It was a two-day travel to the next town once the three decided what would be best course of action. There was an old fishermen’s village west of their current location, but the issue was that it would take them two weeks to travel there. The other option was a farmer’s village eastward.

Gabriel led them eastward to the village of Fimal. He told Noah and Theo how this village was once one of the trading routes. Many here would travel to Líadain to sell their crops during the large festivals and markets that happened once or twice a year.

Theo remembered selling fresh breads at these markets when his parents were alive. It brought a sad smile to his face that Noah caught. Those were some of the best memories Theo had of his parents and brother.

Noah chuckled at a memory. “Do you remember that one year Natalie stole that sack of flour from Mr. Oswald.”

“Yeah,” Theo let out a laugh. He turned to Gabriel who was listening intently. “Someone else had found dye…”

“I think it was Emily.”

“Emily yeah, and so we mixed the flour with this blood red dye and used them as powder bombs.” Theo was smiling ear to ear along with Noah.

Gabriel grinned and cocked an eyebrow. “And what exactly did you use these bombs for?”

Theo glanced to Noah and Noah took over the story. “We attacked the royal guards.”

They all played a game to see who could get the most hits in. Noah managed to win with twenty hits in by the end of the day. Everyone was laughing at the site of the normally pristine armors of the royal guard now covered in caked dyed flour. It was one of the last good days in Líadain before things took a turn.

“That was a fun day.” Theo smiled sadly. A few weeks after that he was the one would find their parents dead in the bakery. No one would have answers as to how they were killed or who had done it. It was also the last market that would be held. That next year war was declared by the king.

Gabriel could sense the change in Theo and Noah. He cleared his throat. “It looks like another mile and we’ll be in town.” Hopefully the change of topic would get the brothers’ minds off whatever they were thinking about. “We’ll settle in and figure out where to go from here.”

The ride was quiet for the remainder of the time left on the trail. Once they made it closer to the village, it was clear what the years of war had done to this place. A once bustling and happy village now a mere whisper of the past. Most of the homes looked as if they’d collapse with a gentle breeze. Theo looked around with sadness filling his heart. It was a reminder that the little guys were the ones paying the consequences.

A man greeted them as the three entered in. Gabriel hopped off into the muddy street. If that’s what it could be called.

“We don’t take in travelers.”

“I know. I’m here to speak with Matilda,” Gabriel answered in a hushed voiced. The atmosphere over the entire village was heavy with fear and anxiety.

The man tilted his head slightly then his eyes went wide in realization. “Gabriel?” When he saw that Gabriel didn’t recognize him, he continued. “It’s Riley.”

That’s when the realization hit Gabriel and he wrapped Riley in a tight embrace. Theo and Noah only watched quietly from their horses. When he pulled away, Riley was on the brink of tears.

Riley shook his head and a shadow fell over his face. “Matilda was killed.”

“What?” Gabriel’s eyes widened slightly but he knew this wasn’t the moment to freak out. Not when any sudden movements could get them killed.

“A royal official came through last week with a few soldiers. The king ordered that all runaways be killed instead of held for return to Líadain. Matilda was found to be hiding three runaways.” Riley leaned in to whispered, “All four were killed that night.”

Gabriel turned back to Theo and Noah who were patiently waiting. An unsettling feeling sunk in his stomach. Something here wasn’t right, but he couldn’t figure it out.

“Listen we need a place to stay for tonight.” Gabriel grabbed his arms with a small amount of force. “We won’t cause you trouble and we’ll be out before first light.”

The dark circles under Riley’s eyes aged him years older than what he truly was. “My house. You go straight there and don’t stop. Lock yourself inside. There’s some bread that’s a few days old if you need something to eat.” He looked around at some curious eyes. “They aren’t keen on strangers coming in. Just keep your wits about you and get out as fast as you can.” Riley turned to face Gabriel. “That official didn’t just stop for the orders. We aren’t on any maps they use.” Gabriel picked up on exactly what he was implying.

