18th Day of Summer, 9132, the Unic Reckoning. Bloody Meadows, Laref

  Bore finished his story. Everyone around him watched in silence. He had probably never told them before how he left the Nameless Company. Nor had he ever truly explained what the Black Mage did or why she was such a damn guarantee of victory. They were stupid, naive, but pure in their backwardness, and he liked that. In his opinion, they didn’t need to know all of it, so he always skipped... the drastic parts. Not today. Today, he wanted them to be afraid. Today, he wanted them to understand what a bastard he had been, what bastards they all were. Not so they could judge or condemn him. He didn’t care about their opinions. But he did care about his grandson’s opinion, about what the boy would do with his own life. That’s why it mattered so much that the stupid kid understood.

  “Now you know why I sometimes wake up screaming or freeze when crows fly by,” he said in a tired voice. “I need to rest. These old bones have had enough.”

  He stood up without waiting for anyone to bid him farewell. As he walked away, he looked straight into his grandson’s eyes. The boy sat with his mouth slightly open, shock clearly written on his face. For a moment, the stupid fascination that he himself also had felt in his youth whenever someone mentioned that magical name, disappeared. The Nameless Company. Adventures, money, distant lands. Ha! What nonsense. The Nameless Company was nothing but a synonym for brutality, cruelty, death, and corruption in every possible aspect. The Nameless Company was a band of amoral, sick sons of whores and panders, a collection of the worst of the worst kept in line by someone even worse. The Nameless Company was... he sighed heavily. It was his real family. Truer than the one he had before and truer than the one he had built later. The best he ever had. Damn it, he thought, furious with himself.

  “You don’t miss them or your adventures, you miss your youth and the emotions you felt,” he growled angry.

  But he knew all too well that wasn’t the truth either. What he missed most was the sight of Skin and the feeling of being almost immortal when the Black Mage watched over his health. He sighed heavily. He entered the small hut he had once built for himself and his wife. How many years had it been since her death? He couldn’t remember, just as he couldn’t remember the features of her face. She had been a good woman. Decent. She took care of him and his children, forgave his infidelities, and always proudly praised his lack of drinking problems. “He doesn’t reach for the bottle like other men,” she used to say. He smiled at the memory. He had never told her that he didn’t drink because he couldn’t get drunk. Not after the battle at Sur Amar, where a spear had pierced him through and the Black Mage had replaced half his guts. Sur Amar... Tears welled up in his old eyes. How he missed that place, that paradise on earth, those green meadows and wonderful women. If only he could die and go back there, even for just one more day...

  A knock snapped him out of his thoughts. He ignored it. Whoever it was, after a while they left. That was for the best.

  ***

  19th Day of Summer, 9132, the Unic Reckoning. Bloody Meadows, Laref

  It was a cool morning, but the sun was already beginning to warm the cold ground. Bore knew it wouldn’t be as hot as in the desert, but for the locals, the day would likely be harsh. He sighed quietly. Lately, he had been thinking more and more about the days long gone. He knew what that meant. He was old and starting to live in the past. It was time to leave this vale of tears.

  “Good morning, Grandpa!” a cheerful voice greeted him.

  The man grimaced slightly but quickly controlled his expression.

  “I don’t know if it’s good yet, but let’s hope so,” he replied, looking at his approaching grandson. “Who gave you that black eye, kid?”

  The boy touched the swollen part of his face awkwardly, then answered with an apologetic smile:“Does it matter? Never mind, Grandpa. What matters is how you’re feeling today. You didn’t look so good yesterday.”

  He almost believed the brat was genuinely concerned.

  “I’m not as young or as fit as I used to be. Remembering the past is nice, but it reminds you of the old body you’re trapped in.”

  He nodded in understanding.

  “It must be hard without grandma. Don’t you want to move in with us? Or I could move in with you and take care of you a bit. Mom and Dad are worried. Especially Dad.”

  “Especially him? He wouldn’t worry about me, but it’s nice of you to lie to me like that.”

