Quinn
Planning the mission took the rest of the afternoon, including me insisting I be part of the rescue team. As Juan mentioned, there were a lot of severely sick and injured civilians, and for them to walk through the long, winding to-be-made tunnel was simply a difficult ask. Aldric, the stubborn goat, had refused to even consider me leaving Norsewood at first but reluctantly submitted when I said, "I wouldn't be insisting that I go if I wasn't sure you'll keep me, all of us, safe. Your strength and power are immense, Aldric, so please, don't keep me here when you know I can save a lot of people."
Uncle Colt said, "The lassie is right, Aldric. Some of the soldiers can heal, but not like our lassie can heal with her magic. I'll be coming along, too, and will protect her in your stead when you aren't around. You have naught to worry."
"You're coming, too?" I asked, surprised.
He chuckled. "It has been a long time since I've been out doing mission work, but now it's time again."
Mark snorted. "You just want to go because you want to ride on the airship, Uncle."
Laughter ensued, and Aldric said, "Promise me you won't do anything reckless."
I grinned and said, "I promise I won't."
The next day was preparation day, and I was on my feet from dawn until dust, first conjuring two buses for Grayson and one of his staff members, Carl, to practice their driving, then auto-carts and creating essential items and supplies which the soldiers stored in the aircraft. A temporary quarantine facility had to be constructed, via my magic naturally, with sleeping quarters, a dining hall, and men and women bathrooms since the civilians needed to be isolated due to health and dietary requirements before being introduced into the lodge.
While Grayson and Carl continued to get used to driving the buses and some of the soldiers practiced operating the carts, Robert, David, Kent, and Derek plus the men from the woodwork and agriculture departments trained on constructing roads, which Grayson and Carl as well as the soldiers used to drive on. By evening, they were confident in their ability, to my pleasant surprise, and the buses and carts were already carrying happy passengers—the lodge residents, mostly the children and elderly—about the place like tourist vehicles.
After examining the blueprint I had given them, Darell and his men from the blacksmith department, on the other hand, had taken the SUV, much to the children's and Grandma Liz's displeasure. Their plan was to redesign the model to something that was suitable for Norsewood's people, which I gladly left in their hands simply because they'd come up with something that the citizens would love since that was their forte.
Finally, it was departure day, and at dawn, most of the residents came to see us off, and as the airship lifted, there was a lot of shouting and hands waving.
Come back safely! Bring the people home safely! See you soon! May the deities watch over you all!
Inside the airship, I noted that everyone looked rather tense. Then again, this was our very first large-scale rescue mission, so it was to be expected.
"Everything will be all right, right, Quinn?" Maria asked.
I turned to her and said, "Everything will be fine."
Gosh, I couldn't believe she had begged to come along, as well as Elizabeth. All the Fairchilds were here, including Liam. That meant there were seven healers, the other three soldiers, and we'd be the ones to heal those with serious injuries first before the rescue team led them out.
I glanced over to the other side of the room, noting that Aldric was in a serious discussion with the captains—Uncle Colt, Theo, Connor, Vincent, and Juan—no doubt going through the plan again and revising anything that needed changing. He was very thorough in that regard.
It was two hours later when we reached the eastern border, and the soldiers were amazed at the speed of the aircraft. Thank goodness, too, that the weather was fine, though there were dark clouds along the horizon.
"It would have taken us days on horseback just to get this far," one said. "But it has only been a mere two hours."
Such was the speed of an aircraft, although this wasn't even as fast as an airplane.
The path along the alps was intertwining and very hazardous, which was expected. Luckily, Vicky took us through without a hitch, and it was about two hours later when she stated, Ladies and gentlemen, we have arrived at our destination. Prepare for landing in ten minutes.
"We're here already?" Maria asked.
"Looks like it," I said.
