Gale couldn't sleep. It had been two hours since he rolled into bed, and he was still wide awake. Listening to the crickets outside was getting boring, so he decided to take a walk. Rolling out of bed, he pulled on his clothes and slipped into his boots. Carefully opening the door to prevent it from creaking and waking the others, he padded softly down the hall to the stairs, heading out the front door.

The air was crisp, and the chill of the fall night bit at Gale's nose as he headed for the front gate. Stopping, Gale turned around and headed to the backyard, deciding that he needed some form of protection. It was almost midnight, and the sort of people you might encounter at this time of night weren't exactly the friendly type. Gale went over to the rack that the children put their weapons on after practice and located his two sticks. The wood was smooth and thick, fitting perfectly in his hands. He had put a lot of time and care into them, and he was proud of his work. Strapping the harness that he had fashioned out of a few old belts and leather straps to his back, he slid the two weapons into place.

Feeling much more certain about himself, he headed back to the front gate. Pushing it open, wincing slightly as the rusted metal squealed on its hinges, he walked into the street. Picking a direction at random, he turned and made his way through the darkened city streets. There was something about the night that was invigorating to Gale. He had always felt comforted when cloaked in shadow. Coming to an intersection, he once again picked a direction and followed it.

This was what Gale liked to do when he couldn't sleep. Going out to enjoy the night air allowed him to clear his head. He would come out and walk, and not even the sound of his own thoughts disturbed him. Too engrossed in putting one foot in front of the other, Gale looked up in surprise to find himself in front of a cathedral in a wealthier district of the city. The buildings looked exactly the same as the ones in the slums, only cleaner and less run down. Scratching his head, he looked up at the sky, and judged that he had been walking for at least an hour. Looking around, he realized that he had absolutely no clue as to where exactly in the district he was.

Turning towards the church, Gale examined the walls for a path to climb up so that he could see where he was. There were a lot of handholds for him to climb on, but the problem was finding the easiest way without having to climb horizontally in order to get higher. Locating a spot that looked promising, Gale began his ascent. Climbing quickly, he soon found out that his guess had been wrong. He was about halfway up the wall, sitting on a small landing, feet dangling over a fifty foot drop to the ground below.

He still wasn't high enough. Looking along the walls to the side of him for some way to get higher, he spotted a gargoyle set into the wall twenty feet away. The gargoyle depicted some sort of four legged animal with a great amount of hair covering the neck area behind the ears. The animal was stretched out, as if running, and there were hollows for him to climb up in the wall above it. Judging the distance, Gale knew he wasn't going to make the jump. A thought occurred to him, and he looked over at the wall between him and the gargoyle. Putting his hand on the cold stone, he found that it was rough and would keep his boots from sliding.

Picturing what he was about to do in his mind, he told himself that he would make it. It wouldn't do any good to overthink the jump and make himself fall, so he concentrated on the technique. He hadn't tried this jump on a building this high before, but he had enough practice to at least have confidence in the fact that he somewhat knew what he was doing. His heart was racing as he backed up to get a running start, still looking at the wall, planning every step he would need to take. Breaking into a dead sprint, he headed towards the edge of the landing at an angle. Anyone watching would have told you that Gale was going to die.

What happened next occurred all in the space of two seconds. As the area between his feet and the open air rapidly reduced, he took his last step and planted his foot against the wall. Pushing slightly away from the wall, he brought his back foot forward, using his momentum to keep him balanced against the wall. He planted his front foot again and brought his back foot forward. His momentum would only hold him for a split second, and as he felt his weight shift from flying forward to falling downward, he gathered all of his strength and shoved with the foot planted against the wall, sending him forward through the air to crash chest first into the gargoyle.

Desperately holding on with his arms, he swung his leg to the side onto the head of the stone sentry and pulled himself up. Taking a moment to catch his breath, he began his ascent again, climbing all the way up the bell tower to stand by the massive brass bell hanging from above.

The city was vast. Miles of shops, homes, and the various other establishments were contained inside an enormous wall. There were a few lights in the windows of those who had reason to be awake this late, but other than those few exceptions, the city was blanketed in twilight. Spotting the castle in the distance -- the white stone was easy to spot against the darkness of the sky, not to mention the size of the castle itself -- he discovered that he was in the middle district, which served as the connector between the upper district and the slums.

Gale really didn’t want to climb back down. He wasn’t even sure if he could make that jump again. Turning back toward the interior of the bell tower, he bent down to check if the trapdoor leading down to the sanctuary was unlocked. Seeing that it wasn’t, he looked at the rope dangling from where it was tied to the bell. One tug would send the bell pealing -- which normally would alert the citizens to what time of day it was -- but at this time of night it would only cause trouble. Following the length of rope with his eyes, he saw that it went through a hole in the ground that was about the size of his fist. Grabbing the rope, he started to pull it up from within the hole. Whoever was in charge of ringing the bell in the morning would definitely not be happy.

The last of the rope came through the hole, and Gale knew it would reach down to the ground below. Reaching up to the top of where the bell was mounted, he undid the knot that kept the rope in place. He secured the rope around the corner pillar and proceeded to tie the other end to his waist. Taking the excess rope in his hands, he methodically began to weave it in a figure eight pattern between his legs. Soon enough, he only had five feet of slack left, and the rope was bundled thickly around his legs. Turning to face the bell and grabbing hold of the rope in front of him, Gale fell backwards off the tower. Falling for a split second before the rope went taut, Gale hit the wall hard. I should’ve made it a little shorter, he thought, shaking his head to fight away the dizziness that was creeping up on him.

He was dangling off the bell tower, held in place because the rope was twisted around his leg and hooked on his ankle. Straightening his foot so that the rope slipped off, he began to unravel it from around his legs. The rope would catch on his ankles every time he released it, so he used that to control the rate at which he descended. Reaching the bottom of the length of rope and coming to rest his back on the stones at the front of the church, Gale untied himself and hopped to his feet. He headed down the street towards the direction of the bridges.

Gale walked in silence, enjoying the cool night air as light breezes tickled his skin. Whistling as he turned around a corner, he stopped quickly in surprise. A couple hundred feet down the street that he had turned onto stood a rough looking group of men, all carrying weapons of varying sorts. A few of them were holding torches, and a few more carried banners, but he couldn’t see the insignia on them. Quickly ducking back behind the corner, Gale hoped none in the group had heard him.

