I wonder what she wants from me? Lucien waited outside the tent as the captain reported to her older sister. Maybe she needs to ask me some questions about the area? After all, that’s the reason Lord Whitmore’s butler gave her. That I know the area better than most.

  “Go in,” Captain Vernon said as she left.

  Lucien entered the tent, where he saw the commander sitting at a table, overlooking a map. He bowed as he let the tent flap fall down behind him.

  “Take a seat.”

  “Yes commander.” Lucien sat down, his attention drawn to several familiar marks on the map. The attacks have gotten worse.

  Several villages, and even some towns, had been attacked. None to the extent that Locham had been, thank Stellara, but there were a lot more marks than when he had been talking with Uther about it.

  It seemed like more villages than not had had some kind of run in with the bandits. Lost some cattle. Had their silos emptied. Small attacks during the night that were fended off. The worst case was when a few buildings were destroyed. Burnt down, if Lucien was to guess.

  And the roads weren’t as safe anymore either. There were reports of traders getting robbed between villages. Some roads had been marked as hotspots, meaning it was likely that no one would be leaving their homes for a while. Not until this was fixed.

  “We don’t have as much information as I would like. I’m already aware of your story to some extent, but I’d rather hear it from you. Is there anything you can think of that might prove useful?”

  “As far as I could tell, their motive is about the same as any other bandit group. To take anything of value that they could possibly carry with them. But they are far more... aggressive with how they handle things.”

  Flashes of what he saw that day flittered through his mind with great intensity. Just like it did whenever he let his guard down.

  “They are ruthless. If they are set on taking a village, they will burn it to the ground in a matter of hours and leave no one alive. Most of their attacks were just to probe, so we didn’t know what we were facing until it was too late.”

  “Mm.” She nodded. “Is there anything else that could help us?”

  “The elves.”

  The commander raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to go on.

  “One of their own lived in my village. A half-elf. She was a teacher at the school and died protecting the children. Before I left, I went to them to bring her back home and to try and heal my arm. I had a talk with one of them, and they agreed to keep an eye out on the bandits.”

  “Do you think they still are?” she asked.

  “I can only assume so. I haven’t heard anything from them since then, but I have been out of reach for a while.” It’s possible that they’ve not only kept an eye on Roddy, but also warned the villages ahead of time.

  “Hmm. Whatever the case may be, it’s certainly something we can work with. Do you have a way to contact them?”

  “Not from here. I’d have to go to them.”

  The commander stopped to think for a moment before coming to a decision. “Like I said, we don’t have enough information on them to pinpoint their location. The elves are probably our best bet. We’ll continue south, then your squad will make contact with them and report back to us with news.”

  “Yes commander.” Lucien bowed, fully accepting the order despite knowing that it meant he would have to go back to Locham again.

  “You may leave now. Send your captain back in.”

  Lucien left the tent, reported back to his captain, then went back to sit at the campfire in silence. He didn’t know if he should tell everyone now, or if he should wait until they were a bit closer. It’s not like it was his first time telling anyone about it. Far from it. But it was hard nonetheless.

  They were all so young. He doubted if they had ever been through anything even remotely close to this. Lynn is younger, but I didn’t exactly know that she was the one listening in then.

  While he was thinking, Captain Vernon came back and gathered the rest of the squad.

  “Alright everyone, the commander has given us a mission. A few days from now, we will break off from the rest of the army to make contact with the elves and gather intel. Prepare yourselves, and make sure you have everything you’ll need.”

  And after a brief discussion, they continued on as they were. The army rested for the night and set off again in the morning. This continued for several days as they headed south, travelling as far as they could through the day, and resting up wherever possible at night.

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  The army was headed for a village northeast of Locham for more details. It was one of the most recent villages to be attacked, and also one of the hardest hit. It was their goal initially, and just so happened to line up well with where Lucien needed to go.

  Due to the urgency of the situation, everyone in Captain Vernon’s squad was given a horse to ride for the duration of their mission. The horse’s were set aside and waiting for them by the time it was their turn to leave.

  The army had reached a fork in the road where they would split off from each other. It was not an exact point in between the two villages, but it was the only road connecting them, so it was the best choice. Unless the commander wanted the army to trudge through the forests and plains to find a closer spot for them.

  But there was not nearly enough risk involved in them separating here for that to be necessary.

  The squad was already atop their horses and moving along the outer rim of the army’s formation, awaiting their captain’s orders before they departed.

