“Have you seen my father?” he asked. “Or your parents?”

Bet lifted her chin and regarded Marten over her nose. “Can you tell us where the gnolls were taking everyone?” she asked. “We think they’re working for someone or something. Do you know who is behind all of this?”

Marten slowly shook his head, his eyes glassy. “I …,” he croaked, “I don’t … We’re all … doomed. …”

“Leave him alone!” Evin pushed his companions aside and put an arm around his brother’s shoulder. “He’s hurt, and he doesn’t know anything, all right? Just leave him alone.”

Jorick kicked one of the barrels. “Blast it!” His hand clenched the sword at his waist. “We were so close!”

“We can get close again without this boy’s help, no need for histrionics.” Bet held the Practical Guide open and looked at her map. Tracing with her finger, she said, “They took them into the slave mines. They could be leading them … hmm. …”

“What is it?” Evin asked, lessening his grip on the Marten and looking over Bet’s shoulder.

“I heard the sounds of the gnolls earlier,” she said to Evin, “coming from the hallway off of the room with the fireplace.”

“I heard them too,” Evin said. He looked at the map and found the room. The hallway led to a big, open room that the map called the “Goblins’ Communal Area.”

“The slave pens connect to the communal chamber,” Bet went on, tracing with her finger. “And the halls are wider. I wonder, maybe the reason we haven’t been seeing many gnolls is because they’ve all been convened in one place.”

“You think they’re gathered for some reason?” Evin asked.

“Maybe,” Bet said. “Maybe whoever they’re working for is there. And they wanted to see the villagers.”

“Of course!” Jorick said, then kicked at another barrel. The wooden side cracked from the force of his boot. “It’s always got to be something. So what do we do now?”

“We have to …” Marten wheezed. “We have to …” He trailed off, his hands twitching, his eyes scanning the ground.

Jorick stepped to Evin’s side and lowered his voice. “Is Marten all right? He seems—”

“He’s fine,” Evin snapped. “He’s just traumatized, all right? Let’s go investigate the communal area. If the other villagers are there, maybe we can still save them.”

“Follow me.” Bet raced toward the doorway.

Evin put his arm around Marten’s shoulders and side by side they shuffled behind her. He couldn’t help but look at the side of Marten’s head, worry sprouting inside him.

After twisting through the winding corridors and back through the fireplace room, they at last reached the open hallway that according to the Practical Guide’s map led to the communal area.