Chapter Seven
The gate opened slowly, as if it was hesitating about letting them through, but the decision had already been made by our Overseer.
Fang let out a low growl, but I sent him a quick look in warning as the party breached through the entrance to Gladewood.
One of the largest of the soldiers pushed through the immaculate line and stepped right in front of us. He was a big, hulking piece of gold sitting atop his white mare, which almost looked miniature due to his size.
A pair of piercing green eyes stuck out beneath the helmet that curved around his chiseled face. I could see a pair of thin lips, too, which were curled into an unimpressed sneer as he glanced at the surrounding buildings.
He almost looked like Clint Eastwood in a way. But I doubt this guy had that Hollywood charm. Instead, I could feel his disgust as he looked at our quaint little town.
He tugged hard at the gold-trimmed reins, and the horse halted with a firm stomp of her right front leg in front of us.
“Greetings,” the soldier said in a deep, regal voice. “I am Hand Commander Nuro. I am looking to speak with the leader of this town.”
“T-That would be me, Commander,” Alden said as he took a shaking step forward and craned his head to look up at the seated soldier. “I am Overseer Alden.”
“Overseer, I bring word from King Urek,” the soldier announced. “Our benevolent king has heard word of growing violence and turmoil in Gladewood and its surrounding areas. He has sent us, a small sample of his never-ending might, to aid you and your… town.”
No matter how hard Hand Commander Nuro tried, he couldn’t keep the disdain out of his voice as he glanced at the slanted houses and mismatched shingles.
Alden and I shared a brief look, and I could tell from the wide-eyed expression on his face that he didn’t believe that excuse, even for a second.
“T-The king has heard of the recent trouble?” Alden stuttered as he turned back to Nuro. “I’m… surprised.”
“Really?” Nuro’s piercing gaze snapped to Alden. “Gladewood is part of the king’s land. Everything that happens in Mystica is his concern.”
“I… well, I suppose I’m just… after everything Gladewood has already been through… now, of all times--”
“Gladewood was on the brink of starvation a few months ago,” I cut off Alden’s rambling as I stared up at the haughty commander. “Where was the king’s aid then?”
The surrounding men who had been building the watchtowers sucked in sharp breaths and muttered among themselves at my blunt question.
But I didn’t care what it made me look like in front of these ‘knights in shining armor.’ It pissed me off that the king had turned a blind eye to this starving town, but when there was something that interested him, he sent out a small legion of men.
Because it was obvious why they were actually here.
It wasn’t just for the ‘protection’ of Gladewood. The king had clearly caught word of the shard’s presence here, and he’d sent out his personal sniffer dogs to try and find it under the guise of being benevolent.
“Noah, there’s really no need,” Alden said and followed this up with a nervous chuckle. “The king has… offered us help. And with the threat of attacks, we shouldn’t turn that away.”
“No,” the commander said in a flat tone as he glared at me. “To do so would be treason.”
Clearly, these guys weren’t going anywhere, and I didn’t want to cause another fuss with the king, of all people. Having extra soldiers around to protect Gladewood would be useful, but keeping the shard and its existence a secret from them was going to be another story.
I trusted that the people of Gladewood would be able to maintain the secret. They’d already done so with every traveler who’d previously passed through our little town before I had to put the wall up and barricade us in.
“Magic has returned,” another soldier said as he guided his horse forward beside Nuro’s. “This wall is evidence of that.”
There was no point denying the obvious. I could lie all I wanted about the shard so long as I kept it hidden and out of their sight.
But I couldn’t hide the other magical elements that had integrated themselves into the land surrounding us.
All the animals and creatures that lived in the forests, and the battlements surrounding Gladewood forged from the earth itself, were undeniable.
So, the only thing we could do right now was play along.
“It has,” I said calmly. “It is as much of a surprise to you as it was to us.”
“It seems it’s worked out in your favor, though,” Nuro commented with a casual wave toward the wall. “A remarkable wall for protection.”
“Yes, we were very lucky,” Alden said as he nervously wrung his hands. “Very lucky indeed. But we do not question how the magic works around here. It does as it pleases.”
“Evidently,” Nuro said with a roll of his shoulders. “We will require lodgings. I assume you have an inn?”
