Chapter 005:

The villagers had Atros back in sight. Anton was glad to see the ramshackle assortment of houses. At least he would be able to have a decent sleep.

Verona had remained close to Anton. Occasionally she looked like she wanted to ask something. She would reach out to grab his arm but hesitated, continuing to walk in silence.

It was getting to him. Other villagers were talking and laughing amongst themselves while he was in silence.

“Verona?”

She perked up and jogged to catch up. She didn't say anything, just stared at him.

“I didn't want to keep you away from something important. What I had to do there was not something you would have wanted to see. I hope you can understand.”

Verona nodded and smiled. She ran around Anton, finally a bit of happiness to her step, eventually walking right beside Anton, captured spear still in her hand.

They didn't speak for the rest of the trip but they both had a bit of a spring in their step.

---[]---

When they finally entered the village everyone stopped what they were doing and ran up to them.

Everyone wanted to know how it had gone. Anton hanged back and listened. They gave a glowing recount of Anton, most were only slightly surprised that Anton could use healing magic.

Bertram, Sybil and Zac made their way through the crowd to Anton.

“Hearing that you're a healer is no longer surprising,” began Bertram, “We'll get a group ready to collect some stone.”

“Not too many though, everyone needs a good sleep.”

Zac shuffled slightly. “You'll be happy to know that we've got nearly a quarter of the damaged houses pulled down. For the stone, I guess myself and around thirty to forty people and around a dozen carts, that'll be a good start for today.”

Anton nodded in agreement.

“If something goes wrong don't be afraid to run if you can.”

Zac nodded and left to gather his people. Bertram and Sybil remained.

“What happened?” asked Sybil, “Everyone's saying different things.”

Anton quickly recounted what happened. Both were entranced by Anton's retelling, other villagers listened in too. When Anton finished Sybil looked at him quizzically.

“Wait, Verona?”

She looked around.

“I haven't seen her in some time.”

Anton furrowed his eyebrows and looked around for Verona but he couldn't see the silver wisp. He was sure she was just beside him a moment ago.

I better have not lost it already, that...

“Do you know where she lives?”

Bertram and Sybil looked concerned at each-other. Bertram spoke first.

“She and her family lived on the far east side of the village...On the first night when we were attacked that area went up in flames, her family along with them. It's just that everything's been so chaotic...”

Anton raised his hand to stop them.

“I'm not going to judge what has happened, but everyone that doesn't have a safe home needs to be brought in.”

“We...”

Anton wasn't going to listen to excuses.

“Find room. Not with those that still refuse to work. I take it that there are still quite a few of them.”

Both nodded, glad to be going onto a different topic.

“Around thirty to forty people. No one has left in some time so I don't think any more will. I don't understand them.”

“You don't have to. It just needs to make sense to them. On another topic, do we have a blacksmith here?”

“Yes,” answered Sybil, “Near the south. It's the one with the large stone chimney.”

She pointed as best as she could. Anton could see what was probably a chimney for a medieval village.

“Also, get your son to get everyone that's not tired to start training, physically and team-work. He's in charge, for now. Seems to have a good eye for it.”

Anton looked towards the sun. It was becoming late in the afternoon. Still long enough for him to get things in motion.

“Right, how will I know when I see Verona's house?”

“It had a garden out the front with small blue flowers, I don't know if they're still alive though.”

“That'll do for now. Make sure that everyone gets a good sleep...and a roof over the head.”

Anton walked towards the east without saying another word. Bertram and Sybil breathed a sigh of relief.

“Guess we'd better get to work then,” Bertram told Sybil. They both left to try and organise what they could.

---[]---

Left Jeff, or as everyone except Anton knew him, Jeffrey, watched the villagers return from behind a building forming the main plaza. He still didn't know what to make of the mage that arrived literally from nowhere.

Before people listened to him, like how they should deal with the Yellow Goblins. He had a perfect plan, it was still just wasn't fully formed yet.

