Side Story Chapter 6

As Riftan turned to glare at his mother's headstone, a calloused hand landed on his trembling shoulder.

"We should head back."

Riftan looked up into his stepfather's forlorn eyes before lowering his gaze, defeated.

It was expected that he would return to the smithy right after the funeral. There would be no moment of reprieve granted to process his grief. After all, the death of one lowly peasant woman was not enough to gain anyone's sympathy.

It was not uncommon for the poor to be struck down in droves during a plague. If the deceased also happened to be a foreigner who had never quite managed to fit into society, their death did not even come up as a topic of conversation.

This came as a relief for Riftan. The last thing he wanted was empty words of consolation. In fact, he never wished to recall that horrific night ever again.