"Where did they go," I roared, desperately scanning the dark forest.

"I'm not sure, General. We were following them a moment before, they disappeared like... like magic." One of my companions feebly replied to my question.

"Stop telling me things I already know," I spoke through gritted teeth. My anger was so ferocious I felt like strangling him right there. It bubbled up from my stomach, infiltrating my mind, and taking over my actions. "Somebody give me a reasonable theory."

"I-I may agree with Steve's words, sir," my second companion piped up, his voice as weak and scared as 'Steve'.

"What can you be agreeing to?" My voice came out in a low growl, and I knew the two of them cowered from it, even though they were behind me.

"That they were using m-magic. I doubt they would traverse these unfamiliar woods without leaving a trail we could follow, and the path continues in this direction."

A smirk spread across my face as an idea entered my mind. "That's a good point. If they were using magic, it's a lost cause. You two head back to the castle, I'll ride ahead for a moment just in case." I made sure to speak in a loud voice, so just in case there was someone around me, they would let their guard down.

Just before my companions turned, I saw it. If I hadn't searched for it, it would have been unrecognizable. A spot of light shifted at the bottom of a tree. But it wasn't light, no. It was the riders we had been chasing, shrunken down to a fraction of their size. I doubted they were much larger than a blade of grass.

They thought we were leaving. They let their guard down.

We had been right on their tails. They would have had only a few seconds before we rounded the bend after them. If they had prepared for this, it was technically enough time to shrink and find a hiding spot. There was a tree a few feet from me with a hollowed-out base, and if I were to hide anywhere, that would be my pick.

Checking over my shoulder to ensure my companions were out of sight, I dismounted from Delta and walked over to the tree.

"Thought you could hide from me, huh?" I spoke smugly before reaching into the tree, fastening my hand tightly around the object it came in contact with.

The crunch of bones was satisfying. The blood that dripped down my glove was not.

It would always wash out.

‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵︵‿︵

For the second night in a row, I was stuck at a late-night meeting that I was unwillingly attending. Tonight though, it wasn't a war meeting. It was an emergency meeting to discuss the conflict that had befallen the castle that night.

Thieves had broken into the castle, stealing valuables from the Royal Vaults, and kidnapping the King.

My irritation would have been evident as my frown kept twitching. I couldn't believe that someone was so careless. Yet...

It was George and I who had skipped our rounds. We had decided not to patrol, like how we were meant to, to break Ivrette out of the dungeons. I hoped I was successful in that. I was barely able to say anything to the guard before a knight rushed down the hall, shouting about an emergency. The panic pulled me in as I began to do everything I could to catch the thieves.

That led me to chase two of them into the woods, yet the real thieves with the bounty had escaped.

"We suspect the thieves broke in after midnight. Patrol units had already changed, and the second unit caught them exiting the vaults, raising the alarm. They broke through a window in Legacy Hall, at the bend." An advisor spoke to us, a different one from the previous night. He had a small, round face, yet beady eyes.

My frustration grew as this new information pierced my ears. The Legacy Hall boasted paintings of Oriad's previous rulers. A wall was recently built in the middle to hang more paintings, splitting the corridor in half. The bend was the portion at the end of the hall that connected them, invisible unless you were the ones patrolling it.

George and I had been patrolling that section of the hall.

"General Blackwoode," the advisor barked, "you hold the records of the patrol units. Can you inform us who was patrolling the Legacy Hall tonight?" His eyes bore into mine, a cocky smirk on his face. It was as if he knew it was George and me behind this, only waiting to catch us in the act.

"I don't have them in possession now. I keep them in the war room," I drawled glaring toward the advisor.

"Well, why don't you fetch them? Be sure to return with the names of the guilty soldiers."

_

I had crept back to the meeting room as slowly as possible. I attempted to think of a potential way to escape my fate, but I knew that anything I did would make the situation worse.

Running would be cowardly, and it would land George in even more trouble. If I wasn't around, I'd assume it would call for his execution. Seeing the bond between him and his sister, I knew I couldn't separate them, for good. Lying about the soldiers would do no good as the truth would get out eventually and it would look horrible that I lied to get myself out of this.

The only way to face this problem would be head-on. It's not as if they wanted to execute their General.

Grabbing the door handle, I slowly twisted it open to see a room of my silent peers, each of them expectantly watching the door for me to return. My footsteps echoed around the room as I took my seat. The smug advisor watched me from across the room, his eyes drilling into me yet again.

