‘*Tak! Tak!’

The door was knocked again, but this time it was Jeff who went to get it.

He opened the slider and saw a young boy tearing up. He started bawling his out as soon, while stopping for a few second to get word out of his mouth. Though hard, Jeff was able to make out what the child was saying.

“That direction….waaaaaa…..! My village…… waaaaa.......! destroyed…… waaaaa…! Everyone……! Died……!”

“Calm down! Calm down, kid.” Jeff tried, but there was no effect.

“Waaaaaaaaa…..!” The boy cried and cried to no end, bashing the ear drums of those nearby.

“Hang on! I’ll open the door for you.” Though hesitant, Jeff’s mind was overtaken by tears of the boy and he gave in. Also, he was afraid that the boy’s cries would wake the sleeping beasts of the forest behind.

He opened the small door and invited the boy in, quietly closing the door behind. He took him to the small cabin where he offered the little boy some water to get him to regain composure.

Gird wasn’t around, nowhere to be seen. Apparently, he had gone to bring some tea to get by the windy night. Therefore, making it Jeff’s duty to look after the door and deal with the situation.

But Gird was never so careless. He had asked another guard who he found patrolling on his way to take his position for time he was away. Making it less of a burden to a newbie. But it takes time to reach the gate. By the time Kent, the guard arrived, the boy was already sitting in the cabin, sipping on water.

Standing at the door frame, Kent asked, “Who’s he? Your son? What’s he doing here at this hour?”

“Haha!” Jeff blushed, “No, I’m not even married. He was crying so I brought him in.”

“Brought him in? From where? Is he not an inhabitant of this town?” Kent asked dubiously.

“No, actually. He is from outside. I’ve been trying to enquire him since but he wasn’t calming down.” Jeff answered

“Outside!? Don’t you know?” Kent was shocked and infuriated at Jeff but he soon regained his composure as he saw the face of the child sitting, he realized that it wasn’t his fault. “Well, fine.”

He didn’t bother chiding Jeff and straight away crouched in front of the child, “What happened? Are you lost?” he asked.

The boy had settled down, and the guard believed it appropriate to ask questions.

The boy nodded in disagreement, reluctant to say any word.

The guards understood him.

Kent asked another question, “How did you reach here?”

The boy didn’t respond. The silence filled the room as they expected him to say something.

But Kent didn’t back down. He understood that the boy could only answer in ‘Yes’ or ‘No’, and that too by nodding. So, he asked him much simpler questions.

“Are you from this town?”, Kent asked.

The boy nodded in disagreement.

“Are you from another town?”

The boy nodded in the same inclination.

“Village?”

The guards stood up with joy as it was the first positive response they heard from the boy.

“Now, do you have parents? Are they alive?” Kent crouched as he asked in curiosity and worry.

The boy nodded in a long disagreement as the room fell in a complete silence.

It was time till Gird had arrived. When finding no one at the gate, he was boiling with anger, hotter than the tea he had brought. He noticed two shadows at the cabin through the translucent window. He rushed over there and asked, standing outside while also keeping an eye at the gate. “What’re you doing? Why aren’t you guarding the gate? And Kent?” A kettle in one hand and some cups in other, he asked.

Kent got up and moved aside, making way for Gird to see what was going on. Gird entered the cabin and noticed a black cloak lying beside a boy. He was absolutely harrowed at the sight of the two guards attending to visitor he had just shooed not too long ago.

He wanted to smack his head in disappointment but his hands were already full, then realized that the visitor in front of him was just a young boy. He directed Kent to the gate and interrogated Jeff, “Did you bring him in?”

“Ummm!” Apologetically, “Yes.”

He didn’t want to yell in front of a child and nor he saw a point in doing so. He simply asked Jeff a few questions about the child and sent him out.

Just the two of them inside the cabin, Gird placed the kettle and tea cups aside on the table.

“Do you want tea, young lad?” He asked politely.