He needed to find out what was going on. There was a stack of boxes against the wall further up the road, and Gale saw that it stood nearly as high as the roof. Getting a running start, he planted his foot on the side of a box and launched himself upward, grabbing hold of the box that was on top of the stack. Pulling himself up and jumping onto the roof, he made his way over to a spot above where the men were standing, murmuring amongst themselves. Lying flat on his stomach and peering over the edge, Gale counted out nearly fifty men. He heard someone talking about a wench he had met at the inn earlier, and another talking about what he was going to spend his money on. Mercenaries! he thought to himself, wondering what they could possibly be doing in the city.

As if in answer to his silent speculation, a coarse voice rose up among the hushed conversations happening below. “Alright, listen up! You! Shut the hell up, I’m trying to speak. All of you know why we’re here tonight, right?” A wave of nodding heads confirmed his question. “Good, that means I don’t have to explain it in detail. We’re an hour away from when we take over the castle. When we see the signal, we storm in and pacify the guards. If anyone finds the king, he’s to be captured alive. Whoever is paying us wants His Majesty to see who brought him to his knees, but that doesn’t mean we can’t break a few bones to get him there.” Some of the men grinned at this, and Gale felt his heart drop into his stomach.

Backing away from the edge, Gale retreated to the opposite side of the roof and went through his options. I can pretend I never saw this, and carry on my way. That would cause the least amount of trouble. I could warn people at the castle, but that’s five miles away. Might be a reward for me, though... Gale heard movement on the ground and guessed that the mercenaries were headed toward the castle to prepare for their attack. Sighing, he made his decision.

Going back to the boxes, he dropped down onto the ground. There was no way he would make it to the castle in time on foot. Mentally running through this area of the city in his head, he vaguely remembered an inn only three streets away from here. Sprinting down the street and through a set of alleyways, he found himself behind the inn. There were stables built in the back, and Gale headed over to where the horses were kept. He had never ridden a horse before, so he would have to learn through trial, and hopefully, no error. Gale didn’t know how to saddle a horse, but there a blanket that was probably used to rub down the horses hanging over one of the walls of the nearest stall. Opening the gate, Gale walked inside. The horse inside the stall was looking curiously at Gale, and Gale eyed the creature with the same amount of curiosity.

Walking around to the side of the horse, Gale threw the blanket onto its back and waited, watching to see if it reacted in any way that might be taken as irritation at being disturbed like that. Seeing nothing, Gale tried to lift his leg to get on top of the horse, but ended up losing his balance and falling to the floor, narrowly missing a pile of manure. Deciding that wasn’t going to work, he got up and brushed the strands of hay off of his clothing. Examining the animal critically, he formed an idea. Taking a few steps back and standing behind the horse, praying that it wouldn’t kick at him -- he had seen a horse knock a man unconscious in the markets as a young boy -- he ran and jumped, using his hands to vault over the horse’s rump, and landed soundly on its back. The horse shifted a little under his weight, but did not show any other signs that it cared there was a person on top of it.

Realizing he forgot the reigns, Gale thought about hopping off and getting them. Deciding it was too much of a hassle, he grabbed a fistful of the horse’s mane and tugged forward. To his satisfaction, it started to move forward out of the stables. He was a little wobbly at first, but he soon got the hang of riding on a horse and controlling its movements with his knees and a directional pull to the mane. Guiding the horse to the street in front of the inn, Gale kicked his heels into the horse’s flanks and held on as the beast lunged forward, charging through the night streets.

Gale found it was easier to keep his grip on the horse if he was leaning over its neck, but it was still incredibly difficult with all the bouncing it seemed to be doing. He didn’t understand how people could ride these things for long periods of time. The castle loomed in the distance in front of him as he made his way toward it, hoping against all hopes that he would be able to make it in time to warn somebody.

He made good time, reaching the castle a little over a half an hour from the time he discovered what the mercenaries had planned. He slowed the horse down as he came to the closed front gates of the castle, running to the small entrance a short distance away. Banging loudly against the wood of the door, Gale anxiously waited, gasping for breath. After a small amount of time, he heard a sound on the other side of the door, and a section of it slid away to reveal the eyes of a man who seemed like he had just gotten out of bed. “What do you want?” he demanded irritably, taking in the sight of the breathless young man in front of him.

“You have to let me in! I have to warn the king!” Gale practically yelled at the man.

“Warn the king?” the man seemed slightly more alert now. “About what?”

“I don’t know all the details, but I overheard a group of armed men saying they were attacking the castle tonight. They’re coming for the king and I need to warn him!”

“Boy, if anyone was going to attack the castle, they would have to get through the castle gates, which, if you look over in that direction, seem to be closed.”

“You have to believe me! These men are coming to attack tonight!” Gale pleaded. But the man was not having any of it.

“Listen kid, if you want to make up stories and go around scaring people, be my guest. Just don’t do it when us decent folk are trying to sleep.” With that, the man slammed the sliding section of the door shut, the sound ringing with a note of finality in the courtyard. Gale banged on the door again, but nobody would answer. He needed to find a way into the castle. Running along the perimeter of the wall, Gale looked for spots to climb, but it was no use. The wall was perfectly smooth, probably ground smooth for the sake of preventing people looking to get in by scaling the wall.

Resting up against a tree that was growing near the wall, he hung his head in defeat. In just twenty minutes, this whole place would be taken over by mercenaries. Gale’s head snapped up. The tree! Looking up, he saw that the tree stood easily over the height of the wall, and the branches extended over to the other side. Gale scampered up the tree and walked out onto a branch that looked strong enough to support his weight. Holding his arms to the side to keep his balance, he started to walk along the branch, reaching the wall just as the branch was getting a bit too thin for comfort.

He stepped down onto the wall, and looked around for a door that could lead down to the ground. He spotted one where two walls met to make a corner and headed to it. Trying the latch, he found it was unlocked and went down the stairs. There was another door at the bottom, also unlocked, and Gale stepped through into the inner yard beyond. There was a distinctive lack of guards out tonight, which Gale thought was strange. Guards protected the castle day and night, taking shifts to even out the work.

He saw an entrance to the castle, most likely a servant’s entrance, and ran for it. He tried the handle, not expecting it to be unlocked, but was pleasantly surprised that it was. This was all very strange. Either someone was becoming forgetful, or the mercenaries had someone on the inside of the walls, making it easier for them to come in. Gale thought sourly about the man who kept the side entrance.

The hallway within was dimly lit, candles in sconces providing just enough light to walk by. Being very quiet, Gale made his way down the hallway, not knowing where he was going. Soon, he was completely lost. He wandered the hallways for a few more minutes before he became convinced he was going in circles. He was running out of time.

