“You want to scout out Bredon?” asked Gunner.

Standing in the throne room, with Bagheera by my side, I tried to calm my nerves by balling my hand into a fist. Gunner sat on his throne, his claws digging into the armrests. It had been a day since the bandits first came to the fortress. Without much time, Nia, Greenspring, and I decided we needed to make a move.

“Unlike the other towns near the fortress, Bredon is located on the river. From what the reports you’ve provided me say, it has a healthy trade district set up in the center of the town. A large amount of money circulating through a small town like Bredon requires a force to protect it. Your reports don’t say anything about such a force, it doesn’t even mention the city having guards.”

Gunner scratched his chin. “Who wrote those reports?”

I shrugged. “It doesn’t say, but I imagine they’re quite old. The paper is starting to turn yellow.”

“So you wish to take a couple of days and scout out Bredon? Why not have someone else do that? I need you preparing the troops.”

“Bredon is closest to here, so it makes the most sense to attack it first. If we walk in unprepared, your campaign could end before it’s even started. Considering the quality of the last scouting report, there is no one better than myself.”

Gunner’s yellow eyes turned toward Bagheera, his pupils were thin streaks of black. “Then why are you asking for Bagheera to go with you?”

I placed a hand on Bagheera’s shoulder. “I need someone to watch my back while I’m in town. If I went by myself, it would take more time to try and be safe.”

Bagheera stepped forward and bowed. “I will make sure he returns safely, my king.”

“I doubt he would run, but make sure of it. You may go.” He waved his hand dismissively. As we walked out of the throne room, I couldn’t help but smile. Everything was finally going according to plan.

When I had told Nia and Greenspring about the army of bandits, we spent that night coming up with a new plan. While I was busy talking to Gunner, Greenspring would use the leaf to talk to the leader of his druid cult. Bagheera and I would meet with the leader in Bredon and show them the way to the fortress. We would strike first before Gunner ever got the chance to use his new army.

Of course, we needed to find Henry and Tamara before the druids got there. To do that, Nia and Greenspring needed access to the entire fortress. Thankfully, Gunner had given me exactly what we needed: my illusion book. Since I was able to learn illusion magic from the book, I was sure Greenspring, or even Nia, could as well. I wished I could have stayed and helped them, but I was the only one allowed outside of the fortress.

Before we left for Bredon, I stopped in my room to grab my mandolin and some supplies. Nodding to the guard outside of my room, I walked in and closed the door behind me. Nia and Greenspring were sitting on the bed, the book open between them. Both of them had tied their hair in a bun. Arienne was laying on the floor, drawing pictures in the dust with her finger. Once I shut the door, Nia and Greenspring looked up at me apprehensively.

“Looks like I’ll be heading to Bredon. Made any progress?” I asked, grabbing my mandolin from the closest. We spoke in low tones, making sure to avoid being overheard.

Nia sighed. “Well, one of us is.”

Greenspring shook his head. “Illusion magic is extremely difficult to learn, especially for a novice magician. The fact you can do any kind of illusion at all is impressive.”

“Show me,” I said, smiling. Arienne glanced up from her artwork. She had seen me use magic on the farm, so she wasn’t as enchanted as she would have been. Still, she seemed to admire Nia, so she watched carefully.

Nia took a deep breath. She grabbed my pillow and held it out toward me. Running her hands along the edges, she muttered something in a language I didn’t understand. Spreading out from her fingertips, like water soaking a piece of paper, the grey pillow turned red. The farther away from her fingers the lighter the shade of red. Once she was done, the outside was a deep crimson, and the inside a bright pink.

Arienne clapped. “Keep going!”

She let go of the breath she was holding, sweat starting to form on her brow. “I can’t.” Nia shook her head, throwing the pillow back onto the bed.

“That was good!” I said, stepping closer to examine the quality of the illusion. It seemed to shimmer in the candlelight but otherwise looked like it was red. At least, in some parts of the pillow.

“Not good enough,” she said, grabbing the book and flipping through it.