  “I’m so glad to see you again .” Smiling, Lucien ran his hand through Chase’s mane, receiving a joyful nicker from the horse.

  As it turned out, Chase had been moved from the stable near the gate, all the way up into the keep during the time Lucien had been busy with everything else. The army had also decided to bring Chase along, deeming it the easiest way to get the horse back to its owners.

  That was something Lucien was very happy about. I Missed you buddy.

  “You are all already aware of what is to come. Lucien, you will be our guide. Let’s make haste!”

  They quickly broke away from the rest of the army as they hurried south towards the Eternal Forest.

  “It’ll take us a few days to get there from here, but luckily we’ll be able to make most of the travel on horseback,” Lucien said.

  “Most?” asked Clara.

  “It’s near impossible to ride the horses safely in the Eternal Forest. There’s far too many monsters there for the horses to be able to ride without fear, not to mention the elves and their companions. Not without express permission at least. Considering none of you have been here before, and I’ve only met a few of them, I doubt we’ll be allowed to charge in fully armed like this,” Lucien explained. “But walking through with the horses should be enough to show our intentions.”

  “What are the elves like? I’ve never met one before,” asked Anthony.

  “Well, they’re very kind people. Great teachers. Very cautious and protective as well.” Lucien continued to explain all that he knew about the elves and their homeland “...That reminds me, make sure not to attack anything once we set foot in the Eternal Forest. That would not bode well for us.”

  The group fell into silence as they continued on their way along the road. Considering that they were a much smaller group, and they were all on horseback, it was much easier for them to travel along the dirt road and through the forested areas. And it was much faster too.

  They would probably reach their destination at the same time that the army reached its, or maybe even slightly earlier. Not that that particularly mattered.

  ~

  “What happened...” Anthony muttered as he stared at the crumbled ruins of Locham, lost for words.

  The rest of the group was much the same, even the captain. Despite being a part of the army, this was their first time seeing something like this. After all, they had only recently graduated from the academy, and aside from some minor things around the region’s capital, this could be considered their first mission. Their first taste of the harsh reality of the matter.

  The fires had long since died out, but the damage was evident. There were few buildings lucky enough to still be left standing, and those that were didn’t look too far off from joining the rest of them.

  The bodies of the barbarians were now not much more than bones, tattered cloth. And armour, with scant bits of flesh still visible. Anything worthwhile to eat having long since been picked apart by scavengers.

  Lucien smiled faintly, almost discernibly, happy knowing that they would never find peace in what came after. He guided his horse forward, prompting the rest of them to join him despite their rising reluctance.

  They really shouldn’t be seeing this. They’re just kids. The way they acted all this time made him almost forget just how young they were. Their confidence. The practiced ease with which they wielded their chosen weapons. It almost made him forget. That was until he saw their reactions just now.

  Even though the captain tried her best to remain stoic, it was such a thin facade that he could shatter it easily, if he wanted to. He almost wanted to send them back and do the rest of this on his own, but he thought that was a disservice to them and their future growth.

  They’ll see something like this eventually, and they’re already adults anyway. Besides, I doubt they would just go back willingly. “Let’s continue, the Eternal Forest is just on the other side.”

  The group slowly rode into the village. Some of them looked around in morbid curiosity, other’s kept their heads faced forward so that they wouldn’t see anything.

  Some of the graves Lucien left behind were clearly visible from the main road, thanks to the crumpled houses.

  They weren’t far away from his home now. Lucien’s eyes darted around as he took in everything. “Go on ahead, I’ll be right back.” Lucien broke away from them without hesitation, quickly making his way back home. The route clear as day in his mind.

  He got off his horse, tied him up on a nearby piece of wood half-heartedly, knowing that he would stay if there wasn’t any danger. He walked around to the back of the house, not caring or even listening for if the other’s had followed him or if they had continued.

  Lucien looked around, half expecting that rabbit to appear out of nowhere. He knew it liked quiet places. Maybe it’s just worried that the others could come at any moment. He sighed. He was somewhat hoping that it would appear again, so that he could hear her voice again. Even if it was an illusion.

  He rounded the corner into his own backyard and looked at the four graves he had left. They’re markings as perfect as they had been when he had made them.

  No one knew exactly why, but a grave marked with Her Lady’s symbol would never fade or damage. No matter where it was, whether it was in the most heavily guarded tomb, or in the middle of nowhere. It was just another way in which She watched over and protected her people.

  “Who are they?”