The road to the village turned out to be shorter than it seemed. If you avoided the main road and tried to descend the mountain through the narrow paths, which could only be traveled on foot, it was a pleasant walk.

In just a short twenty minutes, Vaenal arrived at the village. He barely had any entertainment in the four days he had spent in the tower. Sitting for hours on the cold floor of a cavern, trying something that seemed impossible was not particularly enjoyable. The valley was known for a wine of the highest quality, and this fact was one of the few things that had comforted him upon learning he would be sent there. He only had to find a local tavern and he could forget his problems for a few hours. Realizing how close he actually was to the village had given him new strength.

The streets were mundane to him, but there was more life in them than he had expected. A large number of merchants were selling their products outside. Perfumes, remedies, wine... The latter was a tempting purchase for Vaenal, but he preferred to wait until he reached the tavern, as drinking standing up and on the street would be indecorous for a noble.

Reedal had consented to his little escapade, but had given him more warnings than necessary. Hide his identity, his origin, not draw attention, return before nightfall, not show the money he carried... The old man barely left his tower, what did he know about life in civilization? Despite its flaws, the nobility was beloved by the common people. They looked after their people, provided them with jobs, security...

Something was wrong.

Nothing had changed in the atmosphere of the town, but he began to feel watched. He stopped in his tracks and turned around. The people passing by noticed this action, which attracted more looks, but he wasn't worried about those looks. The look he was worried about was from the hooded figure who had hidden upon realizing that Vaenal had spotted him. He had heard of the pickpockets in the capital. They usually stole money from visitors to the city and then disappeared without a trace. They usually didn't choose nobles as their victims, as the punishments if caught in the act would be much more severe, but no one in the town knew who he was. The thief would undoubtedly stop following him once he entered one of the taverns.

After crossing a couple of streets, he finally found a tavern that looked acceptable. It wasn't The Wandering Stag, his favorite tavern in Zinthfair, but it looked good. He would undoubtedly become a regular customer for as long as he stayed in the tower. The hooded man had stopped following him, or perhaps only learned to hide better. That didn't matter anymore, he wouldn't dare to rob him in such a crowded place.

The atmosphere inside The Traveler's Toast was quite pleasant. Maybe he should have asked his servant Zures to accompany him, he certainly deserved the rest almost as much as he did. He scanned the interior of the tavern with his gaze. All the tables were already occupied and the clientele was very diverse. Among them, he could distinguish peasants and servants, guards and mercenaries, but the most striking sight was that of a Shautho woman who was sitting in one of the corners of the tavern, leaning back on a large sofa with her arms extended over the backrest. Her skin had a dark tone and she had the characteristic features of people from the south. The huge greatsword next to her and her light armor seemed to reveal that she was a mercenary and she was speaking casually with two companions, who had a large jug of beer in their hand.

Seeing that there was no table to sit at, Vaenal headed straight to the empty bar and sat on one of the high stools.

"I'd like to try your best wine," Reedal said to the bartender with a smile.

"Can you afford it?" the bartender asked, examining him closely. "The best wines in the valley aren't for everyone's pockets."

At the comment, Vaenal took out the necklace he was hiding inside his shirt and let it hang in his hand, under the bartender's attentive gaze. It looked like a simple silver pendant, but the Lamalli emblem was unmistakable. The bartender paled, understanding immediately.

"Excuse me, lord Pallius, I didn't recognize you," the bartender said, hastily pouring the contents of a wine bottle into an elegant glass.

After serving him the glass with a trembling hand, he paused for a moment to look at his younger waitress, who, judging by the resemblance, was possibly his daughter. He spoke with barely a whisper.

"You came in person to take...," he tried to ask, paling.

"Pallius is my brother," Vaenal cut him off. "I've been the apprentice of the wizard Reedal for a few days now."

The man regained some color and relaxed slightly. He nodded and went back to work. The tavern's customers continued to talk and laugh at the usual volume, but around him, Vaenal noticed how the people at the nearest tables had stopped talking.

Vaenal held the glass with one hand and took a sip. He had tasted this wine before. After all, it was his brother who imported it to the capital. It was still as delicious as the last time he tried it. He turned his stool slightly to be able to see the rest of the tavern. The members of the table closest to the bar had stopped talking and were staring at him intently. He wasn't an expert at recognizing expressions, but he could swear that their faces reflected an atrocious and disproportionate hatred. Vaenal couldn't understand why, but he knew an easy solution to get out of these situations.

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"Bartender, buy a round for everyone present," said Vaenal.

The bartender opened his mouth to say something, but then swallowed his words. Dejectedly, he started handing out free drinks to everyone present. Most people gestured their gratitude towards Vaenal. The Shautho woman lifted her glass in the air and made a slight bow of the head, which seemed to be a universal gesture of thanks.

When it was his turn to receive his free round, the men who had been staring at him got up. One of them placed his hand on the bartender's shoulder and whispered something in his ear. After that, the three of them left through the main door, not without throwing their drinks at the surprised Vaenal.

