Reborn From the Cosmos

Miniarc-Villains-26

Alyssa wasn’t happy being woken.

She was less happy about being woken by the whims of a stubborn prince. Samuel never saw her, but he wouldn’t be surprised if half the camp heard her shouted, “Let the fucker do whatever he wants!” Lane exited the tent with lightly flushed cheeks and asked for a moment to arrange a few things before they saw to the prince’s demands.

Samuel agreed, as a runner also needed to be sent to inform Sir Frost, who had remained behind to search for the rebels, about their plans. Lane’s “things” turned out to be seven acolytes. The prince was confused about the additions to his escort until Lane informed him that the acolytes were those who’d been most vocal about allowing the refugees to return to the city with the Hall’s support. They also had connections with the refugees and would ease Samuel’s goal of organizing them, making them welcome additions.@@novelbin@@

“Greetings, your highness,” one of them said as he bypassed all decorum by snatching the prince’s hand and shaking it vigorously. He was an impressive figure, nearly matching Samuel in height and carrying the kind of heavy muscle Dowager would admire. He had a face meant for a soldier too, with a weak chin and a bulbous nose that could only be improved by a few choice scars. The red robe he wore over a simple shirt and pants denoted him as a fire caster, a rather common talent for the Hall. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate what you’re doing for us.”

“I’m doing nothing,” Samuel immediately rebuked. “It’s up to the people of Quest to take back their city.” And the problem out of his hands.

“Well said.”

“…I’m not surprised to see you here,” Samuel said, as he turned to Robert. As usual of late, the young hero was spaced out, gazing at nothing. He snapped to attention when another acolyte nudged him, blinking rapidly as he forced himself to focus.

His smile was weak, the bags under his eyes even more pronounced than Lane’s. “Ah, yes. I’ve been hoping to help rebuild the city since being assigned to the camp. I don’t know how much use I’ll be, but I’ll give it all I have.”

“Every hand counts,” the enthusiastic acolyte said. “Quin has been a model volunteer. The trust between the Hall and the people is strained but the efforts of good men is slowly repairing it.”

The prince held back a frown. It was clear where the man stood on the question on whether the Hall should be doing more to help the people.

“Alright.” Lane clapped his hands to make sure the group was paying attention to him. “This is a trial run so we’re starting small, clearing a little debris at the edge of the city and salvaging what we can. Kern will oversee organizing the volunteers from the city. However, Sir Reed oversees security. I advise everyone to take his words to heart. The rebels are still at large, and this is real danger, not a lesson where the instructor will swoop in to save you if you do something stupid.

“You’re risking your lives. More importantly, the people going out with you are risking their lives. Maybe you didn’t sign up to be heroes, but by pushing for this, you’re making a promise to protect them. If you fail, no one’s going to condemn you, but you’ll have to live with that. If you aren’t resolved, now’s the time to back out.”

Lane nodded to himself when no one moved. “Next thing we need to get straight. The rebels and what to do with them. The Hall is offering a bounty of three silver for every rebel brought back alive. Aside from that…well, there isn’t a whole lot of law and order in the city. Do what you need to do but, remember, you’re the ones that have to live with it.

“Last, scavenging rules. No one better slip anything into their pockets. Everything is to be brought back to the camp to be catalogued and eventually returned. These people have already been through enough. The last thing they need is the people they’re counting on for help stealing their family legacies.”

“Exactly!” Kern, who Samuel was starting to think of as the leader of the volunteers, raised his voice and squared his broad shoulders. “I’ll take the hand of any bastard that dares.”

“Actually, don’t. It’s good enough to report to me, I’d rather take care of it.”

Kern didn’t retract his vow.

Lane didn’t push, sighing deeply. “…suppose I’ll leave you all to it. Good luck and saints watch over you.” With a look of trepidation, he left the group.

Kern opened his mouth, ready to take charge, but Ewan beat him to it, the acolyte’s words dying on his lips. He had just been warned to pay attention to what he said but Samuel imagined it was unnecessary. Only a fool would ever think of ignoring the words of a royal knight.

“I will be deploying all the forces I brought with me for this mission, but we’re too little for a proper protection detail. I’d recommend bringing no more than a dozen people.”

“A dozen?” Kern barked incredulously. “There are hundreds of people ready to work and a whole city that needs tending to.”

“My duty is to protect the prince, but as a knight and a soldier, I don’t want to see anyone else hurt. I can’t guarantee the safety of even one more person, let alone a hundred. You’re in charge of these refugees, which is why my words were merely a suggestion, but I’d be remiss I didn’t make it clear that with every body you add, the less effective my men will be.”

Kern frowned as he considered. After several breaths, he shook his head. “Twelve is too little. The most I could limit the group to is…sixty.”

The prince scoffed. “That goes beyond putting their lives on the line.” With so many people, the best Ewan could do was keep an eye on those closest to the prince. The crowd would be easy to pick off.

“As you’ve said, it’s their risk to take. Besides, they’re not entirely helpless. Many of those that want to work are former hunters. They won’t be armed properly but they have their magic and their experience.”

All the experience in the world wouldn’t do them much good if someone decided to rain fire on them without warning. Despite his thoughts, Samuel kept his mouth shut. It made no difference to him if a few dozen people got themselves killed. He was trying to discard his identity as a champion of the downtrodden. The last thing he needed to be seen doing was pleading with them to care for their lives.

“Let’s get this done.”