All was quiet in the early hours of the morning. Only the sounds of pack animals clopping along the stone road and the rolling of wagon wheels could be heard. Even the usual ambiance of the woods seemed to be silent. Johannes kept a careful watch for anything lurking in the trees or bushes, and readied his bow for an encounter he was certain would come. The traveling caravan consisted of merchants, a few monks, and several horses laden with sundry goods; all of it belonged to the merchants. The monks wore robes similar to Aela, but with different colors, and without the emblem which Aela wore.

Lucullus stayed close to Johannes, and tried to watch for any ambushes. “Do you really think five of us will be enough to guard all these people?”

“The only reason I took the other two is to have a rear guard for the caravan. A group of twelve, minus the animals, is hardly worth sending an army to protect. Besides, your friend is a Mystiko user. Some brigands with knives won’t last a minute against her.”

“How do you know that?”

He turned his head to look at Lucullus, and smiled. “How do you counter a lightning strike? Or a ball of fire?”

“Maybe a very strong shield could help.” Lucullus shrugged.

He shook his head. “You have a lot to learn if you think any shield can stop Mystiko. It might block a bit of fire if it’s made of metal, but there are many spells which you don’t know of. I know what our Mystics can do; I can only imagine what she is capable of.”

“I’m far from being a Mystic,” Aela called out a few feet behind them.

“I just assumed that your emblem meant you were at least close to a Mystic.”

She chuckled. “I wish I was. This emblem is what all of us learning Mystiko wear. It shows that we are entering the highest form of the religious life… though some don’t get the peace that monks enjoy in the secluded mountains.”

“In Immergrun, the only people I’ve seen wearing an emblem of the Savra are Mystics.”

“Perhaps I can share more of my people’s customs along our journey.”

The sun was beginning to set, and the shadows of the forest left the caravan in a darkness. From the thick brush by the roadside came sounds of rustling, as if a whole group were sneaking through. Johannes drew an arrow from his quiver; his eyes scanned the area with blinding speed. The monks and merchants knew what it meant when he assumed his defensive stance. Lucullus, despite his lack of mercenary experience, drew his sword and shield, knowing the feeling of a brigand’s presence.

Lucullus whispered to Aela, “Prepare for battle. I suspect a throng.”

She put her hands together, whispered a prayer, and as she separated her hands many small sparks appeared. It was like a small storm had developed between her hands.

Suddenly, they were cut off from the front and behind along the road. There appeared five robbers in the front, and four advanced from the back. As Johannes’s two men held off the men cutting off the path behind them, he loosed arrows at the foes that assailed them from the front. He kept his knife ready for a close encounter, but maintained distance where he could. Lucullus charged into the fray with tremendous aggression and tenacity. Using his shield as a second weapon, he stayed on the offensive. But the robbers took advantage of his inexperience, and he struggled to gain the upper hand against any of them as the fight carried on.

Aela blasted the robbers with great flames as she easily outmaneuvered them; her lack of size worked to her favor. The short-ranged weapons of her foes were their undoing as she kept her distance, striking them with precision, which took pressure off of Lucullus as he struck at the distracted robbers. One of the marauders split from the main attack, and went to strike at one of the monks, slashing him across the chest. Seeing the disaster unfolding, Johannes jumped into the fray, drawing his knife and helping to save the endangered monks and merchants.

Lucullus, as the battle carried on, began to adopt Tiberius’s strategy. He waited for openings and stayed on the defensive to conserve energy. It wasn’t much longer until the fight was concluded, and the brigands were slain. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when the last foe dropped to the ground.

Johannes looked over to Lucullus and Aela. “That was a worthy test for you two. I’m sure we shall have plenty more further along, but this was a good start.” He shifted his focus to the monk with the slash across his chest, and asked him something in his own tongue.

After the monk replied and clutched his chest, Aela chimed in, pointing for him to sit down. Once the monk was situated, she knelt in front of him and put her hand to his chest. Taking a deep breath, she said a prayer in Southern Dasosan, and the area around the monk’s chest began to glow. The bleeding ceased after a minute and only a scar remained. She stood up, dusting off her robes, and returned to Lucullus.

“You continue to impress me,” Johannes called out to her as he inspected the monk. “If you two continue this effort the whole way to Inselhauptstadt, I shall take you two with me on our grand campaign against the Diebstahl. If you can handle these thieves, then you will have no problem with the rest. I have no doubt that, with Aela’s many disciplines of Mystiko, no battle is too much.”

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“I hope you are right,” Lucullus replied, sheathing his sword. “This is certainly the most dangerous encounter I’ve had on the road. Even on the robber roads in Lucium, or in its most dangerous woods, I’ve never encountered such an attack.”

“For most, it’s not this dangerous. But when you have such valuable goods in the open it’s only a matter of time before the den of vipers come out to strike.” He sheathed his knife and looked toward the path ahead. “If no one else is hurt, we should keep moving for a while longer. We can still see some, and we have at least another hour before we should make camp for the night.”

