Chapter 26
I stood among the other prisoners, wrists chained, watching the ridiculous spectacle unfold. The commander kept shouting from his platform, talking about duty, honor, and the privilege of serving the King, but I automatically tuned him out after the first few words.
What a joke.
The only reason any of us were standing here was simply because we got caught. I could tell that half of these guys were thieves, swindlers, or drunks who stumbled into the wrong alley. The rest were just unlucky travelers like me. No one here had signed up to fight monsters in the Wailing Woods.
I glanced down at the rusted manacles on my wrists that were supposed to keep me in line. I concentrated and twisted my hands. The manacles snapped apart like dry twigs.
They clattered against the floor, echoing through the sudden silence. I looked up to see that all the soldiers, including the commander and prisoners, were staring at me with dumbfounded expressions.
The soldiers stiffened, clutching their weapons. One of them, a kid barely out of training, shouted, "Stand down!" His voice cracked halfway through the order.
I sighed. "Yeah, no thanks."
I turned on my heel, walking in the opposite direction of the commander's platform.
As I shoved a few confused prisoners out of the way, a nervous-looking soldier ran out to block my path. He was gripping his spear so tightly that his knuckles went white. "The com-commander didn't give you permission to leave."
I raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think I care?"
He gulped and pointed the spear downward, stepping back slightly. Soon, other soldiers moved in to block my way. They began to form a loose circle around me as the prisoners stepped back in fear.
'I guess a fight's unavoidable now,' I thought.
"Enough! Stand down!" a sharp voice cut through the courtyard.
The soldiers hesitated, exchanging glances before looking to their commander. I followed their gaze, unsure of what he had in mind. Why would he stop them from arresting an escaping prisoner?
The commander was looking at me as a soldier whispered urgently in his ear. His gaze flickered toward me. He pointed in my direction and whispered something to the soldier. When the soldier nodded, he straightened and spoke again. "General Ravon wants to see him. Take him to the command tent."
Two guards stepped forward hesitantly.
"You heard what he said, prisoner."
I considered making a run for it. I could probably make it out of the fort, but then what? I'd have to fight my way through an entire garrison. Hearing what the general had to say would be worth it if only I could avoid that inconvenience.
"Fine," I said. "Lead the way."
They brought forward a fresh pair of manacles. I raised my eyebrow at them.
"Seriously?"
The two soldiers seemed to realize it would be pointless and just asked me to follow them.
, I took in my surroundings as they led me through the fort. The place was in bad shape. The wooden palisades were scarred from past attacks, and the soldiers walking around all looked weary. I spotted more than a few with bandaged limbs, bruises, and missing fingers. Whatever had been happening here, it didn't seem to be going well for any of those around.
No wonder they were trying to draft prisoners into their battle.
When we reached the command tent, one of the guards gestured for me to go inside. I strolled in and was hit by the smell of paper and wax in the air.
There were about a dozen people already inside. Most of them appeared to be high-ranking officers in the army, standing around a giant table covered with maps.
But I also saw two very familiar faces.
Laine was smirking, arms crossed, like he had been expecting me. Maxian, on the other hand, looked relieved. The priest had apparently made good on his word to get me out. Still, I doubted that was the only reason I was here. The General surely wouldn't have granted me my freedom just because a priest asked nicely.
At the center of the tent, surrounded by officers, sat a small, thin man with sharp eyes. He wasn't impressive in size, but he radiated a grand sense of authority. This was General Ravon.
I closed the distance between us and stood across the table from where he sat. I mirrored the same sharp glare he was giving me. I wanted to make it clear I wasn't intimidated by him.
The general didn't waste time with pleasantries.
"You must be Sam," he said.
I said nothing.
His expression didn't change, but I caught the smallest flicker of amusement in his eyes before he continued. "Maxian tells me you're a man who can control powerful magic. A man who survived a dragon's fire."
I turned my head sharply to the priest, who suddenly seemed to find the ground fascinating.
"Laine, remind me to have a long talk with our dear priest about keeping secrets," I muttered.
"Noted," Laine said, smirking.
Maxian cleared his throat. "It—it was necessary to get them to release you," he said defensively.
I sighed and rubbed my temple. "You do realize that telling them I have magic just makes them more likely to keep me here, right?"
"On the contrary," Ravon said. "It gives me a reason to let you walk free."
I gave him a skeptical look. "Do explain."
The General leaned forward, steepling his fingers. "The beasts of the Wailing Woods are acting strangely. Attacking outposts and travelers in numbers we've never seen before."
I stayed quiet, letting him talk.
"Normally, the creatures of the Woods don't leave their territory," Ravon continued. "The weaker ones might flee when their lives are threatened, but they're usually half-dead by the time they reach us. Easy enough to deal with most of the times."
"And now?" I asked.
The General's expression darkened. "Now, fully healthy, strong beasts the likes of which we are never prepared for, are charging out of the woods in waves. Killing soldiers. Slaughtering caravans. The situation has become dangerous enough for the King to personally ask me to handle the situation.
"Doesn't seem like you're handling it well," I said, remembering all the injured soldiers I had seen on my way to the tent.
"Astute observation," Ravon said drily. "And that's where you come in."
I narrowed my eyes. "What do you want?"
"I want you to go into the Wailing Woods and find out what's causing the beasts to behave this way," Ravon said. "I need answers. And I need them fast."
I snorted. "And why, exactly, would I do that?"
