Bandits

At that moment, Lucius's head snapped up, his gaze piercing the darkness of the hallway. My heart pounded in my chest. Had he seen me? With a burst of adrenaline, I darted back into my room, slamming the door shut and diving under the covers.

Seconds later, I heard the soft click of the door handle turning. Lucius entered, his footsteps barely audible on the carpeted floor. I squeezed my eyes shut, feigning sleep. The silence stretched on for an eternity before I heard the door close again.

After what felt like an eternity, I finally ventured out to relieve my bladder. Thankfully, Lucius was nowhere to be found.

Back in my room, I couldn't shake the image of Lucius's clandestine meeting. He was clearly involved in something sinister, collaborating with the very tribes we were supposed to be fighting.

What should I do with this information? Confronting him was out of the question. We were in his mansion, surrounded by his loyal soldiers. The best course of action seemed to be to keep this secret for now and try to inform Steward, the village elder, as soon as possible.

Sleep was fitful that night. The next morning, we gathered for breakfast, and I forced myself to act normal, not even sharing my discovery with Yula or Julie, my fellow travelers.

After breakfast, it was finally time to leave the mansion and return to our village. The journey was long, but after what I had witnessed, I couldn't wait to get away from Lucius and his treacherous schemes.

Before leaving, I asked Lucius if I could take a few books with me, and to my surprise, he agreed. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to "borrow" a few volumes from the traitor's library.

"Take care," Lucius said, waving as we exited through the mansion gates. "Tell Steward I said hello."

His facade was impeccable. Not a flicker of guilt crossed his face.

Once we were out of earshot, I shared what I had seen with Yula and Julie.

"Lucius is betraying us," I said, my voice shaking. "He's working with the tribes. I overheard him talking to one of his employees last night. He's planning to send reinforcements to ensure our village is destroyed."

"What? That can't be true!" Yula exclaimed, her face pale.

Yula had heard of Lucius before. Steward and he were supposed to be close friends. She couldn't fathom Lucius betraying Steward like this.

I recounted every detail, assuring her that I had no reason to lie. Julie sided with me.

"I believe Zephyr," she said. "Why would he make this up? And honestly, I also felt something was off about that guy."

Gradually, Yula came around.

"So, we have two problems," she said, her voice grim. "First, he's sending reinforcements, which drastically reduces our chances of victory. Second, someone will almost certainly attack us during the journey to steal our goods."

I nodded. "And the chances of that person being hired by Lucius are pretty high. If he gets those weapons back, well, that guarantees the tribe's victory."

"Can't we use this information to ask for help?" Julie asked. "Maybe the royal guards or the Inquisition?"

"I don't think so," I said. "I have no proof to show that Lucius is a traitor, and everyone seems to be busy with the upcoming war..."

Even though I desperately wanted to secure aid for the village's protection or find a way to apprehend Lucius for treason, those avenues were closed. I had to reconcile myself with that reality.

"Well, let's concentrate on the journey ahead," Yula declared, her voice firm. "We're aware that something could happen, so we'll remain vigilant, keeping a close eye on our surroundings to avoid being caught off guard."

Her words underscored the very real possibility of an attack during our travels. However, I felt a sense of calm amidst the potential danger. Julie's presence offered a reassuring shield. She seemed unperturbed, and I had no doubt her magical abilities were formidable.

And so, just as before, we embarked on the return trip to the village. We took turns steering the carriage, sharing the responsibility as we had on the outward journey. This time, though, Julie was there to lend a hand whenever fatigue threatened to overtake one of us.

The journey passed without incident, and once again, we found ourselves at the same tavern where we had stopped previously. As soon as we arrived, I cautioned, "We need to be careful. The fellow who looks after our carriage isn't entirely trustworthy."

The last time we'd passed through, the carriage had been empty. This time, however, it held a collection of valuable weapons, necessitating an extra layer of vigilance.

The tavern keeper recognized us the moment we stepped inside. "You again?" he remarked, a hint of surprise in his voice.

I took the lead in responding. "Indeed, we are. We'll be needing two rooms, if you please."

With the rooms secured, I settled into one alone, while Yula and Julie shared the other. Although the idea of sharing a room with those two beauties held a certain appeal, I was also grateful for the solitude.

The rooms weren't particularly spacious, so being crammed in with two others would likely have been quite uncomfortable.

Nothing happened, and we continued our journey the following morning. But that's when things started to go downhill.

We were passing through a more desolate area. There were no people walking on the cobblestone streets, not even houses or farms around.

This was the most dangerous part of the trip. If something happened and we needed help, well, no one would show up.

In the middle of the street, we spotted a group of men on horseback. They wore leather armor and had malicious faces.

It was easy to see that these were bandits, and they were already waiting for us.

"Damn," I said, "I didn't imagine there would be so many..."

I quickly counted eight bandits. It was a high number considering there were only three of us. Could we beat them?

"Stop the carriage, immediately," one of the bandits said.

We stopped the carriage and slowly got down. There was no other way to resolve this. We would have to fight, and I was prepared to face anything.