In the five months since Prince Odabek’s barbarian invasion, the provinces of Vinum, Greystone and Oscua had become much safer to travel. No longer were the woods and hills infested with desperate men fallen to banditry and depravity. All of the main roads were patrolled regularly and the borders of each province were guarded by small garrisons of soldiers. The stability of five months without war meant that trade flourished and merchants and other travellers frequented the roads without fear. One could almost be forgiven for believing that there had been no chaos at all.
Kaewyn and Yohren set out just before midday on the path home. They were accompanied by a dozen armed riders. Even though the lands were safer these days and bandits and deserters had become a thing of the past, he had learnt his lesson from going off alone. The last thing he wanted was to be taken prisoner by a man like Garren again. General Alaric had even wanted to send an escort of more men with them on their return journey, but Kaewyn had politely declined. He insisted that the General should enjoy his time off with his wife and put all worries from his mind until his return to duty in the coming weeks.
The road from Alaric Hall to Xu Castle usually took one full day if one travelled at a leisurely pace, but Kaewyn was eager to be home. They rode quickly and only paused for breaks when necessary. About three hours into their journey, around mid-afternoon, they came across one of the many new messenger outposts that Kaewyn had implemented all throughout Greystone Province since they had returned from campaigning. In the past, many messages or important updates had gotten lost and never arrived when the army was on campaign. This issue caused them to suffer from a lack of vital information at crucial times, and therefore, Kaewyn decided to create these outposts to prevent that from happening again. Each outpost was usually made up of a simple structure that housed one or two men, and a small stable for half a dozen fresh horses. These outposts were stocked with regular supplies and were placed along every road in the province. The way it functioned was that if a messenger arrived, they would be able to swap their tired horse for a fresh one and therefore they would be able to continue at a fast pace. If the messenger was not in a terrible hurry, they could also stop and rest themselves, as well as eat and drink before continuing on their journey. In the absolute worst scenario, the messenger could pass his message on to the others to deliver for him if he were injured or otherwise unable to continue.
The system had been working for about a month and thus far it had functioned exactly as intended which pleased Kaewyn greatly. Messages arrived quicker than ever and as far as he knew, none had gone missing since the outposts were established. But he knew that the true test of the new system’s reliability would come when they were once again at war. A test he hoped would not come for a while yet.
The two men stationed at this particular roadside outpost clamoured and stumbled over each other when they realised who was passing by. They positioned themselves by the side of the road and bowed low, only rising when Kaewyn told them to be at ease. These men were hardy folk, both tall and strong. It had been decided that there would be a clear preference for those with survival skills, namely the ability to ride and hunt, as well as a good knowledge of the surrounding land when selecting soldiers to man these outposts. That way, they would be able to be self-sufficient and capable as well as reliable. Because of this, many of these men came from the villages on the outskirts of Greystone Province. Kaewyn even suspected that many may have been poachers at some stage, but he didn’t care to look too closely into their pasts. Some advisors had suggested using the Ralerai to man the outposts, but it was quickly pointed out that while they have the necessary skills, their lack of understanding of the common language of the Revaryn Empire meant that misunderstandings were likely to happen. He’d even heard from Sir Darius that many reports had come in regarding altercations between the Ralerai and the local populace of Greystone Province. There were many differences between them, he knew, but Kaewyn hoped that in time they would see each other as friends and allies as he and Renlai saw each other.
After Kaewyn’s company passed the outpost, they rode in the afternoon sun for another hour. They left behind the mountains and hills that made up the bulk of the northern reaches of Greystone Province and found themselves approaching the dense, oak forests for which the region was famous. Kaewyn noticed that the quickened pace he had set since leaving Alaric Hall in an attempt to get home before nightfall had taken its toll on Yohren and the others. They seemed to slouch in their saddles and their horses panted heavily. Kaewyn felt fine himself, despite having consumed perhaps a little too much wine the night before, and Kelphi was still lively and wanting to run at a speed that the other horses could barely match.
Reluctantly, Kaewyn decided to slow their pace to accommodate the others. He wasn’t happy about it, and apparently nor was Kelphi who swung his head defiantly when he pulled on the reigns. He saw clearly in the way the others acted that they were silently thankful for his decision. None of them would have spoken up or challenged his command except perhaps Yohren, but the collective sighs of relief told him they appreciated the slower pace. Kaewyn didn’t know what drove him to want to urgently return to Xu Castle. All he knew was that he felt incredibly anxious and unsettled after they had departed Alaric Hall, as if some terrible thing had happened in his brief absence. The land had been at peace for so long that something was bound to happen sooner or later, he thought, hoping that whatever it was hadn’t happened when he wasn’t there to respond.
