It had been a simple and effortless feat for Dante to enter the traders’ minds, convince them that the Sklavos Ahavi from Umbras had been sleep-walking in the night, and compel them to return her safely—and quickly—to the tent of Umbras, where she would remain securely tucked away until the end of the battle. They had even traveled by horseback in order to make up for lost time. A sly smile tugged at the corners of Mina’s mouth, and she pursed her lips to keep it from showing: While the story may have been implausible—in fact, it was a bit ludicrous to believe a sleeping woman could’ve traveled such a distance—mind control was an amazing thing. The three traders had bought Dante’s lie hook, line, and sinker; and in their conviction, they had convinced Damian’s guards of the same, using a very persuasive argument. It didn’t hurt matters at all that the Umbrasian guards were terrified of Damian.
