A few days later, Jeth and Joseph went outside to work. The day had dawned bright and clear and they were happy. Jeth fed the animals and did his normal chores and then helped his father in the fields. Suddenly, they heard an odd sound. It was the thunder of many hooves and the stamping of booted feet, mixed with the jingle of harnesses and spurs and the crack of whips and the raucous shouting voices of many men. Jeth and Joseph stopped working and stood still, startled. They could see a large group of soldiers marching up the road toward them. The man at the head of the line rode a great black warhorse. He was clothed in gleaming armor that was as dark as night. He did not have his helmet on just now and they could see that he had dark red hair that stuck up in all directions. 

To Jeth and Joseph's horror, the whole column turned down their driveway. The man in the black armor dismounted. He sneered at them. He had cruel dark eyes that glittered with malice, yellowed teeth, and a red scar down the side of his face. Jeth and Joseph knew that this was Maldrodn, the General that they had heard so many gruesome stories about. 

Maldrodn said in his cold voice, "Well, well, what have we here? A couple of dirtgrubbers! Now, tell me mudwallower, you don't happen to have any contraband, do you? Or any rebel scumbags? I hope not!" And he sent off soldiers to search the property.

When they returned, one was leading Franny the cow. Others had chickens in their arms. One was leading Chauncey. 

"Oh, no" Jeth thought, "not Chauncey."

Some soldiers had baskets of vegetables and grains. One had eggs. They were stealing Jeth and Joseph's food and their plow horse. How would they survive?

Maldrodn smiled wickedly. "A good haul. This will surely help to feed our army," he said with satisfaction. 

Then three things happened at once. Arlo began to growl at the soldiers. Chauncey bucked and reared, pulling away from the soldier holding him, and galloped off across the countryside. And Joseph said "No. You will not take away my livelihood and starve my son and me. You, Maldrodn, are the true scum of Telsant, the lowest of the low. You are the true dirtgrubber. I will not submit to you." And he grabbed Franny's lead rope. He stood taller than Jeth had ever seen him stand and he stared straight into Maldrodn's dark eyes. 

But Maldrodn only laughed, a hard, cruel laugh, and pulled out his sword and ran Joseph through. He kicked Joseph's body and declared "This is what happens to all who resist us!" Jethran was overcome. He was shaking with rage. He pulled his knife out of his pocket and charged Maldrodn. But Maldrodn had armor that could not be pierced by a small knife and he tossed Jeth to the ground. "It's not even worth the energy to kill you," he sneered at Jeth, and he and his troops rode away, laughing. 

Jeth sat up. He put his head in his hands. Hot tears came to his eyes. He thought of his father's kind blue eyes that were so like his own. He remembered his quiet and stern manner. He remembered how proud he had been and how supportive and loving. He remembered his good advice. He remembered sitting by the fire with him on winter evenings, learning how to whittle. He thought of the sad, faraway look he had gotten when he talked about Jeth's mother, Sarah Vansdotter, who had died when Jeth was very young. He remembered riding in front of his father on Chauncey's saddle as a young child, and a little later, being taught by his father to ride on his own. He remembered how his father had comforted him when their first hunting dog, Jasper, had been killed by a wildcat, and how happy he had been when his father had given him Arlo, then just a puppy. He remembered how angry his father had been when Jeth left the gate open and Chauncey and Franny had escaped and eaten the garden belonging to the wife of a neighboring farmer. But mostly, he replayed his father's final moments in his mind. And he wept bitterly. And he vowed revenge. Arlo sat beside him. Chauncey came back, but Jeth didn't get up to catch him. He just sat.

This is how Gavin found him when he came over a little later. Gavin caught Chauncey and helped Jeth bury Joseph. Jeth was intensely grateful for Gavin's presence.