LITMIR.BIZ

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silence in response. Rein slightly calmed down and continued, “If anyone happened to see where they went, please inform me!”

      Then, breathing heavily, Rein headed towards the exit. The closer he approached, the stronger the rays blinded him. When he stepped outside, he immediately realized that he needed some time alone. He walked towards the slope, which offered a decent view of the sunrise and the lands not yet captured by the Raidarian legions. When he reached the spot, he abruptly collapsed, sitting on the grass and began to breathe rapidly, gazing at the ground. Fear enveloped him. Then, he lifted his gaze slightly higher to look at the scenery from the slope. Small hills, forests, fields, and the village where life was beginning to stir with the dawn were blanketed by the morning rays, reflecting off the ubiquitous morning dew.

      Rein, contemplating this wondrous scene, pondered and realized the meaning behind Iziro’s words. After spending some time there, he returned to the tavern’s horse stable. Rein untied his horse, a rather unusual one. Aside from a playful spot on its side, it had strange curly fur and a quite thick mane. Mounting it, Rein headed towards the nearest village located atop the slope.

      Approaching the village, he noticed a sign on a wooden post in the form of a wooden plaque with the carved text: “Village of Afles,” followed by the continuation, “Land of His Majesty King of the Last Kingdoms, Great Alex Ford.” The text concluded with the Ford family coat of arms – a winged giant harpy, shielded by a blue shield.

      People began to cross Rein’s path, hastily leaving the village. Moving closer to the village center, he saw some commotion. He hurried to avoid drawing too much attention and walked with his horse, holding its reins.

      People who were clearly disturbed by some event caught his eye more and more frequently.

      “Easy, boy,” suddenly whinnied his horse.

      “Hey, calm down, friend. I’m uneasy too. We’ll find out what’s going on here. Maybe it’s not as bad as it seems,” Rein said to his horse, stroking its cheek.

      Meanwhile, from the village center came a voice:

      “I remind you that any information about the Raidarian forces, such as their location or strength, provided to us – knights of His Majesty’s army – will be rewarded with thirty gold coins. It’s a substantial reward. We are also recruiting for His Majesty’s regular army with a monthly salary of fifty gold coins.”

      These were King Ford’s people – his knights, his well-armed and trained elite guard. Riding on horses, five individuals with broad and dense metal shields on their backs came into view. They didn’t wear heavy and thick armor since, in most cases, it was simply impractical for them. Only shoulders, forearms, sides at waist level, groin, shins, and faces were protected by metal. This was necessary to perfectly combine acceptable protection with the agility and nimbleness that knights trained almost from birth. The main part of their attire was made of toughened leather from the thick-skinned bears roaming these forests. Their heads were covered with hoods made of this leather, while their faces were concealed behind a metal mask designed to intimidate the opponent. Handles of blades peeked out from sheaths attached to their belts. Special lightweight, ergonomic swords, resembling daggers. One of the five knights had a long bow instead of a shield on his back.

      The village’s chief officer spoke to the people, distinguished only by a special mask on his face and specific patches on the lower part of the shoulders, indicating the warrior’s rank.

      “It seems we don’t belong here, my friend,” Rein whispered.

      Rein began to turn around with his horse amidst the crowd. One of the officers noticed this and swiftly rode towards Rein. He pushed through the people, unsheathed his sword, and aimed it at Rein’s neck from behind.

      “You!” he said. “Show your face!”

      Without turning, but only slightly tilting his head, Rein replied, “And why should I turn?”

      “Don’t get insolent!” the knight retorted. “Do you know who you’re talking to?”

      The knight’s entourage began to surround Rein. Standing in place, Rein glanced around. To his left, an archer and an officer; to his right, the chief officer and another knight, all gripping the hilts of their sheathed swords except for the archer who was readying his bow and arrow. Rein envisioned the likely outcome of the situation, and it appeared unfavorable.

      “Well, alright,” Rein said as the archer drew his bowstring. “I don’t want any trouble. I just came here in search of work.”

      “What do you have behind your back?” asked the officer holding the sword to Rein’s throat.

      Approaching from the front, the chief officer said, “Answer when a knight asks you something, or you’ll lose your head.”

      Rein smoothly raised his hand and lifted the hood behind his head.

      “You’ve caught me! It’s a sword. A Raidarian one. From Reinia.”

      “So, you’re an exile?!” suddenly exclaimed the chief officer. “Well… An enemy of the empire is our friend. Bern, lower your sword!”

      “But, sir,” objected Officer Bern, “he’s a Raidarian. He could be sent as a spy.”

      “Enough of your objections! If the Raidarians brand their criminals like this, it’s worse than death for the criminal. Such a mark on his neck is eternal shame for a Raidarian. Lower your bow, Rich. He has clearly done something very bad to our enemies,” explained the chief officer. “You were looking for work, Raidarian – you’ll get it!”

      “And what kind of work is this?” asked Rein.

      “We need people for reconnaissance, but the locals seem to fear the raidarians more than anyone else. We need to scout the area near our borders. Ride as fast as you can in the direction of Aeris. If you reach our land borders and don’t notice anything unusual – meaning no raidarians on our lands – then return. But if you find something, return and report. Upon completion, you’ll receive twenty gold. Clear?”

      “Clear,” replied Rain, “but why twenty? You promised them thirty.”

      “Prove your loyalty, and next time it will be thirty gold,” said the chief officer.

      “What if I refuse or change my mind about going to the border along the way?”

      “Good question! If you refuse, my guys will have the pleasure of doing whatever they want with you.”

      Rain felt uneasy at those words.

      “Since I’m assigning you to the reconnaissance of a crucial path for us,” continued the chief officer, “you’ll go with Bern. You’ve already met him. If you turn back early, he’ll finish you. Trust me, he’s our champion in killing the likes of you.”

      “What a tempting offer,” Rain said with a smirk. “In that case, it seems I have no choice. I agree.”

      “Excellent! You’ll set out soon,” declared the chief officer.

      “And one more thing… Can I ask?” Rain said.

      “I’m listening,” the chief officer replied.

      “Why all this? It wasn’t like this before. What’s happening here, anyway?”

      “Don’t you really know?” the officer laughed. “We’ve received information that the empire is preparing a full-scale invasion for complete occupation. These beasts want to march through our land, putting village after village through the meat grinder. They want to take our lands and milk us like cattle.”

      “Do you want to be put through a meat grinder?” the chief officer asked the people of the village loudly. “Do you want to be milked like cattle? If you don’t, then join the regular army or hurry away from the village towards Rinfoll. May the spirits of our ancestors and God help us.”

      “Let’s

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