Gabriel thanked Riley and hurried along with the boys. Many of the villagers watched with passive glances as they worked their small gardens. The fields beyond the village now home to overgrowth and whatever decided to live there.

They secured the horses and locked themselves in away from prying eyes.

~~~*~~~

No one had bothered the three at all and night was approaching. Gabriel hadn’t seen Riley the rest of the day, but Like him Riley wasn’t one to stay in place for too long.

Gabriel lit a few candles that now gave off a soft light as the sun was setting quickly. From his bag, he pulled out a fairly large folded map that was then spread out on the floor. The map encased all of the Northern Kingdom and Southern Kingdom, but nothing of the Eastern Kingdom as Gabriel hadn’t been able to travel there. Any maps of the Western Kingdom were all their own as it was the largest of the four.

“We need the figure out our best option from here.” Gabriel read over the names on the map. “There’s some miners towns near the base of the mountain range, but that may be last option.”

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

“Why?” Noah sat across from Gabriel looking over the Eastern Kingdom.

“They’re… very strange groups.” Understatement of the decade. He saw both boys lean in slightly waiting for him to finish. “They believe that a very powerful entity lives within the mountains. Everything they do is to praise that entity. Those stories of travelers vanishing… well it’s most likely because of the miner towns.”

Noah half joked, “They doing human sacrifices.” Gabriel gave him a blank stare and the smile vanished from Noah’s face.

He realized that Noah and Theo had been pretty much sheltered from how the world worked. They had been kept behind the walls of Líadain and never told of the outside world. Gabriel abandoned the maps and turned his attention to the boys. “How much of the world do you know about outside of what they taught you in Líadain?”

“Nothing really,” Noah said. “Mostly that everything we needed would be within the walls of Líadain and leaving is seen as being a traitor to the king.”

Gabriel was absolutely floored by this. He hadn’t been to the royal city in a while but this new teaching was something he wasn’t aware of.

“It wasn’t always like that.” Both Gabriel and Noah turned to Theo who spoke. “That’s what mom told me. She said that the king didn’t always rule with an iron fist and that they used to be free to come and go as they pleased. Even other kingdoms.”

War and those who wish it will always be the downfall of civilization.

“Then I will tell you this.” Gabriel said. “The world outside those walls is nothing like you’ve ever seen. You will not be sheltered from anything. That means you will see things that you won’t understand. The good and bad.” His eyes reflecting the candle light almost made them look like they were glowing. Gabriel hard stare sent a cold shiver down Noah’s back. “However, I’m here to keep you safe.”

He pulled over the map again. “We have a way until the border, but there’s a few towns along the way that we can resupply at and rest.” Gabriel ran his finger from town to town making an imaginary path. “From the last town to the border will be a week’s travel if the weather is decent.”

Noah leaned over to get a better look. “That’s where we’ll part ways I’m assuming.”

“Then you assume wrong.” Gabriel glanced up from the map. “I’m getting you as far into the Southern Kingdom as possible. There’s a little town practically on the border. I have a friend there that’ll let us rest up for a few days because after that we’re traveling to Asra.” He pointed to the name that was almost in the center of the Southern Kingdom.

“How long?” Noah looked over the vast wilderness between where Gabriel was pointing and Asra.

“Three weeks.”

Noah looked over at Theo to get his reaction. Theo only nodded and that was enough for Noah.

Gabriel glanced between the two and waited.

Noah looked at him. “Alright then.”

~~~*~~~

Noah had passed out on the floor about an hour after they were finished planning their travels. Gabriel had found some more blankets and a few worn pillows for them all. He noticed that Theo was nowhere and went outside looking for him. Theo was sitting on the step of the porch silently watching the night sky. The dreary day had cleared that evening.

“You alright out here?” Theo turned as Gabriel broke the silence.

Theo nodded and went back to watching the stars. Gabriel joined him.

“You study constellations?” Gabriel watched Theo as his eyes moved from one star to another.

“Never was able to.” Theo answered as he watched a shooting star zoom across the sky. “We didn’t have the money or status for us to attend higher education.”

