Chapter 9. A Fork in the Road
Smiling, a man in blue robes clutched his shoulder tightly. A little too tightly, in fact. His shoulder ached, and his bones creaked. “You look familiar, friend. Have we met?”
Rhys glanced at Bast. He flicked his eyes toward the exit. If one of them could escape, that was better than all of them getting caught. Bast could come back and free him later. Bast looked worried, but gave him a tiny nod. He turned and walked casually toward the gate.
“I don’t think we have,” Rhys said, turning and smiling at the man. “I’m sorry, I’m just a kid from the wilds. I don’t know such distinguished figures as yourself.”
“Are you sure? I could have sworn I saw your face, and just recently,” the man replied.
“No, no. Someone like me? I’m sure we’ve never met,” Rhys insisted.
Ahead of Bast, the gates slammed shut. Another two mages in blue approached Bast, subtly ringing him in. He tried to walk around them, but they moved with him. He jerked to a halt and glanced at Rhys, waiting for instruction. His hand subtly tensed into a fist.
Rhys held his hand out flat. No. Don’t fight. If they fought here, they’d die. The man holding him was at least a tier higher. The two ringing in Bast, likewise. Neither of them could survive this if it came to a fight.
“Let’s cut to the chase. You’re the Strawman’s disciples, aren’t you?” the man asked.
Rhys smiled. “What? Who’s that?”
“Enough. We know. You only put your hair down. You didn’t even use a disguise technique. Don’t be ridiculous.”
Rhys kept smiling.
The man in blue grunted. “Fine. We can play that game, so listen. We tricked that diabolical monster you call a master. We sent a distress signal from one of his old allies and trapped him in a purification array… a powerful spell meant to seal him,” the man explained, helpfully. “Give yourselves up. If you come willingly, you can escape punishment.”