Why are those memories coming to me now? Jen thought. The night Arindall was attacked had been the worst of her life. After much crying and begging, Caldian had taken her back to Arindall when he was sure the raiders were gone. She found only death. Someone had buried her mother, father, and twin brothers. There was no sign of Arturo. Some of the survivors told her he went down fighting. Elayne, Isabel, and her parents were all burned; their bodies weren’t even recognizable. Jahad’s body was left untouched and Caldian helped her bury him. She still wielded the swords he had given her. His last gift.
That had been the moment Jen had begged Caldian to take her into the Whispering Mists. She hadn’t thought about that night in over a year.
Riding quickly, Jen looked back one last time to make sure her brother wasn’t following. Her heart was pounding, with joy and concern. Arturo was different; she realized that the moment he opened his mouth. The ambush setup was to have the Whispering Mists grouped together. Fifteen of them were there in total. Five had been in the back, away from the fighting, to keep an eye on things in case things went wrong; she was one of those.
If she had been in the front with the others, Jen could have told Gazan that Arturo was her brother and avoided the fighting. Perhaps he would have come willingly then. The trees and brush were in the way and it wasn’t until the fighting started that she got a good glimpse of Arturo. That was why she jumped in. She didn’t know what the Whispering Mists would have done had Arturo killed Gazan. She couldn’t believe how strong her brother was now. Gazan, the leader of this small group, was one of the best fighters she had ever seen, and Arturo had not only dealt with nine other warriors but the leader at the same time. The rumors of him being the Fifty-Man Slayer and the killer of Ribalt appeared to be true.
At least someone in your family survived, Jen thought. But now she had a new problem. How could she meet with Arturo and not be kicked out of the Whispering Mists? She wouldn’t kill him and would stop anyone who tried. There has to be a way to keep my place here and save my brother.
“Why didn’t you tell me that was your brother?” Gazan said angrily. His nose was bandaged and dry blood was crusted over his armor and face.
“I didn’t know, and you told me stay back, remember?” Jen pointed out, ignoring his angry glance. “If I had known, I would have told you. The last thing I want is for you to kill my brother.”
“You must have had a clue. A man that large with a gigantic sword and you didn’t have any inkling he might be your brother?” Gazan retorted.
Jen bit her lip and thought for a moment. When she heard about the description of the man they were going after, she thought it sounded like her brother. But how could she have known? Everyone she knew died in Arindall; how could she expect Arturo to still be alive? The few people she had spoken with in Arindall told her he was dead.
“Well?” Gazan’s eyes never left her.
“I thought he was dead, like everyone else in my family,” Jen said. Images of all the graves she saw in Arindall flashed before her. All slaughtered for Tarmella knew what.
“Go easy on her, Gazan,” Elisa said. She was riding next to him. “You know as well as I do that Jen thought her entire family had been killed.”
The comment didn’t soothe Gazan’s mood. “Things would have gone much smoother if she had talked to her brother. Some of us are injured and we’re lucky to have suffered no casualties.”
“You told me to stay back unless I found a good reason to join you. When I saw Arturo about to kill you, I jumped in and saved your life,” Jen said.
“We all would have been fine if you’d acted sooner. Now I have to explain this failure to Modric.” Gazan was bitter. He didn’t fail missions, not normally. He had one of the highest success rates in the entire clan. “You’ll be questioned thoroughly.”
Jen gulped despite her anger. She wasn’t looking forward to that. Modric was a good leader and wouldn’t take Gazan’s word blindly, but he would cover all his bases and get the truth. I didn’t do anything wrong. I followed orders like I’m supposed to! Jen used those thoughts to calm herself down. Modric would understand, even if Gazan didn’t.
She looked back once more, finding herself slightly disappointed Arturo wasn’t following. How was he reacting to her survival? During their fight, Jen noticed Arturo’s hesitation. If he hadn’t, she might be dead or severely wounded. Then again, she also had an opportunity to injure Arturo and had hesitated herself.
