Florian Laveaux's Arc

Chapter 10 of 10

They rode back toward the prince in silence. Florian's mind turned over the Citya woman's words. Soldiers had burned the southern marshes. Killed the young. The eggs left at each attack site weren't warnings or trophies—they were reminders of what had been taken. BelloSaros waited beneath the fallen arch with Griffin beside him. Daveth dismounted first and approached the prince. Florian followed, still gripping his machete. Daveth told BelloSaros what the Citya woman had said. The attacks would stop if soldiers withdrew from the southern marshes. BelloSaros listened without expression. Then he shook his head. The soldiers weren't his, he said. They belonged to someone else—someone who wanted the eggs for a purpose he didn't yet understand. Florian felt his chest tighten. If the prince couldn't stop the soldiers, then the Citya would keep attacking. Griffin stepped forward and pointed south along the road. Fresh cart tracks cut deep into the dirt, heading away from the hut. Someone had been here recently. BelloSaros studied the tracks. He ordered them to follow. They rode fast, pushing their horses until the trees opened onto a clearing. An abandoned cart sat tilted in the mud. Wooden crates lay broken beside it, their contents scattered. Florian dismounted and moved closer. Shackles lay in the dirt near the cart, their chains still attached. The metal was rusted but the leather cuffs looked recently used. Daveth knelt and picked one up. These weren't for prisoners, he said. They were too small. Florian looked at the broken crates and understood. Someone was stealing Citya eggs and transporting them somewhere. BelloSaros ordered them to search the area. Florian found a nest hidden beneath the cart—empty, its woven branches torn apart. Whoever had been here had taken everything. He called the others over and showed them. The prince's jaw tightened. This wasn't about territory or revenge anymore. Someone was hunting the Citya specifically for their eggs. BelloSaros mounted his horse and turned north. They would ride to the way castle and send word to the other lords. Until they found who was behind this, the Citya would keep killing travelers to protect what little they had left. Florian climbed onto his horse beside Griffin. The question had changed. It wasn't why the Citya attacked. It was who was taking their children—and why.