Just when all hope seemed lost, Gale heard voices. He followed the sound, and found himself in front of two large doors, which were slightly ajar, allowing a bit of light from the room within to flood out. Gale peered through the crack between the doors and looked into the room beyond. Ah, that’s where the guards are. This was the throne room. Gale could see a massive chair at the end of the room -- intricately carved with symbols and swirling patterns -- upon which sat King Cedric, a tall man with a very stocky build. His arms rippled with muscles hardened by combat, and kept hard from regular training. He had shoulder-length blond hair, which he had tied in a ponytail at the nape of his neck. Upon his head sat a crown, and he looked very much like he would rather be sleeping than be awake right now. Standing down in front of the king stood a squad of guards with their weapons drawn. They were surrounding two men, one young and one elderly. The younger man was standing in silence as the older waved his arms around, accentuating his words to the king. Gale couldn’t quite hear him, but he didn’t care. He needed to warn the king.

Pushing the door open enough to walk through, Gale rapped on the wood with his knuckle. “I’m so sorry to interrupt, Your Majesty,” Gale said as all the heads in the room turned to find the source of the new voice. Three guards stepped away from the circle and advanced on him, swords drawn. Pulling the sticks out of their holders, putting them on the ground, and holding up his hands, Gale quickly spoke. “I mean no harm! I have come to warn His Majesty of an impending attack on the castle.” The king looked sharply at the boy, and Gale could feel the weight of the kingdom behind that stare.

“Stop. Let’s hear what he has to say,” King Cedric said, motioning for the guards to stand down. Breathing a sigh of relief, Gale launched into his story. He told the king about how he had overheard the mercenaries talking, about how the man at the gate didn’t let him in so he climbed the tree over the wall, leading all the way to when he walked into the room. “Remind me to have that tree trimmed later,” the king said to one of the guards. Turning to the two men who were still the focus of the other ten guards, the king addressed them. “It would seem that your story has some merit to it. Lucky for you this boy came before I had you locked away for trespassing. Tell me again, how did you come across this plan? Actually, don’t mind that. How did you get into my castle?”

“Well, Your Majesty, I-” the old man began, but Gale cut him off.

“Uh, Your Majesty? They’ll be here any moment now.” Gale said from where he was still being watched by the three guards.

“You’re right. You there,” the king said, pointing to the guard closest to him. “Go wake some more men, it seems we will need to defend ourselves fairly soon.” The guard bowed and ran off to alert more guards. The king stood up and made his way to the back of the throne. He came back around carrying a longbow that was as tall as he was, and a quiver that was bristling with arrows. King Cedric had lived his early adult life as a mercenary, and was the bastard son of the king before him. He was handed the throne because his father’s only legitimate son had died when he was a young child. It was fairly common for a nobleman to have bastard sons, so there were no objections when he ascended the throne, aside from a few grumbles about his mother. He had lived a hard life, and so he was a hard ruler. But if he was anything, he was fair.

Shouts were heard from beyond the door. The mercenaries were here. Nocking an arrow onto the string, the king made ready to defend himself from whoever was going to be coming through that door. The guards, seeing their king form a hand signal, got into formation, making a semicircle around the throne and the king. Gale hurriedly picked up his weapons and stood slightly to the side of the guards, next to the two other men. The younger of the two was staring at him, which made Gale a little uneasy. The shouting was growing louder, and Gale prepared himself for a battle that he was probably going to lose. They were outnumbered more than two to one, and the two men next to him weren’t even armed. Gale himself was only armed with his bludgeon-like sticks, but they were heavy and thick, so he could fight with them.

The doors burst open to reveal a crowd of hard-looking mercenaries. One of them stepped forward, mockingly bowing to the king. “Your Majesty,” the man sneered, glaring at the king with hatred filled eyes. “It’s so nice to see you again.”

“Amar,” the king replied coolly. “I thought I banished you a decade ago. You know the sentence for violation of banishment is death. Why have you returned?” Amar laughed upon hearing this, an evil sounding laugh.

“There’s been a bit of change in authority,” Amar said. “We’ve come to take my kingdom from you.”

“Your kingdom?” the king asked. Turning to the old man, he said, “I thought you said it was one of the Kaladrians who are staging this coup.”

“One of them is, yes,” the old man replied. “Although this one seems to think he can assume the throne for himself.” Amar looked between the king and the old man, a confused look on his face.

“You knew we were coming?” he asked, genuinely surprised. “No, it doesn’t matter. Kill them, but leave Cedric alive,” he said, motioning to the mercenaries behind him. The men rushed forward, brandishing rusty swords and cudgels. The guards ran to meet them, and an ear shattering clash reverberated through the throne room. The guards were well trained and fully armored, opposed to the mercenaries who were the type of men to be good at bar fights and were wearing leather. A well sharpened blade could cut through them like a knife through butter. The king stood on his throne, loosing arrows as fast as he could nock them, killing three men and injuring a multitude of others. Six of the mercenaries broke off from the back and headed to where Gale and the other two men stood.

Gale rushed in front of the two men, prepared to defend them with all the strength that he could muster. He had survived fights like this before, but he usually had Alec to fight by his side. He made to run forward to meet them when a whirring sound stopped him as three knives flashed through the air and embedded themselves with a solid thunk in three of the mercenaries coming towards them. The men crumpled to the floor, and Gale turned to see the younger of the two men grinning at him and holding two more knives in his hands.

Taking advantage of the pause as the confused men looked at their dead comrades, Gale rushed forward, sticks spinning as he ran at the mercenary who stood in front of the other two. He jumped into the air and twisted a full circle, bringing his sticks together and slamming them full force into the man’s head. The man stumbled to the side, eyes rolling into the back of his head as Gale followed through with his attack, spinning and catching another mercenary in the ribs with one of his weapons. The man clutched at his side, and made a feeble attempt at blocking as Gale rained a flurry of blows down on his head. Gale easily knocked the blade aside and landed a solid strike on the man’s temple, and he felt a sickening crunch as the skull shattered and the man fell to the floor, dead before he even hit the ground.

Gale was suddenly knocked off of his feet as the remaining mercenary slammed into him from behind. Rolling to his feet, he turned to see the man smiling at him, settling into a defensive stance. He carried no weapon, but he had a pair of iron vambraces on. He was slightly more muscular than the rest, and Gale guessed that he probably knew how to fight. Deciding to take the offensive, Gale swung with one of his sticks, and the man moved to block it. Seeing an opening, Gale swung with his other stick, his eyes opening in surprise as the man stepped closer and jammed his elbow into Gale’s chest. Exhaling from the force, Gale found himself on the floor again, breath knocked out of him. He lay gasping on the floor as the man came and put his boot against Gale’s neck and pressed down. The weight was suffocating. He struggled, trying to make the boot slip off to prevent his neck from being crushed, when all of a sudden the foot let off the pressure.