What a mess. How can seeing my brother after almost three years be so conflicting?
The group rode along in silence for the rest of the trip. Most weren’t used to failure and they had all experienced a humiliating defeat. One man had been able to stop them all. Jen wasn’t aware of that happening before, although there was much she didn’t know. Studying the history of the Whispering Mists and training could only do so much. The group had been around for almost eight hundred years.
Gazan motioned for them all to slow down as they arrived back at camp.
Two sentries, Tasha and Aidren, were waiting, looking at them questioningly. It was obvious they didn’t have Arturo. The camp was spread out, with a number of tents scattered around. They weren’t a large group but they could challenge almost any mercenary band with their skills alone.
Once they had tied up their horses, Gazan said, “Follow me. You’re reporting this failure with me.”
Jen followed Gazan to Modric’s tent, her heart beating out of her chest. The sentries motioned for them to enter.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
Modric was sitting in a chair writing a letter when they came in. He had a goatee, curly brown hair and thick eyebrows. His blue eyes widened slightly when he saw Gazan’s nose.
“I take it you failed,” he stated.
“We did. Turns out the man’s name is Arturo and he’s Jen’s brother,” Gazan said.
“Really?” Modric turned his attention to Jen. “Is this true?”
“It is. I recognized him,” Jen said. She was proud of the way she kept her voice calm, despite her nerves.
“If Jen had told me earlier, I would have approached the situation differently,” Gazan said.
“Did you give her a chance to?” Modric raised a brow and continued before Gazan could respond. “I’m going to bet not. Correct me if I’m wrong, but you planned to have ten of our soldiers confront the man, leaving five behind in case things went wrong. Jen was one of the five to remain behind, right?”
“Right,” Gazan said after a few seconds of grinding his teeth.
“I take it, Jen, that you didn’t get a good view of the target until the fighting began?” Modric asked.
“That’s correct, sir,” Jen said.
“But—”
“But nothing!” Modric said. “I don’t blame you for the failure, at least from the details I have. Tell me what happened.”
“Yes, sir,” Gazan gulped and told the tale. Jen listened carefully, ready to defend herself if he lied. Thankfully, he spoke the truth.
“He was that strong?” Modric asked.
“Yes,” Gazan and Jen said at the same time.
“Interesting.” Modric rubbed his goatee and stood up, leaving the letter on his desk. “Was anyone killed?”
“No, some light injuries…” Gazan said. “I would have been killed if not for Jen.”
The words caused Jen to look at him. Why would he admit that after trying to shift the blame to her? Her training reminded her why. Lying was a big deal for the Whispering Mists. Lying was a way to get kicked out, which most people didn’t want. Being part of the clan was a huge honor. Not many could say they had even met the Whispering Mists, let alone fought for them.
“He was the best fighter I’ve ever seen,” Gazan said.
“Even better than me?” Modric said with a sly smile.
“Yes.”
“I see. What are your thoughts, Jen?”
“I haven’t fought as much as Gazan. From the fighting I have done, he was by far the best fighter I’ve seen,” Jen said carefully. She was proud of Arturo’s skills, despite causing them to fail at capturing him.
“Which brings me to the next question,” Modric said. “I thought your family was killed during the raid on Arindall.”
“I assumed they were all dead. Some survivors told me they were dead,” Jen said.
Jen and Modric stared at one another for a few tense seconds. Jen wanted to avert her gaze but that would make her seem weak. She could never show weakness, especially not to Modric.
“I believe you. You’ve been one of the best trainees I’ve ever had,” Modric said.
“Thank you,” Jen mumbled, her face heating. It was rare to get a compliment from Modric, especially after failing a mission.
“An interesting situation. This Arturo killed twelve guards and declared himself the Fifty-Man Slayer. The fact he was able to take on ten of my people at once proves he isn’t lying,” Modric was talking more to himself than the others. “I’m sure the guards had it coming. I was going to question the man capable of killing that many guards so easily and judge his character.” He turned his attention back to Gazan. “Your failure is mine as much as yours. I could have come up with a different approach. Perhaps we would be talking about adding him to our clan instead of thinking of next steps.”
