“My Lord!”

  Ser Glorifeld called out to Niks as he marched down the hall with a determined stride. Niks stopped in his tracks, his arms full of papers, books, and scrolls as had become common for him recently.

  “Yes, what is it?” Niks echoed down the hall in reply, doing his best not to drop his overabundant load.

  Ser Glorifeld hastened his stride, dutifully relieving his Lord of some of his burden of documents when he caught up to him. “I have received a report from one of the men I sent to patrol the hills surrounding the Castle: A rge gathering of soldiers was spotted making camp to the Southwest, not far from here.”

  “Southwest?” Niks said with a start. “Soldiers? From where?”

  “That is the interesting part; according to his report, they wore the banner of Coronton!”

  This only served to intensify the young Count’s confusion. “Coronton lies on the Southeastern border, why would they..?”

  “We believe that they made march past the Southern mountains unobserved, possibly due to the reduction of vilgers present in the area, as they had mostly gathered here.”

  “Did they mean to attack, do you think?” Niks wondered aloud, just as much to himself as to his subordinate, and the Knight-Captain’s face darkened as he considered the possibility himself. “I suppose they were expecting a mostly-empty Castle, besides the presence of myself and the Countess. The sight of your knights must have gave them pause.”

  “To think he would send his own men, who are pledged to the defense of the nd and its people, to attack the home of his Lord…” Ser Glorifeld’s dark expression took on an edge of steely determination. “Sir, please give the command to me and my Knights, and we will see this vilin brought to justice!”

  Now it was Niks’ turn to grimace in distaste, but he nodded to the other man nonetheless. “While I am loath to order any such violent reprisal, or to send you or your men into danger, we cannot let this farce go on any longer.”

  Ser Glorifeld’s face was set aglow, appearing almost like a restless hound who had finally been let off of his leash to hunt. Returning the papers and books which he had taken back to the precarious stack held in the Count’s arms, Glorifeld then stood stiffly at attention and saluted him for a brief moment, before marching away with a quickened gait. Niks would not have been surprised to see the man leap up and click his heels together mid-air, so uncharacteristically excited was his mood. Then, as he turned to continue making his own way down the hallway a realization struck him.

  “...To the Southwest?”

  It had taken about an hour after his impromptu meeting with Ser Glorifeld for Niks to finally locate Hemsley and help him to fit one of the new horses with reins. She was an astoundingly well-behaved beast, though he supposed this should not be so surprising. Their stock were carefully bred and raised to become the steeds of the Kingdom’s greatest Chivalric Order, and they were almost just as worthy of the title of Knight as the men who rode atop them. However, just as he was bringing this new mare out for a warm-up trot through the open Castle gates, he detected the sound of another set of hoofbeats approaching from his rear. He turned over his shoulder, and was startled to lock eyes with the Countess, who rode straddled atop a horse of her own!

  “I’m not letting you out of my sight again, not after st time.” She stated, narrowing her eyes as she gazed down at her husband, who shivered slightly but mustered a nervous smile in response.

  “B-by all means…”

  Together the young couple made their way Southwest, following the same route that the Knight-Captain had described. Uldred, however, having decided to accompany him quite spur-of-the-moment, knew not where they were headed.

  “We should turn back.” She commanded. “That is the No-Man’s Land. It is not safe for you to be here.”

  “Trust me, I know.” Niks replied through nervously-grit teeth, not bothering to look back at her.

  “Then, why..?” She asked with a huff, though the small Count leading them forward was obviously not paying attention.

  Between keeping a watchful eye for the far-off silhouettes of terrible creatures, as well as for the remains of the camp of those suspicious Coronton soldiers, Niks was not fit for much conversation.

  As much as I hate to admit it, I am thankful for the Countess’ company. I would be doubly afraid if I were to have come here alone, as I had originally pnned.

  Now he finally, briefly turned back over his shoulder to look back at his Countess, who returned his gaze with her usual cold glower. A few strands of bck hair hung down over the silver surface of her mask, nding just beside the corner of her eye, and the memory of her face–which he had glimpsed for the first and only time during that meal all those months ago–was suddenly and vividly conjured up from within his mind. He quickly turned to face forward again, a small flush rising across his face. Uldred could do naught but watch his strange behavior with some confusion.

  I’m only gd to have her along for the protection. That’s all… He tried to convince himself.

  Finally, the two crested a hill and found what they had been searching for; after a steep descent, the nd leveled out for a ways into a ft pin. Upon this ftnd they could easily spot the remains of several bonfires, and the grass and sandy dirt had been disturbed greatly besides, and still showed the footprints of many dozens of men and draft beasts.

  “What is this?” Demanded Uldred. “Who would be foolish enough to make camp in the nd of Monsters? And why?”

  Niks took a deep breath in through his nostrils and set his jaw, almost as if preparing himself for some great bor. “That, my dear, is what we are trying to figure out.”

  Now it was Uldred’s turn to feel the hot bloom of a blush spread across her cheeks, leaving her thankful as ever for the concealment provided by her silver mask.

  After spending some time plodding about the area and investigating, Niks found the tracks that revealed the direction from which these men arrived, which matched the direction they had departed!

  “For once I am thankful for the dreary weather, and the general ck of wind and rain in Petrice!” Niks decred, for the tracks were quite clear, having been left undisturbed by the elements. Together the curious couple followed along this makeshift road of trodden soil, and Uldred grew more relieved the farther they went, as she saw that the tracks were steadily leading them back to the East. As the sun began to dip lower towards the peaks of the distant mountains, Niks worried that the time to turn back was close at hand, and he had discovered no clues of any true significance. Uldred, he could tell, was growing restless, and did not want him to stay out so te among the Monsters.