Gale looked up to see the man looking down at an arrow which had sprouted from his chest, and he toppled over next to Gale. He could see the king from where he was laying, and saw that the king was looking towards him. Nodding in thanks, Gale forced himself to his feet, picking up his weapons where they had been knocked from his hands in the fall. Looking around, Gale saw that almost half of the mercenaries had been either killed or knocked out. A few of the guards had been injured, and one was lying unconscious on the floor, helmet dented in where he had taken a cudgel to the side of the head. He moved back into his position in front of the other two men. There were two more dead mercenaries at their feet, and the younger one was retrieving his throwing knives.

Gale watched pensively as the remaining mercenaries fell left and right, the guard’s swords flashing in the torchlight, coming back up stained with blood. Two minutes passed and the fight was over. Three more guards had been knocked out by a particularly brutish mercenary, and it had taken another two to bring him down. The remaining guards and the king stood facing Amar, who had gone visibly pale. “Amar Ravensblood, you are hereby charged with high treason and attempted assassination of the King of Islenia. You have been found guilty, and are sentenced to death,” King Cedric’s voice boomed. Amar’s face went blank, and then a look of absolute hatred crossed it.

“I may have to die, but you’re coming with me!” Amar shouted, frothing at the lips. He drew his sword and rushed forward, causing the guards to stand back in their defensive semicircle around the king.

“Can’t trust the defeated to give up can you?” the old man said, stepping forward. He knelt down and put his hands on the ground. Gale wondered what he was doing when, quite surprisingly, a circle of light spread out around the old man on the floor. The light was a brown color, and Gale could see intricate writing and designs inside the circle. The ground suddenly erupted beneath Amar’s feet. The man was sent sprawling across the floor, hitting his head against the ground as he landed. Gale gaped at the old man, staring in disbelief at what had just happened. There was no way that could have ever happened. It just wasn’t possible!

“A mage, I assume?” the king inquired, looking at the unconscious form of Amar lying in a heap on the floor and then to the floor where the stone had cracked and was now jutting out of the ground.

“Yes, Your Majesty. I am a Brown of the Third Order, experienced in combat and politics,” the mage replied, bowing to the king,

“That explains how you got in here so easily,” the king muttered, making a sour face. “What is your name?”

“Tellian, Your Majesty,” the old man replied. “Of Ta’andriel.”

“My mother is from there, it’s a beautiful place.” the king said. “And your friend? Is he a mage as well?”

“No, Your Majesty. I am Garan, from the mountains of Hadrasil,” the blond haired man bowed fluidly, with a certain grace that belied his looks. “My most notable skills are my ability with throwing knives and the bow.” To emphasize his statement, he pulled out a knife and flicked it through the air, where it landed in the knee of a mercenary who was attempting to crawl out the door while they were distracted. The man cried out in pain, clutching his knee where the knife was embedded.

The king chuckled, looking impressed. Turning to Gale, he said, “And you, young man? Who are you?”

Gale, who was still a little surprised at the fact that the ground had just exploded, took a moment to respond. “Gale, sir.”

“You disrespect the king?” one of the guards spoke up hastily.

“Settle down, Ildurian. He warned us about the attack and helped in the defense of our kingdom. I think a little tolerance for that sort of thing is in order,” the king soothed. “Where are you from, Gale?”

“I was born here in Aramor. I’ve lived in the slums since I was six years old.”

“And they teach you how to fight like that there?” the king asked, slightly astonished.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

“No sir, I taught myself,” Gale said.

“I thank you, Gale of Islenia, for bringing this matter to me,” the king said. “Doubtless you could have ignored what you heard, and all of us in this room would quite possibly be dead. Tellian and Garan came to warn us, but I was a bit irritable at being woken up at this time of night for what I believed was the ravings of a lunatic, no offense to you, Tellian.”

“None taken,” Tellian shrugged. Garan laughed, and Gale couldn’t help but join in. There was a clattering of armor, and the occupants of the room turned to see as a platoon of guards romped into the room with weapons drawn. They stared in awe at the amount of bodies, unconscious and not, littering the floor.

“Now, if you gentlemen will excuse us,” the king spoke pleasantly. “We have a few interrogations to attend to.”

Outside the throne room, Tellian turned to Gale and said “Meet us at The Silver Trumpet tomorrow at sunset. We need to talk to you.” With that they turned down the corridor and disappeared around a corner, leaving Gale alone in the dimly lit hallway, still feeling rather shocked at the events of the past few hours. Shaking his head, he turned and went on his way back home.

* * *

Tamoor awoke to the sound of banging on the door that separated his room from his stall. Lighting the candle sitting next to him, the portly man rolled out of bed and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Who could this be, at this hour? Slightly irritated at being woken so late, he shuffled his way to the door, slamming the locks open to see who dared interrupt his slumber. No doubt some buffoon who had trouble performing in the marital department. Swinging the door open, Tamoor was surprised to find himself face to face with three figures, cloaked in black. He backed away as the shortest of the three pushed his way through the threshold, the other two taking either side, closing the door behind them. The shortest man threw back his hood, revealing an expression that showed disdain for the state of the room he was standing in. He had a pinched face, with what seemed to be a permanent scowl fixed upon it. Long, oily black hair hung limply from his head as he scanned the fat merchant, seemingly waiting for something.

“I don’t know where you come from, but here in Islenia it is customary to be invited to one’s house before entering.” Tamoor stated indignantly. Drawing himself to his full height, which was just a bit taller than the man, he gestured to the door. “I must ask that you leave at once.”

“You have a delivery for me,” the man crooned. “The amount that was paid should cover the invitation cost.” Tamoor’s eyes lit up, remembering the heavy sack of coins laying beneath the floorboards.

“Of course!” Tamoor responded, backing away in deference to the man. “My apologies, if I had known you were coming tonight I would have straightened up.” Tamoor started grabbing piles of clothes from the floor and tossing them onto his bed.

“Never mind that,” the man said, impatiently tapping his foot. “You have the item. Deliver it to me.” The tone of the man’s voice implied haste, so Tamoor quickly swept the rug up and pried the wooden hatch open. The man stepped forward, peering into the hole in the ground. Seeing the look on the man’s face, Tamoor did the same. Tamoor saw that there was nothing in the hole. Not his bag of coins, not the little box.

“It was- I mean it- I had- It was there!” Tamoor stammered out, backing away as the look of fury was directed towards him.

