pulled in a ponytail, and his face was squared and strong. He held a little girl that was on the verge of tears, and he bounced her and rocked her in an effort to stay her hysterics. Several other children sat near him, and another little girl had an arm around his leg as if afraid to be left behind.

For the first time in ages, Liam smiled. "You, sir, have caused quite a bit a trouble for us."

Alarmed, the man put on a scowl. "Is that so? Who are you and what do you want?"

Liam put his hands up in an attempt to quell the man's anger. "Sorry, I meant that as a joke. Look, we were sent here by Queen Elsa and Princess Anna of Arendelle to find you. It was by chance that we learned about the slave traders. The queen has tasked us with your protection."

Malek looked at him in suspicion. "Why would the queen want me found? What is going on? Besides, I thought Arendelle lied in ruin."

"Help us get everyone back to town, and I promise I will tell you absolutely everything," Liam pleaded. "Only thing, I don't know how much of it you're going to believe."