Kaewyn sighed and shook his head. He told himself that the messenger outposts had been created for this very reason. If something truly terrible had happened, he would have been notified by now. Still, he could not deny that he felt an increasing sense of dread and unease that would not abate.
Now that they rode at a more leisurely pace, some of the riders began to strike up a conversation. They discussed General Alaric’s wedding before the topic changed to when each of them had joined the military. Several explained that they had joined up when Kaewyn’s father, Lord Corrhen, had raised the army and joined the Coalition of Lords to oust the Great Traitor, others said that they were once Arlan’s volunteers. A few mentioned that the barbarian invasion had been their first taste of military life, while one rider nervously explained that he had never seen battle and had only been recruited a couple of months ago, but due to his skill at riding, he was quickly promoted. The others laughed and told him that he would see a battle soon enough, prompting Kaewyn to chime in and add his agreement.
The soldiers seemed shocked that their lord had joined in with their conversations and grew silent, but Kaewyn encouraged them to continue by sharing his first taste of military life. He explained how his father and brother dragged him from bed one morning and spent the next hour equipping him in armour and arming him for combat training. He then told them, amongst their chuckles, that he lasted all of five seconds on his feet before his brother knocked him down over and over again. With the mood of the men lightened, they chatted amongst themselves as they continued on down the road. One of the riders began to sing after being encouraged by his friends. It wasn’t anything Kaewyn had ever heard before. The song had a pleasant lilt to it and brought a smile to his face. The lyrics were confusing and barely made any sense, and when he heard the final few lines of the song, he shook his head in disbelief. But before long the singer had everyone laughing and joining in when he started the entire thing over again from the beginning.
The farmer’s dog, was not a dog.
The mutt drank all, the farmer’s grog.
The Farmer’s wife, was not very nice.
The dog then ate, all of their spice.
The farmer’s dog, was not a dog.
The mutt loved to, play with the hogs.
He jumped and ran, then smashed their pots.
All of their food, began to rot.
The farmer’s wife, had had enough.
She had then grabbed, him by the scruff.
The farmer shouted, ‘what’s to eat?’
And was served up, his dog to eat!
Filled up on grog and spice!
Filled up on grog and spice!
The farmer’s dog, tasted really nice
The farmer’s dog, was not a dog.
HE – WAS - DINNER!
The others continued to sing their silly song as the small party continued to travel South East. Kaewyn, however, turned his attention to the land around them. He saw that the grass had been allowed to grow tall and wild, but soon the wild countryside slowly began to give way to signs of civilisation. The land showed signs of hosting cattle and other domesticated beasts, and he spotted several old, rickety fences that he guessed were once used for similar purposes. He saw no people yet, but he suspected they would come across the local village before long.
After another hour of riding, the soldiers had thankfully become bored of their song and instead kept themselves entertained by telling stories. Kaewyn didn’t listen much and only pretended that he did by feigning a smile or chuckle when he noticed the others doing the same. Instead, his attention was firmly on what lay ahead. Kaewyn had spotted several huts nestled amongst the woods which grew increasingly denser the further they travelled. He knew Oakerton and Xu Castle were still more than a few hours ride away, and at their new, relaxed pace he doubted they would make it home before nightfall at this rate.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
“We may have to stay at the village tonight,” he said aloud, interrupting the latest story one of the soldiers was in the middle of retelling. “Lest we find ourselves lost between here and Oakerton in complete darkness.”
Of course, he knew that there was little chance of actually becoming lost. Kaewyn knew the land this close to home too well for that to happen, but travelling at night made even the bravest of men at least somewhat uneasy. Torches could be lit to light their way, but the bright light could only illuminate so much of the dark around them. It also blinded the eye and served as a beacon to anyone or anything that may be lurking in the darkness. Although there had been no reports of banditry for many months, he wasn’t quite ready to risk travel in the dead of night, and despite his anxiousness to return home quickly, in truth he knew that there was no real reason for them to rush home. If they had to stay at the village, then he was prepared to do so.
In the distance and further down the road, Kaewyn spotted a fork in the road. The path to the right led home and the path left led to a cluster of buildings both large and small. Multiple plumes of grey smoke rose up from the village like columns rising into the afternoon sky. He and the others spurred their horses into a gallop and rode toward the village. As they came closer, Kaewyn slowed Kelphi and directed the animal toward a path that led off the road and to the village itself.