“Then where is it?” the man asked, stepping toward the scared merchant. Tamoor backed away further, falling onto the pile of clothes on his bed.

“I don’t know!” Tamoor sobbed, shielding his face as the man reached forward, knocking Tamoor’s hands away and grabbing him by the skull. A flash of black light escaped from beneath the man’s hands, enveloping Tamoor’s head in a thick, oily substance. Tamoor struggled against the man’s grip, weakening with every passing second. The substance tightened its grip around Tamoor’s head, and with little resistance, crushed the fat merchant’s skull. The man stepped back, flicking the substance from his hands disdainfully. He turned to leave, large men in tow. The man was not happy.

* * *

“You did WHAT?!” Vi was livid. Her face was much redder than it normally was, and Gale wondered if you could injure yourself by having too much blood in your head. She was pacing back and forth, angrily muttering curses. She had been waiting on the porch when he got home after being out all night, and by the looks of things, she wasn’t going to be calming down any time soon.

“I went to the castle and met the King,” Gale shrugged. He didn’t want her to know he had been involved in a fight with mercenaries, which would just anger her further. He figured it would be best if she just thought he had been up to his usual mischief.

“You could have been arrested!” she shouted at him. “You could have even been killed, sneaking into the castle like that in the dead of night!”

“Vi, calm down. He’s back now, isn’t he?” Alec said from where he was leaning against the wall, attempting to stay as far away as he could from the little ball of fury who was looking all the world like a lioness stalking her prey. Vi was scary when she was angry, and no sane man would want to be the target of her wrath.

Vi took a moment to collect herself, and the redness faded from her face, replaced by her usual white skin tone. “Alright, I’m calm,” she breathed, turning to Gale. “Promise you won’t be doing that again. You scared me half to death.”

“I promise,” Gale said, touched that she had been scared for him. “He was actually quite nice about the whole thing. And the rumors about him having skin harder than stone are untrue, though his muscles are as legendary as the rumors say.” They were standing on the front porch of the house, the low morning sun casting an orange glow to the world. Vi and Alec had been waiting for him when he got back, having learned he was gone when one of the children ran to get Vi because he was having a nightmare. She had gotten up to get Gale to fetch some water for him, and had been surprised to see he was missing. It wasn’t uncommon for him to leave during the night, but he usually came back within an hour or so. They had started to worry when he hadn’t come back.

“Let’s go inside and start breakfast. The kids will be waking up soon,” Vi said, spinning on her heel and walking into the house. Gale and Alec followed her inside, and went upstairs while Vi started on the porridge that they often ate in the mornings.

“Alright, Gale. Tell me what really happened,” Alec said as he closed the door to Gale’s room behind him. “There’s no way you just decided to walk right into the castle and pay the king a visit.” Gale started at his friend’s words, surprised that he had caught his lie.

“You always were the smart one, Alec,” Gale sighed as he sat down on his pallet. “I was out walking because I couldn’t sleep. I overheard some men talking about an assassination attempt that was going to happen this morning and I went to warn the king. They attacked us while I was in there, but most of us managed to get out unharmed. The guards knew what they were doing, and the mercenaries weren’t well armed.”

“Mercenaries?” Alec asked, eyebrows rising when he heard the word.

“Yeah. Someone from one of the noble families wanted the throne and hired them to grab it for him.” Gale didn’t mention the strange occurrence with the old man, because he still didn’t understand it himself, and his friend most likely wouldn’t believe him.

“You’re not hurt? I see you’ve got a bit of bruising underneath your chin.”

“Ah, that wasn’t too fun,” Gale grimaced, remembering the weight of the man attempting to crush his neck with his foot. “One of the mercenaries knocked me down and was trying to suffocate me with his boot. The King didn’t take too kindly to that and the man ended up with an arrow in his chest.” Gale had been terrified when it had happened; he thought he was going to die.

“Oh? You were bested by a mercenary?” Alec asked, teasing Gale with a smirk.

“Shut up, he wasn’t your run-of-the-mill mercenary. He had some weird fighting style. Didn’t have a weapon, but he used his arms and legs like one.” Gale replied, exasperated. He looked out the window to see some of the older boys already sparring in the yard, passing the time before the food was ready. Erik was out there with them, and was fighting Tom again. They were practicing wrestling, and Gale watched as Tom attempted to grapple the younger boy, impressed when Erik sidestepped and used the older boy’s momentum to send him tumbling to the ground. Tom laughed, getting to his feet, and they were at it again. These boys loved to fight, and Gale knew that they were training so hard because they wished to protect their sisters from the dangers of the slums.

“Well I’m glad you’re alright. I’ll keep what happened between you and me. You were wise to keep it from Vi,” Alec shuddered, thinking of what would happen to Gale if she found out.

“I appreciate it. Now I’m going to get some sleep. I’ve been out all night,” Gale grinned wryly as he took off his boots, lying on his pallet and closing his eyes. “Wake me a few hours before sunset. I’ve got to go run some errands.”

“Got it,” Alec said as he closed the door behind him.

* * *

Gale had a little bit of trouble finding The Silver Trumpet. It wasn’t a very well-known inn, and it was tucked in the corner of the middle district near one of the city’s walls. He had stopped to grab the supplies that he and the others needed for winter, and asked around about the inn’s location. It took him fifteen minutes to find someone who knew the general direction, and when he got to the area, it didn’t take him long to find the building with a sign painted with a jester playing a silver trumpet.

A lot of the inns around the city didn’t use words to identify themselves, choosing instead to use an image that looks like the name sounds. Many of the inhabitants that visited the low end inns couldn’t read or write. Gale and Alec had learned from Vi, who had been taught before her parents fell ill from a particularly deadly illness that manifested itself with sores and fevers.

Gale walked through the front door, and the smell of pipe smoke and a roast on the fire greeted him. He scanned the crowd that had gathered here for their nightly drinking ritual, and not finding the strange old man or his companion, chose a relatively out of the way table and sat down. He had a few coins left from his purchases before, and decided that the roast smelled appetizing. He wasn’t too sure how to ask for food, but soon enough a serving girl walked over to see if he needed anything. She was a little shorter than Vi, with brunette locks of hair flowing down her shoulders to her sizeable bust. Gale couldn’t help but stare a little, but tore his gaze away, embarrassed.

The serving girl laughed, a tinkling sound that Gale found pleasing. “Are you here to eat, or were you just looking?” She asked, grinning slyly as Gale’s face reddened further.

