The sounds Evin had been hearing ever since entering the passageway grew louder and louder. He could hear clearly now the high-pitched yips and yowls of doglike voices. These were more controlled than the laughing howls the gnolls had made before. It was almost as if the creatures were speaking in their own language.

Marten opened his mouth wide and began to wail, “Oh, gods have mercy on—”

Evin clamped his hand over Marten’s mouth. His brother continued talking, his voice muffled by Evin’s fingers. The younger boy had a lump in his throat, but he refused to let himself give in to fear and worry. All of the other villagers, all of the people he’d seen and remembered from his life in Hesiod, were counting on them.

“Keep … keep him quiet as best you can,” Evin whispered. “I’m going to sneak ahead and make sure it’s safe to keep moving.”

Jorick nodded. His eyes darted over Marten, revealing an unease that matched Evin’s. Jorick and Bet slid down the side of the wall, forcing Marten to sit down beside them. Certain that they were sufficiently hidden in the shadows, Evin crawled silently forward.

At the end of the hall, an old stone door lay ajar. Evin pushed through it and found himself on top of some long abandoned balcony overlooking a vast chamber. The chattering of the gnolls was deafening.

Still on his hands and knees, Evin picked through the crumbling stone seats until he reached the edge of the balcony. He looked down through its rusted metal railings. Thirty feet down, the gnolls stood amassed. There looked to be hundreds of them, a sea of dirty fur, snarling snouts, jagged ears, and sharp teeth. The creatures stomped around restlessly, some even fighting at the edges of the room.

In the center of the room was a large bonfire. It looked like the creatures had felled several great trees and lit them ablaze. The flame was so massive that even from his position high up, Evin could feel the heat drying his cheeks. Smoke billowed from the giant blaze through a large hole in the stone ceiling, revealing the night sky.

Several of the gnolls rushed to a tall doorway and began howling. Taller gnolls dressed in heavy armor emerged from the entryway. The larger gnolls barked, bared their teeth, and brandished their weapons. The howling gnolls tucked their tails between their legs and went back to join the crowd encircling the bonfire.

The entryway cleared, and the larger gnolls gestured into the darkened hallway behind them. And then, the gnolls from the slave pens emerged, dragging the villagers behind them. They forced the chained villagers to line up against the outer wall. Evin couldn’t make out anyone specific, but he knew his parents, his neighbors, and his friends must all be there. The gnolls shifted to look at the humans, salivating.