But the boy nodded, implying refusal.

“Can you… speak?” Gird asked.

“Yea..ss!” The boy had finally spoken in front of him, and as he heard from Jeff that the boy could only nod, he was overjoyed.

“Your name, lad?” Gird tried to act young to make him feel comfortable.

“Adin.” The boy replied after a short pause.

“Which village are you from?”

“Sul… fi.” The boy quietly replied.

“Why are you here?” Gird didn’t lose streak, it seemed he had the questions already prepared.

“My village… it was…” The boy stopped mid-way; he didn’t complete the sentence.

Gird wasn’t mad; “What happened to your village?” he just politely asked the boy again.

“It was… destroyed. Everyone…. died.”

“Eh?” The boy’s words were a complete shock to Gird.

“What?” A loud voice from behind struck the room. “Sir Gird… what is he saying? I… I came when… when I heard Sulfi… but…”

Gird was expecting the two to stay on guard duty at the gate but Jeff failed to meet his expectations. But that was the least of his worries. He could never have imagined a village to be completely destroyed and all the residents killed except for this boy.

Even Kent had come to the cabin, hearing Jeff’s loud ‘what?’, and asked of them what had happened. Jeff tried to explain it to him but he was still in shock that he couldn’t even form a sentence and broke into tears.

Gird left Jeff and the boy in the cabin and quickly explained the situation to Kent. He also instructed him to wake all the guards and bring them to the gate while he himself was to go to the town lord to ask for the permission to take out a unit to investigate the nearby village.

In about half an hour, a whole unit comprising of town guards and soldiers and even mercenaries were arranged by the gate, all on horses, and each holding a lantern their hands were standing in wait for the gate to open. Gird had come back with the permission and was reassigning the positions to the guards who stayed behind while the giant gate was being opened; when Jeff called out from behind. “Wait! I’ll…. I’ll go too.”

Gird refused his request, reluctant to send a newbie to investigate. He also knew that Jeff was in great shock when he heard of the situation, therefore he thought it was inappropriate to send him on a mission when his emotions were instable.

But Jeff wasn’t the guy to take things lying down. He refuted all his arguments and persistently requested to go to the Sulfi Village. “The girl… the nun at the cathedral there,….. is a sweet woman….. She loves kids…. And respects the elderly….. she even greets everyone she sees in the morning, afternoon, evening….. she cooks for all the children at the orphanage…she cleans after them.”

Gird understood what he was onto but the roles were already assigned. The guards were still on standby outside the village till the last one had exited and the gates were closed, and everyone heard Jeff’s plea. Kent got off his horse and handed him over the lantern. “Though new, you’re a member of the guards.” Not anyone was capable of becoming a guard. Everyone in the security had to pass a skill test that ordinary people wouldn’t be able to clear. “I think you deserve this.” Kent put his handover Jeff’s shoulder and directed him to the horse. “Just, stay safe.”

Jeff looked at Gird, waiting for him to say the final words. In the end, “Ohkay! You can go.” Gird was weak to those eyes and had to comply with his request.

Finally, twelve people in total, filled with combat skills, sitting on horseback were ready investigate the fallen village.

.

.

The rest of them who stayed behind to guard the fortress closed the huge door and went back to their positions. Some of the soldiers substituted the guards who just left while others went back to their ins. 

“Haaaa!” Gird sighed heavily, worried about the unit that just left. “Will they be all right?” he asked Kent.

“Sure, they would.” He paused for a moment, “We can only hope so.” Kent replied looking at the sky who’s moon was covered by dense clouds, nowhere to be seen.

“This is gonna be long night.” Gird said.

“Oh, where’s the boy?” Kent had absolutely forgotten about the boy in this mayhem and was in panic at not seeing him inside the cabin.

Gird calmed him down saying that he had already sent him with one of the soldiers to get some sleep.

They prayed to God wishing that everything would turn alright.