“Eating,” Gale muttered, carefully keeping his eyes on the table in front of him. She laughed again, and left to grab some food and ale for him. Gale watched her as she walked away, noting with interest the hypnotizing way her hips swung back and forth.

“Ah, the wonders of youth,” a voice said behind Gale, startling him. He turned around to see Tellian standing behind him, grinning down at him with a gleam in his eye. “I remember when I was your age! Sort of. Well, I remember that I was once your age, at least. My memories have been a bit fuzzy of late, and, well, you know.”

Quite honestly, Gale had no clue what the old man was talking about, but was glad he had shown up. He still had a lot of unanswered questions, and he was afraid the man wasn’t going to be there. “Where’s your friend?” he asked. “What was his name? Garan?”

“He’s outside tending to the horses. He’ll be with us in a moment,” Tellian said, sitting down. “Girl! Two more over here!” he shouted, catching the serving girl’s attention. She gave him a disapproving look, but nodded, turning back to go get their food. “Now, we have a few matters to discuss, young man.” His manner had changed completely from when he had first come in. He wasn’t grinning anymore, and his eyes had a dark cast to them that, quite frankly, scared Gale.

“Why did you want to meet me here?” Gale inquired, itching to ask the man what exactly it was that he had done last night.

“I’ll explain once Garan comes in. It’ll be a little unbelievable, but with his help I feel as if you will be able to understand,” Tellian said, thanking the serving girl as she brought the food and set the ale mugs down on the table. She winked at Gale, and he responded by furiously blushing and turning his face away, hoping she didn’t notice that his face had gone as red as a ripe tomato.

Quickly, his mind drifted from the waitress to the food in front of him. It smelled delicious, and the aroma was enough to make Gale’s mouth water in anticipation. There were two thick slabs of meat smothered in gravy, with some potatoes and a few vegetables next to a slice of bread. He hurriedly dug in, remembering that he hadn’t eaten since the cheese and bread of the night before. He looked up at Tellian to see the old man doing the same, wiping his mouth with the tip of his beard before stuffing more food in his mouth.

“I heard that this place had some good food,” Tellian said between mouthfuls of food. “But I didn’t expect it to be this good. If Garan doesn’t hurry, I’m going to eat his food as well.”

“Oh no you aren’t, old man. That’s mine, and I intend to eat every last bit.” Gale turned upon hearing the new voice and saw the young man from the night before. He was wearing clothing that reminded Gale vaguely of the forests he had seen depicted in an artist’s painting in the market at some point in the past. “Hey kid, how’s it going?” Garan said as he sat next to Tellian, digging into his food.

Wiping his mouth with his beard again, Tellian sat back in his chair and regarded Gale with blue eyes that seemed to look into his very being. “Well, now that Garan is here, I think it’s about time I tell you why we had you meet us here.” Stroking his beard, he looked up, searching for the right words. “Let’s see . . . I’ll start first by explaining who we are, and how that involves you. As you know, my name is Tellian and this strapping lad is Garan. I am a Mage of the Third Order, as you heard last night, and I’ve been set on a task that I have been striving to complete for many, many years.” Gale got the impression that what he was about to hear was important, so he stopped eating and sat at attention. “I’ve been sent to search for something. Something very important, not only to me, but quite possibly to the world. I was close to finding it, but it seems to have disappeared on me.”

“That’s good and all, but what exactly does this have to do with me?” Gale asked, not understanding why he was being told this. He was still confused as to what exactly a mage was. He had the feeling that it was someone who could do whatever it was that Tellian had done the night before.

“I’m getting to that. Listen carefully. Garan has a very special Talent. He has the ability to see and read auras around people. Usually he is able to interpret what the auras mean, but he is not able to change what he has read.”

“What are auras?” Gale asked, extremely curious now.

“It goes like this, kid.” Garan said, leaning forward with his elbows on the table. “I don’t see them all the time and it only happens with some people, not all. It would get really annoying if everyone had one. I can see a color emanating from the person, and sometimes I see shapes and other images inside of the aura. I understand what the aura means, but I can’t do anything if I want to change it. For example, if I see someone is going to break their leg, I can’t prevent that from happening. One way or another, they are going to break their leg. Understand now?”

“I guess so. But I still don’t see what that has to do with me.”

“Garan saw an aura around you,” Tellian said, watching as Gale’s facial expression turned from confused to wary. “He can’t read your aura, and generally with someone of his Talent, that means that you’re a rather unique individual.”

“Unique individual? What do you mean? What does that mean about me?” Gale asked, slightly worried about what he just heard. “What does my aura look like?” he asked Garan, turning to the green-eyed man.

“Sorry kid, I’ve found that it’s best not to tell someone about their aura because they uselessly spend time trying to prevent it, or in your case, decipher it.” Garan frowned, seeming to focus on something behind Gale’s shoulder. Gale turned, but couldn’t see what it was that he was looking at. “Anyway, it’s best you let Tellian talk a bit more. He has something to ask you.”

“As I was saying,” Tellian continued. “You are unique, and I like to keep a close eye on unique people. I saw the way you fought last night, and I am very impressed. I want you to come with us. We’ve lost the trail on the thing we’re looking for, so I need to report back to my colleagues in Ta’andriel. I also want you to meet a dear friend of mine, who would be very interested in what Garan has seen.”

“No, absolutely not.” Gale stated, crossing his arms in front of his chest and shaking his head. “There is no way I’m leaving Alec and Vi and the others. I have to help provide for them,” he said, indicating to the sack of medicine, cloth, and various other things they would need for the winter at his feet. “Alec and I are the only ones they have to protect them, what would they do without me there?”

“You didn’t let me finish, boy,” Tellian said. “I have spoken with the King about this matter already. To show his gratitude for helping during the attack on his life, he has offered to take them all and house them in the castle. They will have all the food and shelter they need, in return for helping around with the work in the castle. The boys can become squires when they are old enough, and the girls will have opportunities to become ladies-in-waiting, acting as a personal assistant, and oftentimes close friend, of a noblewoman, princess, or even the Queen. They will be given an education, and if they wish, may go find other work within the city. The only catch is that you will have to come with us for that to happen.”

Ignoring the matter of how Tellian knew about his family, Gale thought about the offer. This was a great opportunity for everyone. They would be safe inside the castle walls, and provided for. They would have the life they never had the chance to live, and they would be able to make something out of themselves. He would be able to travel outside of the city and see the rest of the world, which was something he had dreamt about his entire life. “I can’t accept your offer right now,” Gale replied slowly. “I have to talk to Alec and Vi about this and see what they want.”

“That’s fine by me!” Tellian said, standing up from his chair. “Let’s go see them now.”