Now they were listening to this outsider, building walls and ripping down the empty houses for wood.

He continued to observe those gathered around Anton. Why were they listening to this new fool? Sure, he could use some fancy magic that nearly killed himself, but he had no idea on how they did things here.

He still had some people that would listen to him.

“What do we do Jeff?”

Jeffrey turned to a young man and two women, a few of the people that still listened. He felt his face turn hot from anger. They cowered as he became furious.

That name was his trigger.

“I'm sorry Jeffrey. Please...don't....”

Jeffrey felt the rage dissipate. The young man was trying his best to hold back his arm. He realised that he had one hand around one of the woman's throat and fist raised to strike her.

She coughed as he released her.

“Don't ever call me that again.”

All three nodded.

That name reminded him that he could be associated with the brute that was Chief Bertram's son. It made him feel physically sick and wanted to kill whoever said it. Jeff was a dullard in his eyes while he was intelligent and sophisticated. Bertram often called them both Jeff, which was tolerable only due to his position.

He turned his attention back to the group. They were talking intently with each-other.

What lies is that mage spreading now?

A cheer was let out. Jeffrey tried his best to drown out the noise and focus on what was being said.

“And then boom!” A big man near the outside of the group close to Jeffrey was within hearing distance. A few others gathered around him, a tall man with a bow moved around the talking man allowing Jeffrey to hear better.

“He blew up all of them...and nearly us at the same time. Same when we were in the encampment. Still, could've been much worse.”

A few fireworks at best, if I had magic I would do so much better.

He saw Jeff move out of the group, a few following him. They gathered a few crates and took them back into the crowd. A few moments later he stood up upon the box, now a full height above the others.

“Okay. Anton's got me in-charge of trainin' you. We did alright today.”

The crowd grumbled, some jeered.

“If it weren't for him, we'd be dead.”

The crowd went silent.

“So, those that aren't just coming back, we're going for a run. And we ain't gonna stop until we're tired. Let's go!”

A few cheers rang out. They seemed highly motivated to Jeffrey, something that irked him.

The crowd dissipated quickly. Quite a number had gone with Jeff, they appeared quite enthusiastic.

“I want you two,” Jeffrey pointed to the women, “Follow Jeff and see what he's up to.”

“Okay.” The women were gushing after being given orders. He knew he had that sort of effect on women.

The young man remained.

Jeffrey looked at the separating group but he couldn't find Anton. He was usually quite easy to spot, being slightly taller than most people and having blond hair, rare in this village.

“Try and follow Anton, see what he's up to and who he's talking to.”

The young man nodded and ran off into the crowd.

Now then, let's see what you're really up to then.

Jeffrey couldn't help the smile on his face.

---[]---

Anton found the house near the edge of the village.

Several soldier villagers offered to come with him. Apparently, they didn't like the idea of their mage going unprotected. Anton managed to talk them down, assuring them he'd be fine.

He found the flowers at the front. They were old and desiccated but he could still see the blue in the petals.

The house was about the same size as the rest of the house, possibly slightly smaller. The ones around this one were badly burnt but this one was virtually destroyed. It barely had walls and the roof had collapsed. The few parts of the build that remained were charred and rotten.

Someone actually lives like this?

He walked through the remains of the front door. It still smelled of burnt wood. He could smell the mould and rot underneath it.

“Hello?” he asked tentatively.

There was a rustling underneath a burnt table in the far corner. He didn't notice but that corner of the house was probably in the best condition. There was a large cloth over the table that reached the floor.

It rose and Verona popped out. She had a look of confusion as she exited underneath the table. Her grin appearing when he realised it was Anton.

“Hey, what's up?”

She stood up, a little bit wobbly as she leant against the table for support. Her clothes were still the same as she worn at the quarry, dried blood still covering it.

He couldn't think of anything to say, foot twitching uncomfortably.

“You live here?”