The first thing he noticed about the village was that he still had yet to see a single soul. The village was relatively small compared to Galmistead, and perhaps home to roughly half a dozen families judging by how many buildings there were. It was also late afternoon and in Kaewyn’s, admittedly limited experience, he believed that most of the common folk’s daily work would be done by now. He expected to see a village teeming with activity, but instead, it may as well have been abandoned. He told Yohren and the others to be ready and on alert, and then approached the largest building in the village. He called out, wondering if perhaps anyone was inside, but when no one responded, he began to look more closely at the buildings themselves.
The building he inspected didn’t seem neglected or abandoned to him. The roof was made from straw and mixtures of other dry vegetation, otherwise known as a thatched roof. The walls were constructed out of woven strips of wood called wattle that had been daubed by a thick, sticky material made from wet soil, sand, clay and straw, and judging by the smell, Kaewyn guessed that perhaps animal dung was also used. As he looked the structure over once again, he couldn’t imagine living inside such a building, but he supposed it was better than having no shelter at all. He was used to living inside buildings made of stone, timber or possibly brick or clay. Even marble had been used to create the steps of Xu Castle’s great hall. The value of one solid piece of marble used for the steps was probably worth more than the entire building before him.
“Where is everyone?” Yohren asked, echoing his own thoughts. “I know it’s a small village, but surely someone should be here.”
The other soldiers shuffled nervously in their saddles; their eyes peeled for any sign of trouble. Kaewyn dismounted Kelphi and handed the reins to Yohren and told the others to stay put while he checked out one of the houses. He turned and found one that still had smoke rising out of it. As he wandered closer, he caught the scent of something that smelled delicious cooking inside. Suddenly he became aware that he had not eaten in some time and his stomach groaned in complaint. Inside the house, he found a hearth fire still burning brightly and a pot of stew bubbling and frothing to the point that the contents within were leaking down the sides of the pot. Someone had to have just been here cooking their evening meal, he thought, but where had they gone?
“Kaewyn!” He heard Yohren shout.
He rushed back outside and saw the others atop their horses, their weapons drawn. He looked around frantically for what had startled them, and just as he was about to ask, he heard shouting off in the distance. Yohren pointed out toward the fields on the other side of the village where a large crowd of people stood and shouted angrily. At first, he thought they must be shouting at him and his men, but he then realised that the crowd had yet to even notice their presence. Their attention was directed away from the village at something Kaewyn and the others could not see.
Kaewyn climbed back on Kelphi and signalled with his hand for the others to follow. Intent on finding out what was going on, he and his men rode out of the village and into the fields toward the crowd of people he was now sure were the villagers. The clip-clop of the horse’s hooves thundering on the ground quickly alerted the villages who turned to face them in a panic.
“Raiders!” A woman cried out.
“More barbarians!” Another said.
Kaewyn slowed Kelphi to a trot and called for the others to do the same. Once he was close enough to see their faces, he pulled on the reins and stopped, then lifted up his hands in peace and announced himself.
“We are not raiders nor barbarians,” he shouted out. “I am Lord Kaewyn Edderfield, now tell me, what madness drove the entirety of your village to head out into the fields shouting as you are?”
An elderly villager, a balding man with a shaggy, grey beard stepped forward. His face was one of joy and relief.
“Milord Edderfield? Thank our ancestors it’s you!”
“You speak for the village?” Yohren said.
The elderly man nodded. The other villagers calmed themselves, but he noticed they remained huddled together and nervously eyed the soldiers with suspicion. The menfolk were armed with improvised weapons, mostly scythes, sickles and clubs, and even some of the women too, had weapons in their hands. These people had seen something that had put fear into them, he thought to himself.
“Why are you and your people armed?” He asked. “Your womenfolk too. I even see some children back there.”
“Because of the barbarian menace, lord.”
Kaewyn narrowed his eyes. “What barbarians?”
The village elder turned around and told his people to bring forth the barbarian. Kaewyn was shocked to see a young man, beaten and bruised with blood upon his brow be brought and thrown to his knees in front of them. He certainly looked like one of the Ralerai. His darker skin was painted with blue and red dots and he wore the clothing of their people.
“This one, milord. He and his friends have been murdering our livestock for weeks now,” The village elder said angrily as he walked over to the kneeling, injured young man. “Countless hogs and sheep have gone missing. Today we caught this bastard in the act! His friends escaped on their ponies, but this one was slow enough that we got him.”
“Damn bastards.” Said another villager who then slapped the young man with the back of his hand, sending him reeling.
Kaewyn winced seeing the blow. He didn’t like the idea of physically abusing a captive regardless of their deeds, and when the villager moved to strike again, he intervened with a sharp word and made them stop.
“Leave him be,” Kaewyn commanded.
The elder looked up at him quizzically. “Well, uhh, as you wish milord. But if you ask me, this filth doesn’t deserve your pity.”
“All the same, you will stop.”
