Lady Rosalee has an annoyed look upon her face as she paces back and forth. It has been over a moon! Why has Elijah not returned with news of whether it is Max or not yet? Even traveling slowly, they should have reached Briargate and been back by now. What is taking them?

  These are the same thoughts that have been going through her head since the letter from Max arrived and Elijah departed, only the amount of time changes. She cannot take it any longer and storms out of her room and down the halls. She nears her destination, slows down, and regains her composure before she knocks on the door to the northwest study in Ashbury.

  A strong male voice comes from behind the door; it is her father’s. “Come in.”

  Rosalee opens the door and enters the study. Just as she has done many times before, she finds her father alternating between looking out the window and down at the map on the table near it. She approaches him and clears her throat. “Father, has Elijah sent word?”

  “Ah, Rosalee darling, it is you. Yes, Sir Elijah has sent word three times so far.” Her father takes a seat behind the desk and sighs, looking at his daughter.

  “Three times? Why was I not informed? What is going on?” Leaning on his desk, Lady Rosalee presses her father for answers.

  “Well, the first time was just confirming that the boy mostly answered your questions correctly. He said that he would be bringing the boy and coming back here, but that the trip would take over two weeks, if not three. He was leaning more towards three.” Crossing his arms and covering his mouth, her father looks at her. She will not like what comes next.

  Lady Rosalee crosses her arms and sits in one of the chairs opposite her father. “Then why would he send two more messages? It has been a moon since he left. They should be nearing Ashbury, correct?”

  Her father sighs and leans forward onto his elbows. “That is where it gets complicated. Have you heard of Eschaton?”

  “The doomsayers from the Dread Waste expansion days? Were they not eliminated long ago?” She raises an eyebrow at her dad’s question. What did this have to do with what they were talking about?

  “I’m surprised you have heard of them. The kingdoms did try to eliminate them, but they still pop up from time to time. It really seems as if we can never truly be rid of the pests.”

  “On their way back from Briargate, when they reached Summit Oak, a town on the border between dukedoms, they were set upon by a goblin horde. Once the goblins had been defeated, Eschaton, who was behind the attack, revealed themselves.”

  “They used their foul magicks to twist the goblins into near-unkillable abominations. Apparently, the boy Max figured out how to defeat them and helped Sir Elijah save the town.”

  “What!?” Lady Rosalee jumps to her feet.

  “Settle down, sit.” Her father laughs, leaning back and motions for her to sit.

  Lady Rosalee harumphs as she sits back down. "How did Max do it? Why were they even involved?”

  “Well, the town was under attack, so they probably had to help out. As for how the boy did it, Elijah didn’t specify. Only that they had decided it would be in Ridge Weald's best interest to find out if more of Eschaton was present and, if they were, what they were up to. That was the second letter.” Shrugging, her father takes the best guess as to why they did the things they did.

  Rosalee tilts her head, “Why would they go after Eschaton? Shouldn’t he have brought Max back first?”

  “Well, Eschaton cannot be left to their devices, or they might start an outbreak of corruption. This deep in the Weald, it would be a catastrophe to say the least. I can understand why they went to check it out. The third letter informs that they will be delayed for several days to a week due to injuries sustained in defeating the Eschaton remnants.”

  “Sir Elijah goes on to say he was injured by one of their mages and that Max was also attacked by a mage. The mage used an attack he had never seen or heard of before, and that there is no way Max should have been able to survive such an attack.”

  “Just the energy from the attack drove him and his squire far away from Max’s fight because the energy was too strong and was giving off massive amounts of heat. Max, who was at the center of the attack, somehow managed to survive and kill the leader. According to Elijah, the leader was Connor Healy.” Her father holds his forehead, shaking his head while describing the last letters' contents.

  “What!? So, is Max okay? What in the hells is going on?” Lady Rosalee jumps back to her feet once again until her father motions for her to sit again.