“Wait a minute, you can’t come!” Gale said, objecting to the old man including himself in the future discussion.

“Of course I can,” the bearded old man replied. “You’ve done nothing but talk about Vi and Alec since I met you, and I’m interesting in meeting them as well. Come, lead the way. We leave tomorrow, so time is of the essence.”

“I’ve only mentioned them twice,” Gale sighed. Defeated, he rose and collected his bag off the floor, dropping a few copper coins on the table to pay for his meal. He headed out the door with the two strange men in tow.

* * *

Garan and Tellian were sitting on the floor of the run-down house that Gale had brought them to, and were currently surrounded by a multitude of wide-eyed, curious children. After introducing them to Alec and Vi, the three had gone off to discuss the King’s offer, leaving Garan and Tellian to the watchful eyes of the tall boy standing in the corner. That had been fifteen minutes ago, and the two men had sat in silence as the children whispered amongst each other, curious as to who these strangers were.

“Tellian, there’s something I need to tell you,” Garan said, turning and whispering in the older man’s ear. “It’s about that big one, Alec.”

“See another aura, did you?” Tellian asked. “What did it mean?”

“That’s just the thing,” Garan said. “It was another that I couldn’t read. But, unlike Gale’s black aura, his is white. And it’s strong. It was so bright that I could hardly see his face. And I saw images floating around, but the only one that I could make out was an amulet of some sort.” Tellian looked sharply at him, and Garan could tell that he was thinking about something.

“And the girl? Anything from her?” he asked, seeming to come to some sort of conclusion. Garan knew that he probably wouldn’t understand even if Tellian explained, so he didn’t ask.

“Nothing. Just those two boys.”

“Interesting . . .” Tellian muttered, looking down at the floor, seemingly lost in thought. Looking up, Garan saw that the mage had decided something. “It seems that we have to make a change of plan. Alec is coming with us.”

“Alright. Do you think they’re connected in some way? I mean, I’ve never seen those colors before, and the only thing that comes close is your grey one.” Garan whispered, troubled.

“Yes, I do. But let’s not go into that right now. All I have is a theory, and I want to consult with Belduin before I say anything,” Tellian said. Belduin was an old friend of Tellian’s, and was the head of the Magus Order in Ta’andriel. He was renowned for his wisdom and knowledge, and was the one who sent Tellian on this hunt.

“Seems like a good move. I assume that’s where we’re headed next?” Garan asked, remembering the time that he met Belduin. He had just joined Tellian, and Belduin had given him information about his Talent that had reassured him that he was, in fact, not a monster like he believed. There were others like him, people with different abilities that set them apart from the other inhabitants of this world.

“Yes. He will want so speak with you as well. But for right now we must focus on convincing Alec to come with us.” Tellian turned as Gale entered the room again, Alec and Vi close behind.

“We accept your offer,” Gale said. “But on one condition.”

“And what is that, my boy?” Tellian asked, curious as to what else Gale wanted.

“Alec and Vi are coming, too,” Gale said, expecting Tellian to object.

“Deal. We leave at dawn. Get your things ready. Garan and I are going to inform the King of your decision.” Standing to leave, Tellian headed out the front door.

“The girl, too?” Garan asked, falling into step behind Tellian as they walked to where their horses were tethered.

“It is easier to bring her along than it would have been to convince them to come without her. And who knows? Maybe she’ll be surprise us.” Tellian replied, untying his horse and mounting up. Garan did the same, and they headed on their way to the castle.

* * *

“What did you mean when you said they were coming too?” Tom asked, frowning slightly from where he was standing in the corner. “Where are you going?”

“Well, long story short, we have to go with those men,” Gale replied, looking at the faces of the children gathered in front of him. A few of the younger children started to tear up, and it pained Gale to have to leave them. But it was for the best. He was only thinking about their best interests.

“But why?” Ildred sniffled, wiping a tear from her cheek. “I don’t want you to go!”

Gale knelt down and hugged her, squeezing her tight before drawing away and wiping her nose with the sleeve of his shirt. “We have to go because they need our help. And it won’t be forever, I promise. We’ll visit you guys and see how you’re doing,” he smiled, trying to fight back his own tears. This was his family that he was leaving. Vi was crying and saying her goodbyes to the children, and Alec was doing his best to keep a strong smile.

“But what are we going to do?” Tom demanded, angry at what he was hearing. “Winter is coming and you’re just going to leave us like that?”

“Well, that has already been taken care of,” Gale replied. “You guys are going to live in the castle, with the King.”

“The castle? What are you talking about, Gale? Have you gone insane?” Tom asked, a look of panic in his eyes. It was understandable. He was scared. In all of his life, the only ones to protect him were the three that now just announced that they were leaving them.

“Let me explain,” Gale said, soothing the younger boy. Turning, he addressed the whole room. “You all know how I was out all night last night and I didn’t get back until this morning, right?” A sea of heads nodded, they had all heard Vi yelling at him when he came back after disappearing. “There was an attempt on the King’s life last night. I overheard the attackers and went to the castle to warn King Cedric. While I was there, we were attacked. That’s where I met the two men that were in here just now.

“From this moment on, you are in control of your life. If you want to be a blacksmith, you can become a blacksmith. If you want to work in a shop making dresses, you can do that, too! You don’t have to worry about being cold in the winter or whether or not you’ll have to go hungry. You’re being given a great opportunity, and I expect you all to make the most of it. Alec, Vi, and I are all counting on you. Don’t let us down,” Gale said. “Right now, what I need you all to do is pack your things. We’ve all got a big day tomorrow, and we’re heading to the castle bright and early.”

With that, everyone left to go to their rooms and prepare what little they had for the move to the castle, Vi going to help the girls and Alec leaving to help the boys. The only ones who remained were Tom and Erik.

“Gale,” Erik said. “I want to come, too.” He was standing with his arms crossed, a determined look on his face. Gale saw so much of himself in Erik that it was like looking into a mirror.

“I can’t let you do that, Erik. They need you,” Gale replied, walking over and putting his hand on the thirteen year-old’s shoulder.

“They don’t need me!” Erik said, a pleading look in his eyes. “I want to come help you. I want to learn how to climb and fight like you do. Please, let me come.” Gale wanted to let him come. He wanted everyone to come with him, but he had the feeling that he wasn’t going to be back for a long time, and for some strange reason, he felt that this was going to be dangerous.