  The boy laughed, embarrassed at being caught. Bore studied him carefully. He wasn’t particularly handsome or ugly, good or bad, not too smart but not too stupid either. He was just like he himself had been many years ago. Only the sandy hair inherited from his mother set them apart. His eyes were his father’s, who had gotten them from him. Eyes of a hopeless adventurer ready to make the biggest mistake one could make at that age.

  “You could finally teach me how to sharpen knives properly or weave nets.”

  “You don’t need knives that sharp, and you don’t need nets. The puddles around here aren’t suitable for nets, and you know it.”

  “You could teach me how to cook, mend your clothes.”

  “Your wife will do that for you. Trust me, she’ll do it better than you.”

  “Tell me stories from your youth.”

  “My father beat me, and my mother patched me up. What more is there to say?”“Stories about the Nameless Company?” the boy suggested hesitantly.

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  Bore might have been old, but he wasn’t so senile that he didn’t have a few tricks up his sleeve. Before the boy realized what was happening, he grabbed him, twisted his arm, slammed him against the nearest wall, and then unceremoniously threw him to the ground, placing his foot on the boy’s heaving chest. It was a good show of strength, though it cost him more than he cared to admit. He just hoped that when the anger subsided, the pain wouldn’t be too severe and his old muscles wouldn’t be torn.

  “You damn, stupid brat!” he snarled furiously. “Do you think I’m stupid? That I don’t see how eagerly you listen? Never, ever look for them. Understand? Never.”

  “But—”“Get out of here!” he shouted at the top of his lungs, then slammed the door shut behind the boy.

  He knew he had overreacted, but he couldn’t help it. He loved the boy more than life itself. More than his own son. He overestimated him and knew it, but even overestimating, he wasn’t blind to the kid’s real abilities. He wouldn’t survive a month in the Company. Not after the Black Mage left.

  The boy reluctantly walked away from his grandfather’s hut. He was still scared by the sudden outburst, and even more so by the fact that his grandfather had raised a hand on him for the first time. But with each step, the fear began to turn into irritation, or maybe even anger. That morning, he had argued with Leny. Asshole was big, strong, and a complete jerk, but for some reason, others listened to him. He started saying that his grandfather had never gotten any discharge papers and was just a deserter or had never even enlisted. Probably stole somewhere far away, and when he had stolen enough, he came back. Just nonsense, the kind he didn’t want to hear. He defended his grandfather, but Leny proved stronger. He humiliated him in front of all the village girls. Oh well. Running away with his tail between his legs, he wasn’t thinking about them but about his grandfather’s reputation and the Company. He ran home, told his father everything, expecting at least some support.

  “You’re stupid. Grandpa doesn’t need your help,” his father growled, delivering a solid blow to his head.

  His mother added her own. And that was his reward for defending the family’s honor. Wonderful.

  “Oooo! It’s the grandson of that stupid deserter!” Leny shouted, looking at his favorite victim.“Leny, leave him alone,” one of the girls standing nearby said quietly.

  Lula was nice, though not very pretty. She was also easy to shout down, so the fact that she spoke up at all was surprising.

  “Shut up, stupid,” Leny growled, and she obediently fell silent.“Leave her alone.”

  He ignored the jab about his grandfather. If his whole stupid family thought there was no point in arguing, fine. He wouldn’t do it.

  “Ooo! Now you’re defending her instead of Grandpa? I bet you know he’s a liar too.”“Grandpa doesn’t lie. I’ve seen his scars.”

  “Suuuure.” Leny deliberately dragged out the word, then added with a nasty smile, “And I bet Grandpa has that paper too, right? That’s good. He’ll need it, because you know who came last night and set up camp on the nearby meadows?”

  The boy froze in disbelief, his eyes wide.

  “Exactly. They’ll be recruiting soon. What do you think they’ll do with an old deserter? Assuming he even is one?”

  “You wouldn’t dare...” he growled.

  He didn’t even know when, but he got hit in the face again. Oh well. Maybe now his father would finally teach him how to fight.

  “You know that if your grandpa lied, they’ll kill him today?”

