Aida traversed the land with practised ease. Ever since she’d entered House Wulf’s service, she’d been granted the right to use horses, but before that she’d only ever had her feet. Her band had been small back when she had been the Viper, and any horses they’d found had only ever been used as food, for none of them had ever trained in equestrianism.

She kept her bearings, and making sure to keep any paths and signs of civilisation in sight, she moved south. The most difficult part was anticipating where the Hog’s forces might be hiding. They could be anywhere, concealed and lying in wait. Thus, she was forced to move in secrecy, always making sure her steps were silent, and her body was at least somewhat concealed by her surroundings. The fact that there were many forests in Alain Aubet’s land made that particular task easier for her.

When night began to fall, Aida located a plot of dirt at the base of a tall tree with good cover from the surrounding foliage, and ate some of the dried meat prepared for her. She did not start a fire, nor did she set up a tent. She would sleep in the utmost dark tonight with only the buzzing of insects and the occasional howls to keep her company.

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It had been two days since Aida had left in search of the Hog, and Kenric sat upon the roof of his manor, his gaze turned east as the manor staff below ran around in a frenzy. On top of their usual duties in the manor, they had also been tasked with collaborating with the church to get everything ready for the Ageing Ceremony tomorrow, and were swamped with work.

As was he, to be honest, but he could afford a small break every now and then.

“My lord,” Gerard’s flat voice came from below. Kenric looked down and saw Gerard there in the courtyard with an unamused expression on his face. Beside him was Elizabeth, looking worried as she held a stack of papers. “I think it’s time for you to come down now.”

Elizabeth seemed to be about to nod emphatically, but she stopped herself midway through, possibly fearing criticising her lord so openly. Nobles were sticklers about stuff like that.

Kenric sighed, gripping his cane tightly and stepping off the roof. Elizabeth stifled a shriek as he fell through the air, and he landed smoothly, used to pulling such stunts.

“Do go ahead, my dear,” Gerard said to Elizabeth, “We’ll be with you shortly.”

Elizabeth nodded and scurried into the manor. Gerard raised an eyebrow at Kenric, “May I ask what caught your attention so dearly, my lord?”

“Nothing,” Kenric said impassively, “I was just admiring the view.”

“You were looking toward Lord Aubet’s land,” Gerard said, “Are you having second thoughts about sending Aida?”

“We need allies. We already spoke of this,” Kenric said.

“Then I hope you realise the die is cast. Worrying will solve nothing now,” Gerard said.

Kenric frowned before turning on the spot, entering the manor with Gerard in tow, “Give me an update.”

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Gerard nodded, “Lord Aubet’s convoy has arrived, we’re currently in the process of moving the food to our granaries.”

“Any trouble?”

“None whatsoever,” Gerard said, “The convoy encountered no interruptions on the way, and based on our estimations, the amount they’ve brought is correct. We are conducting a more detailed inspection right now as we move it.”

“Good,” Kenric said, “And what about the ceremony?”

“Preparations are going well,” Gerard said, “We are nearly all set to greet the new year tomorrow. Speaking of which, I had some clothes made for you. They are made of silk. You must wear them for the ceremony.”

Kenric resisted the urge to click his tongue in irritation, “Why?”

“We cannot have you wear your usual clothes, you must look dignified for the ceremony. Your old formal wear no longer fits you,” Gerard said sternly. He then turned to Elizabeth and said with an apologetic expression on his face, “I beg your pardon, my lady, but tailors coming to Blaidd is a rare occurrence indeed, and no one arrived in time for me to have a silk dress made for you as well.”

“Oh, that’s all right,” Elizabeth said. Somehow, Kenric got the feeling that Elizabeth was not lying. It may have been because he remembered when Aida had been placing Elizabeth’s clothes in her wardrobe after they had returned from Lord Aubet’s fief, and how the wardrobe had been chock full of silk dresses.

“I thank you for understanding,” Gerard said. He fixed Kenric with a stern look again, “You, however, have new clothes, and you must wear them.”

“Yes, yes,” Kenric said dismissively, recognizing that this was a fight he would not win, “Now, let’s move on to the next issue: guard patrols during the ceremony.”

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Aida stopped suddenly, recognising the tell-tale signs of human tracks in the dirt in front of her. By the shallowness of the indentation, she could tell it had not come from a heavily armoured person.

She scanned her surroundings, taking note of the broken branches and bent foliage, and began following where the signs led. A person with light armour in a forest—not a bad lead when searching for bandits.

She moved stealthily, even more stealthily than she had been before, and in time, she spotted a lone individual in leather armour sighing tiredly with a spear slung over his shoulder as he trudged onward.

A patrol.

Aida scoured the area first, and seeing no signs of anyone else being nearby, she crept up on the lone individual and grabbed him in a chokehold. He flailed, but before he could scream, she gagged him with bundled-up cloth, stifling it to dull panicked noises.

Subduing his limbs and tying him up was a simple matter after that. Once certain that his bonds were secure, Aida entered his line of sight, and he watched her with fearful, wide eyes. He was breathing rapidly, but the cloth was almost suffocating him.

Aida gave him a moment to calm down a little, and when his breathing began to even, she said, “I’m going to ungag you now, if you scream…” She took his own battered spear and pointed it at his throat. The man watched the chipped spearpoint intently.

“Okay, one, two, three,” Aida slowly pulled the cloth from his mouth. She saw that his first instinct was to shout anyway, but she was faster, and she pushed the spear against his neck with a calm, cool smile on her face.

“Don’t try it,” she said, “Worst case, I can escape. You can’t.”

A sort of understanding dawned on his face, and he asked in a trembling voice, “Wh-who are you? What do you want?”

“I’ll ask the questions, thank you,” Aida said, “Your name.”

“V-Vince.”

Aida nodded, “I see, nice to meet you, Vince. I doubt you can say the same to me. Now, first question: you work for the Hog, do you not?”

Vince nodded slightly and Aida pushed her spear closer to his neck, “Words, Vince. I need you to say it.”

“Y-yes, I work for the Hog.”

“Good,” Aida said brightly, “Next question: where is he right now?”

Tears welled up in Vince’s eyes, “I can’t tell you that! We’ll be killed anyway if the lord of this land catches us!”

“Take a good look at me, Vince,” Aida said, “Do I look like one of Aubet’s soldiers?” She gave him a moment to take a proper look at her, allowing him to notice her lack of armour and her travelling clothes. She smiled, even though all she wanted to do was grit her teeth from what she was about to say next, “I’m no stooge of the Crown—I am the bandit lord known as the Viper, come to speak with the Hog. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you this, but you’re in my territory.”

Vince’s eyes widened in surprise, and Aida knew she had him.