  “It is all very strange. The spell they cast on the boy could be anything; their magic is almost completely foreign to us. Elijah mentions Max survived but doesn’t go into details of how bad his or the boy's injuries might be.”

  “What Eschaton was doing there also seems unknown. If they had just been trying to spread corruption, I’m sure they would have mentioned it in the letter, but there is no mention.”

  “Then there is this Connor Healy business. You won’t have heard of him, but he is a known cutthroat who is wanted by several different kingdoms. He commits just about every crime there is and always manages to vanish before he gets caught.”

  “I have never heard of a connection between him and Eschaton before. If he truly is working for them, it might explain how he vanishes, but then does that mean his crimes are connected to Eschaton's goals? Someone as dangerous as him working with them does not bode well for any of the kingdoms.”

  “We must wait for them to either send more word or for them to arrive before we will know more.” Holding his arms out helplessly, he looks at his daughter.

  I know you care for this boy, but things surrounding him are only growing more and more complicated. What is his connection to Eschaton? How was he able to fight against Connor Healy and win? Why did he show up to save you and the Grey girl? Was your kidnapping related to Eschaton? If it is, why did they want you? There are so many questions and no answers.

  Lady Rosalee sits back in the chair and ponders; her thoughts mirror her father's almost exactly. “So, they are still coming, just it will take longer?”

  “I would say so, unless something else happens. They were last known to be at Summit Oak, and by now they should be back on the road. I do not know their conditions, so their speed may be normal or much slower.”

  ? ? ?

  The sun is nearing its peak when Max hears someone coming toward the smithy. His jacket lies on a bench to the side, and even in the cool weather, his vest rests beside it. He is only wearing an apron on his upper half.

  Forgetting in this short period of time what it had felt like to work at the forge, he has lost himself to it completely. Already, there is a pile of nails to the side that he has completed.

  His hammering slows as he hears the sound of at least two people approaching. He wipes his forehead before turning around to see who it is. Leaning on the railing surrounding the smithy, he sees two men approaching.

  That one is a noble; his dress is far better than what people around here wear. It is about as nice as what Briargate’s mayor wears. Just like that mayor, he seems to have what appears to be a steward following him. Must be nice to have servants. Max exits the smithy and goes to meet his guests.

  “Hello. You must be Lord Sloan, am I correct?”

  “I am, and who might you be? I was not informed we had a new smith, especially not one so young.” The lord huffs as the boy approaches him and his steward.

  “I am Max McIver; I arrived with Sir Elijah yesterday. He was badly wounded, and as my escort, I cannot exactly move on without him. I couldn't sleep, and I bumped into a guard while wandering. He explained your gnoll and smithy problem.”

  “I agreed to help out since I apprenticed as a smith in Briargate. I had planned to pay you a visit once it became an appropriate hour, but seem to have lost track of time.” Telling the summary of events made it feel as if it hadn’t happened just a short while ago to Max.

  “Sir Elijah is here? I wasn’t informed. Why was he escorting you? For that matter, where was he escorting you to?” The lord was taken aback. How was it that he didn’t know a knight was in his town, and why were his guards letting anyone just roam around without informing him? While having a smith, even just an apprentice, would be a boon, it was very disconcerting how he was being treated.

  “Sir Elijah was escorting me to Ashbury with his squire. After a series of misfortunate events myself and Sir Elijah were wounded and were set upon by bandits on the road here. Sir Elijah’s wounds reopened, and the squire was slain.”

  “I barely managed to get Sir Elijah here. With no Rookery here for me to send word to Baron Braye, I was going to ask you if there was any way for you to help me get word to him.”

  “I feel I cannot abandon Sir Elijah, but am due in Ashbury. Until he heals or a new escort is sent, I will help out around here as best I can. Since a smith is needed, I feel this is probably the best place for me.”

