Some people are outside. Words echoed inside Saer's head.

Saer plunged the sword inside Calajhan's rib cage.

"No!" Fierlo yelled and pushed Saer.

Calajhan was still far from dying.

"Fierlo, kill him!" Saer begged him.

"Never!"

The door flung open, almost putting dent on the wall. Men in armor ran inside the chamber. Ser Angus being the last.

"Seize this man." Ser Angus pointed at Fierlo.

While the soldiers were busy in stopping Fierlo from being resistive, the breathing body of Nortze Calajhan dissolved in air. The sword with spotless top collapsed on floor.

"Where are you taking him?" Saer asked while Fierlo was being forced outside the room.

"We had made Nortze's doppelganger to test you two. Your friend hesitated to kill him." Ser Angus explained.

You were watching us through the keyhole.

"Get some sleep, Saer." said Angus.

_

Saer couldn’t believe he had slept well despite of all the things he had endured in last several days. Fierlo's incident in particular. Waking up where he had slept made things hard to fathom. Every damage he had taken in past days was now surfacing to his awareness in the form of pain and discomfort.

His ribs had stinging pain. Same was the case with his shoulders.

A night of comfort had made him realize what toll his body had taken. Opening his eyes wide apart, he saw the fireplace where ashes remained of fire which had died last night.

Some half burnt logs were scattered around the room.

Saer turned his head at the window after failing to hear wind hammering on the glass. Wind had relaxed and the weather seemed to have lost its ruthlessness. There was no better time to open the window.

Saer got on his knees then unlocked the window. He observed the things happening underneath him from the distance of more than hundred feet.

Military tents were looking tiny from where he was right now. Smoke was still rising from fire lit by soldiers last night. Men in armor had gathered around the fire which had survived the wind. What Saer was seeing was limited to the things inside castle walls.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

He heard someone on the door. Saer reckoned he had spun fast enough to see who the person was till he saw a man staring at him from the door. The person didn’t move away from the door even though Saer got an eye contact with him.

Must be a servant. Saer thought when he saw him holding a tray occupied by chalices. Saer shut the window and slid the lock to its place.

He turned to see what the squire was thinking about his action but he was gone already. Saer just hoped the servant wouldn’t make any wrong assumptions about opening the window.

A while after the watcher's departure, Commander Evar came inside the room.

"Are you good with swords?" asked Commander Evar from the door.

"Why are you asking?" Saer questioned back the red haired foe.

"It wasn’t my question. Ser Angus wants to know." Evar said a long pause.

"I have learned sword fight in past." Saer replied.

"Follow me." The commander said and started marching, not waiting for Saer.

Saer hasted his way down from bed and began following him.

"Where are you from?" Commander Evar asked him when Saer caught up with his pace.

"Pryeg." Saer lied, looking at the guards standing with lances on either sides of the passage.

"People of Pryeg," scoffed Evar, "they have got white flag to show for every situation."

"Well," Saer said and even got the commander's attention, "the sword one wasn’t your question but I'm sure you share the same curiosity."

"And right now you are not curious about anything, are you?"

Where is Fierlo? Every bit of Saer's brain wanted him to ask the question. Saer, instead, chose silence in response of Evar's jest. He followed his footsteps till they reached infront of a door somewhere deep inside the castle.

Odor of medicines and unknown herbs got strong while Commander Evar knocked. After a click from inside, both got inside the chamber, where Ser Angus was the first man Saer saw.