But Hazel was so focused on the danger that was on its way that she completely missed the one that was already here.

Some distance away the last batch of refugees was being processed. One of these was a party of youngsters and a few children being interrogated by the city guards.

They were all human, dressed in old raggedy clothes with some obvious signs of malnutrition and mistreatment.

Eight of them, who were the oldest, were between the ages of 15 and 20 while the remaining three were kids, the oldest of which was only a ten-year-old boy.

The other two kids one of which was a 7-year-old girl and the last one which was a newborn baby were being carried by the teenagers.

The ten-year-old boy stood in front of the feline city guard trying to explain their situation.

"My name is Arnett. We used to work for one of the human lords at his mansion until a few days ago. He left in the middle of the night without saying anything so we followed the villagers and came here. I don't have any papers to prove who I am, none of us do."

Despite his desperate situation he didn't seem too pitiful. His head was raised high, chest puffed out and his tone articulate.

The guard note down his name before looking towards the others, especially the teenagers.

"And you lot?"

The boy's expression changed for the worse but he caught himself and regained his composure quickly.

"They don't speak...they can't," he looked back at them bleakly and whispered into the guard's ears, "The human lord did not like his servants talking about him behind his back so he cut off their tongues once they reached puberty."

The guard reacted as any sensible person would, with a look of disgust and anger which quickly turned into empathy for the poor souls.

"That...I'm sorry to hear that. Give me their names and the names of their parents along with the place they were born in. Which human lord did you serve? I have traveled a lot back in my youth and know most of the notable human figures."

He waited for Arnett to answer but there were none to be given. Arnett was expecting to be just allowed passage by this point so he hadn't even bothered with coming up with their names.

"That...I-"

"What? Out with it, come on. There are others in the line behind you, you know!" the guard urged him on.

Arnett began to sweat bullets while stealing glances at the teenagers.

'What do I do?! I have to get them into the city otherwise they won't let us go, its the last chance I have!'

"Hey, are you listening to me? Actually, all of you come here and open your mouths, I will check you myself before we go any further!"

Arnett's eyes opened wide as he tried to dissuade the guard unsuccessfully. "No please, listen to me-"

No matter how much experience he had, at the end of the day he was still just a kid and being put on the spot like this left him at a total loss for words.

'No please, they will start killing everyone if you don't let us through, please!' he pleaded inwardly and by some miracle, just as the guard was about to reach over and grab one of them the crowd parted and in walked a small group of guards led by the demihuman princess.

"Lady Inara!" the guard saluted before stepping to the side.

Princess Inara stopped in between the guards and Arnett.

"What's all the commotion? I told you to clear everyone as soon as possible!"

"Yes, my lady! It's just that I couldn't verify the identity of this young man and his companions so-"

She turned to face the person in question. Arnett almost jumped out of his skin. How had the situation gotten so out of hand so quickly?

Just as he had given himself over to fate something unexpected happened.

"You...I know you..." the demihuman Princess whispered to everyone's surprise.

Arnett pointed at himself in obvious disbelief, "M-Me?"

The guard also chimed in, "Where does lady Inara know him from?"

She thought about it for a second before recalling exactly where she had seen him.

"You were being forced to work with that vile man, Eurig the Viper. How did you escape?"

Upon mentioning working for him Arnett remembered the exact situation she was talking about.

'She was in the crowd that day!' he exclaimed inwardly. (CH 637)

Hushed gasps came from all around. Eurig the Viper was a household name, a horror story for most. The guard saw an opportunity to make some brownie points and jumped in to answer in Arnett's place.

"He said they were all working for him. The older ones have had their tongues cut out upon reaching puberty."

More shocked reactions followed suit upon the revelation. Princess Inara knelt down in front of Arnett and wiped the dirt and mud from his face using her own sleeve.

"Are you okay? What happened to that snake?"

As surprised as he was by the sudden turn of events Arnett could not forget what was at stake. He stole a quick glance at the teens behind him before answering.

"He's gone. He left us and went somewhere else."

He held his breath while staring at his feet anxiously, praying with all his heart that she would buy it.

Princess Inara smiled and gently patted him on the head.

"Really? That's good then. And it looks like you escaped with your friends too, what a brave young man.. You will be safe here."

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