Arturo returned to the camp and his remaining men were relieved to see he was all right. They looked at Lily with curiosity and Gosford raised an eyebrow at him upon seeing her. Arturo didn’t tell them why she was with him and his men didn’t ask. From his own squad, Fenrir’s death hurt the most. He lost a few other soldiers and a quarter of his men were injured. It was difficult to fathom Fenrir’s death, for he had fought with the man for over two years.

The others didn’t seem to have heard about what he had done. Veldahar would surely have been told by now. To her credit, Lily had calmed down and did a good job ignoring the whistles from some of the men. If she cared what the others thought about Arturo claiming her as his, she didn’t show it.

Movement to his left caused Arturo to grab his sword. He let out the breath he was holding when he saw a fellow mercenary sheathing his sword. He was being paranoid. The last time someone from the Crystal Syndicate had murdered a fellow member, that man had been jumped and killed slowly as a lesson for killing a comrade. The man had to endure over two hours of pain before dying. He wouldn’t let that happen to him.

“Why are you so jumpy?” Tarmon asked. “That’s the third time you’ve reached for your sword.”

“Follow me,” Arturo commanded, and made sure Rogoth, Kellan, Tarmon, and Cevelt followed. He needed answers. If his men had done what Icarus and Tairen did… Best not to think about that, not yet.

They walked in silence and Lily stuck to his side. She looked at the others with disgust. Once she realized he wasn’t going to hurt her, she went from crying to utterly calm. Arturo hoped that was a good thing.

He walked to his tent, motioning for Lily to go in first. Then he entered, with Gosford and the others. Arturo waited a few seconds to make sure nobody else would enter and took a deep breath. What if his men turned on him?

“What’s going on?” Kellan asked.

Arturo wasn’t sure how to approach the subject, especially with Lily. He supposed it was best to say what happened directly. “Have any of you seen anyone in the Crystal Syndicate rape a woman after a battle?”

The others exchanged surprised looks. Lily eyed Arturo with disbelief, as if he should know the answer already. “Yeah, it’s pretty common in battles like this,” Gosford said. The others nodded in agreement. Lily couldn’t keep her eyes off Arturo.

“Have any of you done it?” Arturo asked, dreading the answer. Seeing Lily held down reminded him what happened to his mother, except this time he had killed the rapists before they could harm her any further. Would he kill his men? Would he kill his friends if they said yes?

“No,” they all said.

“Forcing yourself on a woman isn’t fun,” Kellan said.

“Agreed,” Rogoth said.

“Why do you ask?” Tarmon said.

“I didn’t know anyone here did that,” Arturo said. He felt shame in his ignorance. How could he have been such a fool? His father had warned him about mercenary bands and he had been right all along. “I saw Tairen and Icarus trying to rape Lily here. I killed them.”

Was Cevelt looking at him differently? The man had always been hard to read, but now Cevelt shifted a bit toward the tent entrance. The others didn’t react much.

“You really didn’t know?” Lily said.

Arturo shook his head. “Veldahar is going to tell the others to kill me. I’ll need to—”

“He won’t,” Gosford interrupted as he pushed his hand through his blond hair. “You’re too valuable.”

“He’s right,” Kellan said. “You killed a legend and over fifty people by yourself. The commander might cut your pay but he won’t execute you.”

“If I had known…” Arturo curled his hands into fists, allowing his rage to rise, “I wouldn’t have joined the Crystal Syndicate.” It was the truth. Now it was going to be hard to leave. He was on a contract and deserters were hunted down. Like Gosford said, he was too valuable for Veldahar to allow him to leave.

Footsteps outside stopped in front of his tent. Arturo took out his sword and two soldiers walked in, flinching when they saw his weapon. “Arturo, the commander wants to speak with you,” the one with the mustache said. His hand was on the hilt of his blade but he made no move to unsheathe his weapon.

“All right, give me a minute,” Arturo said.

The soldier looked like he was going to argue, then nodded and walked out of the tent. “I need you five to watch Lily. Don’t let anything happen to her while I’m gone,” Arturo ordered and went to leave the tent. He stopped before opening the flaps. “I’ll kill you if anything happens to her.”

He didn’t wait for a response and walked out. There were more than two soldiers in front of his tent. Arturo counted seventeen, all with their spears held high, each staring at him as if daring him to make a move. These were Veldahar’s personal guard and were some of the best fighters in the entire Crystal Syndicate.

“Lead the way,” Arturo said. His fingers itched to draw his blade again. If Veldahar wanted him dead, the soldiers would have attacked him by now. Unless he wants to catch me by surprise. He didn’t like that thought.

