“Hyeonnam.”

Kodik slowed down, caught up with Weakling, and gave him a mighty kick.

“Faster! You ate two bowls of porridge yesterday! Work it off. Move your legs!”

Indeed, the guy ran quicker, but he didn’t last long.

“Skinny.”

He was at my side in two wide strides.

“Young master?”

“Find us a place to rest. No more than half an hour’s run,” I said sternly. Remembering how quickly he could move through the trees, I added: “At our pace.”

“Understood, young master.” Skinny touched his slender, four-fingered hand to his chest.

He picked up the pace. I grinned, watching his back. Kodik had trained them well. Every day, I was more and more convinced that he had been more than a simple caravan guard, but as long as he was loyal to me and our agreement, I didn’t care about his past.

While I was busy contemplating, Skinny disappeared behind the trees. Sometimes he seemed to slip through the bushes, literally slipping between the branches. Andamo was known for its dense forests and marvelous hunters. Skinny was skilled, there was no arguing about that, but Feerm’s blood flowing in his veins most certainly played a role in his agility.

Weakling had barely caught his breath when Skinny appeared from behind the trees and waved. Not only had he found a great spot but he also managed to raid some beast’s pantry: he handed everyone a handful of nuts. Everyone except me. I gestured to stop him as soon as he tried to approach me. A lord might share food with his men on a campaign, but these guys hadn’t yet earned that honor. Even if I was the heir of a Minor House who hadn’t been initiated.

Once we were rested, I stood up without a word. We still had at least an hour of running.

Today’s task was simple: we had received an order from the ‘King of the Forge’ to join his forces and deal with the invaders. We were to go to the village marked on the map, get horses, and be at the battlefield two hours before sunset. In short, circle through the forests and roads around Verda to make it back to the Forge by night. We didn’t make the deadline yesterday, so today, after assessing the depth of the snow, I decided to cut through the forest to shorten the route.

The village was very small, with houses clustered rather than spread out. I doubted there were more than ten. The buildings were surrounded by a flimsy fence that was half buried in the snow.

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Breathing loudly, my men stopped near the tallest house, covered with light straw that hadn’t yet darkened.

“Hyeonnam, fetch the elder.”

He nodded and pounded on the door, nearly ripping it from its hinges.

“Elder!”

But he was in no hurry to answer the summons. Squinting, I watched a stocky man with a round face and a curly beard open the door and bow to me.

“Your Grace, how can I be of service?” His question was impertinent.

I reminded myself that he wasn’t one of mine and that he was even flattering me by calling me ‘Your Grace’ instead of ‘Honorable Sir.’ Though such flattery was common among the commoners.

“We need horses. Eleven of them.”

“Where from, Your Grace?” the man asked. “We have fewer houses than that.”

I bit my lip, holding back the words that wanted to escape and thought.

“You have no horses at all?” I asked.

“For five shields, Your Grace, we can get you some horses,” the chief said, lowering his voice and leaning forward slightly.

I froze. Why would a peasant need shields? Where would he spend them? At the barracks? What would he exchange them for?

“This is probably just a part of the act...”

I wondered if he’d really bring us horses if I gave him the money, but I didn’t have any to spare. Everything I earned was spent at the end of the day. And yet, my men were starving. There hadn’t been a single day when I managed to complete all the tasks. That had to change. We needed those horses if we were to meet the deadline.

I took a step back from the elder who was staring at me intently.

“Hyeonnam,” I asked quietly, “which one of you is from a village?”

“Weakling, Old Man, and Biggie, young master,” he replied.

“Send them to find out where the horses are kept. If necessary, use force.”

“What are you waiting for?!” Kodik shouted from behind me. “Didn’t you hear the young master? Get moving! Weakling, go that way. Old Man, over there. And you, Biggie, start with the barns.”

All the while, my eyes never left the elder. He just shrugged and stood there, staring back just as intently. I couldn’t stand it anymore.

“You stand in front of an idar, tone down your insolence or I’ll do it for you.”

The man lowered his gaze to the snow beneath our feet and murmured:

“Ah, forgive me, Your Grace. I was just lost in thought.”

Behind me, Cheeky burst into a barely audible laugh. Before I turned to look at him, a scream came from behind the houses. I grabbed my sword when arrows flew at my men. In three heartbeats, I was the only one standing. For a few moments, I stared at the arrow with the blue fletching still burning in Kodik’s chest, then looked away.

Mentor Vizir stepped out of the elder’s house and snorted.

“The letter said the border had been crossed. Seems the invaders were quicker than you were. You have led your men into a trap, young master. Forgot your brain at home, did you?”

“There was no sign of blood or destruction,” I objected. “The elder also seemed calm. He looked at me without fear, not once glancing over his shoulder...” I fell silent, cutting myself off as Vizir grabbed the hilt of his short sword, which glowed blue. All I could do was exhale. “But what difference does it make?”

My sword wasn’t enchanted, but I was aware of my strength. Adalio or Treido could have posed a danger to Vizir, but not me. He was at least an Exalted Swordsman, perhaps even a Paladin. I probably wouldn’t even manage to pierce his skin. But who said I couldn’t try?

I raised my sword to my waist and lunged forward with a swift thrust, aiming the tip of my blade at Vizir’s throat. He attacked from the side, deflecting my blow, spun around, turned his back to me for a moment, and then hit me across the ear.

As I fell, I managed to note regretfully:

“He didn’t even waste the enchanted blade on me.”

Then the world went dark.