"Ah, about time, General Blackwoode. Would you mind informing us of the names of the guilty soldiers?" he asked with a ludicrous smirk on his face.

Once again, I had the thought that he knew the words I was yet to utter. My hands gripped the papers so hard, I saw my knuckles turning white as I spoke through clenched teeth. "It was Captain George and I. We were the ones to skip our patrol duty, leading to the King's kidnapping.

"Oh, it was you, General Blackwoode? I could have never imagined?" The advisor feigned shock, but his smirk spread across his face yet again with his next sentence. "You know what that calls for. Take him to the dungeons.

‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵︵‿︵

It had been three days since George and I had been thrown into the dungeons. Word of our imprisonment spread like wildfire, and I hated the looks of shock or pity that we received from patrolling guards. I even heard the other prisoners talking in hushed voices about how the General was thrown into the dungeons.

I assumed that George and I were the first new prisoners for quite a while, and they had connected the points. I had nothing better to do than sit slouched on the floor watching the dungeons halls for any signs of excitement.

George's habits differed from mine. He preferred to spend his waking hours pacing the cell, muttering unintelligible phrases. It had begun to get on my nerves, especially seeing that his constant muttering distracted me from my thoughts. How had the thieves escaped? How had they broken into the castle for the Gods sake? What were they going to do with the King? And, was Ivrette stuck in the same foul place as us?

One day, I finally snapped. It could have been a combination of days being stuck in this place, or the moldy bread and cheese they had given us that day, but George's rambling seemed piercing. "Can you just shut it?" I asked him, my tone strained and aggravated.

George instantly ceased his chatter stopping and turning to look at me. "W-what?" he asked, his voice dazed.

"You have been talking nonstop for three days straight." I narrowed my eyes at him.

"I-I have? I feel like it's only been a night..."

"Well, it hasn't, and you're driving me mad.

"Well, I can't help it with worry for our kingdom, and my sister."

"Do you think I'm not worried? Yet, I'm not aimlessly rambling."

"Well, I'm not you, Graeme. This is how I gather my thoughts, I-."

"Thoughts are meant to stay in your head." My temper was rising, and I spoke before George finished.

"Oi, why do you have to cut me off like that?" I could see annoyance, and even hurt on his face.

"I don't need to hear what you were going to say afterward."

"Then I don't need to hear what you're about to say."

"Oh, is that right?" My tone changed, turning cold. Standing from the ground, I took steps forward to George. Even though the top of my head matched his nose, George cowered from me. "Do you want to say that again?" I asked, taking another step toward George while he took a step back.

George looked as if he was about to speak before a tapping outside our cell caught our attention. Leaning to see around George, I saw a hooded figure, standing there with a roll of parchment in their hands.

Not any hooded figure. The hooded figure. Ivrette. I recognized her cloak from the night in the tavern.

Turning around, George made the connection as well and rushed to greet his sister. "Ivrette, what are you doing here? Are you okay?"

I walked beside him, just in time to hear Ivrette whisper, "I'm okay, but there are things you two need to know. I'm not supposed to be here, so read this, carefully. Good luck."

Sliding her hand through the bars of the cell, she handed George the roll of parchment before turning and hurrying off. Looking at the letter in his hands, George rushed to a corner of the cell. He waved for me to join him, our argument forgotten.
I didn't know who we would have to hide this from, but I didn't judge his actions as I went over to meet him. Standing beside him, I had to squint to make out words in the dim lighting.

X has taken Y hostages. X found out that Y knew of a secret passage, window = decoy. Y has spies with X. X doesn't know who.

X has sent a message to Y demanding the treasures back. Y says that X can surrender to them for the treasures. If X does not surrender, Y will declare war. X has thirty days to decide.

X is going to attempt to steal the treasures. Because GB and GH are innocent, they will be released.

Only the advisors know this. Don't tell a soul.

Finishing Ivrette's note, I was slightly surprised that she knew the coded terms. Then again, if anyone knew this information outside of the army, it would be her. When writing notes, in case they got intercepted, impactful names were censored. X was the kingdom of Oriad, and Y was Ravennisse. The "treasures" would be the King and the physical loot.

It was a relief to see that George and I were innocent, but it was interesting to see that this information was kept between the advisors. Only the Gods would know how she discovered it. I was about to speak but George beat me to it.

"Ready for war?"

With a husky laugh, I responded. "Oh, Hell yes."

QOTC: Who do you think would win in a war? Oriad or Ravennisse?