Verona looked around dismissively.

“Where else would I live?”

“Well...”

Anton couldn't think of anything good to say.

“Has something happened?” she asked, grabbing her spear from underneath the table.

“No. No. Nothing just yet.”

Neither of them spoke but Anton didn't want to leave it at that.

Verona was about to speak when she started coughing violently. The attack carried on for several long seconds. When she finally finished her eyes were teary, she had almost fallen over and there was fresh blood on her hands.

“Jesus, you are really sick. How did you even manage to fight like that.”

“I'm fine,” she tried her best to wave him away but Anton wasn't listening. He guided her to what passed for a stool.

The prayer should have healed her...maybe it wasn't specific enough.

“You're really not.”

She sighed.

“No,” coughing again, “I'm really not.”

“It's amazing that you were able to fight so well before.”

She held her hand to her chest.

“I usually don't move so much. I guess it made things a lot worse.”

“I want to try another healing prayer. If that's alright with you?”

Verona nodded, followed by another cough.

He placed his right hand just below her neck. Since she was probably around twenty years old he didn't feel comfortable about groping her chest to test out his powers.

He said the prayer in his mind. The mana flowed as usual, but he directed the image to her chest and lungs. He could feel it working.

When he removed his hand, Verona coughed again. It no longer sounded hoarse and painful.

“Thank you. I feel much better.”

Anton smiled, which she returned.

“Well, I wanted to see how you were doing. To be honest I don't like the idea of leaving you here.”

He looked back over at the table that she emerged from, presuming that is her 'home' now.

“I'm not going to force you to do anything, but I can arrange something better for you. A dry and warm bed, decent food and water, and away from the weather.”

She didn't meet his eyes as he stood. Anton thought he did all he could and didn't feel like dragging her away.

“If you decide on something, you know that I'm in the main hall.”

He rose to leave and almost made it to the ruined door before he heard movement. Verona's backside stuck out of the table-cloth, clunks emanating as she wriggled around

A few seconds later she emerged with a small bag, tied at one end. It appeared to be all her possessions.

She held it underneath her arm and grabbed the spear with the other hand.

“Are you sure you brought everything?”

Verona nodded.

“I don't have that much left.”

She shook the bag, it sounded very light.

“I'll see what we can get arranged. We'll be all be having something to eat if you wish to join us?”

“Great. I haven't eaten well in days.”

Anton nodded and started to walk away, Verona quickly running up beside him.

As they exited the destroyed house, Verona stopped and looked back.

Anton stopped as well a few paces further on. He looked back.

Verona cast a lonely shadow on the remains of her house. Memories of the good and bad times must have been flooding through her mind, telling her to stay and go all at once. She lent down near the desiccated blue flowers and tried to pick one. It crumbled under her touch. She sighed again, wiping her face with the back of her sleeve.

She stood up, mumbling something that Anton couldn't make out, and walked next to him.

“Shall we go?” she asked. Her eyes were slightly red but she looked as if she didn't want to draw attention to it.

Anton nodded. As they walked away Verona looked back again but didn't stop.

---[]---

They walked in silence for nearly a minute before Verona asked something.

“I've been wondering, what is that thing on your right hand?”

Anton looked down at the crystal. He was surprised that others hadn't asked about it before.

“To be honest, I have no idea. I can't remember much.”

Verona shifted the spear and bag so they were being carried on the same side and used her free hand to grab his right. She held his hand, forcing Anton to stop. She picked at the crystal and felt the skin that had formed around it.

Anton thought about the crystal for the first time. The gods had said it would be useful, and the fact that one of them had to go and find it meant it was probably something very valuable and powerful. Yet, they didn't bother to tell him. He could only hope that it would be revealed later.

Her hand continued to pry at his. It was soft, softer than any woman's hand he had ever felt. He felt some embarrassment that she was innocently holding his hand.

Eventually, she let it go. There was a slight redness to her face, realizing what she had just been doing.

