"So they've already gotten there before us?" Beam mused. "I'll do what I can. We need evidence, after all. But I find it hard to believe that a single old man could abduct so many children within a single night. Clearly, there's something bigger going on."
The old woman nodded. "I think so too. I think everyone does – but they're loath to admit it. The idea scares them. They're looking for people to pin the blame on, to quell their fear. They've never had to go through anything quite like this.
We've always heard stories of the other villages, and all they've been through with raids and the like – but we've never truly suffered in the same way."
Beam nodded. "I had better move quickly then."
The old woman spared him a sad look as he left.
Just as the lady from the bakery had said, there was a crowd of people gathering in the area by the village Elder's house. None had dared to walk up the long and winding gravel path towards it yet, which Beam found odd, but their intent was still more than obvious.
As he drew closer, Beam could see more than just the torches that they held. Many of them were armed, with axes in their hands, or long knives for butchering. The tension was more than palpable. It gave Beam chills to feel it, just how wound up everyone was. He thought it to be a miracle that no one had killed each other yet.
In the centre of it all, there was Nila, with her in hand, and a quiver over her shoulders, trying to calm everyone down. Rodrey and Rodrick were on either side of her.
"We've already sent word to the Captain!" Nila told them. "With his permission, we'll be able to search the Elder's house without violence. He already missed the Captain's summons. It's only a matter of time before we get word back."
"To hell with the Captain! To hell with those soldiers! To hell with the whole fuckin' serving class! My boy's been taken – half the village's kids have been taken – and that bastard old man won't even show his face. I don't care whether he had a hand in doing it or not – he's gonna pay. What use is an Elder that isn't there when it counts?"
Yet it was not a barrier, but a voice that turned those villagers back.
"It would seem you've all managed to stir yourselves up," Beam said.
It took them a moment to recognize him, with the filth covering him, and the lack of torchlight. It was only those at the front that really stood a chance.
Beam had moved, and then Judas hurried to join him, and then the soldiers came after him. But it was Beam that stood alone against the crowd, whilst his allies hurried to join them, it was he that stared them down.
The wave of anger that had been flowing so freely before now ground to a halt. The mind of the mob was a potent thing, especially when it got going.
The villagers looked startled. They didn't know whether they should be apologetic or celebratory, as the boy returned to greet them.
"Boy..." the old man that had led the charge said, unsure. "My son's in that house. You're not going to stop me, are you?"
"Beam..." Nila said, straining her eyes to see him.
"The Captain has given you permission. There are orders to bring the Elder to heel, for ignoring the summons of a noble. His house may be searched in the meantime," Beam told him.
The old man looked at him, surprised. "He did..? Really?" He couldn't fathom it. "Then why are you standing in our way?"