  It was then that he id eyes upon what appeared, at first, to be a mound of dirt about one and a half times as tall as Uldred, and which stretched on in either direction for what appeared like forever. As they drew nearer to it, they could see that its back dropped off quite abruptly–it was not a wall... but a massive grooved trench!

  “What in creation could have made this..?” Niks wondered aloud. “Do you have any idea--”

  Niks turned back to pose his query to his wife, only to become startled when he saw that she had drawn the massive bde off of her back. She was on full alert, her head swiveling vigorously back and forth, as if they had been surrounded by some invisible foe that only she could see.

  “Something is not right. We must return, NOW!”

  He hurriedly raised his hands up to the level of his shoulders with his palms open in a sign of agreement. “Alright! We can go. I can return with a full expedition sometime in the--”

  Just then, something crept up, cresting the top of the mound as it came into view! It was the hand of a man, one battered and covered in cuts and scabs! Niks yelped, and Uldred foisted up her bde towards whoever–or whatever–it was. As it emerged more fully into view, they could see that the figure was of a man, about in his mid-twenties. What remained of his armor and clothes were ragged and filthy scraps pocked with dark-red stains. He seemed to be so desperate to ascend that dirt wall, that no sooner had he heaved a shoulder over it than did he throw himself with reckless abandon down its slope, cttering all the way! He rolled quite violently before nding with a loud thud and striking the back of his head against the bark of an old, long-dead tree, whereafter he fell still as he slipped into either death or a state of unconsciousness.

  “What in the Hells!?” Cried Niks, his horse rearing up slightly and backing away from the carcass as it was startled in turn.

  Uldred quickly cmbered down off of her own steed and marched over to the slumped figure, her sword still drawn and at the ready, peering about suspiciously for any signs of an ambush. When no further surprises emerged from the Trench, she knelt down, grasped the injured man’s shoulder and rolled him onto his back. She was shocked to see a familiar face surrounded by tufts of blond hair, matted and crusted together with sweat and blood as it was.

  “Rochester..?”

  Niks peered down at her curiously. “What is it? Do you know them..?” He asked in a tone of disbelief.

  She did not bother to answer him, but rather lifted the limp man roughly by his colr before hanging him over the back of her horse like an old rug.

  “I believe he will give us the answers we seek, but we must return now. I refuse to make camp in such a pce.

  Some awful, sharp cry erupted from further down that ominous furrow, and Niks nodded nervously in agreement.

  Night had long since fallen by the time the Count and Countess finally returned to the Castle courtyard. Waiting for them by the doors were Belfort and a yawning Hemsley, who were both quite startled to see the Countess had the body of an unknown man draped across her horse’s haunch, before the now-dismounted Countess lifted him to her own shoulder with ease.

  The two servants rushed over to retrieve this unexpected burden from their Lady, despite the obvious ck of physical strain she dispyed, and carried him carefully inside so that the Medical Officer from Stoppridge might determine his condition. Once again the Count and Countess were left to their own devices. Niks took this chance, turning to his Lady then and addressing her quietly.

  “So... what do you suppose that ‘that’ pce was?” He asked, shivering slightly at the memory of that strange and unearthly Trench from which they had retrieved the Sergeant.

  “Mmm.” Uldred hummed in a vague non-reply, obviously lost in her own thoughts. “I will have to send a missive to Chasm’s Watch…” She mumbled, more to herself than to her husband, and she then began to march away.

  “Chasm’s Watch… The old fort? Why, what is it?” He asked, falling into a light jog to keep up with her much-longer gait.

  But she continued to ignore him, silently and expeditiously making her way up the short steps to the doorway which led inside the Castle.

  “Y-you know what made that, don’t you?” Niks demanded.

  Uldred stopped suddenly at the doorway, and turned her masked face so that one piercing violet eye peeked down at him over her massive shoulder. “This is not a matter of concern for you. It is... Hunter’s business.

  Niks folded his arms and huffed in dissatisfaction, but did not attempt to pry any deeper.

  “Oh! Well, look who it is!” A familiar voice rang out from the shadows just beyond the outer gate.

  Niks and Uldred both turned back to see who had arrived at the Castle so te in the evening. Four figures then emerged into the dim light of the torches, two of them men and two of them beasts. A musclebound woman with tanned skin and bright blonde hair, her companion a rather fresh-faced fellow who grinned merrily. At their back they each led an animal by their reins, one being a horse and the other a mule den down with many packs.

  “Nayantara! Mister Thomas!” Niks called out in eted surprise.

  Uldred cocked an eyebrow behind her mask, for while she had seen to the introduction of Niks and Thomas all of those months ago, she wondered at the circumstances in which he had met Nayantara.

  “It is good to see you well and safe, my Lord!” Called out Nayantara, jogging up to the shorter man, while Thomas chose to approach at a more casual pace. “I had feared the worst!”

  Then her gaze rose up to the figure of the Countess, who had come back down the stairs and now stood behind her husband. “My Lady!” Nayantara then opened her arms out wide as if to embrace her prickly Lady, grinning from ear-to-ear.

  “No.” Growled Uldred. “No hugs!”

  But there was no stopping the affectionate spitfire, and in a blink Nayantara had wrapped her up in a wide embrace, arms and all, and actually lifted the massive woman from her feet! Niks’ mouth fell agape in his shock, although Thomas simply looked on with a dumb smile, completely unsurprised by this amazing feat. Finally, mercifully, Nayantara set the thoroughly disgruntled warrior down on her feet. Uldred’s eyes suddenly looked down and scanned over the other woman’s left arm, which was still slightly bckened and terribly scabbed over, and she sighed in resignation. “Well, come inside.” She commanded, and they all were quite content to follow her indoors and out of the dark.