“I...I guess it must be a mage thing,” she said trying to hide her embarrassment.

“Bertram and Right Jeff say they knew a mage. They will probably know more.”

“Who's Right Jeff?”

“Oh, Bertram's son. I call him that because when I first woke up he and another Jeff were standing guard and he was on the right.”

“Ah...That other one is really strange.”

This will be a good chance.

“Why do you say that?”

“Well, my parents they.....”

Verona trailed off for a moment, continuing to walk like a zombie with a blank expression. Anton lightly bumped her, bringing her back to reality.

“They always said not to hang around or even talk to him. Nobody from where we lived liked him. I think he's really strange. I don't like him. My dad even hit him once until he was bloody. They never told me why.”

“I'm probably strange to everyone here...”

“Nah, you're weird. But that's okay.”

He looked down at her. She was smiling like when he first met her. He tousled her hair, going faintly red as he did so.

They continued to walk in silence.

---[]---

A few minutes later they arrived back at the main plaza. Groups of villagers still congregated in the central plaza but Anton couldn't see anyone that was with him at the quarry. Hopefully, they were sleeping and Right Jeff was off giving everyone else a crash course in training. He was sure that was the right decision.

Later, I'll also need an inventory of weapons, like the bows and how many arrows. Better start getting people to make those too.

A few groups wanted Anton to talk to them and help them with issues with fortifying Atros. He told them that he would be there in a few minutes.

Bertram and Sybil were outside the main hall. They had grabbed a large table and were talking with some of the construction group.

“Anton, hello. And hello Verona.”

“Hi.” Verona did not have any enthusiasm in her voice.

“More planning?” Anton asked.

“Yes. We've got a more detailed layout of Atros,” Bertram pointed to the large piece of paper in front of him, “Having a discussion over where the wall should be built and how tall.”

“I don't think it needs to be very tall for now, so long as the house in front of the wall has been torn down. If the outside is smooth and they can't climb up, you could probably get away with building it up to head height, and just fight from the top.”

“I knew that was going to be the idea.” said one of the male construction workers.

Bertram sighed slightly.

“That was the general idea...and it definitely looks that way now.”

The construction group had already started talking amongst themselves, pointing and gesturing to the map.

“They just needed a little push, that's all.”

Bertram nodded.

“I really don't know that much about all this work.”

“Well, they look up to you.”

Bertram laughed.

“Maybe. Maybe they just like seeing a familiar face.”

Bertram and Sybil chuckled a little. Verona continued to look at Anton.

“Have we got any spare rooms?”

“We will have some in the main hall by the afternoon. There are rooms full of junk that are being removed.”

A man and woman pair emerged, carrying old and broken furniture and books.

“Are the books of any use?”

“So far most of them are things like ledgers but some appear to be useful. Those are being kept.”

“Right. I'll leave you to it then. Verona, you can leave your stuff in my room until it's cleared. I'll show you.”

Verona followed Anton inside. He didn't fail to miss the cold gaze towards Bertram and Sybil. Their smiles towards Anton appeared genuine but he could see some unease when talking about and to Verona.

This can't be good. Another problem in this little village.

---[]---

Bertram sighed in relief. Sybil placed her hand on his knee, rubbing it for comfort.

To him, she was a constant. Someone that always helped him see things through to the right end. Her unease made him feel it doubly so.

“Are you worried?” she asked.

“A little. This day could end very badly.”

“You're worried about Anton.”

He nodded.

“Verona seems enamoured with him already. You saw how she smiled as she approached...and...I don't know. I just don't have a good feeling for the rest of the day.”

“It'll be fine. Anton said that everything that happened in the past will stay there.”

Bertram still felt uneasy.

“But if it becomes personal...”

“There's nothing we can do now. Interfering will only make it worse.”

“Yes. Yes, you're right. We've got work to do.”

