While Jay spouted a stream of curses at his friend, the other man bowed his head as best he could.

“Apologies, sir. My friend has just had a very bad day. I wish you a good night.”

Flint didn’t move, hand still on his sword handle as he watched the pair leave. One dragging the other.

Even after they were out of sight, Flint continued to stare thoughtfully after them.

The next day, after they’d eaten and broken camp, they rode straight through the small village and to the Reeve’s house. It was easy to spot, since it was both the biggest and the best maintained.

Their arrival caused some confusion.

Understandably. They were twelve big men, all armed but none in uniform. And no other obvious identification.

Before dismounting, Flint took a good look around. Noting the guards who moved in to surround the twelve newcomers, the servant sent to inform the Reeve of their arrival, and the prosperity of the Reeve’s property in comparison to the rest of the village.

His eye was drawn to a small child being forced to carry a bucket nearly as big as she was. She couldn’t have been older than three or four, and was struggling to drag the container from the well to the building.

There were tear streaks down her dirty face that reminded him of Em from the other night.

“What’s your business, stranger?”

The leader of the oncoming guards correctly figured out who was in charge and strode up to Flint’s horse. Looking up at Flint was an awkward position, but the man managed to look threatening, anyway.

Flint’s horse shifted in the unwanted proximity of the guard. He patted the creature’s neck reassuringly. This horse was skittish compared to his favorite, which was still recuperating in the capital.

“We’re here to see the Reeve.” Flint’s tone was mild.

“You can’t just show up without notice! I’ll need to see your identification.”

Ralph dismounted and got into the other man’s face. “If I were you, I would back off.”

“Who are you to threaten me?! I’m an employee of the Reeve.”

Ralph tried to look offended, but he was grinning too cheekily to manage. “And who do you think I work for?”

“A drifter by the looks of it.”

Flint almost looked down at himself. Drifter, huh? They hadn’t been trying to make a visual impression, but he hadn’t thought they looked that bad. Perhaps he should have packed a uniform.

That was something Lady Madeline would have thought of. And Ralph tried to advise him on.

He’ll pay more attention to Ralph’s advice.

“Coming from a scumbag slave driver.”

The guard had enough of Ralph’s cheerful defiance and swung at him. Ralph was a trained knight, not a random guard with little experience. He easily ducked under the man’s swing, grabbed his arm, and twisted him around.

Pinning his arm behind his back.

“Drifter or no, you should be wise enough to assess your opponent correctly.”

“Why you-!”

The man let off a stream of the foulest curses. Which only got worse when Ralph chuckled his amusement.

“Enough, Captain,” said Flint dryly.

“But he’s just a bunny, my lord! Can’t I play with him a while longer?”

“I said enough.”

With a dramatic sigh, Ralph pushed the other man away, and the man stumbled to his knees.

At that moment, the front door of the small manor opened, and Avery Sucket stepped outside. His face was a thundercloud of anger.

Until he froze.

While Sucket was taking in that the Baron (and soon-to-be Marquis) was on his doorstep, Flint’s eyes moved to the young woman standing behind the other man. There was a swelling handprint on her face and her eyes were filled with unshed tears

She stared fixedly ahead.

Flint gritted his teeth and swung down from the saddle.

Which was the signal for everyone to dismount.

Sucket recovered and pasted on a beaming smile. He held out his arms.

“Baron Grimshaw! How good of you to visit my humble abode! Have you had breakfast? We should talk over a meal. Sherrie, go tell-”

Flint cut him off, snapping his fingers at the knights.

“We’re not here to visit.”

The knights moved in and two of them seized Sucket by the arms.

“What’s the meaning of this?! Unhand me!”

“Avery Sucket,” said Flint coldly, “you’re under arrest for grand purloination of March resources, falsification of manifests and March inventory, misappropriation of supplies -”

“I was appointed by the Crown Prince himself! You can’t just waltz in here-”

“Profiteering on March property, conversion of public goods for private enrichment-”

“The Crown Prince will hang you for treason if you arrest me, you bastard! Do you want to lose your title, is that it?!”

“Tampering with the royal tally, fabrication of March stockpiles, dissemination of false manifests, and violation of March edict on subject treatment. “

“You can’t charge me with the last one,” Sucket flared. “I upheld the laws of the Empire. There is no law to protect animals from being treated like animals. Not even if the Baron demands it.”

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Flint looked to Ralph, who nodded.

“Very well. It will be changed to unwarranted supremacy over March subjects.”

“You-!”

“The rest will hold up. At least enough to kick you out of the territory and send a warning to the others.” Flint waved a hand. “Someone pack this man a bag and saddle his horse. He will be escorted to the border before noon.”

To the border and then to the capital. He nodded to the four knights whose job it would be to do the escorting.

He hoped they thought of packing uniforms.

“Wait for me to revise the charges. You.” He pointed to the young woman who’d followed Sucket out. And who’d been watching the proceedings with wide eyes and a hanging mouth. “Show me to this man’s office.”

“Y-yes, si-my lord.”

He ignored Sucket’s yelling and raging at him from behind as he and Ralph followed the girl.

Inside was just what he expected from a proud and wasteful man.

While the rest of his responsibility was barely surviving, Sucket had put all his funds toward extravagance. By either maintaining what was already here (perhaps the previous owner had also liked such fancy surroundings). Or importing and updating it himself.