He didn't understand what had just happened, but took the opportunity to occupy the table that had been left empty. Not as much wine had spilled on him as he had initially thought, but Zures would still have to spend hours cleaning the wine stains. He would have preferred his servant not to have to work so hard.

Hours passed and he observed how the tavern slowly began to empty. As people left through the door, they all avoided looking at him. Only the group of mercenaries led by the dark-skinned woman gave him a glance before leaving. When he tried to pay his bill, the bartender repeatedly refused, each time more nervous than before. He eventually gave up, but didn't understand the bartender's attitude. Including all the wine he had tried and the free round of drinks, the bartender had lost a lot of money.

Finally leaving the tavern, Vaenal could see that it had grown dark outside. He didn't have an easy way to keep track of time while inside a closed establishment and drinking. He hadn't expected to start his journey to the tower so late. In the middle of the night, the lively town he had seen in the afternoon had changed. There were hardly any people on the streets and the only signs of life that could be seen were a few cats whose shining eyes followed him in the night.

The intimidating presence of the hooded figure hadn't sought out any new victims. After walking a couple of streets, he realized he was still being followed. In the middle of the night, their presence was even more terrifying, and knowing so clearly that he was being followed, Vaenal refused to go back to the tower. His only option was to spend the night in an inn, and luckily, he remembered passing one on the way to the tavern. Illuminated only by the moonlight, he headed there.

Vaenal never made it into the inn.

As he approached the door, someone blocked his path. They stood a few steps away from him, but it was clear they wouldn't let him in. Two more men approached from behind Vaenal, who was now surrounded by the three men. This couldn't end well. Not for Vaenal, at least. The hooded figure continued to watch him from a distance. He had stopped hiding, but didn't seem willing to join the men surrounding him.

"Retiring to your quarters already, your majesty?" said one of the men behind him.

"Didn't find anyone to your liking?" said another.

"What they mean is that we thought you would like to continue the party. You seemed to be having fun at the tavern," said the man in front of him.

"I appreciate it, but I think it's time for me to..." Vaenal began, trying to dodge the man in front of him and enter the inn.

The man didn't let him pass. He stayed at a distance and with his arm extended, placed a hand on Vaenal's shoulder.

"Ellis. Do you remember her? A month ago, you 'offered' her a job in the capital. The last news we had was that she was forced into prostitution to pay for her trip back."

"I didn't even receive letters from my little Christy. Is she at least alive?"

Vaenal began to get more nervous, but he said nothing. In response to the silence, the man in front of him continued speaking.

"The gentlemen have asked you a question, Pallius. I'm sure a refined nobleman knows it's good manners to answer," said the man in front of him in a threatening manner. "I don't know why you came in person, but you won't take Issen as well. You've humiliated the tavern keeper enough."

He relaxed a little. All this was Pallius' problem, he had nothing to do with it.

"Gentlemen, I think this is all a big misunderstanding. I'm not Pallius, I'm his younger brother," said Vaenal, trying to appear calm, but failing.

Even in the darkness of the night, Vaenal could see a smile on the man's face, a smile that was not at all friendly.

"Pallius took my sister," said the man in front of him. "It seems appropriate that I take his brother's life."

Squeezing his hand tightly on Vaenal's shoulder, he pulled out a dagger with a quick gesture and pulled his arm back, taking momentum to forcefully drive it into the young noble's heart. It all happened in a second. Blood splattered on Vaenal and the man who had tried to kill him was falling to the ground, pierced by what appeared to be a simple iron rod. The mysterious rod had gone through him with such force that the body moved almost a meter in the fall. In the chaos, none of those present had noticed that the hooded figure had been approaching them. When Vaenal saw the hooded figure approaching him, he could only think that it was death, that it had come to take him away.

Without removing his hood, Reedal threw a bag at the nearest man. The bag collided with his chest and he took a step back, as if pushed by the force of the impact. Inside the bag, the unmistakable sound of coins could be heard. "Give him the funeral you deem most appropriate, but there won't be another bag for the next one," Reedal said, still approaching his apprentice.

He reached Vaenal, who could only sense the contained rage in his master's face, and pointed a finger towards the way back. With a nod of his head, he indicated that he wanted him to follow. Vaenal and Reedal took the path to the tower, being watched by the Shautho woman who had been in the tavern a few hours before.

No one said anything and no one dared to follow them. Until both figures were lost in the distance, no one moved a muscle.

Vaenal was in shock. He had been very close to death. He had seen a man die in front of him. Much of his shirt was speckled with drops of blood, which now mingled with those of the wine. Reedal said nothing. The silence weighed heavily in the atmosphere and became unbearable for Vaenal.

"Master, thank you for saving me," Vaenal said.

"Shut up," Reedal interrupted brusquely.

Neither of them spoke again until they reached their destination.