It wasn't long when the airship hovered over the flat section between the two mountains high in the alps we had been studying, and once the bottom of the aircraft touched the snowbound ground, hustle and bustle of activities ensued with men in thick winter gear heading out to scout and secure the surrounding area, placing mana crystals in the eight directions that formed a magical barrier shield—the one I had practiced damn hard on and could now control and stabilize thanks to my enormous amount of mana—around the camping site, thus protecting us from a monster invasion, if there were any, and of course, the elements.
Once the all clear came through the earpieces to the operation control center here in the airship which was run by Captain Connor, Robert, David, Kent, and Derek and their men followed the soldiers out and started their work, constructing the planned road from here into the thick pine trees and then the tunnels through the mountain, the same burrow Juan had escaped the dungeon through. It'd take them the rest of today and all of tomorrow to complete the task, and while that was happening, another group of soldiers got busy setting up camp with large hall-sized tents that'd fit at least one hundred people each. There were also sleeping bags, crystal lamps, and of course, crystal heaters to keep the interior warm. The civilians would be sleeping in there until all was sorted in the dungeon and then the departure.
During all this, I created miniature drones, the size of a dragonfly, and Aldric used them to survey the dungeon, flying over the ridges of the mountain and right into the opening of the enemy's base.
In the control room, we watched the footage that was transmitted back to us live, and I saw some of the most horrifying scenes I had ever seen. Dying, starving people with limbs that barely resembled limbs, digits frozen and eaten away by the ice cold or accidentally chopped off during the mining. Children, with barely rags on, were all skin and bones and had that one-thousand-yard stare about them. It looked as though they had already given up on life itself, and it broke my heart. They reminded me so much of the Norsewood citizens when I had first arrived, and I vowed that such a look, and indeed, suffering, will never exist in Norsewood again. Workers, mining in the darkness and freezing cold, being whipped until they bled raw and fell unconscious. Some were dragged away like ragged dummies and then tossed into the huge prison hall that was their sleeping space.
Maria couldn't take it, and she rushed away in tears, Elizabeth with her. I forced myself to watch because I'd be healing those people. Every life counted, and I prayed that they'd still be breathing by the time I got in there tomorrow night.
And tomorrow night came, though not soon enough in my mind because for all I know some of those lives might have already been lost. In full winter gear of fur hat, thick jacket, and boots covering my normal clothing, I hopped into one of the two buses, along with Maria, Elizabeth, and the rescue team, with Aldric as the commander, and Uncle Colt, Vincent, and Juan as captains of their own squads. As Grayson started the engine and the bus started moving, I turned to look at Aldric standing there in the middle of the aisle instead of sitting like the rest of us, his face a hard, dark mask. I knew he was on edge, but of course, who wouldn't be when they were the commander on a mission to save over six hundred lives.
The buses wound along the freshly constructed road through the field of pine trees, and it was maybe ten minutes later when the sight of the tunnel came into view. Robert, David, Kent, Derek, and the others were still there, hanging up crystal lamps as the light started to fade.
There was no cheerful greeting or chitchat as everyone got to work. We gathered around Aldric as he said, "Once we're in, healers treat the civilians and then soldiers escort them out. Everyone understand their positions?"
"Aye!"
"Then let's go," he said. We hopped onto the carts, which could fit about twenty in each, and the designated soldiers got in the driver's seat and started the engine.
I was surprised that the tunnel was this large, with enough space for carts to be driven through without any problem. The ground, walls, and ceiling were smooth, and I had to applause Robert and Kent and their team for doing such a fine job. They should add excavation and road building to their resume, too, on top of being a builder or farmer.
Maria grabbed my hand and held it tight. I turned to her, and under the glow of the crystal lamps hanging along the walls, I noted that she looked anxious. I squeezed her hand and whispered, "Everything is going to be all right."
She nodded. "Mm-hmm."
It was twenty minutes later when the carts came to a stop, and we hastily got out. Then we gathered around Juan who said, "Behind here is the base of the prison hall." He turned to Aldric. "We're ready to go."
Aldric nodded. "Be safe, everyone." He tapped on his earpiece and then said, "Connor, the drones."