Gabriel chuckled at the thought of the uptight academics. He was never one for the structure of school. “You don’t need some royal school and books to tell you about the night sky.”

Theo smiled. “I guess spending all your time hiding on roof tops gives you all the time in the world to look at the night sky.”

“That’s true but I was talking about traveling.” He watched as Theo’s face dropped and remorse filled his eyes. “It’s alright. My job isn’t the greatest but it’s gotten me this far in life. We weren’t all lucky enough to have parents that raised us.”

“You were an orphan?”

“That’s what everyone told me and I never questioned it. Some say they knew my parents, others said my parents abandoned me. It didn’t matter to me because at the end of the day I was still trying to survive so why does it matter what happened to my parents.” Theo nodded in agreement. “I learned from a young age how to steal and pit pocket for money.” Gabriel always had trouble remembering his childhood. There were bits and pieces he could remember, but it was never clear pictures and it always ended with a flash of bright light.

“So when did you decide that pit pocketing wasn’t enough and became an assassin for hire?” It was partially a joke. Gabriel could see the hint of a smile on Theo’s lips.

Gabriel thought about it for a minute. “I don’t really know. Maybe around twelve or thirteen I picked up a bow and from then it’s a blur.”

Theo nodded. “Well maybe you can teach me how to use a bow.”

“If you want.” Gabriel answered softly. “You never know when a skill like that will come in handy.”

“Yeah.”

The conversation died down after that and they sat on the porch for another hour or so watching the sky. Every so often Gabriel would point out a constellation and Theo would repeat it. Once the air cooled down to a chill, they both called it a night.

~~~*~~~

The sun was greeting a dewy morning to the little village. Many were already stirring readying for another hard day rising before the sun had even broken the horizon. Theo was the first to wake up. Though dark out, Theo peaked though the dirty window to get a look at the horses. It was difficult and the glass distorted much of the outside, but he saw something peculiar. Two northern guards dressed in their signature blood red uniforms walking down the dirt path. Their heads on a swivel as if they were searching for something or someone. Theo had a dreaded feeling in the pit of his stomach as he continued to watch the two men. One went on down the path until the other called back for him and pointed to a house. Theo's stomach dropped. It was the house they were in and the soldiers were heading this way. Theo thought quickly and pulled the curtains on the window and was trying to pull the table in front of the door. The commotion of the table woke Gabriel and Noah. They looked at Theo in confusion but he put a finger to his lips then pointed towards the door. Noah was still confused but Gabriel jumped into action helping Theo move the table then looked out through the curtains trying not to give away their positions. The only thing going for them was the darkness. They heard the heavy boots creak across the porch. No one moved or dared to breathe. Gabriel pointed at their shoes because when the opportunity showed itself, they would run for it.

A loud knock broke through the silence followed by a gruff voice of one of the soldier, "Open up!"

They all quietly and slowly put their shoes on and grabbed their bags. Gabriel placed his quiver over him and drew an arrow to be ready. Noah and Theo looked at each then at Gabriel. Noah looked around before grabbing a pan and Theo rolled his eyes. Noah shrugged, at least he had a weapon.

"I know you're in here. Now open this damn door." The officer was becoming more demanding, "You don't come out then we're coming in after you."

Gabriel mouthed to the others to stay quiet. He peaked through a small sliver of certain to see the two officers just standing there. Luckily no swords drawn. "By order of whom," Gabriel yelled back.

"By order of the king himself." Theo and Noah looked mortified. Someone had ratted them out.

"Fine I'll open the door. Just step back, will you?" Gabriel saw pure terror on the boys’ faces. He bent down and took the dagger from its hiding place on his boot and gave it to Theo.

He moved the table and unlocked the door. He motioned his head at the boys to move to the side so the soldiers hopefully wouldn't see them right away. Noah stood there, both hands on the handle of the pan ready to swing and Theo grip tightened on the dagger. Gabriel placed his arrow back in the quiver and bow over his shoulder and pulled out a second hidden dagger placing it in his belt. He held up his hand counter to three then opened the door.