“We’ve found them!” His head scouts rushed into the war room with a parchment in hand. He slapped it onto the table and unrolled it for all to see, “They’ve been hiding right next to us this entire time! This dune here is a fake, but it’s not an illusion. It’s real sand. I don’t know how they did it, but there’s a whole base hidden inside.”

His knight spoke first, ”They would have had to terraform it without us noticing… You’ve confirmed this? Personally?”

“Yes, of course. There are at least two entrances. One on the south side that is guarded by tunnelers and one on the north-east side that’s unprotected. I haven’t found a way to get in myself, but I’ve seen them enter and leave multiple times.”

“If what he says is true…” His knight turned towards him.

Soon everyone in the room did.

He nodded towards his assistant, and she quickly transferred the location written down on the parchment to the larger map at the center of the room.

He gazed at it, “Then we know where all of them are. No more chasing mirages.”

Baret reviewed the map stretched out in front of him. They’d hunted Ernst’s men for years; never getting even close to extinguishing them. There was the first fact that no matter how many they killed, Ernst would just hire more. Then they started raiding their bases, wiping out entire groups at a time. Ernst replied by hiring mages and warriors. Baret braved the battles himself to swing the odds back in their favor, but Ernst just had them hide their bases better. Much better. To the point where they simply couldn’t find anything other than a raiding party.

To add insult to injury, the bastards started recruiting his citizens. The very same people that had been impoverished by their acts went to join their ranks. That not only bolstered their numbers but also squeezed a few moles into his court. It had taken months to cleanse it. Months that should have been spent cleansing Struleren of Ernst’s filth.

Now, finally, things were moving his way. With the Count’s convoy a few days away and each of Ernst’s hideouts identified, it was only a matter of time. Soon, this nightmare would end.

Soon.

He turned from the map and commanded his subordinates, “Recall squads sixteen though twenty. Have them serve as police squadrons until the Count arrives. Squads eleven through fifteen should reinforce squads two to ten. The bastards should be in hiding now that the convoy is so close, but we need to make sure we secure all of our settlements.”

““Yes, my Lord!””

He spoke again, less as a commander and more as a leader, “It’s been a long night. We’ve spent years wondering when it would end, if it would end. We have our answer now. To each of you, who stuck by me and this barony through hellwaves and sandstorms, I am proud. Weaken men and women would have faltered, some of your number have over the years, but you all proved your loyalty time and time again. Soon that loyalty will be rewarded handsomely. Soo—”

The doors to the room flew open.

“My apologies, my Lord! A messenger bird just came in with news that Ernst’s dogs are at Silberg!”

Baret’s eyes flew open as well, “What?!”

The next day, Baret drove into Silberg with a select number of his retinue riding on horseback behind him. Unfortunately, he had to leave a few key men behind in case the convoy arrived before he made the trip back. Ideally, the ones he left behind would have made this journey instead of him, but the information that reached his desk this morning was too urgent. He had to make the trip, personally.

A member of the town’s guard rode in front of him, dispersing the townsfolk as their party strode through. The sight burned him. Once upon a time, the streets were, while not full, healthily populated. Now, all the guard did was shoo away those that wandered on to the road aimlessly.

Soon.

Silberg was never a large town. Even at its peak, it held a mere fifteen thousand. It had been constructed with care and attention to detail, however. The houses were well built and organized, the streets were carefully planned out and expertly paved, there was even running water and temperature controllers. There was a park, a school, a library. It was a modern town. It was the hub that would connect the entire barony. It was.

Now, as his automobile drove through its streets, all he saw was a dying settlement. He chippered himself up though. Soon it would be revitalized. Soon it would reclaim its glory and take its rightful place as the home built for a baron. Once Count Em...rich.

His thoughts went back to the message he received in the morning. Anger flared in his heart, but he smothered it quickly. A game was being played somewhere behind his back. Either Ernst was trying to sow doubt, the Count was not as forthright as he claimed, or there was a third-party that wanted to rob him of his hard-earned work. He had to uncover the truth.

The first step to that was meeting this so-called adventurer.

“Sir, we’ve arrived.”

The guard slid down from his horse and opened Baret’s door for him. He almost chastised the gaurd for it, but he let it go. He was noble, but he had his own pride. He had no interest in letting others take care of all his basic needs. It was the very reason he drove himself.

He stepped out of his green, box-shaped automobile, closed and locked the door, then immediately walked into the guards’ quarters. Four men greeted him inside. They all bowed their heads.

“”Welcome, my Lord!””

Baret waved his hand, “Enough. Brian, with me.”

He summoned the senior among them and walked to the man’s office on the second floor. His retinue had dropped off their horse to be taken care of by some stable hands and followed the two behind. Once everyone was inside Brian’s office, his mage set a barrier around it. They were to be unbothered and unheard.

Baret spoke first, “Where is he? Where is the man who wrote that letter?”

“I don’t know, my Lord. He left in the afternoon, but he promised to return by nightfall.”

That disappointed Baret, but if the man was honest then all would be well, “What was name?”

“Goldwin, my Lord.”

His head scout snorted, “Goldwin? ‘Golden friend’? ‘Ally of gold’? Must be an alias, a message.”

Baret thought so too, “We shall wait for this ‘golden ally’, at my manor. You know his face, correct?”

Brian nodded, “Yes, my Lord.”

“Good. Come. You’ll identify him for us when he returns.”