Kaele's mount had been led to the noticeably empty stables where one of the servants took care of it and now we were sitting around a table that had been designed to host quite a few people more in a hall that was too big and too quite as well. It was enough to send a shiver down my spine. I had suspected that something was amiss before but by now it was glaringly obvious. I couldn't just ask though. Not right away anyway. That would have been impolite. The unspoken rules of hospitality demanded that we eat first and even after the meal it would be my turn first to share my story. Annoying as these rules of etiquette might be at times, they were what kept the king's lands mostly peaceful and day to day affairs running smoothly. Thus I would abide by them without actually voicing any complaints.

I nodded gratefully as the servants served the meal. They didn't stick around, probably because they had their own meals waiting in the kitchen. I bowed my head again towards the boy who ruled the domain in his father's name for the time being and his sister. “Thank you for the meal.” Then we started to dig in. It wasn't anything special. For the better part it was just mashed ashroot like I knew it from back home, except it was served with butter and salt instead of honey. There were some steamed root vegetables to go with it as well and those were a real treat. They were both tasty and steamed just right. It was enough to put a smile on my face. Kaele seemed to share my sentiment. The cat on the other hand wasn't terribly fond of it. It licked some of the mashed, salty ashroot of my sisters fingers before scampering off, probably in search of food that was more to its liking.

Thus we ate in silence for a little while. In the end it was the young lords sister who broke the silence when out plates and bowls emptied at last. “I'm a bit curious. What prompted you to head to the capital now of all times, such a short time after your brother passed through as well?” She paused briefly. “To be honest, we expected you to pass through days ago, at the very least, and not with a caravan but your mother's banner up in arms instead.” The boy sitting next to her looked embarrassed as his sister just kept talking. He sighed but did not intervene. She must have noticed though, as she finally reigned herself in, blushing a little herself. She just had to add one last question though. Apparently she couldn't help herself in that regard. “I guess the king's messenger never reached you, way out there in Caer'zoth?”

Now that had me raise an eyebrow. She had been asking questions and in a rather pointed way too but by doing so she had provided me some information as well. I glanced sideways at my sister. Maybe it would be better if she started answering? She nodded and composed herself. “Our brother Agar'zan was sent away from home after mauling Keza badly during training. Mother sent him to the court to serve in the king's guard.” She paused briefly to sip some of the watered down wine that had been served with the meal. “And you are right. No messenger of the king ever reached us. A human army, about five to six hundred strong put Caer'zoth under siege not long after our brother left. Their elven head hunter allies probably got the messenger and just about everyone else who was on the road at that time.”

“Oh.” That single utterance of the boy summed it up pretty well. They looked properly shocked at the mention of head hunters. They probably hadn't had to deal with any in their lifetime but they knew the stories for sure. None of those stories were nice ones either. To be honest, most of them were the kind of stories that tended to give children nightmares. Judging by the evidence I had seen firsthand they weren't embellished either. Our hosts looked at each other with ashen faces before the young lord in training continued. “You say you were under siege. Does that mean … that giant smoke column … was that …” He was struggling to find the right words. Even with the way he was stumbling through that inquiry I had no problem figuring out what he meant.

I sighed, shook my head and took over the conversation. “The village was under siege and they looted most of the outlying farmsteads. Mother … mother was killed early on, when she made an attempt to turn away that army with her banner. Everyone else holed up in the village after that. Kaele and I, we were out in the wilds together with some friends at that time. We only found out about the attack, when some of their pickets stumbled across our camp.” I didn't mention our other adventures, not even the wyvern, as they didn't matter in this context. I took a sip of wine as well to wet my throat. “We started harassing their scouts, their pickets, their foragers and in the end their camp once we realized what was going on.” I shook my head once more. “In the end we managed to lure a good number of them into a trap. We set the forest on one of the hills near the village ablaze around them. That probably was the smoke column you saw.”

