Grady glanced up from his knitting. First, to the ringing bell, then to the guard on the ladder outside the watchtower ringing it. “Yeah Treant?”

“We got an invasion on our hands Grady. Humans. Approaching fast on our border. They number twice our patrol.”

“So ye hwant me ta come back ta `e border wi` ye hand heven `e hodds?”

“If you got the time,” Treant shrugged.

Grady wrote a quick note on a small piece of parchment and tied it to a line outside the window. He yanked several times at the string beside the line. With every jerk, the letter jumped down the line until it was through the window of the nearby barracks.

“hI’ve notified Bidden. Let’s go,” Grady took up his spear, which resulted in a loud clang. Glancing up, he saw his helmet, which had been resting on his spear, had bashed against the ceiling.

Treant grinned, “Using you spear as a hat rack is against regulations.”

“So’s bad talking ha fellow hofficer. `urry hup, we’ve got hinvaders ta happrehend.”

The two ambled through the door and down the ladder just in time to prevent a slight man and a little girl from invading the lorddom.

“’alt!” Grady bellowed, “Ye’re crossing `e border!”

The man stopped, and his face twitched for a moment in what might have been a smile.

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“I’m sorry, where is the border?”

“hIt’s hright `ere ye—Treant hwhere his `e border?”

Treant gestured sheepishly to the back of their outpost, “It got wet in the rain. I didn’t want it getting all muddy, so I washed it and hung it to dry.”

Treant shrunk back a few paces from Grady’s glare, “It was only going to take a moment. Didn’t expect a horde to come through, did I?”

He gestured at the little girl.

“hWhen Lord Glove gets back t` ha smokin’ hruin, hI’ll be sure t` tell `im ye said `at”

“I marked it with a line though, didn’t I?”

He pointed to a crooked line drawn in the dirt. There was flecks of rust mixed in with the soil. Grady crooked an eyebrow and looked at Treant. Treant covered the notched head of his spear.

“What?”

“We’re on our way through and looking for a place to stay,” the man managed to make his interruption sound like an apology.

“hWhere ye from?”

“A long way from here. I am Lanet, a Peaceseeker…” he trailed off as Grady frowned, “I’m sorry, did I give cause for offence?”

“hIf yer hwondering hit’s not `e peaceseeking hwe take hoffence ta. But hif yer destination his ‘ere, ye best rethink. Glovedom’s halways been ha place hof tragedy. Ye hwon’t find much peace `ere.”

Lanet’s face grew pained, “No, not here. I must travel much further.”

“hA shame Peaceseeker. May `ose travels be blessed. Ye mentioned lodging?”

“If possible friend. May I ask your name?”

“Grady. `is `ere’s Treant, but ye `eard me chew `im hout halready hI’m sure.”

Treant threw an elbow into Grady’s ribs, “I’m afraid our lord is not present at the moment, but we will do our best to provide in his steed. We have room for you. A woman died recently in the village.”

“Aye, I saw the white watchers flying.”

“If you don’t believe the stories about ghosts, you can stay in her hut. It hasn’t seen use in years. Rebeka kept it clean, but preferred to stay below ground.”

“Thank you. I believe all stories, but the only ghosts I fear are my own.”

“hRight,” Grady wasn’t sure how to respond, so he just clapped his hands together loudly, “Let’s get ye ta yer hroom. Follow me, hI’ll show ye `e hway.”