"But the children. They're here?"
Ashyn already knew the answer. If there were children here, they would not be so silent.
"Where are the children?" she asked. "They aren't in their homes. There are no . . . signs they were hurt." She started for the door. "They must be with Moria. I need to find--"
"You won't, miss." The old man moved into her path. "The little ones were taken."
"With Moria," Wenda piped up. "That's what I said, and no one believed me, but if you're here and she isn't, then I was right."
Beatrix cut in. "The child thought she saw the Keeper, but we did not. The children were taken, miss. Rounded up and taken. There was naught anyone could do. There was naught anyone could do about any of it. It happened so fast."
"What happened? What did you see?"
"Nothing. My husband was here, in the barns, so I was alone. I woke when Wenda came to my door. I went out and . . . and the village was . . ." She swallowed. "Silent. Empty."
Ashyn turned to the child as Tova padded to the door to stand watch.
"I heard a noise," Wenda said. "I woke and went to see my parents, but they were gone. Everyone was gone. It was so dark and quiet. I ran next door. Beatrix was there. We went to her other neighbor and . . ."
"They were dead," Beatrix whispered. "All of them. I didn't let the child see, of course. I took her, and I was running to the barracks, and that's when we heard old Quintin, coming out his door, gibbering about monsters."
"Then I found them," the guard said. "I was patrolling the road outside the village. I came back and found the gate unguarded. I ran into the village, but whatever had happened was over. I met these three. Then we heard the children."
"They were being taken down the road," Wenda said. "They hardly made any noise. Like they were walking in their sleep."
"They were alone?" Ashyn said.
"No, there were men," Wenda said. She paused. "I think they were men."
Ashyn glanced at Beatrix. "Did you see . . . other things in the village? Not men."
"Shadow stalkers," Quintin said. "I saw one. I live with my son and his wife, and I heard her cry out. I walked from my bedroom and . . ." He inhaled sharply. "My son. He was . . . one of those things. He'd killed her and he was eating--"
Beatrix cleared her throat loudly. He mumbled an apology and withdrew, his gaze dropping.
"It all happened so quickly," he said. "We'd barely gone to bed and then . . ."
"They weren't shadow stalkers with the children," Beatrix said. "They were riders on horseback. Wenda meant that we couldn't tell for certain they were men, but I'm sure no woman would steal the children."
She turned to Wenda. "You saw Moria?"
The girl nodded. "She was hiding behind the rocks. I think she was trying to save the children. But the men captured her and took her along."
Ashyn turned to the others. "You saw none of that?"
"There was a commotion," Beatrix said. "I heard it. But my eyes are not good. Nor his." She gestured at Quintin.
"And yours?" Ashyn turned to the guard, Gregor.
"I had gone back to the barracks, looking for more survivors."
"After you saw riders stealing our children?"
Gregor squared his shoulders. "There were many riders. Only a fool would chase them."
Only a coward would not try, Ashyn thought. Her sister was not a coward. Moria wouldn't be foolhardy enough to engage the entire party, but she would have tried to follow them. That's how she'd been spotted and taken.
"Which way did they go?" she asked.