Damon drew his sword just enough to free the blade from its sheath, but he did not immediately descend the slope. The camp below was too large for a reckless attack, and although forty people would not normally have been enough to frighten him, he was still recovering from the fight against Caelum and had no idea what those chains were capable of doing. The girl trapped inside the cage remained seated with her knees drawn against her body, and she did not appear injured beyond a few superficial cuts on her arms. The strangest detail was the dark veins beneath her skin. They began at her wrists and climbed almost to her shoulders, like tiny roots drawn inside her body.
Xue Lian crouched beside Damon and studied the camp's layout. "Four larger structures. Six men working directly on the root. At least twelve armed, and the rest divided into smaller groups."
"And the cage is right in the middle of everything," Ester said. "If we go in attacking, she becomes a hostage."