People in the camp were watching Arturo curiously. He heard someone ask why their best fighter was being escorted by seventeen soldiers. Arturo ignored the comments and kept moving. The camp would know soon enough.

Plenty of soldiers was returning from the city, most with blood on them. Innocent blood or blood from the rebels? Arturo hated that he doubted the men he had fought with over the past couple of years. His entire world had been rocked again.

If Veldahar tried to kill him, could Arturo escape? He was tired from the fighting and these guards looked fresh. He scanned the area, scoping out what direction would be best if he had to fight his way out.

They arrived at the commander’s tent. Eight guards were standing at the entrance, the butts of their spears sticking in the ground. Twenty-five guards outside, how many inside? Arturo forced himself not to grab his sword. Not yet.

One of the guards, Memphis, crossed spears with another guard to stop Arturo from entering the tent. “You need to leave your sword here.”

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Arturo gripped the handle of his weapon. If any of the guards tried to attack, he would be able to kill them before their weapons got close. The other guards raised their weapons, poised to strike. “I’ve never had to keep my sword outside before and I won’t now.”

“Lower your sword or we’ll kill you,” Memphis growled.

“Let him in!” Veldahar said.

Memphis glared at Arturo and lowered his spear. The others followed along. Arturo maintained his grip on the handle. He wouldn’t risk one of the guards going for him. He wasn’t sure what was waiting for him.

He was not surprised to walk into the tent and see an additional fifteen soldiers. The tent was gigantic, easily able to hold thirty people if needed. Veldahar was seated at a table with a map on it, and there was no missing the fury in his eyes.

The guards were holding their weapons tightly, some visibly shaking. That was a testament to Arturo’s reputation. Nobody here wanted to fight him, though he doubted he could kill them all. Not in his current state. The fighting had been too exhausting to try taking on over thirty men at once.

Veldahar stood up, stalked over to Arturo, and poked his chest. “What do you think you’re doing?” he spat. “Killing two of my men? What were you thinking?”

When Arturo didn’t respond. Veldahar continued, his voice going from angry to deadly calm. “Is this what I get for taking you in? We were working together and I was going to help you get back at the people who killed your family. This is how you repay my kindness?”

“Do you call raping women kindness? Killing innocent civilians trying to run away?” Arturo’s rage was white-hot and it took an effort not to shout. “Did you know your men did that? Is that why you had me avoid cities or battles where innocent people were?”

There was an awkward silence and Veldahar hide his surprise. “You did go into the city then,” Veldahar replied quietly. “I wish you hadn’t.”

“So, you did know,” Arturo said, and clenched his left hand into a fist. He wanted to punch the commander in the jaw. “I would never have joined you if I’d known.”

Clasping his hands behind his back, Veldahar nodded. “I know. You’re young and you went through a horrible experience. Men can’t control themselves when invading a city. If I punished any man who took his fun after a battle, I would lose one third of my force. The taste of battle does things to a man. Some lose control of themselves, especially when they’ve almost died.”

“That’s an excuse you hide behind,” Arturo said coldly. “You know what happened to my mother and you didn’t warn me before I joined you.”

“As you’ve shown, you can’t handle the truth,” Veldahar said. “What else would you have me do? If I had told you, you would still be back in your village, wasting your talents! When I saw you wield your sword, I knew you would be special. You should be thanking me. You’re considered a legend here!”

“I don’t care!” Arturo took a step forward but stopped when the guards all shifted, moving their weapons until Veldahar motioned them to remain. “Tairen and Icarus got what they deserved.”

“Listen to me. I won’t punish you for killing them. You’re too gifted a fighter to die via execution. But if you kill anyone else in the Crystal Syndicate, I will execute you. Do you understand me?”

Many words came to Arturo. Part of him wanted to kill Veldahar and as many of the Crystal Syndicate as he could. But that wasn’t what his family would want. He couldn’t avenge them if he went on a murderous rampage.

“Do you understand?” Veldahar asked.

“Is there anything else?”

“Tell me you understand.”

“I do. Is there anything else?” Arturo repeated.

“Get out of my sight,” Veldahar commanded, then turned and stalked back to his desk.

Arturo whirled around and walked out past the guards. Nobody followed him. He was in danger now. Word would spread of what he had done and someone would try to kill him, regardless of his reputation. He used to view the Crystal Syndicate as a second family and would have gladly killed anyone who threatened them. Now he didn’t care if everyone died or not.

