In the capital of Eshil Domain, Lapoi, the busiest place in the nation, merchants were at every corner, each filled with people looking to buy something. Visitors were ambushed by various kinds of sellers, and guards were plentiful to keep the peace.

  Nobody looked twice at Arturo, for he was nothing in the eyes of these people. Money and entertainment were what people wanted here. His army, Shields of Aidris, was camping ten miles outside the capital. With Arturo were Achillion, Eurisha, Tarmon, and Jen.

  Despite traveling with them for a couple of months now, Achillion hadn’t decided to join. Arturo stopped asking, for he wasn’t paying the man since he wasn’t part of his army. Eurisha was wearing a robe, one she found in a small town, and wore it all the time. It was funny, Eurisha had told him she hated robes, yet found solace in hiding who she was with them. Fewer problems arose when nobody knew she was a Forest Dweller.

  “Halt!” A guard stopped in front of them, and the edge of his staff was in the ground. Two guards stood nearby. “What is your purpose here?”

  Jen brushed her red hair out of her eyes and stepped forward. “I’m part of the Whispering Mists.”

  “I don’t care who you belong to,” the guard said, looking Jen up and down, only glancing at the emblem on her right shoulder. “Give me your purpose.”

  “This is new,” Jen muttered.

  “These are dangerous times. Last chance to tell me or you’ll be asked to leave.”

  “We’re here to see King Harold. We want to recruit people to our army to help fight in the upcoming war,” Jen said.

  The guard raised his right brow and laughed. “There’s going to be no war except with Azzellia.”

  “What do you mean by that?” Jen asked.

  War with Azzellia? Arturo thought. Why would Eshil Domain fight another nation when the invaders were coming? He found his right fist closing with frustration. They should all be working together, yet a war was brewing between two major nations. The invaders would love it if Azzellia and Eshil Domain went to war.

  “Let’s just say things are a bit tense,” the guard moved aside. “You may proceed.”

  The guards moved away, and Arturo saw Jen shaking her head. “What a mess. The invaders won’t have to do anything but watch us kill each other,” Jen said.

  Tarmon rested his hand on her shoulder. “Things will work out. The guard doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”

  “I wish you were right,” Jen said, resting her hand on Tarmon’s for a moment before moving forward. “I hope the guard was just being rash.”

  “I’m sure he was,” Tarmon said. “Once we speak to the king, we’ll know more.”

  “Either way,” Arturo said, interrupting their conversation. “We have things to do. Jen, you need to get us a meeting with the king. We can’t do anything to stop a war.”

  Surprisingly, Jen nodded. “You’re right,” she said and straightened. Her earlier worries disappeared, and her expression returned to her usual stoic self. “Let’s get going.”

  The crowd was thick, and it was difficult to stay together, even with Arturo moving forward. He was a huge guy but nobody cared. Someone bounced off of him and said something Arturo didn’t understand due to all the noise. He shrugged and kept walking.

  In smaller villages, Arturo found people staring at him or his sword. This was one of the few times he walked around with nobody glancing at him twice.

  “These outlanders are rude,” Eurisha said when someone pushed her out of the way. Her eyes glared at the man, and her hands had tightened around the hilt of her sword. “Anyone who tries this in my lands would receive a healthy beating.”

  “Don’t think of trying to fight someone,” Arturo warned. “That’ll get you sent to prison, and who knows what they’d do to you once they realized you were a Forest Dweller.”

  “I’m not stupid,” Eurisha rolled her eyes. “I am commenting on the foolishness you outlanders allow.”

  “Many would agree with you,” Achillion said, breaking his silence since entering the town. “Lots of spoiled people on this side. You Forest Dwellers are rough on each other, perhaps a tad too much.”

  “I don’t agree,” Eurisha said.

  “I know,” Achillion said, flashing her a smile. “There is a reason so many people think of you as savages.”

  “Ignorance and fear always breed names,” Eurisha said.

  “Perhaps,” Achillion stopped and looked at a woman before returning his attention to Eurisha. “A tip for you: try to understand these people before passing judgment. I’ve traveled to many places, and you’ll be surprised at what you have in common with one another.”

  Eurisha said nothing and kept walking. Arturo thought it was good advice, something more people could learn. If they did, perhaps the continent could be united against the invaders instead of fighting among each other.

  The more Arturo looked around, the more he was sure Eshil Domain was preparing for war. The blacksmiths he walked by were pounding on steel, and there was a variety of weapons hanging, along with a long line of people at each one. This didn’t bode well. He saw Jen shaking her head, while Tarmon said something to try to comfort her. That should be his job, yet he didn’t see what he could say that would make his sister feel better. Achillion and Eurisha didn’t care and were talking to one another about weapons and fighting.

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  Arturo tensed when he saw two mages outside the palace: an old and a young one. The older one had a short gray beard and brown pants and had to be in his fifties or sixties. The other mage was young, in his early twenties, with curly red hair. He wore a ring on each of his fingers and had a look of superiority as he said something to the guard.

  A moment later, a portal appeared out of thin air, and both mages were gone. Arturo felt his muscles relax. He wondered why the mages were here and where they went. “Let me handle this,” Jen said, pushing herself in front and walking up the steps to the guard.

  “State your business,” the guard said, eyeing Arturo cautiously.

  “My name is Jen, and I am part of the Whispering Mists. We seek an audience with King Harold as soon as possible.”

  The guard looked at the emblem of wavy silver lines, with a faded person on Jen’s right shoulder. “Good timing. Harold can see you now.”

  Not what I expected. Arturo thought, surprised to hear the news and how little Jen seemed to care. Her expression hadn’t changed in the slightest, almost as if she was expecting this.