"Aye, my lord," I heard Connor say through my own earpiece, as everyone would have through theirs.
The miniature drones flew above us and slipped through the passageway. They'd be scouting the surrounding area and alerting us of possible danger, and of course, the guards.
Juan signaled us with his hand and said lowly, "Let's go."
He slipped in, followed by Aldric and then Uncle Colt, Theo, and Vincent. We followed suit. On the other side, Juan put his finger to his lips to indicate we should be silent. In our earpiece, Connor said, "Coast is clear. Proceed forward. The door of the prison hall has been closed and locked from outside by the guards. No guards anywhere in the prison hall. Proceed with the rescue plan."
Just as the transmission ended, Juan shifted and made his way through a narrow corridor of thick stone walls, and we followed him. As we turned, we came around, and I was instantly faced with bodies—hundreds of them, lying on the floor, some huddling together to keep warm while others were sitting, hugging themselves—across the vast expansion that was the prison hall.
I scanned around and raised my gaze to see that the hall was extensive and deep, with the walls and ceiling made of thick, massive stones and here and there were torches of flame that lightened up the dark, cold place. I noted that the only official way in and out was through that double doors Juan mentioned would open and close by the guards during a set time, dawn to let the captives out to work and dusk to let them in to sleep.
I took in a deep breath and thought, time to get to work.
Juan went to a young man who was sleeping in a sitting position, his back resting against the wall, a little girl next to him. He shook the man's shoulders, whispering, "Gael! Gael!"
Gael? He must be Rosie's brother. Indeed, they looked similar, with gold-dusted hair and soft features.
Gael opened his eyes, and when he saw Juan, he gasped, stunned, and was speechless for a moment. As tears brewed in his eyes, he said, "My lord, you came back."
"Of course, I came back," Juan whispered. He turned and signaled for me and Aldric. I, with Aldric, went to him, and I kneeled on the stone floor. "This is Lady Quinn, Aldric's new bride."
Gael widened his eyes and simply stared at me. "Lord Aldric's new bride?" Then he looked up and gasped again, his eyes large in shocked surprise yet he seemed relieved at the same time. "My lord!"
"Gael," Aldric said.
"My lord, you've come to save us," Gael said. "You really have come to save all of us."
Those around us stirred awake, including the little girl, and suddenly, there were gasps and then men, who I assumed were Norsewood's warriors under Juan's command, surrounded us and uttered, "My lord! My lord!" as they bowed at Aldric.
My attention was on the little girl with dark hair and eyes. She had a horn—tiny and cute—on her forehead. She must be a One-Horn Demon, and she was adorable. I shifted my gaze over her body, noting that her skin was dirt- and blood-stained and her fingers and toes were eaten away by the ice cold, and I just couldn't hold back any longer.
I moved forward and said, "Hey, sweetie, what's your name?"
The girl looked at me for a moment and then she cried, "Mama!" as she threw herself into my arms at the same time Red, who had been with Juan, jumped onto the girl's shoulder.
I widened my eyes, stunned. Mama? When had I become a mother to this child?
Juan said softly, "Her name is Lilly."
Ah, the one who was a monster tamer.
When she moved back, I said, "Lilly, sweetheart, I'm going to heal you, all right?"
She tilted her head to one side as she sniffed. "Heal me?"
I grabbed her hands and then released my magic. The glow of mana exuded from me to her, and within an instant, her hands and feet were healed. Having witnessed the scene, Gael and the men around us were stunned into silence.
Lilly was, too, her eyes wide. "Healed! No pain! There's no more pain." She wrapped her arms around me and buried her face against my chest as she proceeded to cry her heart out, yet again, while Red, perched on her shoulder, soothed her by stroking his tiny paws on her face.
Elizabeth came to kneel beside me. "It's all right, little one," she said as she gently pulled Lilly away from me.
Once the girl was whimpering in Elizabeth's arms, I stood and turned to Aldric who said, "We should get things moving."