The caravan, though shook up by the sudden attack, continued along the path and made two more miles before stopping for the night.

Duke Ignatius greeted Tullius warmly as he entered the court. “How are your efforts in protecting the realm, Tullius?”

“Progress is being made,” he replied before taking a deep breath. “I have something to ask of you, sire.”

The Duke approached him and slung his arm around Tullius’s shoulder. “Let’s discuss it in the war room.” He led Tullius into the war room, and shut door.

“Is there a reason we had to go in here to discuss it?”

He sighed. “I wanted to get out of that court.” He chuckled a little to himself. “If you ever reach a position like mine, dear Tullius, remember what I tell you now. Vassals can be like unruly children at times. You show them kindness, mercy, clemency, and they take that one moment as a sign of weakness, as if I did it because I needed their loyalty and I was losing my grip. Extortion is what it is. Don’t ever extend mercy to these vassals. But if you find your vassals to be grateful then offer the finest calf on Mercuria’s altar for such luck. Everyday I pray that Mors takes these vassals of mine.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, sire,” Tullius replied, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

“Enough about me. What was it you wanted to talk with me about?”

“I come with an offer from Archduchess Sabina.”

His eyes widened. “What does she want with me?”

“I know this may seem strange, but she wants you to swear loyalty to her, and to join her coalition.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Swear loyalty to her?”

Tullius nodded.

“And what is this coalition about?”

“The Archduchess has a great vision for the future. She has recognized the horrible state Lucium is in. With the support she already has, it is clear that she will be able to lead Lucium out of this crisis, and stand against Emporikos.”

“Lead? You mean she wants to overthrow King Titus?”

“She has a plan for a peaceful transition of power.”

He chuckled to himself. “What might that be?”

“The next council.”

He ceased his chuckling, and his expression became serious. “What could she possibly do at the next council? Vote the King into exile?”

Tullius shook his head. “Not quite.”

“Not quite?”

“She already has the support of the whole northern province. None oppose her, in fact, quite the opposite. They have pledged their loyalty in private. Now, she asks you to do the same.”

“I have my allegiances already. I can’t simply forsake my loyalty to the King. And I’ve heard some disturbing things about Sabina, too.”

“What have you heard?”

He looked down. “Some say she’s possessed. Others say she’s a witch or a sorceress… That she’s learned some dark power to control her servants, and make them slaves.”

“Slander!” Tullius cried out. “I’m sure many people are jealous of her temporal power, and seek to justify their own rebellion. No doubt she has made many enemies, but the prosperity of her province is unmatched by the rest of Lucium. Her policies are harsh at times, but it is necessary to sometimes chastise those under your charge. Surely you understand that. You have said it yourself: ‘don’t ever extend mercy to these vassals’. You know that twisting a vassal’s arm can often be the only way to get their attention. I don’t like to be harsh in my diplomacy, but I know that someone in her position has no choice at times.”

“I can’t deny the prosperity in her land, but I still don’t like her ways. She extorts her vassals like my vassals try to extort me. Sure, her goals and my goals often overlap, but her methods are not my methods.”

“I can personally vouch for the Archduchess. With her leading the way, Lucium will enter an era of great peace and glory.”

Ignatius looked at him, unconvinced.

“In all that I’ve done for you, remember how I’ve done it.”

He sighed. “I know, you first try diplomacy. Always hesitant to resort to the sword.”

“I would never follow a conqueror. I only harm the wicked.”

“What’s your point?”

“I know a tyrant when I see one, and I don’t see one in her,” he answered with a stern expression.

Ignatius wiped his forehead and sighed. “I just can’t ignore the troubling signs.”

“You’ve trusted me in everything else. Why not this?”

“It’s not you, it’s Sabina. I don’t trust her.”

Tullius put his hands on the table. “I trust her. And I am giving you my word that she is the one you should follow. It was not Sabina that came to convince you. I have relayed her request, and I am advising you on a course of action, not her. Why don’t you trust me on this?”

After a long silence, Ignatius finally replied, “Very well. You’ve made your point. Wait here. I shall return to you with a letter of my acceptance for you to deliver to the Archduchess. You have not been wrong thus far, so I will continue to trust your counsel.”

“Thank you, sire. You will not regret it.”

The Duke went into his chamber and begrudgingly drafted his letter, and returned to Tullius.

With the letter in hand, Tullius said his farewell and mounted his horse to make haste back to Castle Avarus. Along his journey he thought of the bright future of Lucium, and of how his village could one day be free from the regular bandit raids. The thoughts brought a smile to his face, and even a happy tear to his eye. If ever he had the opportunity, he would return to the village and stay with Claudia for a few days. He knew she was in good hands with the other women of the village, but they couldn’t stay all day, and she probably could use someone to talk to in her times of difficulty.