43

"I want to take you out of here where it's safe," I whispered softly, "But you need to be quiet or I won't be able to get you out of here."

They looked at me quietly. None of them quite believing what they were seeing. I offered my hand, and led them forward into the shadows. I encouraged them to follow me through the shadows to the tall grass. I could manipulate the shadows around me without using my own mana.

There was a limit to it though. I could only manipulate the shadows I was touching, and I couldn't manipulate them very much. I wasn't willing to put my own mana into it because that would give away my presence in their camp. There were two other groups of slaves I wanted to get before I left so giving myself away wasn't a good option. I waved them forward one by one.

Breaking the enchantment on their collars as they passed me. They all knew on some instinctual level that they needed to hide in the tall grass away from the eyes of their slavers. They also knew they wouldn't be able to cross the field without my help. I was surprised they were coming along so willingly. I found that blind obedience a little disturbing.

The next group was tied behind the cart. They weren't near the light of the fire so I would have an easier time getting them then I did the ones in the cage. I wondered why they used the cages to a certain degree, but at the same time it kind of made sense. The weak, and young would be placed in the cage in the hope that they'd survive long enough to be sold. Children, and pregnant woman couldn't be expected to keep up with even a slow moving caravan on foot.

They would eventually fall behind, and be dragged. I moved toward the group that was in the cold darkness of the night. Slicing through the rope that tied them into the cart before they even noticed I was here. The young man closest to me cried out in fear. I closed the distance between me, and him quickly.

Slapping my hand over his mouth a bit forcefully. The gauntlet cut into his cheek slightly as I silenced him. My eyes snapped up, and scanned to see if anyone had noticed the noise. My body would be difficult to pick out from the shadows as I crouched down. Practically laying on the ground to avoid being seen.

I stared at the elves by the fire for a few minutes to make sure that none of them stirred. I wasn't all that surprised that they didn't see me when one of them looked over here. I cocked my head as I waited. The one elf that looked over this way rolled over, and ignored us. I cut the bindings off all the slaves on the line.

Breaking their collars with a light touch. Reminding each of them to be quiet as I moved along. Not all of them were willing to leave. This was different. I hadn't needed to convince anyone before.

These boys were different though. They were born into slavery. I slid each of them into the shadows of the grass one by one. The one that refused to go with me shook his head when I beckoned him forward.

"This will be your only chance at freedom," I offered him my hand one last time.

He shook his head again. Refusing simply out of the fear of what would happen if his master found him gone. I slid into the darkness leaving him behind. I rejoined the others, and let them a good ways into the grass. I wanted to be sure I was out of the range of their magical senses as well as their normal ones.

We kept going for a good long while. Daylight was coming. They would be discovering their missing property soon. I quietly opened a portal, and waved them through. Taking them into the underground cavern before creating false trails like I did last time.

I wouldn't have time to do anymore rescue operations tonight. My double would start dissolving in a few hours, and I needed to be back before then. I didn't pick any particular route back to Sekka. I mainly focused on moving quickly. I waited as long as I could before erasing my presence from time.

Erasing my presence from time itself was a hard thing to do mainly because of the mana cost. I made my mask disappear, and changed my clothes back to my slave garb. Rushing to catch up with Sekka. Even if someone managed to track my spatial distortions they wouldn't be able to track me from where I erased myself from time. My barrier would prevent them from properly tracking where I sent the slaves.

It would look like just another false trail. I slid to a stop near where Sekka, and my double were walking on the road. My double walked into the woods. I took it's place, and strode back out onto the road as if I'd been there the whole time. We made do with what we had for crystals for the next two towns, but by then we were pretty much out of everything.

The only good cores we had left were the ones I'd been working on for weeks. The rest were crappy, and weak in comparison. We got ourselves one of those good mana sealed rooms once we got to one of the bigger cities. I spent the next two weeks making as many small cores as I could manage. Sekka alternated between practicing with his whip, and going out to sell the artificial mana crystals I made for him.

The only problem I had with this tiny room was the fact that I couldn't draw mana from the world while we were sealed up in this room so I just went with Sekka when he went to sell the crystals. Drawing mana into my body slowly as I did. I didn't want them to notice that I was taking mana in without the impurities so I kept the amount I was drawing in really slow. I actually regenerated more mana naturally then what I was drawing in now. Every little bit helped, and right now I needed every little bit.