Book 3: Chapter 21 (1/2)

On top of a fortress wall, a man was dressed in a full suit of armor that had a crest of two intertwined tigers emblazoned on its chest. He raised his helmet’s visor, a deep frown visible on his face. A line of wagons was approaching the fortress walls from the north, riding on a road that hadn’t seen much maintenance. He nudged the guard standing next to him with his sword’s sheath. “Who are they?”

“Sir Daniel,” the guard said. “That’s the Spring Ferret Merchants convoy. They usually pass through around this time after picking up goods from the tribes located within the wilderness.”

Apollonia’s trusted retainer raised his eyebrow before lowering his visor. “I see,” he said as the convoy stopped by the fortress gates. “To travel through the wilderness, they must be pretty strong. How long do they usually stay before departing?”

“Only a day,” the guard said as the people below them searched through the wagons. “There aren’t very many people here to trade with. After exchanging some goods, they move south to Bergia. I don’t know where they go after that.”

“A single day,” Daniel said. “There should be no issues then.”

“Captain!” a voice shouted from below. “There’s an issue!”

Daniel didn’t say a word as he stepped to the edge of the wall and leaned over, looking down on the guard who had just spoken. The guard beside Daniel frowned and leaned over as well. “What is it?” he asked, scowling at his subordinate. A group of five strange-looking people were standing behind the man on the ground. “Haven’t you processed a group of merchants before, James?”

“Do you remember the orders we received two days ago, Captain?” James asked in reply. “These people are undocumented. They have no form of identification.”

“Then refuse their entry,” the guard captain said. “Orders are orders.”

“But, Captain, they’re coming from the north. If we don’t allow them in, they’ll die to the beasts. Can’t we make an exception this one time? We can even hold them in the cells until those orders are lifted.”

Beads of sweat formed on the guard captain’s brow as his irises shifted to the corner of his eyes, sneaking a peek at the knight that had given them the orders to prevent all undocumented people from entering the fortress. Unfortunately, he couldn’t tell what Daniel was thinking due to the visor covering his face. The guard captain’s lips spread into an awkward smile as he turned towards the knight. “What do you think? They really will die if you turn them away here.”

Daniel didn’t respond as he turned around and walked down the stairs leading towards the ground. He stepped outside the gate, stopping in front of James and the group of five. He lifted his visor and crossed his arms over his chest. Before he could say anything, a bald merchant came up to him, rubbing his greasy hands together. “They’re not with my group,” he said as he reached towards his waist, his hand disappearing into a sash. A small brown pouch appeared in his palm, which he offered towards the knight. “I hope my Spring Ferret Merchants group won’t be affected by their arrival.”

The knight slapped away the pouch, glaring at the merchant. He pointed at the half-naked man with brown hair and golden eyes who seemed to be the leader of the group. “Who are you?”

“I’m Vur,” Vur said. He paused for a moment before adding, “Hi.”