#rivervale_lodge

"I am merely suggesting options. This is also not an ideal situation."

Frank nods.

"The Mists should protect us, no?"

"Mm." A nod. "We have fae of many types and talents locally. Many skills. We should think how to put them to use to make this work smoothly."

"Agreed. I like the idea of using the lake..."

She nods. "We are thinking a night raid?"

"Seems smart..."

She nods. "They have mortal weapons. We do not know if there are fae among them. A distraction may draw them away...or may alert them to the need to hide the slaves." She considers. "Mortals grow weary of repeated distractions. You have seen this, yes?"

Carowyn nods "Like doorbell pranks"

"Or fire alarms."

"Point..."

"Like the boy who cried wolf."

A glance at the kitchen door.

"So...if we are likely to trip any alarms...perhaps trip them repeatedly for some days ahead of time?"

Frank sighs and stands, going quietly in his sock-feet to the kitchen door and pausing.

"Could we send some chimera to do so?"

"Uncatchable by mortals..."

"In the short term, if they can manifest" Sir Carowyn says "I don't know if any of us are skilled enough to dictum or even fuddle alarms?"

"Or perhaps some pooka with useful animal forms.. monkeys, rats..."

"Electronics? No, they're beyond me."

"I could call Colton?"

Frank gently opens the door.

"Mm for that matter, if you could affect guns , you could weaver ward guns so that any gun man couldn't follow here unarmed folk fled.. and..."

And a soft scramble away from it, and a cupboard just barely seen closing with a whisk of a tail pulled inside. Dropped in haste is a box of milkbones.

Frank looks back at Brekke. Eyebrow.

"Humans, fae... but no. Not much good with objects."

Brekke catches Frank's look and sighs. "Certain pooka are too young to be involved in such things..." she says a bit too loudly for the current company...well, the current visible company.

"Oh dear" the lowest ranking Liam says

Frank nods and carefully shuts the door again.

Then more normal toned, "Yes, locally we have a snake pooka we may be able to call on. And...well, others."

"Sluagh might also be good to call on..."

"Mm." Brekke nods.

"Not many of those here, I know. But they have gifts for getting in and out unnoticed."

Another nod. "As I said...others."

An eyebrow at Brekke as he returns to his seat with Sparrow.

"You know your people best."

"Well..." a bit of a rueful sigh. "I hope so."

Then she adds, "We have a family who are new to their fae natures. I think perhaps...if we must use mortal means to get the slaves over the northern border, perhaps that would be a task in which they might aid?" She looks to Frank.

"Mm." Very stoic. "It is not without danger."

"Three of four can drive."

"That's a lot of people to move..."

"Can we get the Dawntreader loaded?"

"I think the Kestrel would not do well with so many mortals."

Frank frowns. "It is... difficult. One or two people are easily hidden in the paperwork and weights. Moreso if they are Enchanted. To load her, and a trailer? Much more problematic. Or, we do it and hide everything and everyone from mortal sight... but to use that much Glamour, why not flickerflash?"

A low whistle.

"Still a lot of glamour."

"And then we turn back to Gerd, but I do not know if she has the power." A pause. "Olgar could get them on a trod, but...mortals in the Dreaming...." A look to Frank.

"Perhaps what's needed is a story that the liberated can believe?"

Frank shakes his head. "A different circumstance."

An interested look. "Say more."