“It will be,” Greenspring said. It had to be.

I turned toward Greenspring. “Did you talk to them?”

He nodded. “They will meet you by the riverbank north of Bredon. Tell them Greenspring sent you.”

As I left the room, walking down the hall, I remembered that I never asked what this leader looked like. I shrugged, figuring that it wouldn’t be a problem. If Greenspring told the leader what I looked like, then they would see me and Bagheera coming. In the worst-case scenario, I would have to spend some extra time looking for them.

After meeting Bagheera in the hall, we made our way outside the fortress. Bandits and other brigands passed us in the hallways, but they didn’t give more than a passing glance. Or at least that’s what I thought. As we stood outside the secret tunnel leading outside, I felt a tap on my shoulder.

“That’s a nice instrument you got there.” The voice had a thick accent, making it hard to understand what they were saying.

I turned around to examine the figure. They looked male, with broad shoulders and a rough-looking beard. His head was shaved, scars on the top of his head showing it was by choice. Like the other bandits, he wore furs and leather, but his were covered in dirt and stains. He smiled, showing off several missing teeth. The other teeth he had were yellowed and covered in grime.

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“Yes, it was a gift from my teacher,” I said, gripping my mandolin tightly.

“That king harska said you was supposed to lead us. Looking a bit scrawny to be a leader.”

“He seems to think I can handle the job.”

The bandit laughed. “Guess so, where you headed?”

Bagheera and I exchanged a glance. “We’re on a mission for the king.”

He nodded. “Ah! The king, you say? Fancy one more?”

I shook my head. “We had to receive special permission for this mission. If you want to leave you’ll have to ask Gunner.”

“King Gunner you mean,” he replied.

“King Gunner. You’ll have to ask King Gunner.”

The bandit frowned. “But I’m so bored. How’re we supposed to wait two weeks doing nothing? Shouldn’t you be training us or something, boss-man? Isn’t that what a guy like you would do?”

My eyebrows twitched. “This mission takes precedence, we can do some training when I get back.”

He looked down at Bagheera. “What about him? Why does he get to go with?”

Bagheera pointed down the hall. “Stop asking questions and follow orders. Return to your room.”

Bending down, the bandit smiled at Bagheera. “I don’t have to follow your orders, only your king’s.”

“Who told you to follow mine,” I replied.

The bandit shrugged. “During battle. Otherwise, I’m a free spirit.”

“Then why don’t you leave?” asked Bagheera, clenching his fists.

“Because I’m more interested in what you two are doing, and why you don’t want me coming along.”

I grabbed the edge of the tunnel, moving my mandolin around so it laid on my chest. “If you have a complaint, tell it to the king. We don’t have time to waste arguing with you.”

The bandit stood up, still smiling. “Very well, Norman. I get the message.” He turned away, waving goodbye. “Have fun in Bredon.”

Before we could turn around, he was already gone. Disappeared around the corner and out of our sight. We didn’t have time to chase after him, so I let him go. It was unfortunate that he had learned of the plan to go to Bredon, but there was no way he knew about the rest. I hoped he didn’t know about the rest.

If we ran, Bredon was two days away. We spent the nights alternating watches and staying out of sight. A good night’s rest wasn’t an option. Bagheera and I only slept four hours each night. To stay hidden, I used some illusions to make us look like a father and son hiking through the countryside.

Bagheera kept pace with me well, but I could tell his legs were hurting after that first day. His limp became more pronounced and he had to ask for more breaks. I wanted to reach Bredon as fast as possible. We didn’t have time to mess around in town, and even less once we left. Still, Bagheera was helping me so we rested an extra day.

By the time we reached Bredon, we were tired, dirty, and hurting. Bredon didn’t have a wall or anything surrounding it. Instead, the river snaked around the city like a natural barrier. Built onto the river, a small harbor housed merchant ships and other small vessels. This was the furthest up the coasts those ships could go. They sold anything and everything weighing them down and gave away the rest. The trade district set around the harbor had made Bredon very wealthy.