  “You are correct, Baron Braye should not be kept waiting. I will dispatch a rider to send word to him through the Rookery at Barksdale. If you are willing to help out around here, I would be grateful for your assistance. Given that you are a guest of the baron, do not feel obliged to work, though your help would be appreciated. You are, of course, welcome at my manor.” The lord's attitude changes once he has heard the tale from Max.

  “It is completely fine; I very much enjoy helping out and have missed working the forge. I will probably just stay in the house here since it is not being used at the moment. I will join you for dinners, if you have no objection.”

  “Of course, I don’t have any objection to that, but you cannot stay in this house. It is damaged, and with the wall being down right near it, this will be one of the first locations the gnolls strike at!" The Lord balks at Max's suggestion to stay at the abandoned smithy.

  Waving his hands nonchalantly, Max stretches and looks around the smithy. "I will set some torches near the destroyed bit of the wall; I am told they dislike fire. If I can get some planks, doing minor repairs to the damaged wall of the house will also give defense against their raid. I am not averse to fighting, though this will be my first time facing a gnoll. I believe I have faced worse."

  Shaking his head, the lord still cannot agree. "If the Baron learns of it, I could not bear the shame. I will appoint a guard to the damaged section until repairs can be made. We will focus all efforts on reinforcing this area before I will even consider leaving you here alone. Until then, you will be my guest."

  Sighing and looking at the noble, Max gives in. "Fine, but I will be working here from early morning till sunset.”

  "That is fine. I will send a guard down immediately and have them escort you to my manor when the light begins to fade." Glad Max has given in, the Lord turns and makes his way back to the village from the smithy.

  These nobles always argue, but giving in on small details seems to satisfy them, though. Max returns to the anvil and resumes his task. If he sends the message to Baron Braye, I wonder what his response will be. Will I be staying here until Elijah heals, or will they send someone else?

  I want to reach Lady Rosalee and see how she has been doing. I never would have been to this world if I hadn't heard her voice. Max pushes the thoughts aside as he focuses on making enough nails for the village to repair their bulwarks.

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  ? ? ?

  Lady Rosalee sits listening to the lecture on a boring topic. She tries her best to focus; her training is only allowed as long as her teacher is satisfied with how she handles her lessons. Ever since her father allowed her to train with weapons, Lady Rosalee has grown quite fond of it.

  She favors a slender sword and a buckler over a more traditional sword and shield. The only way she makes it through most days is by looking forward to her training. A steward enters and interrupts Lady Rosalee's lessons.

  "Excuse me, Lady Rosalee, your father has sent word that he wishes to speak with you." Bowing, the steward turns and leaves before she gives a reply.

  Lady Rosalee looks to her teacher, who nods before she gets up and leaves her classroom. Father always pushes me to study and learn more, so what could have happened to make him summon me during a lesson?

  Making her way through the halls, all kinds of scenarios play out in her head. Soon, the familiar door is in front of her, and she knocks, waiting for a reply.

  "Enter." Coming from within, she hears her father's voice.

  Lady Rosalee enters and closes the door behind her. To her surprise, her father isn't at his usual post observing the map or looking out the window. Today, he sits behind his desk, leaning back in his chair, reading a letter.

  He appears to be focused, leaning on one arm with his hand against the side of his head. She moves forward and sits in the chair on the other side of his desk and waits for him to finish the letter.

  "News has arrived from The Terrace and from Max."

  "Max and The Terrace? Why would Max be sending anything, and what does The Terrace want that could possibly have anything to do with Max?" Lady Rosalee leans forward in the chair.

  Sighing, her father puts the letter down and looks at her. "A while ago, I received word from Duke Grey asking for a meeting. At the time, I turned it down, since we have been at war and I cannot spare the time to go to The Terrace. I thought nothing of it after the matter was dropped; it didn't seem very important.”

  “After talking with you and thinking about the events of Elijah and Max in Summit Oaks, I decided to reach out to the Duke. We did not discuss anything in detail; I simply inquired about if the meeting I had canceled was about Eschaton."