With a heavy grunt, they both stood up, ready to sort through the growing assortment of junk being brought out of all the houses.

---[]---

Verona followed Anton inside. She appeared confused when Anton removed his shoes. He caught a glimpse of her looking at her own dirty feet then over at Anton’s, which were still clean.

She almost gasped when she saw the inside of the room, nearly dropping her gear. She put them on the inside of the door and wandered around.

“I like it.”

“Your room will have the same stuff, hopefully.”

Verona helped herself to one of the chairs, stretching out like a cat.

“Ah, so good. How's the bed?”

Without asking she flopped onto the bed, creaking lightly under her weight.

“So much better than before.”

“What was before?”

She remained silent for a moment.

“Whatever I could find that was soft...”

He could see the pain and memories on her face.

Perhaps I shouldn't have asked that.

“Okay.” Anton picked up her gear and placed it on the table. “By the looks of things they'll have it cleaned out in a little bit, hopefully before nightfall. I need to go find the blacksmith of this village. Do you have anything planned?”

Anton waited but no response came. He turned towards the bed. Verona was asleep. Her whole body had gone limp, head resting on the pillow with her mouth slightly open. He could hear and see her breathing which made him feel a little more relaxed.

“Verona?” he asked quietly, but no answer.

He poked her on the arm a few times but got no response.

She must have barely been awake to fall asleep that fast. Can't leave her like this.

With the greatest amount of care, he pulled the covers from underneath her body, trying his best not to wake her. Afterwards, he pulled it over her tucked her into bed. She didn't wake, so Anton left as quietly as he could, hoping that this would be a nap rather than sleep.

As Anton left he pulled the door shut. These people didn't have locks but it didn't appear to be a problem. He wasn't entirely sure about the security of this village but didn't have an alternative.

Outside, Anton was sure he was being watched. He reasoned it was most likely Left Jeff and his crew, though he couldn't tell where they were watching from. It felt like one of his cronies rather than Left Jeff. He waited and watched but couldn't find the source. Figuring that there was nothing that he could do now, Anton went south towards the blacksmith.

---[]---

The blacksmith was in a state of disrepair, rather than the damage the rest of the village suffered from. It was almost four times the size of a standard house, with half was an open space. A large furnace sat cold in the centre, tools and equipment radiating out. Some appeared to have half-finished items in them, but the amount of dust present told him that it had been this way for some time.

“Hello?”

This was almost becoming a retinue for Anton; asking then entering.

There was no reply.

A small gust of wind blew, opening one of the doors into the closed off half of the building.

Anton walked through the tool area and peeked in. There was light coming through some wooden slots like those in his room, though this one was far dustier. It was relatively well kept but looked somewhat disorganised. Definitely a man's room.

He opened the door and knocked. There was a soft grunt but nothing else.

He walked further inside, taking careful and loud steps. In a corner of the building he saw a man, a large one like Zac. However, he was covered in blankets with his head resting on his chest. His breathing was shallow and hoarse, occasionally he would cough then return to his slumber.

“Are you okay?”

The man didn't answer but tired raise his head. That appeared to be a struggle. He opened his mouth to speak but his head dropped again.

Anton moved quickly towards him and gently grabbed his head. It was burning to the touch yet he didn't appear to be sweating. The majority of the blankets were focused around his feet. With a sense of trepidation, he removed enough blankets to have a look.

It was ghastly. The man's toes were green and the rest of his legs didn't look much better. Some parts of his toes appeared to have fallen off. Near each foot, there were clear signs that he had been wounded some time ago but hadn't healed properly. Now they looked gangrenous.

Didn't really want to 'stress test' this but looks like this is it.

Anton had no idea if gangrene was contagious but didn't want to take the chance. He placed his left hand on the man's exposed arm.

“Tethra, God of Prayer, cure this man of his blight.”

Nearly all his mana flew out in an instant, causing him to lose his balance and stumbling backwards. Despite not being in physical contact he felt the mana return and could feel it pushing the disease 'out' and into nothingness.