  “Grandpa doesn’t lie,” he replied, mentally preparing to lose some teeth.

  “Oh, really? Maybe—” Leny began, raising his hand for another blow.

  “Raise that hand against my grandson one more time, boy, and I’ll knock out all your teeth so you can suck me off better.”

  The entire group of youngsters froze. The girls blushed with shame, and Leny paled with anger. The boy immediately recognized his grandfather’s voice.

  “You old—” Leny didn’t finish. A well-aimed stone nearly took out his eye.“I broke your father’s arms when he tried to lay them on my daughter. Stupidity seems to run in your family. Did daddy ever brag about thanks to whom and why he can’t sign his own name now? Heh. Probably not. He’d have to admit he’s illiterate.”

  “You damn—” Leny didn’t finish again. Someone’s well-aimed punch knocked him to the ground.“Get lost, dog,” he heard an unfamiliar voice say.

  He turned and looked into the scarred face of a stranger. An unpleasant shiver ran down his spine, but it was quickly replaced by a pleasant feeling of impending triumph.

  “Are you with the Company?” he asked quickly, getting to his feet.

  “Leny!” Lula shouted, but he wasn’t listening.

  The man grabbed him by the collar and forced him to stand on his tiptoes with one hand.

  “And if I am, what’s it to you, you cock-sucking peasant?”

  He grimaced at the insult but decided not to comment. He wasn’t stupid enough not to know who he was dealing with.

  “Because we have someone in the village who claims to be your retired soldier.”

  The stranger frowned unpleasantly.

  “You don’t leave the Nameless Company. Where is this lying son of a whore?”

  Everyone looked at the old man in terror. Everyone except Leny, who eagerly pointed him out with a nod.

  “I’m not a lying son of a whore, you damn spawn of a bitch and a bull,” Bore snarled furiously, glaring at the man.

  “Oh yeah? And how—”

  “Nocz ash napu nes,” Bore said in a language almost no one knew anymore.“You dog—” The stranger didn’t hide his surprise. He immediately recognized the Commander’s favorite saying, though he had only heard it from him twice. “Where did you—”“Napu nes lera nocz.” A strong, though quiet, female voice rang out.

  Everyone looked at the new stranger. She was tall, taller than some of the men in the village. Well-built, with sharp features and a gaze that brooked no opposition. Bore sighed with admiration. She was perfect, exactly as he remembered her. She hadn’t aged a bit.“Hello, Skin,” he said, barely getting the words out through his tight throat. “You probably don’t remember—”

  “Bore” the woman replied calmly, then added, “The only one the Commander and I personally signed discharge papers for.”

  “Yes,” he whispered, feeling tears stream down his face. “That’s me. You haven’t changed.”

  She raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment on the man’s reaction other than saying:“Neither have you.”

  She turned and was about to leave but stopped for a moment. She tilted her head, glanced at the retired soldier out of the corner of her eye, and asked:

  “Did you have a good life?”

  He no longer trusted his own words, so he just nodded. She smiled, slightly raising the left corner of her mouth. Nothing more.

  Bore waved at her, not caring about the quiet sob that escaped his throat. She didn’t ask if he regretted it. That was good, because he didn’t want to know the answer to that question. Not now, when he saw her again, still young and so wonderful.

  “Well, well, well,” the soldier said quietly, releasing Leny. “A legend of the Company, Bore himself.”

  He straightened up and saluted the old man. The old man returned the gesture. Then they both made a strange hand gesture. A greeting no one outside the Company knew. The stranger smiled, saying:“Scar.”“Bore,” Bore replied.

  “I know,” Scar chuckled quietly, walking off in the direction Skin had gone.

  The boy looked in disbelief at his grandfather and then at the strangers. He had believed all the stories, but sometimes... He shook his head. Now he was ashamed of his own doubts. He wanted to say it out loud, but suddenly he realized his grandfather had disappeared. A moment later, he got hit by Leny again, but he barely even felt it. The Nameless Company was in the area. They were recruiting. Grandpa had been telling the truth. Another bruise didn’t matter anymore. All that mattered was the living legend.