The elder nodded his head, but Kaewyn noted that some of the other villages grumbled.
“This has been happening for weeks, you say?” He questioned. “Then why have you not sent word to Xu Castle?”
“We did milord, the Bailiff from Oakerton even came here with his militia for a few days but they couldn’t find anything.” The elder said. “The Bailiff even accused us of making the whole thing up! Said the barbarians were our friends. Sounds crazy if you ask me.”
Kaewyn sighed.
“The barbarian deserves a lynching.” The elder said passionately. “Back in my day, that’s how we dealt with thieves and bandits.”
“You will do no such thing.” He said. “I will take him back to Xu Castle and get to the bottom of this. Yohren, take him.”
Yohren dismounted and walked toward the villagers, but before he could reach the captive, the elder pulled a knife from his sleeve and held it to the young man’s throat. A dozen swords were pulled from their scabbards in an instant. The villagers too raised their weapons defensively.
“This scum and his mates have taken nearly half of our livestock!” The elder shouted. “It’s simple justice that he pays with his life for it!”
“I cannot allow you to kill a man without being certain of his guilt.”
“We are certain, milord! Aren’t the beast’s corpses proof enough?” The elder protested as tears began to flow down his cheeks. “Without those animals, our village will starve…”
“All the same, you will give him to me.”
The young man shook with fear as the knife at his throat trembled in the old man’s unsteady hand. Everyone stood silent, eyeing the elder as he held the knife. The tension was palpable, and truly, he had no idea what he would do if the elder did kill the young man. It’s not like he could have his men then slaughter the village in revenge.
“Killing him will not bring your pigs back to life. His death would change nothing,” He finally said. “Unless you intend to eat him instead.”
The villager elder looked at him in bewilderment, then lowered the knife. His face dropped and he began to sob.
“As you wish… milord.” The elder sobbed. “I just want the children and womenfolk to not go hungry again.”
“Yohren, take him and put him on your horse.” He said, then looked back at the elder. “I am the lord of this land and while that remains true, I will not allow you to starve. When we return to Xu Castle, I will have the Seneschal deliver enough supplies to compensate your losses.”
The elder fell to his knees and continued to sob, but Kaewyn saw the look of gratitude upon his old, weathered face. The other villagers crowded around him and helped him to his feet as Yohren assisted the injured young man onto his horse. Several of the villagers thanked Kaewyn for his generosity and mercy, apologising for the actions of their elder, but he was more interested in the story of the young man they had saved. He wanted to know the truth of the matter, for if the Ralerai were indeed pilfering local villagers of their domesticated livestock, here, then it was likely they were doing it elsewhere in the province as well.
Once everyone returned to the village, Kaewyn notified the villagers that he and his men were going to stay for the night and return to Xu Castle in the morning. The villagers offered them lodgings within their own houses, but Kaewyn declined. Instead, they set up in the barn that was now mostly vacant due to the lack of animals. He appreciated the offer the villagers had made, but he figured it was best to keep them separated from the young man whom they had wanted to lynch only a few hours prior.
The womenfolk prepared a meal of brown bread and local beer with a serving of pottage and a side of bacon for them to eat. A hearty meal that Kaewyn found quite filling. Once darkness came, the village settled and became quiet. Kaewyn and Yohren tried to speak with the young man they had saved, but he couldn’t understand them nor they him. One thing for certain was that he was Ralerai. He and Yohren recognised some of the words he used, and the young man seemed far more comfortable with Yohren’s presence than anyone else.
As Kaewyn retired for the night and tried to get some much needed sleep, his thoughts dwelled on the Ralerai. The Ralerai had settled in the southern parts of Greystone Province where the land was wilder and less populated, but if their hunters were coming this far north and taking livestock from the local villages, there were bound to be more incidents like this one. Once they returned to Xu Castle, the first thing Kaewyn planned on doing was finding Sir Darius and sending for the Ralerai leader, their Chieftain Renlai, so that they could figure out what had happened and put a stop to it before more people were hurt. The Ralerai and the locals of Greystone Province may have many differences, Kaewyn thought, but he hoped that they would learn to co-exist for the sake of their own survival.
When sleep finally took him, Kaewyn dreamed that he was back in his command tent in Vinum Province. It started out as a pleasant dream for Camilla had come to see him, but she was scared of something he couldn’t see. She started to cry and begged for his help, but still, he could not see what she was afraid of. He asked her again and again what he could do to help her, but he couldn’t understand what she was trying to say to him. Then she started to scream as some unseen force dragged her away from him. He held on to her with all his strength, but it mattered little. It seemed inevitable when she finally slipped away. There was nothing he could do but watch her go.