CHAPTER 3: DISTRESS SIGNAL
Two hours had passed, and the fallen soldiers began to regain consciousness. They had only been knocked out by drug-coated knives, and the effects were already wearing off.
Radolph had regained consciousness a few minutes earlier, and the sight that welcomed him was the remains of burning carriages. The fire had died down, but smoke continued to waft up from the ruins into the sky. Two of the carriages were still intact along with the gold inside them, leaving him confused.
"Didn't they take the bait?" he thought to himself. He looked around to see his men struggling to free themselves from the binds around their hands and legs. Only then did he realize that he was also tied down, and he cursed bitterly, muttering under his breath. Neither he nor his men could free themselves from their binds.
Soon they all heard the sound of carriages approaching, and they knew it was no one else but the merchant. This time, there were five carriages with lanterns lining the sides to enable them to see. The carriages halted in front of the bound soldiers and the carriage ruins. Soldiers began pouring out of the carriages along with the renowned Merchant Percival. He stared down at the bound soldiers with little to no remorse before a toothy grin appeared on his lips, revealing his golden front tooth.
"They took the bait!" he chuckled, mocking the robbers before his eyes fell on the two intact carriages. One of the soldiers went to inspect and returned, confused.
"The gold is still intact, sire," the soldier reported, and the merchant's smile ceased.
"Radolph, what happened here?" he asked, throwing a bewildered glance at the bound captain. His heart raced at the thought of Leo's men figuring out his ploy.
"Sire, they..." But before he could complete his sentence, the loud cry of a bird pierced the silent forest. Anyone could tell it was anything but a bird. Merchant Percival's face turned ashen white in panic.
"Quick, all of you clear the road!" he yelled at the soldiers before fleeing into the carriage. "GET THIS THING MOVING, WHIP THE HORSES!" he screamed frantically, but the road was already blocked with the bound soldiers and the ruined carriages. The soldiers began clearing the road, while the majority of them formed a defensive wall around the merchant's carriages.
Blades flew out of nowhere, glistening under the moonlight, before hitting the wheels of the carriages, splitting them in halves and leaving the victims stranded. Now they were left with two options: to fight or flee. Who exactly were they fighting?
Some of the soldiers began setting the tips of their arrows on fire with the lanterns before firing into the forest, setting it ablaze. Almost immediately, they saw shadows fleeing from the dark along with blades and needles flying in their direction.
They weren't agile enough to evade all the needles, and they began dropping one after another as the drug took effect. The merchant was now on his own with no conscious soldiers to protect him.
He crawled to a corner inside the carriage, folding up like a ball in fright as he heard approaching footsteps.
BANG! Ryles forcefully tore open the door to the carriage before yanking the poor merchant out.
"P...pl...ple... please don't kill me. You can take the gold," he stammered, pleading for mercy. He couldn't see their faces as they were wearing masks, but their eyes were visible, and the one that bugged him the most was the green-eyed guy. Those eyes were colder than the northern weather.
The guy with the green eyes aimed an arrow at him.
"Please don't... don't... Please," he pressed his head to the ground, pleading with all his might. But when he raised his head again, they had disappeared along with the gold. "Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh," he screamed painfully in frustration, kicking the captain fiercely in anger. The poor guy could do nothing but endure the torture, though it wasn't even his fault.
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*Southern part of the empire*
*ALCHERIA*
It was almost dawn in Alcheria, and the sun was ever so slowly taking its time to shower its morning rays on the southern lands of the empire.
The palace was already awake regardless, more like the servants and guards. Everyone was bustling in and out of different hallways to complete their morning duties.
King Atticus was resting in his chambers with one of his concubines when a knock resounded on the door.
"Your majesty, it's your humble servant Gideon," the person at the door spoke, knowing quite well that the king was listening.
"Come in," the king commanded, moving from the bedroom to the sitting area. Gideon wasted no time, immediately stepping in and bowing down on one knee.
"Your majesty, there's something you need to see. It's urgent," his voice held grave seriousness, putting the king on edge a bit. But he had mastered the art of keeping an outwardly calm facade, making people believe he was actually in control of any situation.
"Lead the way," he hurriedly put on his royal robe before following his right-hand man to see the urgent matter. He hoped it wasn't any of the court members pulling dirty tricks again. This time, he would be sure to clear them out.
Gideon led the king toward the vast balcony on the floor they currently stood. He pushed open the double doors and gestured for the king to come in respectfully.
Completely ignoring the beautiful view of the sunrise as there was something more pressing to dwell on, the king's face turned rigid, and he muttered something under his breath.
Both men stood looking at the red smoke-like bombs that had started exploding in the air at the break of dawn, and more bombs kept shooting upwards and exploding. Though it was very far away, the lights couldn't go unseen.
"It's a distress call, your majesty. The merchant... they..." Gideon couldn't complete his sentence, as he was now sure the king had caught on.
"Leo and his men..." the king muttered bitterly, his hands gripping the rail. He had had enough of the insult from these notorious robbers. How could a renowned merchant, with all four kings backing him, be robbed without them fearing the consequences? He felt insulted and realized that he needed to do something about it in the empire.
"Get the horse ready. We are visiting Mythoria," he commanded, with his right-hand man immediately leaving to do his bidding, not daring to question the king's decision.
Just before he left the palace, a bird flew in, and Gideon caught it, removing the letter tied to its leg before releasing the bird to fly away.
"Your majesty, a message for you," Gideon stretched out his hand, holding the letter with a deep bow in respect.
The king took it and read what was written, his brows furrowing in concentration and his teeth clenching in anger. Gideon didn't understand what message the letter contained that got his majesty so riled up. He was about to ask if everything was alright, after all, he was the king's right-hand man, but the king's sudden outburst of laughter made him swallow his words, goosebumps rising on his skin. His laughter was like that of a mentally deranged human being.
"Your majesty," Gideon softly called out of concern, but the king didn't even acknowledge his presence. Instead, he stormed back into his chambers, rage dancing in his eyes. The crown prince of Alcheria, Prince Caspian, came looking for his father. He had also seen the distress signal earlier.
"Your majesty, is everything alright? I saw the..." The king stormed out before the prince could finish, making him wonder why the king was this restless.
"Gideon, bring my horse. We are going to Mythoria," he ordered, his gaze burning with determination. Gideon was quick to sprint off to do his bidding.