Bredon was made up of small brick houses and wide cobblestone streets. People walked the streets in groups of two or more, conversing loudly. On the edges of the street, large men holding polearms watched the people. Bredon didn’t have guards or any policing force. Instead, merchants paid individuals called enforcers to watch for any kind of disturbances. The mayor wasn’t too happy about it, from what I’d heard, but the people didn’t mind. As long as they stayed orderly, everyone was happy.

Since the crowds were too big to avoid being touched, so as not to break the illusion, we returned to our normal looks. Bagheera wore a thick cloak but otherwise didn’t hide the fact he was a harska. I didn’t know how people in Bredon felt about harska, but I was sure I could convince them to let us through.

As we walked through the streets, I felt every enforcer’s eye on me. They openly pointed at me and Bagheera, talking in low tones amongst themselves. I didn’t meet their gaze. All we had to do was walk through town and meet with the druids. If we didn’t bother them, they wouldn’t bother us. Or at least that’s what I hoped.

“You in the brown cloak! Come here.”

I turned around. An older-looking woman with grey hair cut short pointed at Bagheera from the edge of the street. She wore leather studded armor and had a mace in her right hand. Bagheera shrugged, carefully making his way through the crowd over to the woman. Panicking, I followed. Sweat formed on my brow, already starting to drip down my back.

“Business in Bredon?” she asked, her voice rough like she had spent her life smoking.

“Passing through to meet a friend on the other side of town,” replied Bagheera calmly.

“And what about him?” She pointed toward me.

“The same.”

“What are your names?” she asked, her fingers tapping against her mace.

“I’m Norman Benson,” I said before placing a hand on Bagheera’s back. “And this is Bagheera.”

Thanks to the fake name I had been using during my travels, I knew there were no issues using my real name. Bagheera never talked to anyone outside of the fortress, so I knew saying his name wouldn’t be a problem. He raised an eyebrow, looking up at me, but I ignored it. The main reason I didn’t lie was so any druids nearby could overhear me.

For the first time since we had walked over, the enforcer smiled. “Follow me.”

Rather than continue down the street, she walked down an alleyway, moving away from the river. I was nervous about following her, but I knew we had no choice. If she chose to call for the other enforcers, we would be jailed, or even killed on the spot. We had to follow her. If it came to a fight, I was sure Bagheera could take her with my help.

We jumped from alleyway to alleyway. Some were so small I had to pull in my stomach to fit. The enforcer didn’t say anything, occasionally she looked behind her to make sure we were there. Finally, we made it to the edge of the town. On this side, furthest from the river, the houses were covered in weeds. Missing bricks and broken windows made the area look abandoned.

“My name is Khristi,” said the enforcer, stopping at the edge of the cobblestone street. Grass grew in patches as it extended into small hills and valleys. She stood on one of these patches, turning around to look at us. “Play me a song, Norman.”

Pulling my mandolin in front of me, I tested the strings with my fingertips. I thought of the first time I met Greenspring, playing in the inn at Kent’s Crossing. Taking a deep breath, I played the first couple of notes. The music bounced off the buildings, causing hidden eyes to search for the source.

I knew a girl, across the sea,

Could it be, she fancied me,

Mailed her presents and gold galore,

As I waited for her on the seashore.

Oh Beth, oh Beth, I’ll wait for you,

Oh Beth, oh Beth, our love is true.

Before I could finish the song, people started to come out of the abandoned houses. Some crawled on their hands, dragging their body across the floor. Others flew through the air, massive wings coming from their back holding them aloft. Most walked normally. Behind them, a crowd of animals formed.

Bears, pigs, horses, birds of prey, and many more different types moved behind Khristi. There were many animals I didn’t know the names of. Giant creatures with necks stretching to the sky. Massive beasts made of muscle with a horn extending from their nose. Another hung by its tail from the antlers of a deer. They were all silent, listening intently.

When I was done, Khristi gestured to the crowd behind her. “Norman Benson, Bagheera, meet the druids of the world.”