There was no sign at all that a war had gone on around this building. And Flint doubted it was due to luck.

Once inside the office, the girl hovered by the door while Flint banged around the desk. Looking for paper and writing utensils.

Sucket even had fountain pens!

They were three times as expensive as quills and ink. And the man had been claiming he didn’t have enough funds to properly supply his reeve. How dare he beg for more!

At least it’ll cut down on the time it took for Flint to revise the charges.

Cursing inwardly, he sat down to write while Ralph began pulling open drawers and investigating document piles. The knight snorted and tossed one document in front of Flint.

“You can add Trafficking of March Subjects.”

“That was allowed for a year after occupation began.”

“Check the date.”

Flint did and immediately set his teeth grinding. It was dated only a month ago.

“I’ll add it to the charges, though I suspect the Crown Prince will throw it out as inconsequential.”

“It doesn’t have to be consequential,” said Ralph cheerfully. He began sorting documents into two piles. One to be used as evidence. The other to be examined more closely in case he missed evidence. “All it needs to be is overwhelming. Enough so that Prince Thiago can’t turn a blind eye.”

Flint grunted.

He could’ve avoided the whole drama altogether if he’d been allowed to appoint his own officials. That won’t happen until after he officially receives the title.

He was halfway through the revised charges when he realized the girl hadn’t left.

Of course, he hadn’t been fully unaware. And Ralph probably didn’t forget at all. But his attention was drawn fully onto her again when she shifted and the floor creaked.

It was very loud in the quiet office.

The girl froze. Staring terrified at the board that had given her away.

“What’s your name?”

She flinched at the sound of Flint’s voice.

“Sh-Sherrie, m-my lord.”

“Hm. How many young children are working here, Sherrie?”

Her chin jerked up in surprise. “Pardon?”

“I saw a toddler carrying a bucket in the courtyard. How many children are there?”

“I- six, I think.”

“Why? They can’t be that useful.”

Sherrie opened her mouth and closed it a few times. Unsure how to respond to cause the least amount of damage. Flint waited patiently while Ralph went back to shuffling through documents.

Finally, she swallowed and whispered, “To keep some of our people from rebelling.”

“They’re hostages?”

“Y-yes.”

“Are you a hostage?”

She dropped her eyes to the floor and didn’t answer.

“I see.”

Flint watched her unblinkingly, twisting the fountain pen in his fingers. Abruptly, he dropped the pen and steepled his fingers.

“The reeve manor is not a nursery. Send word to their parents to come get their children. There is also a shepherd I would liked fetched, but I don’t know his name. He works with a man named Jay.”

The girl visibly flinched again.

“That’s… I know who that is, sir.”

Of course you do, thought Flint wryly. He waved two fingers at her. “Off you go.”

The girl was surprisingly reluctant to leave, shooting looks over her shoulder as she walked out the door.

“A shepherd, my lord?” asked Ralph dryly.

Flint gave Ralph a look, then went back to writing. A while later, the girl returned and stood in a corner. Pretending very hard she wasn’t there.

It was some time after Ralph took the revised charges outside, and after Sucket was sent on his way, when two men were escorted into the office. Two men, one of them holding the toddler Flint had seen earlier.

By then, Flint, Ralph, and one of his other knights were discussing other paperwork.

Flint found it both annoying and amusing that Sucket’s guards had quickly switched allegiance. Probably in fear of losing their cushy jobs. He intended to fire most of them.

Eventually.

When he could get away with it.

But for now, he merely waved a hand in acknowledgement of the two guards that escorted the men to the office. They bowed and left.

“Of the entire mess, I think the paperwork is the most orderly. Idiot. Why did he leave all of this lying around?” Ralph tossed a bundle on the desk.

“He didn’t think anyone would dare raid his office,” offered the other knight.

“No, I’m sure he expected it after the ceremony.”

The two knights chuckled while Flint continued looking over the paper he held. It was a deed for the sale of a young Lycan man to slave traders. Dated three months ago. Stacked with it had been an order for the guards to find whoever had tried to hide this young man.

Apparently, they’d almost succeeded in evading Sucket’s illegal slave trading.

With a sigh, he dropped the paper on the desk. Head pounding.

Damn it!

“My guests are here. Move,” he told his knights grumpily.

The two shared a smirk but stood up, respectfully getting out of the way. Flint waved for the two shepherds to sit.

Slowly, they did so. The child clung to Jay and made little distressed sounds that were neither cries nor moaning. More… squeaking.

“I believe I only asked for one of you.”

Jay risked a glance up, then down, glaring at the ground. His friend kept his eyes on the ground, sitting on the edge of his seat.

“Yes, sir.”

Flint waited, but no explanation came. Fine.

“Your name?”

“Ben or Alben, sir.”

“Is Sherrie your daughter or your sister?”

The man’s chin shot up, his composure immediately breaking. He almost looked at her, but the lapse was only for a second. Instead, he quickly dropped his chin again and clenched his fists.

And didn’t answer.

Ralph exchanged a look with the other knight.

“Fine.” Flint waved away the defiance like it was a fly. “It doesn’t matter. Are you well versed in the affairs of the reeve, Ben?”

“If you mean do I know what goes on in this office, then no.”

“Don’t lie. The girl keeps you well informed.”