  Baron Braye leans forward, putting his elbows on the table. "Due to Eschaton's nature, I do not believe it wise to speak about them through messages. You never know whose hands they might pass through or fall into.”

  “It seems Duke Grey feels similarly, for the meeting was about Eschaton. I cannot think of a single reason but one of why he would request a private meeting with me during a war about Eschaton. You."

  "Me? Why? What does Eschaton have to do with me?" This information shocks Lady Rosalee. The thought that they might have been the ones behind her kidnapping had crossed her mind after she last spoke to her father. In the end, she had dismissed it as an irrational fear, but now she grows worried again.

  "After I denied the meeting request, it wasn't very long before I heard word that Duke Grey had reopened Zenith Stronghold and was seeing to repairs. It seemed odd, but not really any concern to me. I kept an ear to the ground just in case, anyway. I have heard tales of a force numbering in the hundreds that had been sent to escort a carriage to the fort.”

  “Putting these three things together, I believe I can guess the entirety of the meeting. Duke Grey must have come into some knowledge that the kidnappers were either acting in Eschaton's name or were Eschaton themselves. To keep the king from finding out and deciding whether or not you and Lady Grey were a threat to the kingdom, he buried the news and sent word to meet in private.”

  “He reopened the fort and sent Lady Elizabeth there to protect her from any further attempts by Eschaton. Part of the meeting would have been a request for you to join her at the hold, a sign of goodwill from the Duke since things have been tense between our families." The Baron had a serious look on his face as he explained his assumptions to his daughter.

  "Why would Eschaton be after me and Lady Elizabeth?" Scrunching up her face, she tries to make sense of all of this sudden news.

  "That I do not know, the Duke might, but without sending an envoy or going in person, we will never know. Given that this would have made it twice that when Eschaton has been up to something, Max has appeared and helped foil their plans, it seems far from a coincidence for me to dismiss. There definitely appears to be some sort of connection between the boy and Eschaton.”

  “Now I have received word regarding him as well." Leaning back in the chair, the Baron covers his eyes in exasperation and sighs.

  "Apparently, Sir Elijah lies at death's door from the wound he sustained from the battle against Eschaton's forces that had attacked Summit Hill. His squire has been slain by bandits, and his wounds aggravated. Max managed to bring him to a small village named Winsbrook.”

  “The local lord sent word on his behalf. With Elijah laid up, he plans to stay in this town and help them. According to this, the town has a gnoll problem, and they have been without a smith. The boy has some smith experience and is helping to repair their fortifications. He wishes to know if we want him to wait for Sir Elijah to heal or if we are planning on sending a new escort."

  Lady Rosalee opens and closes her mouth several times before leaning back in her chair to think. How does he always find himself in the center of every mess he comes across? He couldn't just take a nice ride here without getting into any trouble? After a moment, she looks at her father and asks, "What do you intend to do?"

  "At the moment, I am unsure. I believe the boy might be more important than we realize with his connection to Eschaton. They won't be happy after the Summit Oak incidents and might go after him.”

  “I cannot spare many men to go and get him, nor can I ask him to come alone. Waiting to see if Elijah survives doesn't seem to be a prudent plan either." He holds his arms wide helplessly.

  Lady Rosalee scoots to the front of the chair and raises her finger. "I have an idea, but I do not think you will like it." Her father motions for her to continue. "Max isn't the only important thing; we also need to find out what the Duke of The Terrace knows.”

  "We send word that you will send an envoy to meet with him in your stead about the topic of the previous meeting and information you may have learned. Send me and a small force to pick up Max, we will then proceed to The Terrace and meet with the Duke.”

  “Your envoy can be me and a trustworthy knight of your choosing. After we arrive and announce ourselves, we share some of what we know and find out what they will share. I will then ask to speak with Lady Elizabeth, saying that I hate that we have grown distant and wish to rekindle our friendship.”

