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Ava kept hold of Genevieve, and the girl put her head on Ava’s shoulder and wept.

Beside her, she was aware of Lineka pulling his son Jon into a hug, then doing the same to Ricardo Bann.

“Where’s Theo?” Rafe’s question cut through the joy of the moment, and the small group went quiet.

“He stayed behind,” Vivi said, voice soft. “Melodie swapped herself for us, that’s how we got away, and Theo stayed behind to try to rescue her.”

“Melodie?” Luc was holding Vivi like a baby in his arms, his piercing gaze locked on to the soldier who’d been riding lead in the group, the one Tiano called Gallain.

“She came with us from Illoa, Commander.” Gallain dipped his head in respect. “Because of her . . . skills.” He suddenly looked uncomfortable, but Ava knew about secrets, especially magical secrets, and didn’t hold it against him at all. It made her like him even more.

“We heard about her from Captain Draper,” she said, and he shot her a look of relief.

“Yes, well, Marchant, the man who took the children, wanted her, and she negotiated our release, in exchange for her allowing him to imprison her.”

“He wanted her more than the children he’d gone to such lengths to kidnap?” Lineka sounded doubtful.

“Her . . . skills . . . were ones he’d been looking for, and he realized he’d made a mistake taking the children. We also managed to convince him there would be plenty of people looking for the children, that he would be better off letting us all go.” One of the other soldiers spoke up, a woman with dark hair, who looked as disheveled as the rest of them did.

“Caro’s right,” Vivi said. “Melodie made herself irresistible to Marchant. I don’t know if he thought he could snatch us again later, or whether he really was done with us, but he let us go, and tied Melodie up.”

“And Theo?” Rafe asked.

“Theo was hiding with us, but Marchant didn’t know he was there. So he was going to sneak out after we’d gotten away, and help Melodie escape.” Genevieve sat up straight on the horse.

“The lieutenant ordered us to get the children to safety. To ride until we had them back with you, Commander,” Gallain said.

“How far from us is this place?” Rafe asked.

“An hour’s ride,” Gallain said.

“There are magical traps.” The soldier who taken up the rear of the small group, a large man with broad shoulders and a slightly crooked nose, warned. “Corporal Ivan Sulaman, Commander.” He put his fist over his heart. “Melodie told us where they were, and how to avoid them, but there could be more.”

“Melodie.” Ava felt something tighten in her. “How old is she?”

“Around my age,” Caro said. “Early twenties.”

That would fit. If it was the same Melodie. She had been five going on six when Ava had met her.

“The town guards are also untrustworthy,” Ivan said. “They’re in the spell worker’s pay.”

“He had the whole town spelled.” The fourth soldier spoke for the first time. “Corporal Jacinta Allein, Commander.” She repeated Ivan’s move, with her fist over her heart. “Melodie destroyed whatever he was using to do it. We never had time to work out the details, but it clouded the townsfolk’s minds until a few days ago.”

“It clouded our minds,” Gallain said. “That’s how he captured us.”

“But not Theo and this Melodie?” Rafe asked.

Gallain shook his head. “Luckily.”

Luc looked around, then caught Ava’s gaze. “I think we all need time to regroup, and rest. We’ll set up camp right here until dawn, and then we pay Warven a visit.”

A ripple of agreement went through the group.

No one wanted to leave this insult unchallenged.

Marchant had taken what he had no right to. And there would be consequences.

It would be a lesson to anyone who thought to take a child from Kassia and Cervantes.