He walked swiftly back to his tent. He had to make plans. There was no way he could fight for the Crystal Syndicate any longer. The commander must have thought sparing his life would mean he would remain loyal. The commander was ignorant. The moment Veldahar tried to defend the rape, Arturo knew he would be leaving.

Rogoth and Kellan were standing at the entrance to the tent. Good, they took my threat seriously. Arturo stepped inside and the men followed him. Gosford and Tarmon were sitting at a table, drinking ale, judging by the smell, and Lily was sitting in a corner as far away from the others as possible. Her eyes brightened when she saw him.

“How did it go?” Gosford asked.

“He said I’ll be executed if I kill another mercenary,” Arturo said.

“Told you the commander wouldn’t kill you,” Gosford said and slapped Arturo on the back. “Now let’s drink!”

“I’ll pass,” Arturo said. He couldn’t tell anybody he was leaving. If Veldahar found out, he would try to stop him and that would result in bloodshed. What a mess. “I want to be left alone.”

“As you command,” Gosford said.

Everyone left, with Tarmon giving him a worried look. Lily remained, looking nervous now that she was alone with Arturo. Once nightfall hit, he would leave the Crystal Syndicate forever.

If only I could bring Tarmon. Arturo was surprised by the thought. He would have loved to bring Gosford, Rogoth, and Kellan as well. Sadly, he would have to leave them all behind. “Do you need anything to eat?” Arturo asked.

Lily pursed her lips and nodded. Arturo tossed her an apple, which she caught and took a bite of. “I can get you some soup if you want,” Arturo said.

She shook her head. “This is fine.”

He wasn’t surprised. Lily wouldn’t want to be left alone and he couldn’t blame her. Not with what he knew now. I would have trusted these men with her yesterday. “You better get some sleep. We’re leaving at nightfall.”

“Leaving? Where?”

“I’ll drop you off somewhere safe,” Arturo said. Where would she want to go? He didn’t want to travel with her for long. “Do you have any preferences to where I take you?”

Lily stared at her apple for a moment. She was silent for so long that Arturo almost asked her again. “I don’t know. Somewhere safe.”

“Okay,” Arturo took a seat. Nightfall was a few hours away, and he would need to wait a couple of hours after that. The camp would be celebrating tonight. Once the noise died down, he would take Lily and leave.

“Why are we leaving at night?” Lily asked once she finished her apple. “Are you running away?”

“Something like that.”

“Is it because of the men you killed?”

“Get some sleep. You’ll be tired,” Arturo said. He wouldn’t discuss his reasons with someone he didn’t know. Luckily, Lily took the hint and laid down.

The night was loud. Men were cheering and boasting about their fights. There were words said for the fallen and cheers to the heroes of the battle. Arturo heard someone ask where he was. Thankfully, nobody tried entering his tent. They would have found Arturo packing his things into a bag and the last thing he wanted to do was kill someone else. He was so busy preparing to leave he never got the chance to think of Fenrir. He hoped the others would be fine without him.

Hours later, the night finally went quiet. Arturo shook Lily awake, grabbed his bag, and donned a dark brown cloak. The cloak covered everything. If a stranger looked at him, they wouldn’t notice the huge sword hanging on his back.

Men were sleeping outside the tent. Some had drinks in their hands, others had food and a few were still talking. Arturo couldn’t see any guards. Lily was wearing a black cloak and followed close behind him. The cloak was too big for Lily, for it was one of Arturo’s.

His first problem came up. By the horses were six guards, in two groups and they were walking around and talking amongst themselves. Arturo wouldn’t kill them, but he needed a horse and he would have Lily ride with him.

“Stay close,” he whispered and waited for a nod before moving toward the horses.

The clouds were covering the moon, making it easier to move unseen. He hid behind a tent and pondered how to distract the guards. He grabbed a rock and waited for four of the guards to get further along with their patrol. Two guards always stayed near the horses. Once the four guards were far enough away, Arturo chucked the rock into a nearby bush.

“What the—” a guard exclaimed.

Two guards went over to the bushes and looked at one another and shrugged. “Must be a squirrel or something,” he said and looked around one last time.

Arturo grabbed another rock and threw it at another bush. As he had hoped, the two guards looked at each other once more and walked toward the noise once more, their hands were resting in the handles of their swords. He grabbed Lily, hoisted her on his shoulder, and ran toward the horses. He quickly cut the rope off one, put Lily on the horse, and jumped on its back.

Before the guards could turn around, Arturo was gone. Someone yelled but it was too late to stop him. He was far out of camp and out of sight. All he could think about as the horse ran was how he would never join another mercenary band again.