Theurgy: Forsaken Oaths (Book Two)

Chapter 33 The Summer Festival

"What was that about?" Elena asked

They were riding back to Erusland. Gray had harnessed a hefty amount of basilisk goods and materials that would fetch a nice price on the markets and in the forge. And a train of tied-up bandits shuffling in the snow. In other cases, this would be absolute torture. Even in this "summer" snow still blanketed the ground. One would expect someone to drop dead by now. But they were Boreans, high-blooded ones at that. Edlund would have to be content with the blistering rocky hills to make up for it. Gray and Dagmyre handled the prodding, periodically tugging on their tightened restraints to keep them moving. That left just a bit of time for him and Elena to exchange a few words.

"What did that giant say back there?" she asked him.

He sighed. "Not much in the terms of what we know. However, the spirits aren't in the spirit world either, according to him."

"Really?" she asked. "What does that mean for our operation?"

"In the words of my brother, there are two options," he said. "One, they are in hiding for whatever reason, and this war is entirely their doing. The second is that Talin had something to do with their disappearance."

"That's what we are here to prove," Elena sighed. "We are still out in the weeds. This is a small village, a remnant of a kingdom that had been outed for some time. We can't expect things to fall into our laps like that."

"I hope my brother is having better luck than me right now," he said softly. "I bet even he would have more ideas here."

"Your brother?" she asked curiously. "Isn't he on a diplomatic mission in Antalya? What would Talin be doing there?"

"I'll fill you in later, but for now, we have this to handle."

Edlund tugged on the rope that bonded all of the raiders. There were few grumblers in complaints, but they just moved on forward. Soon, the newly built walls of Erusland came into view. Every day they became more and more impressive. Sure they were mostly made of wood, but this could probably defend a small army on its own, it's impressive the progress made so far. As they arrived, the massive gates reinforced with iron were pried open, and they were all let through. There was a patient silence as many of the Boreans awaited some sort of decree from the prince and his cohort. But once they saw what they had in tow, that silence turned into hostility. Even before they made it to the square to explain the situation, rocks and trash had begun being flung at the captured Borean raiders. Elena had a look, waiting for Edlund to order the people to stop, but he did not. These raiders had killed their men for years now. And the fact that it was no monster, but indeed the work of other Boreans probably helped fuel the hatred felt by many here.

They made their way into the town square where previous declarations had been made. The bandits, now sufficiently wounded, were forced on their knees harshly by the Borean guards. Many of those same guards had weapons ready. The crowd waited on Edlund's words for a public execution, but before he could give allowance to such a thing, he first wished to speak with Thyra and Njal. To him, they were the true leaders of these villages. If blood was to be spilled, it would be on their words. And right on queue, the two appeared from the crowd, both confused at first. But then, Njal saw the men tied up, and without warning charged forward to kick the leading one in the mouth, sending him on his side. More blows were to be given, but one of the Borean warriors quickly grabbed hold of the young man. Thyra instead approached Edlund, keeping a careful eye on them as she did so. Their presence proved what they all feared. It was not some mindless beast that killed their brethren, but other Volkf. And Thyra looked far from happy to see them.

"Are these the men you caught out in the past?" she asked him.

He nodded. "Do you know who these men are, Thyra?"