His head was ringing, eyes couldn't focus and had no idea what was up or down, but the man was healed, hopefully. For a moment he lay on the floor until he got enough mana back to move properly. It didn't take long, the mana returning more quickly each time he used it.

The man groaned as he woke, though it was clearly a good noise.

Anton studied the man in greater detail. He was large and muscular. His hands had clearly seen hard work and so had the rest of him like he expected a blacksmith to have. His beard was the same brown that a lot of people in the village had.

To Anton, he looked like another dependable villager. Anton didn't have the best memory when it came to faces but he was sure that he hadn't seen this man before.

“Who...Who are you?”

His voice was loud but calm.

“I'm Anton. How long have you been like that? If it's been a while you probably wouldn't have heard of me.”

“A couple of weeks I've been stuck in this chair, relying on my children to get what I need.”

“You have kids?”

“Yes,” his face turned solemn, “A little girl and boy. My wife died early when those monsters started attacking. Are they still coming? How bad is it?”

Anton explained as best he could the situation around Atros and how he felt things were going. He could tell that the man took his story with some scepticism.

“If that's true, then I've got lots of work to do,” He tried to stand but his legs shook under the weight, “Maybe when I can stand.”

“I'm hoping to get a communal dinner and lunch organised to happen every day. You should come, don't think you've been able to eat much.”

“No. My name is Jonathan, by the way.”

“Pleasure.”

Anton shook his hand. It was very rough to the touch.

“How good a blacksmith are you?”

“I believe I'm pretty good. There used to be a couple of us. Everyone used to come only to me for their really important stuff, now I'm the only one left.”

Anton was about to continue the line of inquiry when the door opened again. Two small children were there, both carrying baskets full of flowers and what looked to be like herbs. They wore a smaller version of the villagers clothing, though it appeared to be relatively unkempt.

“Daddy!” they both yelled, running past Anton but giving him a wide berth.

They clambered up his legs and hugged his chest, both pushing for room. Jonathan used both arms to give them a hug in return.

Anton couldn't tell them apart easily; they both had short dark brown hair and their faces were both boyish.

“How...?” one of the children asked. It had a young boys tone.

Jonathan freed one of his hands and pointed at Anton. Both had looks of disbelief in their faces.

The girlish one pointed at Anton.

“You're the new person. The one that makes things go bang.”

Anton nodded. At least it would help Jonathan believe his story.

“Thank you. I've got a lot to catch up on, especially time with my kids. This is my daughter Jocelyn and my son Shawn.”

Both children waved to Anton. Though they remained in their father's arms.

“When you're able to stand, come to the main plaza. We'll get a list of things that we need to be done.”

Jonathan nodded.

“I'll be right there. I just want a moment with my children.”

“Of course. Take your time.”

Anton went to leave when he felt a lump collide with his leg. It was quite small. He looked down to see the boy, Shawn, hugging his leg. He looked up towards Anton with watery eyes.

“Thank you for saving our dad.”

“It was no problem.”

Shawn let go of Anton's leg. He left feeling that things were starting to get better.

---[]---

When Anton arrived back at the main plaza, after being waylaid by numerous villages who wanted his advice on their part of the effort, he was surprised by the number of villagers there. Most were sweating profusely and sitting on the ground, panting for breath. Right Jeff was standing at the front of the group, not looking to good himself.

As Anton was about to approach him he heard a rumbling in the near distance. He turned and saw Zac leading a procession of carts laden with stone. Each cart had rocks spilling over the top and was still able to be pulled at a reasonable speed by a single Ix. Anton marvelled slightly at the strength of such beasts.

He was also surprised to see Zac so soon. The day must have gone faster than he thought or the Ix were able to move at tremendous speed if they needed to.

The sun was already quite low in the distance. After another hour it would be dark.

Zac waved Anton over.