Ravon leaned back, completely at ease. "Because if the issue isn't resolved, I'll personally make sure you become the most wanted criminal in the Kingdom."
Laine let out a low whistle. "Well, that escalated quickly."
I crossed my arms. "On what charge?"
"Treason," the General said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
I stared at him. "Treason? That's a stretch. I'm not a soldier. I'm not even a citizen of this kingdom."
Ravon shrugged. "As the highest-ranking general of the Royal Army, I have the King's approval to issue orders as I see fit. Refusing an order from the Royal Army is an act of treason."
I laughed, shaking my head. "That's ridiculous. You can't just draft random people into your mess."
"I can," Ravon said simply. "And if you're not a citizen? Then I'll simply add trespassing to the charges. You're on royal land without permission, after all."
I clenched my jaw, weighing my options. Running was an option, sure, but an entire army would be on my heels before I even made it out of the town. I could fight my way out… but that was more trouble than it was worth.
"You really thought this through, huh?" I muttered.
"It's my job to be thorough," Ravon replied.
I stared at General Ravon, then at the officers surrounding him, all of whom were watching me with wary eyes.
"Well," I said, exhaling. "If I'm going to be branded a criminal anyway, I might as well kill you and all your officers here and now. Save myself the trouble."
The tent instantly filled with the sound of swords being drawn. The officers around the table scrambled backward with their hands on hilts, faces going pale. I could see the calculations running through their heads. Could they take on the man who had survived a dragon? Would I attack first? Would they even survive?
Only Ravon remained seated, completely unfazed.
"If you were the kind of man who would do that," he said calmly, "then you wouldn't have a priest of Emprio vouching for you."
I scowled. My bluff hadn't worked.
I sighed heavily. "Fine. I'll do it. I was headed that way anyway. But don't expect me to be happy about doing your job for you."
"I don't expect anything from you," Ravon said simply. "Only results."
I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, yeah. If I'm going into the Woods, I want food and supplies. There's no way I'm running into a death trap empty-handed."
Ravon nodded and gestured to one of the nearby officers, who jumped forward without hesitation. "Take him to the quartermaster. Make sure he has what he needs."
"Finally, some generosity," I muttered. Then I turned to Laine and Maxian. "You two. Come on."
Laine groaned. "Oh, come on, Sam. Do we really have to?"
"Yes."
Maxian beamed. "Of course! It would be an honor to aid you in this holy quest! Emprio guides our path, and I am certain—"
"Yeah, yeah," I muttered.
Laine, on the other hand, tried a different approach. "Listen, I'd just slow you down. You need someone out here, watching your back, getting information, keeping morale high—"
I shot him a look.
He clamped his mouth shut with a dramatic slumping of his shoulders in defeat. "Fine," he muttered.
We followed the soldier out of the command tent and toward the quartermaster's storehouse.
The quartermaster was a stocky, no-nonsense man who handed us our supplies without a word. We each received fresh armor along with rations, waterskins, and small medical kits. More importantly, we were given horses, which made this entire mess I'd landed in slightly more tolerable.
The officer, who had been leading us, then handed me a map of the Wailing Woods and a writ stamped with the General's seal. "Show this to the guards at the entrance. It'll get you through," he explained.
He gave us a look that wasn't quite a pity but close enough to it. "Good luck."
"Yeah," I muttered. "We'll need it."
By the time we could see the dark mass of trees in the Wailing Woods, the sun was already high in the sky.
Scattered around the edges of the forest were camps of soldiers, small groups stationed in makeshift outposts. Some of them repaired weapons while others stood watch with their gazes flicking to the forest every so often like they expected something to burst out at any moment.
Laine, as usual, was talking.
"—so there I was, locked in the knight's closet with nothing but a spoon and a stolen pocket watch, while he was searching the room. Now, most men would have panicked, but I—"
I tuned him out as I was used to doing so by now.
Maxian, unfortunately, was hanging onto every word. "And how did you escape?"
"That's the beauty of it, my dear priest! I didn't. He opened the closet, and I simply looked him dead in the eyes and said—"
I sighed, already exasperated by his incessant rambling, and rode ahead. The stone road stretched for miles, curving into the darkness of the trees.
A group of soldiers were stationed there, watching the borderline of the forest. One of them stepped forward, looking at me suspiciously. "State your business."
I pulled out the writ and handed it over. "General Ravon's orders. We're going in."
The soldier frowned as he read it. "Three men? Against whatever's in there?"
"You questioning your General?" Laine asked with a cocky tone of authority. He was clearly enjoying this.
He quickly shook his head. "No, sir. Just… surprised."
"Join the club," I muttered.
As he handed back the writ, my horse suddenly jerked beneath me.
I barely had time to react before the ground trembled.
The soldiers around us scrambled into a defensive formation, immediately drawing their weapons. More soldiers poured out of their tents, rushing to the woodland border.
"What the hell is—" Laine started, but his voice died in his throat.
The trees right on the forest's edge shook violently. Branches snapped. Birds scattered with loud cries.
Then, lumbering out from the darkness of the Wailing Woods, came a massive creature.
A lizard.
But not just any lizard.
The six-legged beast was the size of a horse cart, its thick black hide gleaming like polished armor. Its tail dragged through the dirt as it moved with steps so heavy the ground shook beneath us. Its four eyes glowed a faint, eerie blue.
The soldiers tensed, gripping their weapons.
The lizard let out a deep, guttural growl, its breath steaming in the cool air.
I sighed. "Oh, great."