Both the girl and the boy had paid rapt attention, their eyes on my lips the entire time. To anyone who hadn't had to suffer through it, it probably sounded like a grand adventure. It was the young lords sister who regained her composure first. “Your mother is dead? I'm sorry for your loss.” I grimaced internally but kept a straight face. I hadn't told them the worst about mother's fate and the girl didn't mean any disrespect after all. As far as I could tell anyway. After a moment she continued. “I wish we could have done anything to help but, as you probably noticed, we currently don't have any forces to spare either.”

At this point her brother took over again. “Yes. The messenger we mentioned was to spread the king's call to arms. I don't know too many details but it seems there was a much larger incursion down south as well. Anyway, father heeded the king's summon and departed with his banner.” That would explain why we hadn't received any help from any of our other neighbors either. They must have all left to follow the king's call. In a way that damn ghoul had screwed up. If he had held back another day, or two at most, he would have found Caer'zoth stripped of any forces worth mentioning and ripe for the taking. The best fortifications weren't worth anything if there were no men and women defending them after all. Was that good luck? Or wasn't it? I was not quite sure.

I nodded. “I appreciate your sentiment. And if you had been in any position to lend us aid I would have appreciated it as well, but at times the circumstances simply are beyond our control much as we wish it were otherwise.” Then I emptied my cup with one last, big gulp and pushed back my chair to get back on my feet. I motioned for the door. “Come, let's pay our companions a quick visit before we retire for the night. I would like you to get a look at something important before we depart again in the morning.” Oh maidens, what was I saying. I would have liked nothing more than to just fall into a bed but I felt that the two deserved to know what kind of hardships and perils may lay ahead of us all.

The two looked at each other, a hint of worry clouding their faces. Kaele shot me a questioning look as well. She might have even been about to question my reasoning as well but then her feline companion reappeared once more. I got the distinct impression that it must have caught its own meal. It slunk out of the shadows, still licking its lips, brushed past me and hopped onto my sister's lap, rubbing up against her. I couldn't help but smile at that. I headed for the door anyway, with our hosts at my heels. Before I could reach it though the girl stepped past me to open the heavy door and I was quite glad for it. I would have used the arm on my injured side otherwise. And as much as it irked me to admit it, that injury still hurt despite the best efforts of my sister and everyone else.

The inn was just across the village square. I could still hear a few people eat, drink and talk but most were probably already asleep. Zul'gar was still awake though. He stood to the side where most of the cargo of our caravan had been stored for the night. Next to him stood Khor'roth, the grizzled veteran we had met at the gate. They both bowed their heads as we approached. “Zul'gar, keeping watch?” He nodded. “Good. Could you show our hosts our special package?” He looked a little uneasy at my request but he obeyed anyway. He dragged the iron reinforced, wooden chest forward and unlocked the first lock on it. I got out the second key I wore on a leather strap around my neck and opened the second. “Step back a little.” I advised the two children. Then I opened the chest. Within was a bronze pot and within that lay the head of the thrice damned ghoul that had led the army attacking my home.

The children and even the scarred veteran stumbled back a step, as it hissed at them. Their eyes were wide. The old veteran was the first to carefully step forward again to get a better look. “Merciful maidens, what is that?”

The young lord stepped forward to stand next to his master at arms to peer at the damn thing as well. “How is it not dead?” He frowned. “And what is that thing it is wearing? It looks strange.”

The girl in turn didn't look like she wanted to get a closer look at all. I didn't fault her for it at all. I closed the chest again to shut the damnable creature up once more. “That is a ghoul. Or at least what is left of it. The soldiers attacking us wore the colors of Gothol'uin but that damn thing commanded them. And the thing it is wearing could be a crown, or at least a circlet similar to ours. Which in turn might just make it a ghoul king. Probably the weakest and most miserable of the whole lot, but still.” I locked the chest again and Zul'gar put it back with the rest of our cargo. “I just hope that there aren't any more of these with the enemy the king is facing.” I said that but deep inside I was afraid that I was asking for too much with these words.