“Erik, please try to understand. I’m trying to give you a future. If it weren’t for how much you all will benefit from this, I wouldn’t have even considered leaving,” Gale said. He knew that Erik thought he was being abandoned. Gale was the one Erik aspired to become, and right now that person was leaving him. Erik was in pain, and he looked like he was going to break down and cry. Gale had never seen him this way, and it disturbed him. “Wait right here. I’ll be back in a moment.”

Gale turned and left the room, running up the stairs and entering the door to his room. He fumbled around in the dark until he found what he was looking for. Returning downstairs, he walked over to Erik, who had sat down and was now staring at the wall. “I want you to take this, Erik,” Gale said, holding out his two sticks in his hands. “And I’m going to make you a promise. If you swear that you will train hard, and work diligently in your studies, I will come back for you. Then you can join me and we’ll set off to see the world together. Does that sound fair to you?”

Erik turned, and seeing the sticks in Gale’s hands, his eyes widened. “I can’t take these, you’re going to need them!” he said.

“Don’t worry about me,” Gale said. “I’ll make new ones. What do you say?”

“Deal. Promise you’ll come back?” Erik asked, taking the sticks and holding them as if they were a priceless artifact.

“I promise. I don’t know how long it will be, but my word is my word,” Gale said. “I’ll be back. Now go pack your things.” He watched as Erik scampered off, a new energy revitalizing the boy and giving him speed. He was excited now, and Gale knew that he was going to be alright. “Tom, go pack your things and come see me in my room. I need to give you something as well.”

“Sure thing, I’ll be there in five,” Tom replied, leaving to get his clothes. Gale went into the kitchen and grabbed the sack he had found underneath the merchant’s store and headed upstairs into his room. He knelt down next to his pallet where the money was still in orderly piles where Vi had left them the day before. Setting a few gold coins and a handful of silver coins aside, he stuffed the money into the sack and waited for Tom to come.

There was a knock at the door, and Tom entered. “What was it that you wanted to give me?” he asked, coming to sit in front of where Gale was sitting, his back against the wall.

“The others are going to be looking to you for help, Tom,” Gale said. “You’re the oldest now, and they’re going to need guidance now that they’re moving away from here. Keep them in line, and make sure they work hard. Can I trust you?”

“You know you can. I won’t let you down.” Tom replied. He sat straighter, a stern look on his face.

“Good. In that sack by the door is the money that we took from the merchant the other day. I want you to save it, divide it into portions so that everyone has an equal amount. Keep it for them, until they’re ready. If they decide they want to leave and start a life somewhere else, give it to them as a gift from Alec, Vi, and I. Tell them it’s our blessing and that we hope they’ll live a happy life. Same for you.”

“Why do I get the feeling you don’t think you’re coming back?” Tom asked, looking at Gale worriedly. “You promised Erik you would be.”

“I did, and I intend to keep that promise,” Gale sighed. “I just don’t know when that’ll be, and I think that what we’re about to do may become dangerous. I don’t know why, but I have this feeling in the pit of my stomach. If anything happens to me, I won’t be able to make it back. I want to make sure everyone is taken care of.”

“I understand. Thank you, Gale. You’ve made a big sacrifice. Alec and Vi, as well. We won’t disappoint you,” Tom said, standing up and heading for the door, picking the sack up on his way out. “It’s been good knowing you, and I want you to know that you’ll always be my brother.”

“Thank you, Tom. Do you know what you’re going to do once you get to the castle?”

“I think I’m going to work hard on my education and try for an officer position in the army. Fighting is what I do best, so I might as well make use of myself,” Tom said, opening the door.

“You’re a great leader, Tom. That’s why you’ve always been the one I trust while we’re away. It’s why I’m putting my trust in you, now. You’ve made me proud, and I know that if they were still alive, your parents would be, too.” Hearing that, Tom left with tears in his eyes and closed the door with a soft thud. He was a good kid. He would do right by the others. Putting the money he had put aside under his cloak along with the box to grab in the morning, Gale went to lie down on his pallet and promptly fell asleep.

* * *

Everyone had gotten up early, most too excited to sleep soundly, and walked to the castle while it was still dark. They made it to the castle gates as the sun was coming up above the city walls, giving the group of teenagers and children a feeling of excitement and wonder. They were going to be starting new lives, and they were happy. When they arrived they had found Tellian and Garan waiting for them with five horses saddled and loaded with provisions. Now they were just waiting for someone from the castle to come let them in.

The sound of the castle gates opening made all the heads in the plaza turn in anticipation. The younger children watched in awe as a squadron of guards marched out in full armor to greet them, and Gale was surprised when he saw a familiar face amongst them.

“Your Majesty!” Gale greeted the muscular man. “I wasn’t expecting to see you here today.”

“I wanted to personally welcome the new additions to the castle,” King Cedric replied, walking over and shaking Gale’s hand. “When I heard you had accepted my offer, I was glad. I’ve been given reports on the conditions of the slums, and I am impressed that you managed to take care of all of these children down there. It took courage to do that, and you have earned even greater respect from me than before.”

“Actually, Your Majesty,” Gale said. “It wasn’t just me. I had help from Vi and Alec, and everyone pitches in. We’re family, and family looks after one another.” (foreshadowing X poisoning Gale against Alec and Vi)

“That’s a good principle to live by, son. Hold on to those ideals, there are some who may attempt to persuade you otherwise,” the King replied. Turning to face the children who were shocked into silence at seeing him, he spoke. “Welcome, friends! By now I’m sure that Master Gale has told you about my offer. I welcome you with open arms, and I look forward to having you in my home. After you have said your goodbyes, Captain Ildurian will take you to see Mistress Deanna, who is the one who runs my castle. She will show you all to your rooms and let you know everything you will need to know. Should you have any questions, ask her and she will help you.”

“I can’t thank you enough for this, Your Majesty,” Gale said. “You have given them a real life, which is something I could never have done.”

“Nonsense!” the King laughed. “Any life spent with loved ones is a life well spent. Good luck on your travels, and I hope to see you again soon.” King Cedric turned and headed back in through gates, taking his squadron with him, except for Captain Ildurian.

After they had said their goodbyes and shed more than a few tears, Gale, Alec, and Vi watched as the last of the children disappeared behind the gates. Nodding to Tellian, the three mounted their horses and waited for the old man to speak.

“Well, now that we have everyone, it’s about time to get going. If you don’t know how to ride, you’ll learn on the way. We’re heading to Ta’andriel, and we’ve got a ship to catch. Let’s go.” They urged their horses forward and rode out of the city.

Gale was nervous; this was the first time he had ever been out of the city walls in his nineteen years of life. He fell in beside Vi and Alec, and they all shared an uneasy, yet excited glance. This is going to be fun, Gale thought to himself.