As the snow melts and reveals the dirt below, winter exhales its last chilling breath. Mud covers the road. The fortress of Ma'arath lies ahead. Wooden wheels squeal against the uphill, declaring the arrival of newcomers. Horses' hooves hit the ground in steady rhythm as they pull the wagon upward. Two riders move ahead, cloaked and talking quietly.
"Tell me what you see, Peter," said the man in the cloak.
"No watchmen on the walls. The fortress seems intact—no breach, no claw marks. Little to no defenses. The gate is in rough shape, but it's still standing. Those two guards near it look like rookies; they're in the wrong positions and holding those spears poorly. That means the fortress is in need of men, maybe using common folk." Peter paused, then added, "Could've been worse after what we've seen so far. Ain't that so, Bjorn?"
Silence answered him.
Peter turned back toward the wagon, toward the one steering the horses: a very large, bearded man with broad shoulders, his bulk almost filling the front opening of the wagon curtain.
"Bjorn?" Peter tried again.
"Hm." Bjorn answered without looking away from the road.
Peter sighed and faced forward.
The party reached the gate.
"Stop right there, who are—?" one guard began, before his partner poked him.
"No, it's 'Halt. Identify yourselves,' like the knight—"
"Yeah, yeah. Ahem. Halt! Identify yourselves and your purpose here," the first guard said, trying to sound official.
"I am Shin, leader of the Southern Wind. We are here to answer your request for aid," Shin said, pulling back his hood.
The guard straightened his posture at once, while the other ran to call for the gate to be opened.
"Ah—hey, hello, sir. We've been expecting you," the guard said awkwardly. "The knight-commander will meet you in the courtyard."
The gate's hinges roared with rust, speaking of time and poor maintenance. Shin's gaze lingered on the cracks and stains, reading neglect in the metal as the party moved inside and stopped in the courtyard. The wagon's squeaky wheels finally came to rest, and a small hand pushed aside the front curtain just behind Bjorn.
"Finally. We're here. I feel stiff as hell," said Lili as she stepped out of the wagon. She looked young, but her attitude said otherwise. Her body was smaller than most her age. A small slip in the curtain showed a pair of feet inside, hinting that someone else was still sleeping there—another party member.
Stone steps rose along the inner wall. The knight-commander descended them with a couple of knights at his back. Their armor was different from that of the courtyard guards, marking them immediately as higher rank.
"Welcome. The lord is expecting you in the great chamber, and it is an honor to meet the Silent Sword," he said, taking Shin's hand.
"We are here at the request of the duke. You're in need of aid after winter's losses," Shin replied.
"Yes. We lost many people to those ferocious beasts," said the knight-commander.
Shin held his handshake a moment longer and stared straight into his eyes.
"So did everyone else," Shin said, then released him.
The commander's smile faded. He rubbed his gloved hand across his chestplate, then gestured.
"Follow me."
As they moved through the inner keep, Shin noticed how empty it was, and how the air carried a faint smell—the smell of old blood. They reached the lord's great hall, where two knights stood guard at the doors. The knight-commander pushed them open and announced Shin's arrival.
Shin waited at the threshold until a voice from inside called him in. He stepped through and saw the lord of Ma'arath fortress sitting behind a desk, the knight-commander standing in the middle of the room.
The lord rose.
"When I heard the duke sent a small group of six, I was disappointed," he said as he approached, "but when I heard it was the Southern Wind and their leader, I was relieved."
He reached out and shook Shin's hand.
"I spoke with the duke personally," Shin replied. "He cares about this place, because of the previous lord's long history with him."
"Ah, yes. The duke was close with my brother. I'm sure he received news of his passing," said the lord.
"Yes. And I am sorry for your loss," Shin said, studying his face.
"Thank you." The lord turned toward the window. "We lost so many people." He looked back at Shin. "We need your help clearing the nearby village. Winter might be ending, but the chimeras are still a present threat. We can't bring people back to live there unless it's safe, and with the fortress lacking manpower, we ask you to clear it for us."
