Sophia gazed at the approaching group from the top of the gate. They were riding slowly, the mountain path difficult to navigate. Sophia estimated nearly two dozen soldiers, all wearing the shining armour of the Prollan Kingdom. A commander unknown to Sophia rode at the head of the column, and at their side was General Zander.

Seeing the General almost made her smile. She had waited so long for him to come, to bring her back to Prolla City, but if only he had come a week earlier. She could not in good conscience leave her fortress now. Not after what had happened. She sighed. She would have to discuss it with Zander.

Sophia turned as the gate opened below her. She strode along the top of the wall, past her soldiers. Their armour gleamed, frantically scrubbed clean in the previous days. She had received word that Zander was coming days ago, and since then the fortress had been in a frenzy. Zander was one of the most important men in the Kingdom, one of two generals and answerable to King Leon alone. Everyone wanted to make a good impression.

Sophia descended the steps to the courtyard. She too had taken action to make herself more presentable. The sun glinted off her armour, her red cape flowing perfectly from her shoulders. Her dark brown hair was pulled back and tied up neatly, revealing her pale face. A thin scar traced along the bottom of the chin, a reminder of a battle years past. She was still young, not even forty yet. She had been in Wardom for over seventeen years, and had spent the last decade exiled to these mountains. But that was at an end now, finally.

Zander and his group reached the courtyard. Sophia approached the General as he began to dismount. “General Zander, I am honoured that you would come here,” Sophia said, bowing slightly.

Zander turned to her. He was only slightly older than her, a rugged beard growing across his chin. He wore no armour, instead electing for simple clothes. He was skilled enough to get by with just those.

“Commander Sophia, it has been too long,” Zander said, smiling at her. “Allow me to introduce Andromeda Fabraeth, a new commander in our ranks.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Commander Sophia,” the woman beside Zander said, stretching out a hand. “I have long heard tales of your exploits.” Andromeda was a young woman, a good decade younger than Sophia. She wore her armour comfortably, like a born warrior. One hand rested near the hilt of her sword, ready to fight at a moment’s notice. Sophia hadn’t heard of her, but that didn’t surprise her. Once she would have known the name of everyone important in Prolla, but her long years of exile had left her out of touch.

“The pleasure is mine, Commander,” Sophia said, shaking the outstretched hand. She turned back to Zander. “I trust your journey was pleasant?”

“Yes, as pleasant as expected,” the General said. “We inspected some of the other fortresses in the mountains, and they all seem to be in good shape.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Come, we have prepared a feast for your arrival. My soldiers will see to your horses.”

“That sounds good.”

Sophia led Zander and Andromeda away from the courtyard and into the stone keep. In the great hall, a feast had been laid across long tables. Sophia knew a feast was too generous a word for it. In the mountains, their food supply was scarce, relying almost solely on what the capital sent. There was little they could do in the way of hunting, and even that would be gone soon. Winter would be upon them in a few weeks, and the mountains would be covered in snow. Sophia hoped to be gone from here by then.

Zander took the top seat at the high table, Sophia sitting on one side and Andromeda on the other. A few other soldiers sat there with them, the highest ranking of Sophia’s subordinates and two of the soldiers who had come with Zander. The rest sat along the other tables in the room, quickly filling up. Soon, the hall was filled with chatter of the soldiers as they dug into their meals.

Zander cut into a large piece of meat. “You run a good fortress here, Sophia,” he said after a moment.

Sophia nodded, taking a small bite from her plate. She didn’t feel that hungry. “Thank you, sir.”

“I’m sure you already know why I am here. It is time you return to us.”

Sophia felt her heart skip a beat. She had guessed it, but it was still relieving to hear him say it. But she couldn’t let her feelings get ahead of her just yet. “What has General Morlan to say about this?”

Zander shrugged. “He is unhappy, as you’d expect, but it is not in his control. King Leon has decided it’s time, and that’s that.”

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Sophia did not say anything. She showed no outward emotions, but inside she was delighted. Finally, she could leave the mountains, after all these years. She had been beginning to wonder if the day would ever come, if she would ever be forgiven for a decade old mistake. She only wished Zander could have come earlier, just by a week.

