Alec nodded after taking a mont to process what Dario had said.
"That's good, actually."
"WHAT?!" Dario's voice bood through the woods. Alec couldn't tell whether it or the wind made the leaves dance. He grabbed Alec by the shoulders and looked like he was about to rip him apart.
Millie flicked one of Dario's wrists, which made him let go with that hand and loosen his other.
He turned to Millie with a frown.
"Don't be like that, Dario. Do you really think Alec thinks it's good that Red was kidnapped?"
"Well, what else could he possibly an?!" Dario asked, exasperated.
The two turned to Alec.
"Do you two rember how I'm a mage?"
"It's impossible to forget."
"Well, do you rember how we first t?"
"You snuck into my eting. If I'm not wrong, Leo guided you."
"He guided to the entrance. I already knew where to go. You see, I t a certain soone earlier during the day that day."
"Red…" Dario nodded. Red had told him about a suspicious person who noticed his tail. After the stunt with Old George, Red had filled Dario in on the situation and asked whether Alec was dangerous or not.
To that, Dario had said that Alec was dangerous to everyone but them. Probably.
"So, you followed Red without him noticing, how's that supposed to help us now when all we know is that he's gone?"
"Wrong." Alec smiled.
"I didn't just follow him. I put a spell on him. I was curious to see how long it would last, so I didn't remove it yet. Good thing I didn't. Let's go. Oh, do you have a ride? We'll need to be fast."
A while later, Dario, Alec, and Millie were on a mule-drawn carriage headed north. According to Alec's geographical knowledge, Red was probably being taken to Nuss, a port town with great connections to the rest of the kingdom. It was likely there were even ways to get further north, into the Aireng Kingdom.
Losing Red here would make it tricky to get him back before it was too late.
On the flipside, if they caught up to his captors, they might be able to unravel the threads holding Iystar's Ring together.
"Neyris is on the way with everyone who can fight."
Alec opened his eyes and looked at Dario.
"Are there any mages or warriors among the orphans?"
"Do you think they would be an orphan if that were the case?"
"Good point. In that case, I'm not sure Neyris and the others will be of much help."
"Are you saying…?"
"If Iystar's Ring is running a human trafficking business through Nuss, they have to have so weight to them. Considering how much they've done, they should also be a pretty big organization. That ans big money. Big money without the strength to keep it safe ans no money," Alec said, matter-of-factly.
"There's no need to talk like that, but alright. But it won't be that bad, right?"
"When we arrive, let take charge. We'll do it sneaky-sneaky. Grab Red and disappear before anyone notices."
Dario nodded with a grave expression.
After a day's trip that put their poor mule into a state of exhaustion, they arrived at Nuss.
Even from afar, Alec could tell that it had several powerful figures hiding in its corners. It was a bigger city, and unlike Gorao, where all the powerhouses were with the Academy, this was a place the Kingdom had slowly failed to manage.
As the city grew and grew, it beca almost impossible to regulate and check all the boats entering and exiting. Checking their cargo was even harder.
Eventually, according to what he had found in the library, Nuss was left to its own devices as long as they followed so ground rules and didn't go overboard.
But Alec felt like it was more than likely that the Kingdom was actually running things from behind the scenes. There was no way the powerful nobles couldn't handle a few thugs.
"Watch the mule," He asked Dario.
Dario nodded instinctively at Alec's commanding tone before frowning and looking up while handing a bundle of hay to the mule that looked a lot better now that it was getting fed. Alec narrowed his eyes. Hadn't it been about to collapse from a heart attack minutes ago?
"Wait, you put here to watch the mule, but you're bringing Millie? No offense."
"It's fine." Millie shrugged.
"Yeah. Anyway, he's stopped moving, but it probably won't be for long. Let's go, Millie." Alec turned and walked away, and Millie followed right behind him.
Dario took half a step toward them before stopping. If he went with them, they wouldn't have a mule by the ti they returned.
He tilted his head with a frown and looked at the back of Millie's head.
"Was she always that tall?"
After a brisk walk through the city that slled like wet rats, smoke, and leather, Alec and Millie found themselves around the corner to a large, gated estate with multiple buildings. To its credit, it looked comparatively nicer than most other places they had seen on the way.
But appearances were deceiving.
The people walking in and out of the estate were anything but pleasant. So looked like they had co straight from a ship that had spent months away from land. Others had more refined appearances, but the air around them gave Alec and Millie the creeps.
Then there were the sounds coming from inside the estate.
Music and song. Poem recitals. Whistling.
Shrill cries. Giggles. Boisterous laughter.
The clanging and clinking of bottles and glasses.
Alec glanced at Millie.
Unfortunately, she was also old enough to know what kind of place Red had been brought to.
It was a brothel.
Alec swallowed the saliva in his throat like it was glue.
It could be that Iystar's Ring employed the brothel's spaces to store their 'cargo' while waiting for transport.
But more than likely, the 'transport' was already finished.
"I feel like the plan might change, Millie."
"I do not mind in the slightest."
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