  “Let’s go then,” Jen said.

  “You’ll need to leave your weapons behind.”

  Nodding, Jen unsheathed both her swords and handed them to the guard. Tarmon, Eurisha, Achillion, and Arturo handed over their weapons.

  The guard paled at the size of Arturo’s sword. “That’s a huge sword. Can you place it against the wall? Nobody will touch it,” the guard said.

  “Sure,” Arturo placed his sword on the wall. He had no doubts nobody would steal his weapon, not unless the guard did it himself with some help.

  “Give me one moment,” the guard walked inside the palace and returned a minute later with a royal guard this time. “Malisha here will take you to the king.”

  “Follow me,” Malisha said and motioned for them to enter. Her armor was dark black, with red streaks, and looked new, yet her posture showed she was an experienced fighter.

  Arturo would bet if one of them attacked, Malisha would react instantly. They walked into the palace and stopped in front of large doors. Malisha pushed the doors open and motioned for the group to move forward. She did not follow and closed the door behind her.

  There were six royal guards, all with the same armor type as Malisha. The king was seated on his throne, one leg crossed over the other. He wore a crown with a silver ruby in the center. His hair went down to his shoulders, and he wore light armor. Harold was known to portray himself as a military king, one who didn’t shy away from battle.

  “It’s been a while since someone from the Whispering Mists has come to see me,” Harold said once Arturo and the others stopped moving, each bowing except for Arturo.

  “We try not to waste a king's time if possible,” Jen said, rising from her bow.

  Harold chuckled. “Very well. What do you want?”

  “It is not I, but my brother who has a request for you. This is Arturo,” Jen pointed at him and stopped speaking.

  “As you may know, around one hundred and fifty men are camped ten miles outside the city,” Arturo began, watching the king carefully. There was no surprise from Harold, which was good; that meant he was aware of them. “They are part of my small army, known as the Shields of Aidris. Our goal is simple: we wish to recruit warriors from all the nations to show unity.”

  “Is that so?” Harold said with an odd grin on his face. “You can travel around and ask people to join, so why tell me this?”

  “I find it best to be upfront with all the kings about what I am doing, in hopes we can work together in the future. I would like you to give me a list of skilled warriors that may be interested in joining,” Arturo said.

  “I’m afraid all the skilled warriors are rather busy, preparing for war.”

  “With whom?” Jen burst out.

  “Who can say?” Harold said. “Things are getting a bit tense, and all the nations are calling their banners. With whom I go to war is yet to be seen.”

  “It doesn’t have to be someone already serving you; perhaps you can spare a few or allow me to ask,” Arturo said.

  Harold looked thoughtfully at Arturo, nodding his head. “Very well, though I have a favor to ask.”

  I was wondering when a king would want something. Arturo had expected this from all the kings and was prepared. “What favor?”

  “I will give you fifty skilled warriors if you go to the city of Brodski. There you will speak with Lord Errant Trood and tell him to send his men to me,” Harold said.

  “Why not do this yourself?” Jen asked.

  Arturo felt a flash of irritation. Why did his sister care about the reason? It was an easy request.

  “My relationship with Lord Errant isn’t good, and he refuses to send me his soldiers. I have half a mind to kill the man, but that would lose me the support of other lords. I need a peaceful resolution to this problem. Errant respects great warriors, like the fifty-man slayer.”

  Arturo felt himself go still for a brief moment. He hadn’t expected Harold to know him. Word of his achievements had spread, but there were many large men, and the king hadn’t seen his sword. Perhaps the guard told Harold about his weapon, and the king deduced his identity from that.

  “I recognize a great warrior, and when I heard about a man with a giant sword walking through my city, I knew who you were,” Harold said. His grin widened as he continued. “Lord Errant would love to talk with you. If you can convince Errant to do as he is told, you will have your men.”

  “Very well, I accept your proposal,” Arturo said. This was a reasonable request, and he would convince this lord to send his men one way or the other.

  “Excellent,” Harold clapped his hands and stood. “You should be off. The sooner you get this done, the sooner you’ll get your men.”

  Without another word, Arturo led the way out. Once they retrieved their weapons and were away from the palace, Jen broke her silence. “I can’t believe Harold is requesting us to do something for him!”

  “I was expecting this from the start. I’m surprised Harold is the first to request a favor,” Arturo said.

  “You get it, right?” Jen asked.

  “Get what?” Arturo said.

  “He recognized your talents and is using you to get one of his lords in line. What if this Lord Errant tries to kill you? You kill Errant, and the king will call for your head!” Jen said.

  “Or I can convince Lord Errant to listen to his king, get my men, and move on,” Arturo said.

  “You’re so na?ve at times,” Jen said with a shake of her head.

  Arturo said nothing. There was no point in responding, and he was ready to get this over with. It would take a couple of hours to ride to camp and get the men ready to move. There was no point in leaving his army behind because if he did have to kill Errant, he would need his men to get out of Eshil Domain alive. Hopefully, things wouldn’t come down to that.

  “What’s done is done,” Tarmon said. He scratched his head as he looked around. “Are we staying here for the night?”

  “We could say screw the king and recruit around some small villages. You’ll be surprised at the talent missed in those small towns,” Achillion said.

  “No,” Arturo said. “We’re heading to camp and will be leaving first thing in the morning.”

  “I figured you would say that,” Jen said.

  “If I’m not wrong, Brodski is only a few days from here. If we’re lucky, we can have our men within the fortnight,” Arturo said. He didn’t expect that to happen. Something told him that Lord Errant would be difficult. He hoped he was wrong.