“Sophia, I had expected you to be happier about this,” Zander said after he noticed her silence.

“I am happy, Zander. Believe me, I have waited a long time for this, and I can’t wait to return to Prolla.”

“But?”

Sophia sighed. “But something has come up.” She leaned in closer to him. “Three days ago, two Lorrics appeared outside the fortress. They came from the north.”

Zander’s face darkened. “What did they want?”

“They were badly injured, and wanted help. It seemed like someone was chasing them.”

“Where are they now?”

“They died of their wounds soon after arriving. I barely had time to talk to them. All I was able to get from them was a name: Erion.”

“General Erion? You are certain?”

Sophia nodded. “That’s what they said, sir.”

“Hmm.” Zander was quiet for a moment. “Where do you think they came from?”

“I have been trying to work that out myself, sir. There is nothing in these mountains for a great distance, until you reach the Lorric fortresses on the far side and then the city of Lorr itself.”

“Could they have come from those fortresses?”

“I don’t think so. They were too injured to get that far on foot. It’s a possibility of course, but I think there is something else going on.”

“You think the Lorrics are establishing a new base, closer to here.” It was not a question.

“I fear so, sir. And Erion is running it. General, I think I need to investigate. Despite how much I want to return to Prolla, this cannot be ignored. My duty must come first.”

Zander smiled at her. “I have missed you, Sophia. Your sense of duty is inspiring to us all. It is no wonder you were one of our best commanders. All right, I agree. This needs to be investigated. We will set off tomorrow morning.”

“We?”

“Oh yes, I am going too. As will Andromeda. Us three and two dozen soldiers. We will set off north, towards Lorr, until we find something. If, however, after five days we still have found no sign, we will turn back.”

***

Three days out from the fortress, they came across a body. A Lorric soldier was lying on the path, his back against a tree. One hand clutched at his stomach, blood dried into it. A festering wound lay beneath, flies swarming around it. His unseeing eyes gazed past them, looking up at the sky.

“At least we are on the right path,” Zander remarked as they moved past. Sophia only nodded.

They soon set up camp as night descended on the mountains. Sophia was tired by then. The paths they followed were rough and irregular, and often they had to dismount and lead their horses along when the path disappeared entirely. Sophia was beginning to wonder if this whole ordeal was futile. She didn’t want to turn back, couldn’t shake the feeling that something more was happening, but she knew if they found nothing in the next few days she would have to give up.

Sophia was assigned to first watch, along with another soldier. They set up camp a small ways off the path they were following through the mountains, in a clearing surrounded by tall rocks. Sophia took a seat on one of the rocks, pulling her spear off the back of her horse so it would be ready if needed.

She got lost in her thoughts as the night passed, her mind drifting away, when suddenly she was drawn back by voices. She sat up straight, glancing at the other watcher. He had heard them too, his eyes wide.

Sophia listened closer. The voices were still there, talking quietly to each other. They were coming closer, she thought. The only source she could think of was Lorrics. It sounded like they were coming from the path.

Sophia rose to her feet silently, grabbing her spear. She creeped back towards the path, the soldier following close behind her, his sword drawn. She got closer to the path, and soon she saw the flickering of light from a torch. She began to make out words from the voices.

“...that damn wind,” a man was saying. “It’s so cold in these mountains.”

“I’ve been to worse places,” a woman replied.

“We should just head back. There’s no one out here.”

“We have to complete the route. You know that.”

“There’s no point,” the man whined. “We should hide out somewhere warmer until sunrise, then head back to base. No one will know the difference.”

“What if Erion finds out? He’s already killed half a dozen of us in the last fortnight. Two more will be nothing to him.”

“Afraid he’ll feed you to the dragon?” The man laughed. “Relax. Erion’s returning to Lorr tomorrow. So let’s find a nice place to hide out.”

“You can if you want. I’ll complete the route. I’m not putting my life on the line for the sake of a little warmth.”

The voices slowly faded away, taking the light with them. Sophia was left alone with the Prollan soldier again, only the moon to guide them. Sophia released a pent up breath. Dragon? she thought. Did they actually say that? Erion, at a base, with a dragon. It didn’t make much sense.

She had to go tell Zander.