Chapter 76

It felt like I had barely fallen asleep when the sound of someone yelling woke me up. The sky outside my window was still the dark blue of predawn with the sun making its presence known but yet to crest the horizon.

The fog blanketing my mind as I hovered between sleep and wakefulness was shattered as I heard another shout — finally remembering everything I had done the night before. Throwing off the covers, I quickly pulled on my clothes. I was still doing up the small, wooden toggles on my shirt as I ran downstairs.

“Wait for me,” Gramps yelled from his room.

I did as I was told, waiting by the front door as a tired looking Mum and Gramps joined me. Mum was working her hair into a bun as we opened the door and stepped outside to see what all the noise was about.

We were not the only ones coming to investigate. Across the road, Jennifer Kellin stood in the doorway of the trading post with her son bouncing on her hip and her husband a few steps outside looking east. A few of the Horndale Mining Co. were wandering out of their set of houses in a group, with more following behind or herding the few children. Brin waved in my direction from where she stayed glued next to her mother.

Everyone's attention was on the contingent of House Landrin soldiers, fully armoured with Ser Joss at their head, as the knight yelled into the House Firthholm wooden fort.

“I told you to get Lady Yalindra out here now or we’re coming in!”

Gramps walked towards the fort, likely to better hear what was going on. I fell in next to him. Mum raised a hand as though to stop me before giving up on that idea and joining us.

Getting closer to the unfolding standoff, I could see fear in the eyes of the two House Firthholm guards who manned the entry to the fort as they were faced down with the twenty Landrin soldiers.

Ser Joss opened his mouth again but closed it when a feminine voice shouted from within the fort.

“I’m coming, Joss! You better have a damn good reason for demanding my presence!”

Lady Yalindra appeared between the two guards, and I could hear the sound of men and women moving about in metal behind her. It seemed to me she wasn’t taking any chances and had roused her own forces.

Ser Joss, in response to Yalindra’s challenge, raised up two pieces of paper. Though I had only ever seen them in the dark I recognised the letter and report I had stolen from the woman's office. As though the paper were a signal, one of Joss’s soldiers dragged forth a chest and kicked it open.

We couldn’t see the contents from where we were but I had a pretty good idea what they would be. Joss’s next words proved me right.

“I have proof that you have been stealing silver from House Landrin and from your own cousin, Count Firthholm,” Ser Joss said, levying his accusation in a cold tone.

Lady Yalindra had gone pale at the sight of the paper — clearly recognising them for what they were — but there was a moment of confusion on her face as she glanced at the chest of silver.

“I… I have no idea what you’re talking about, and how dare you, a mere Knight, accuse me of such crimes. I’ll have your head for this, Joss.”

The threat was delivered with far less confidence than Yalindra had shown previously, and Ser Joss seemed to know it.

“The letters bear your seal, Lady Yalindra. The same one you used for your agreement with House Landrin’s original terms and the same handwriting. I have one here detailing the silver mine's daily output which matches what you have shared previously, alongside a letter addressed to your cousin that tells an entirely different story.”

Joss paused to shout an order to his soldiers. “Bring forth the smith!”

I hadn’t noticed him among the House Landrin soldiers, but a member of the Horndale Mining Co. was dragged to the front by two men, his hands bound and bruises on his face.

“Tell me again, what is the normal number of silver bars produced by the silver mine per day?” Ser Joss asked.

“Eighteen,” the smith muttered, his throat hoarse.

“And were these all given to House Firthholm?”

“All of them, Ser,” replied the smith as he looked away.

My face was schooled to a studious calm, while mentally I was laughing. Ser Joss had likely figured out that the silver found in the cache was actually being stolen by the miners, despite my attempted deception. But he didn’t seem to care because he could use it as an excuse to claim the entire town and a larger portion of the silver for House Landrin.

I felt a little bad for the smith, but that’s what he got for stealing. A good reminder for me to never get caught lest I face similar rough treatment.

“So, eighteen bars, Lady Yalindra. Yet your report to House Landrin states sixteen bars and your letter to your cousin only claimed there was a mere twelve. I accuse you of theft from House Landrin, Lady Yalindra.”

Yalindra looked at the crowd and sneered. “You’ve no proof but the word of a common smith and papers that have clearly been forged.”

Stolen novel; please report.

“We found this with the silver,” Ser Joss added, putting the nail into the woman's coffin. In his hand he held the torn and dirty piece of ripped fabric from a House Firthholm tabard.

Lady Yalindra turned, looking over the soldiers within the fort that I couldn’t see. Her gaze settled on someone and her frown turned thunderous before she shifted back to facing the House Landrin contingent.

“That is only proof that one of my guards has been stealing. I had no such involvement,” she growled at Ser Joss.

Even with the noose tightening, she refused to back down, and my stomach started to churn in worry. What if it wasn’t enough? What if she didn’t leave?

Ser Joss sighed. “I have enough proof to satisfy my Lord, Lady Yalindra. You will vacate the area and return to Dinalby or wherever you want to scurry off to. I will have a letter drafted and sent to your cousin, Lord Firthholm, detailing your many failures and attempts to steal from him. What he does with you is not my concern. You will do this, or we will remove you and your soldiers by force, and when I convey your treachery to Lord Firthholm, it will be delivered alongside your corpse.”