  “If she is present, the Duke will have no reason to deny me. If she isn't present, we will know for certain that he has sent her to Zenith Stronghold. With this, we will have gained information from the Duke, secured Max, and confirmed if the Duke truly thinks Eschaton was behind the kidnapping."

  The Baron tents his fingers and thinks for a long while before finally speaking. "With your presence, even if he does not trust my knight, you can meet with him in my place as my daughter. You are young, but are directly connected to this, so he should not be able to refute you, especially if I send word with you. If he wishes to send you to Zenith Stronghold, the force I send with you might not be enough to stop him from doing so."

  "It might actually be for the best if I go. Lady Elizabeth might have information regarding this matter as well and be more willing to speak about it than her father. Especially since she will be in a foul mood, having been sent away from The Terrace to Zenith Stronghold.”

  “Our troops can send word back to you and join the Duke's escort taking us to the hold. There, the three of us involved in the matter will be safe until you or the Duke can figure out what to do." She finishes speaking and stares at her father to judge his response.

  He seems to mull the idea around before finally speaking. “The idea is a solid one. The only issue I have with it is that if Eschaton moves against you in transit, our forces might be too weak to defend against them, given how few I can send along.”

  She ponders the issues before pitching an idea. "I will go in disguise. I can wear weapons, armor, and a helm, ride horseback, and not in a carriage. With the training I have had, I should be able to carry myself convincingly as a squire if nothing else.”

  “Once we reach this Winsbrook and Max joins, I have no doubt that in the worst-case scenario, our escort would be able to hold them back long enough for the two of us to escape. He has already proven his usefulness. You can even assign one of the members of the escort, that if matters seem grave, to take us and use the rest of the escort to buy time, giving us even better odds.”

  “As a small party, we shouldn't draw much outside attention, and people will just assume we are on a diplomatic mission to The Terrace. You can even publicly leak that you might be seeking aid from Duke Grey regarding the war to further this misdirection."

  "It seems you do your studies justice. The plan seems feasible. I will set about picking the guards and a knight to go along with you. I will have the knight send their squire to help you get anything you might need for the trip while you pack the things you believe you will need." Nodding, her father grins, looking his daughter over.

  “You make this family proud, Rosalee. While I hate having to send you, I am glad I have an heir that I can rely upon. Even if you are young, that might even play a role in giving you the advantage. People will always dismiss and underestimate you because of your age.”

  “You have shown wisdom and cunning far beyond your years, and from what I hear, your combat skills are nothing to scoff at either. Do not become overconfident and stay safe. Know your mother, and I will always be thinking of you.”

  ? ? ?

  Falling into a new routine seems to be something that Max is good at. He has been at Winsbrook for several days now. The mornings are spentlooking around the village and the wall before making things that could help with repairs and fortifications.

  While he hasn't been trained to make several of the items, he simply looks at the ones that have already been made and tries to work it out himself. The smithy is well stocked, and it seems as if the lord is replenishing it faster than he can craft things.

  By noon, he usually takes a trip through the village once more and checks on how Elijah is doing. On his way to and from the Medicus, he makes sure to talk with the villagers to see if there is anything they need.

  When the sun finally starts to set, the guard who seems never too far away would escort him up to the lord’s manor, where he would dine with the lord before retiring to a chamber he is given.

  All things considered, it isn’t a bad life for him working in this little village. One evening, as Max is having dinner with the lord, the steward bursts in, covered in sweat, in a clear panic.

  “My lord, the gnolls! They have returned!” Panting, the steward leans against a chair at the table.

  “The guards, have they been alerted!?” The lord jumps to his feet and approaches the man.

  “Yes, my lord, the battle has already begun.”

  The lord turns to Max, “Stay here where it is safe. I will see how they are faring.” After addressing Max, he turns and leaves with the steward.

  Sighing, Max puts his utensils down and stands up. The quiet times never last, do they? He makes his way through the manor to the room he has been given and gets his weapons.