Shin's answer did not come immediately. He watched the man, then spoke:
"So you want just us to clear it, without any assistance from your side?"
The lord smiled.
"Since you're the famous Silent Sword and the Southern Wind, I'm sure you won't need our help."
"Not that we needed it to begin with," Shin said, "but usually it's courtesy to offer assistance. It feels more welcoming that way."
The lord's smile faded.
"We have courtesy. We just don't offer it to a bunch of mercenaries, that's all." He exhaled sharply. "Don't worry. Their numbers are small. So don't be afraid."
A smug hint touched his lips.
Shin simply stared and did not answer.
"Show them the village, Marcus. You may leave now," the lord said.
"Yes, sir," the knight-commander replied.
Shin stayed a heartbeat longer, eyes fixed on the lord, then turned and left. As he stepped through the doorway, the stone corridor faded. Light shifted. Another room formed before him—a brighter, more ornate chamber.
A memory.
He stood once again at the entrance of the duke's audience room.
"Good morning, sir. It's been a while," Shin had said back then.
"It's quite the spectacle seeing you. You've grown stronger since last time," the duke replied.
Shin's expression had stayed calm. "Thank you, sir. But it's not enough."
The duke sighed.
"You're still pursuing that goal of yours, I see." He turned to face Shin fully. "Then my words won't stop you any further. But that's not why I called you here. There is a personal matter that needs handling. Because of the winter crisis, I can't spare any men on a whim—and it's the sort of mission that suits you and your team."
"That difficult?" Shin had asked.
"No. My knights can manage the fighting. It's the other part of the mission they aren't suited for." The duke folded his hands behind his back. "Last month I received a letter from the fortress of Ma'arath stating the lord passed away in his bed from illness, and that his brother would take charge until we can prepare a new selection ceremony—selecting candidates, setting ranks…"
"A long process, I suppose," Shin said.
"Yes. Quite the hassle. I knew the lord was ill, so he and I agreed that when the ceremony came, I would recommend his younger brother as a candidate. He assured me his brother would make a better fortress lord. He trained him himself."
"Sounds like everything went as expected," Shin said.
"Yesterday I received a letter from Ma'arath fortress asking for aid and reporting heavy losses." The duke's jaw tightened. "At first I accepted. We've received many reports from the northern plains about severe losses in this hellish winter. But I did not expect this letter from Ma'arath. The previous lord, my dear friend, never asked for help in twenty years. He was always cautious with lives, always prepared for the worst. He fought at the front with soldiers and knights, and he would rather die with a sword in his hand than in a warm bed."
The duke paused.
"When I received this letter, I couldn't shake the feeling that something is wrong in that fortress. I want you to go there and see for yourself. See if the situation truly demanded aid… or if the new lord is unworthy of his brother's praise. I know his brother was no fool. I know it's just a feeling, and I should cast it aside—but I want you to confirm my suspicion with your own eyes. Can you do that for me?"
Shin had hesitated.
"What if it's just a matter of bad circumstances? Then what?" he asked.
"Then there's nothing to worry about," the duke replied. "Help them and return. But if it's the other way around, I will go there myself and remove him for the disgrace he brought upon my friend."
"All right. I'll head out at dawn," Shin had said, then turned and left.
Now, as he stepped back into the present, the bright chamber dissolved. Cold stone returned. The corridor of Ma'arath stretched before him, and the look in his eyes hardened.
The duke's suspicion was now his .
"So?" Peter asked as Shin came down the stairs.
"Alright, we head to the village and finish the task we were given," Shin said, pitching his voice loud enough for the nearby guards to hear as he approached his team. Then, as he drew closer, his tone dropped to a whisper. "Once we are out, we search the fortress properly. Any winter survivors—civilians or guards—we find them, and we get more information."
"And the village?" Lili asked.
"We start there," Shin replied. "Wake Jonathan and get him ready. Bjorn, stay with the wagon. Peter…" Shin gave him a look. "You remember what you are supposed to do after we clear the village, right?"
Peter let out a short breath. "I know, I know. Stay out of trouble."