His words were delivered with a cold finality.

Almost twenty sets of hands reached down and gripped their weapons, Ser Joss included.

Gasps were heard from the Horndale Mining Co., and even Mum raised her hand to her mouth. Gramps, however, was studiously looking forward, his body tense. Whether that was because he expected a battle, or because he was doing his utmost to avoid looking at me, I didn’t know.

I half expected Lady Yalindra to put up a fight, but instead she stood up straighter so she could look down her nose at Ser Joss.

“You’ll pay for this, Ser Joss,” she hissed venomously before looking at her soldiers. “Pack everything up and place Marcus in chains. He’ll answer for his treachery before my cousin.”

She turned back to Ser Joss. “We’ll be taking House Firthholm's share of the silver with us and I am sure my cousin will send his own message soon in regards to what passed here.”

“Certainly,” Joss agreed. “Your share, based on the counts you provided of sixteen silver bars per day. The rest will remain with House Landrin for allowing you to leave with your life despite the slight against my Lord.”

Yalindra simply nodded before storming back into the fort. Ser Joss and his soldiers made some space around the fort's exit, I assumed to allow House Firthholm room to leave. My eyes drifted over to the Horndale Mining Co. where there was plenty of whispering. Brin’s mum, Dorothy, was jabbing Kole in the chest with one of her fingers as she quietly berated him. The bald miner was backing up as though she was hitting him with a hammer, and I wondered what that was all about. I decided I would ask Brin later. If this entire fiasco had taught me anything, it was that information was king.

Jennifer Kellin called out to Mum who turned to Gramps to check if everything was okay before she headed over to the trading post. I fell in beside her with Gramps joining us after a second, and I could swear I felt his eyes boring into the back of my head.

Forgiveness, not permission, I reminded myself.

The Kellin’s were talking with Mum and Gramps about what this might mean for the community. I could tell just from listening that Mum was like the sun coming out from behind dark clouds. She was more expressive than she had been in weeks, even laughing a little as she spoke with her fellow mother.

I grew bored quickly but thankfully Brin ran over to join me. We devolved into a game where we practised our footwork as though it were chess, taking it in turns to move a single step as we tried to get close enough to touch the other.

House Firthholm was packed up and mounting their horses within the hour while the entire community watched on. The sun had finally risen enough to turn the sky a lighter blue and drive away some of the cold.

Marcus had been bound with chains and tied to a saddle of what I assumed was his mount. Even hanging over the side of his horse I could see how he kept shifting to make sure he could see Mum — a creep till the very end. My suspicion was that Lady Yalindra intended to lay the theft and everything else at his feet, which meant he was probably destined for execution. I found no spot in my heart for mercy for the man.

As they galloped away, heading east back to Ajinar, I found my body growing lighter. It seemed that I had gotten away with my ploy. The Myriad Paths agreed as a notification appeared in the corner of my vision.

“Can I go back to the outpost?” I asked Mum.

“I’ll take him,” Gramps volunteered, rubbing my Mum’s back in a fatherly manner.

“Go on then,” Mum said in agreement before turning back to Jennifer.

My plan had been to open the notification as soon as we were in the outpost, but the moment we entered, Gramps put his hand on my shoulder and escorted me to his office.

Once inside, he waved angrily at the seat across from him. I took the hint, sitting down. Gramps didn’t do the same, pacing back and forth behind his desk in the limited space.

“What were you thinking?” he demanded.

I looked down, my lips twisting as I searched for the words. “I thought…”

“No you didn’t,” Gramps yelled, slamming his hand down on the desk. “Because if you had, you would have talked about it with me first! Griselda never stays the night… I should have known something was going on the moment she asked. What if you had gotten caught, Bastian? They could have had you hanged! Or taken a hand!”

I had so rarely been yelled at that even with Gramps’ keeping his voice down, I rocked back in my chair at his tone. The worst part was that he was right. I had been taking risks, but had I really considered the consequences if I got caught? Not in the slightest. I was so used to treating everything like a game — my mind so childish in its focus despite my elevated thinking — that I had settled on a plan and then followed through without thought for what could go wrong.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I just… I saw what that man was doing to Mum… and how you were trying to get someone to do something about it. So, I went looking for something to help. But when I found it, I just kind of kept going with what I thought would work. I… I should’ve told you.”

Gramps sighed, putting his hands on his hips and shaking his head. “It’s so easy to forget how young you are sometimes. I do not envy anyone who is forced to raise a Gifted child.”

He sat down across from me. “I’m sorry for getting so angry. I was just worried about everything that could have gone wrong.”

I nodded, still feeling guilty for my many failures.

Gramps snorted at the sight. “You can start by telling me exactly what you did. It won’t save you from your mother’s ire when she figures it out, which she probably already has. At least you succeeded in getting rid of them. Before we start, is there anything else I should know?”

I finally opened the first notification before smiling slightly. “The Myriad Paths agreed I succeeded. I got another Achievement.”