“I apologize if I’m out of line, but didn’t Urantis pay us to bring Arturo to them?” Jen said.
“Yes, well, I took the job to wave off the assassins going after him. The situation with the guards is… uneasy. I heard the reports of the attack and questioned some who saw the attack in the Hot Camp Inn. The guards were bullying the innkeeper to fill their pockets,” Modric sighed. “I’ll tell them we’ll take care of him and return their coin if they agree not to send anyone after him.”
“Why did the guards not tell us that Arturo was the name of the man they wanted?” Jen asked.
Modric brushed his goatee with his fingers. “Fear of us passing on the contract. Smart people don’t chase down legends. Killing fifty men alone would be enough to scare most people.”
“Would you want a man like that in our clan? He sounds like a murderer. His skills don’t override his crimes,” Gazan said.
“Usually, you would be right,” Modric said. “The guards attacked him, forcing his hand. If Arturo had surrendered, he would have been hanged, and he knew it. The situation isn’t black and white.”
Jen breathed a sigh of relief. That was one problem she wouldn’t have to worry about. Modric wasn’t trying to have her brother killed and she wouldn’t have to choose between the Whispering Mists or Arturo.
“Gazan, go see a healer. Jen, stay here,” Modric ordered.
Gazan stiffened and bowed slightly before leaving. There was no missing the anger in his face. Jen remained still, waiting for Modric to speak and praying he wasn’t going to make her do something she didn’t want to. Family came first, no matter what. She couldn’t abandon Arturo, though she would love to have him join the clan.
“What do you think about the charges against your brother?” Modric asked once they were alone.
“He wouldn’t kill anyone without a good reason,” Jen declared, hoping it was true. She had to believe he was still a good man.
“I think the same,” Modric said. “The innkeeper, Esteban, explained what happened in his inn. Arturo didn’t intervene until the guards threatened the innkeeper about taking a girl. We can’t allow your brother to die; he’ll be important in the war to come.”
“The war to come?” Jen asked. What war was he talking about? There were wars all over the place, or there had been for the past couple of years. What else could come?
“The war caused by the people who ransacked your village.”
I believed that once. Jen recalled thinking what King Lerin had said about this being the start of a war. Now she wasn’t so sure. Whoever attacked Arindall and other areas appeared to be raiders, not a unified military. At least, she was beginning to think that. Why else would they wait so long? Why not attack during the rebellions?
“You don’t believe a war is coming, do you?” Modric posed the question but didn’t wait for a response. “It is a real threat, though. I was close to Lerin and he was not a man to decree such a threat without a reason. The invaders are real. I’m sure we’ll find out why they are taking so long to attack in due time.”
“As you say, sir.”
“Anyway, let’s move on to why I kept you here. You’ve proved yourself since joining and have shown incredible promise. It’s time for you to lead your first assignment.”
“Already?” Jen said. She was surprised; usually, it would take three years at least before getting to that point.
“You will find your brother and convince him to join the Whispering Mists.”
“And if he refuses?”
“Fighting him is out of the question. You’ll try everything you can to get him to join. If he cannot be persuaded, we’ll have to accept that.”
“I’ll try my best,” Jen said. Could she convince Arturo to join? At least I can talk with him again. The thought made her giddy.
“I know you will. You will pick one person to join you, just in case something happens. You’ll be in charge. I expect you to keep a level head, even if he is your brother. Are you willing?” Modric asked.
“I am willing. And I will get him to join!” Jen declared, barely containing her excitement. Another part of her training was to maintain her composure, regardless of how she was feeling.
“Go quickly. You’ll want to act before Arturo gets too far,” Modric said.
Jen bow and hurried out of the tent. She knew exactly who to ask to join her. The man who’d saved her life: Caldian.