“Y-Yes, the Frostfyre,” the Overseer said. “I’m sure Bathilda will be able to provide you with suitable rooms. But depending on how long you’ll be staying--”
“Large accommodations will be required, but we will give you time to prepare those,” Commander Nuro said in a dismissive tone. “Lieutenant Giian here will oversee that while the rest of my party will help protect the borders.”
The man who had pulled his horse up beside Nuro’s gave a grunt in acknowledgement and tightened his thick brow. His steeled ivory-white stare met mine before he turned it expectantly to Alden, as if he was waiting for him to refuse the outlandish request.
I’d never seen eyes like his before. There was something deeply haunting but strangely beautiful about the barely visible irises. The closest thing I could compare it to was a Night elf from World of Warcraft, but I doubted Giian would appreciate the comparison.
“Oh.” Alden blinked. “You… you want us to provide larger accommodations?”
“Our time here does not have an end date,” the stoic commander said. “Only the king will decide when we can return.”
Or when they find the shard.
It seemed like we had escaped one occupation and had fallen into another, but as long as we maintained the facade of innocence and the shard stayed put in my barn, we could manage the king’s soldiers being in Gladewood.
“Then… I suppose we can find something suitable for you,” Alden said as he shared another nervous look with me. “It might take some time. Right now, our focus is on building the watchtowers.”
“It looks like you’re almost there,” Giian commented with a casual glance over his wide shoulder. “After the watchtowers are built, you can redelegate your focus to that.”
I clenched my fists so hard that I could feel my nails digging into my palms.
They had some gall to rock up to our town and expect us to suddenly cater to them. We had bigger problems to worry about rather than where they could make themselves comfortable.
The Frostfyre wasn’t exactly going to see many more residents other than Raeth and Benni, thanks to us closing our gates to outsiders. But, of course, the king’s men demanded luxury and something away from the common rabble they were supposedly here to protect.
But, as pissed off as I was, I kept my mouth shut.
I was walking on thin ice already. I could feel the stares of the soldiers burning into my head. Drakar had spread the rumors about me and the shard far and wide while he made his way to whatever hole he wanted to crawl into.
The rogue bandits, those who hadn’t been led by Lieutenant Shaar, had heard word of a farmer possessing the shard. No doubt, if word had gotten to them in the middle of nowhere, the same rumor would have reached the king’s listening ears.
I couldn’t hide who I was. I was the biggest provider for the town, and these soldiers already seemed like the attentive kind, so it wasn’t like I could hide my large plot of land just outside ?the borders.
“Right. Watchtowers.” Alden cleared his throat and clasped his hands in front of him. “I’d be happy to show you to the inn.”
“No need,” Nuro said. “We want to survey the town on our way through.”
“Why would you need to do that?” I asked as my eyebrows tugged into a frown.
I knew exactly why they wanted to look around. They weren’t here for our protection. They wanted to search every nook and cranny for the shard.
“Weak points,” Nuro said in a flat tone. “Places where you need extra security.”
“I think the wall has helped enough,” I fired back. “The inn is in the center of town. You’ll be comfortable there.”
“I’m sure we will, once we make our own way there,” the commander stated as he shifted his weight on his brown leather saddle.
There was so much I wanted to say, so much I wanted to call them out on. But I had no choice but to hold my tongue for the sake of the town.
I glanced over at the rest of the king’s soldiers and saw the same stoic and unimpressed faces.
But there was one soldier who stood out from the rest.
She was the only woman of the party, which was evident from the way her armor hugged her curves and the subtle mounds of her breasts.
Her shoulders were squared and her chin raised high, just like the rest of the smug bastards, but as soon as my eyes met her violet ones, her composure faltered.
The woman’s gaze darted away from me, and I could see a faint flush of pink tinting her olive-colored skin. She shuffled in her saddle, and even though her helmet covered a large portion of her head, I could see how beautiful she was.
Her features were soft, and her straight eyebrows furrowed as she tried to avoid my obvious stare. Her nose followed a smooth, elegant line and rounded at the tip. A generous fullness defined her mouth, and her plump, pink lips had a softened cupid’s bow.
Her eyelids formed a smooth, unbroken line that added to the softness of her features, and the color of her eyes was like an aurora sky with varying colors of purple and violet.
Pitch-black hair funneled out of her golden helmet and was cut short at her shoulders. There were small braids woven throughout the onyx locks, and they were pinched in place with beads of what looked like jade.