“Looks like you got quite a good haul there.”

“Yep. Don't really want to know what happened over there...what with the craters and burnt out huts, but I can presume it wasn't fun.”

“It got the blood running for a minute, that's for sure. It took us a while to get there, how were you able to get back so fast?”

Zac patted the Ix beast. It grunted and appeared to like the affection.

“These things can move very quickly. First time they've been on a run in some time, so I think they enjoyed it.”

Zac continued to lead the carts into the plaza area. Anton followed.

Right Jeff's tired villagers shuffled out of the way.

“Are you going to start the wall soon?” Anton asked.

Zac inspected the stone. He picked up a small piece and tossed it in the air.

“We're going to need a lot, a lot more, to get it in a decent state. We'll get it started sometime tomorrow.”

“How many trips can you do a day?”

“If we don't tire the workers or the beasts we can do four a day with no issue. Can't tell you how long until the wall is in a usable state. Should be a few more days and the houses on the north side will be all down.”

Anton looked at the pile of wood that used to be houses. It was of considerable size now. Occasionally a group of villager would arrive and drop some more off.

“Keep up the good work.”

Anton let Zac carry on with his work offloading the carts. He found Bertram, Sybil and Right Jeff, who had loudly dismissed the tired villagers telling them to get some much-needed rest, sitting at the large table outside the main hall. He approached and all three greeted him.

“How goes things here?” Anton asked.

“Still going through the books,” Bertram replied, “Not much use, but you may make more sense of it.”

“I still need to learn how to read first. Jonathan, the blacksmith, is better now. He was suffering from some very bad looking rot on his legs. I hope there aren't any others like that scattered throughout the homes?”

All three looked shocked at hearing the Jonathan was sick.

“Stubborn fool. He wouldn't have told us if he was sick anyway,” Sybil said, “Doesn't like to worry others. We had no idea that there was a problem.”

“Well, he's fixed now. I've told him to come to dinner later. What's on the menu tonight?”

“Ah, just the usual things. Not much variety here to be honest.”

Anton nodded. The food here, while simple, appeared to be very good.

“We've got a little bit of time before it gets dark. I'm going to head over south and practice my magic. Unless there's something else, I'll see you all at dinner.”

“Nah. Nothin' wrong with the villagers. Seems a lot stronger already. Tomorrow we'll get 'em learning proper orders and things. Don't want my Sam to be runnin' off again.”

Anton and Right Jeff chuckled slightly. He left for the training patch.

---[]---

Jeffrey had been wandering around the village since he sent his trio of followers off to spy on Anton's activities. He had others watching other parts of the village but they had seen nothing odd.

The women had returned but found nothing too odd. He was waiting for the young man to return and had been for some time now. It was odd for people to be late when it concerned him.

He was waiting where he first sent his followers out, hoping that he would have sight of the young man. Eventually, he worked his way through the villagers offloading stone and made it to him.

“Has he been up to anything?”

“Not that I could find out,” replied the young man, “He's got people training for exercise and tomorrow they're going to be doing it again.”

Jeffrey was already starting to become irritated.

Does he think me an idiot? I could see them training.

With a sigh of exasperation, he motioned for the young man to continue.

“He also went over Jonathan's blacksmith, and now he seems okay. I saw him and his children coming up here. Apparently they'll be joining the communal dinner they hold at the table Anton sits at.”

“That's not surprising. I wonder what sweet lie Anton whispered in his ear to get him to come out. Still, at least it gives us a rough idea of what he's doing.”

Jeffrey turned to leave but the young man wasn't finished.

“Oh, he's also taken that silver girl, what was her name...Verona, under his care.”

Jeffrey stopped in his tracks, turning and staring at the young man.

“What?”

His voice turned cold and hoarse, something hot burning within his gut. He walked back to the young man and squeezed down hard on his shoulders, the young man wincing in pain.

“Tell me exactly what you saw. Don't leave anything out.”