Chapter Seventeen #3
“I have to go into the Mist Woods,” I quietly informed the Overseer. “The King’s Hands came onto my farm looking for the shard, and it flew away to avoid them. The only problem is, it hasn’t come back home, and I’m worried something might have happened to it.”
“I see the urgency,” Alden said as his embarrassment quickly bled into an edged seriousness. “You shouldn’t go out alone. Not when Shaar has been picking fights the moment you step foot outside of Gladewood.”
“I can’t bring the King’s Hands with me,” I said. “And they can’t know I’ve gone. Commander Nuro is already onto me and waiting for me to slip up.”
“I’ll make sure the Hands don’t go anywhere,” Alden promised. “I’ll have some of my men cause a distraction at the eastern watchtower. That should give you enough time to slip out unnoticed.”
“Thanks, Alden,” I said with a grateful nod.
“Take some of my men, too,” the well-dressed half-orc said as he beckoned for someone to come over from across the road.
Three men approached. One was a half-orc, just like Alden, but he had fair gray skin, big black eyes, and a mane of white hair that he’d pulled back in a ponytail.
He was a fairly muscular man, and he was outfitted with black leather armor that hugged his sturdy physique like a glove.
A large greatsword also poked out from behind his wide shoulders and gleamed in the afternoon sun.
The second man was a human with choppy, inky-black hair and a youthful disposition.
He couldn’t have been older than twenty, but just like the half-orc, he had a surprisingly defined form hugged by dark brown leathers.
He had pale skin and freckles dusted over his nose like constellations.
Two blades rested on either hip, with black fabric wound tightly around the hilt that tapered off into two wispy strands.
His light blue eyes met mine, and he gave me a small nod before he turned his attention to Alden.
The last man was a dwarf with a stocky build and oak-colored skin.
Copper-colored hair curled around his wide face and large ears, and he had a scar running through his right eye, which was pale white.
The other was a burnt-umber color and matched the armor that fit his large frame.
He held a golden axe in one hand, and even though it looked like it weighed a ton, the dwarf held it without breaking a sweat.
“Noah, this is Kri’osh, Rennick, and Vilrun,” Alden introduced the men in the order they’d come over. “They were originally from Midhallow, but Thror offered their service in this trying time.”
“Do they know what they’re getting involved with?” I asked.
“We were there during the attacks in Midhallow, fighting in the frontline,” Kri’osh, the half-orc, said. “We know of the weapon you carry now. And we can help you get it back.”
“Straight to the point.” I chuckled before I looked at the human. “What about you, Rennick? You look a little young to be charging into battle.”
“I might look unsullied, but I’ve already seen my fair share of bloodshed,” the young man said in a surprisingly deep and husky voice. “I had to fight my way here from the Ashen Vales.”
I had no idea where that was, but it must have been one hell of a journey if this was how he’d turned out.
“Very well,” I said with a small nod. “Climb in back. We need to go before the King’s Hands spot us.”
Kri’osh, Rennick, and Vilrun all clambered into the back of the wagon and settled down. Their weapons clinked against the wood, and once they were settled, I grabbed Ethel’s reins and prepared to set off.
“I hope you don’t think you’re going without us,” a familiar voice said from behind us before I could even flick my wrists.
When I turned, Raeth, Tirii, and Karrida were standing there, armored to the teeth.
“Get in the back, quickly, before anyone sees you,” I urged as I glanced around for any Hands. “Alden, we might need that distraction sooner rather than later.”
“I’ll see it done immediately.” Alden nodded. “Wait here until you hear commotion. Then… ride like hell in the other direction.”
“I reckon I can handle that.” I grinned. “Girls, this could get pretty hairy. We don’t know what we’re facing out there, and I think something has the shard.”
Alden took off in a brisk jog as the girls climbed in the back.
“If it’s Shaar, I’d say it’s about time we wiped the smile off his ugly face,” Raeth said as she threw herself down next to Rennick, who jumped slightly at the sudden added weight.
“Seconded,” Karrida said as she squeezed next to Vilrun, who gave her a nod in acknowledgement.
“That’s if the ‘you-know-what’ hasn’t already fried him into nothing,” Tirii snorted. “Which I’m certainly hoping is the case.”
“I wouldn’t put money on that just yet, Tirii,” Raeth said as she pulled the archer down beside her. “And we both know you’re shit at placing bets.”
“Hey!” the human protested with a pout, only to be cut off by a chorus of panicked screams coming from the eastern wall.
Alden had gotten the message across.
And that was our cue to get the hell out of Gladewood while we still could.