  For one of the few times since he had left the smithy in Briargate to look for a hunter, he had been unarmed. Once he is armed, he makes his way out of the manor to see what the situation is.

  Not far away, he sees the steward bleeding on the ground and the Lord cowering not far away as the guard that usually follows Max around struggles with what Max could only describe as a hyena person.

  Cat, fox, dog mix? It’s just a bloody hyena. Taking his time, he readies the arrows in his usual fashion while watching the guard and gnoll fight. It is clear that one-on-one, the gnoll is far superior and far more savage.

  It is quick, savage, and strong. This is far stronger than the goblins; it is closer to the mutant goblins. I would say the mutants had more brute force but lower intelligence.

  Firing the first arrow right above its left knee, the gnoll lets out a yip. Slashing hard at the guard, knocking him to the side, it turns to look at who attacked it.

  Two arrows hit as soon as it turns, one finds a gap in its scavenged armor and tears into its lung. The second arrow hits a bit of armor the gnoll is wearing and deflects off.

  Armor. I haven’t really dealt with it much. They're definitely tougher than the goblins. The gnoll yowls, followed by a sputtering cough, before charging at the boy, firing arrows at it.

  Sending another arrow, Max manages to hit it in the upper thigh near the groin before tossing the bow to the side and readying his spear. The gnoll raises its sword in an over-exaggerated swing, meaning to bring it down hard.

  Seeing this, Max moves into the blow and drops to a knee, stabbing up into the falling arm. Together, they manage to drive the spear all the way down to its crescent into the gnoll's forearm. The sword falls from its hand as it turns, grabbing its arm, trying to remove the spear.

  Grabbing the hatchet, he liberated from the bandits, Max chops into its knee, causing the gnoll to tumble to the ground and roll down the slight incline they are on away from the manor.

  “Max! I told you to wait inside, what are you doing!?” The lord moves forward from where he was cowering and approaches him.

  “One moment, please.” Dismissing the lord, Max picks up the discarded bow after placing the hatchet on his belt. Not taking the time to ready the arrows, he begins to just draw straight from the quiver and fires a stream of them at the struggling gnoll until it stops moving.

  After retrieving his spear from the dead gnoll, he heads back to where the lord is checking on his steward. “Sorry, it is best to kill them before they recover.”

  “You should take the steward into the manor and wait until the battle is done. If the gnolls have made it this far in, the defenders are probably struggling. I will go give assistance to them; do not worry, I won’t get myself killed.”

  The lord tries to come up with something to discourage the boy, but Max lingers only long enough to add the sword to his belt, where the scythes used to be. He hadn’t even bothered bringing them with him. Helping the wounded steward to his feet, the lord leads him into the manor and begins to barricade the door the best he can.

  He says a silent prayer to any gods listening. Please don’t let the boy die. I will not survive having to tell Baron Braye I let him die.

  Max avoids running straight into combat; he takes two arrows in his bow hand, and one in his teeth, then strings another. Keeping to the outskirts of the fights, he lets arrows fly, helping the different guards from a distance.

  This is troublesome. They are far too strong to just rush them like I usually would. In the time it would take to defeat one, the others will have pushed their opponents too much, and we might lose the battle. Staying back and supporting isn’t my usual forte, but I think I can do more good this way.

  Helping the guards bring down two more gnolls, he approaches the kills while helping whoever needs it. When he reaches the dead gnolls, he pulls the arrows from them one at a time and sends them off after the other gnolls nearby.

  The guards, having been freed up from the initial assault, thanks to Max’s assistance, begin to light torches and aid the other guards still in combat. Seeing the torches, the gnolls react poorly. They swing more wildly and guard less often.

  As the wounds begin to add up and the fire approaches them, more and more gnolls turn and flee from the battle. Soon, working together, they manage to push the invaders back out of the town and into the twilight.

  Max retrieves as many arrows as he can before roaming the town with the guards to make sure that there are no gnolls remaining. Once they are relatively certain that they are all gone, he makes his way back to the manor.