Tales of a Dead God

Chapter Four: A Village of Traitors

It was a two-day journey to the next town once the three decided what would be the best course of action. There was an old fishermen's village west of their current location, but the issue was that it would take them two weeks to travel there. The other option was a farmer's village eastward.

Gabriel led them eastward to the village of Fimal. He told Noah and Theo how this village was once one of the trading routes. Many here would travel to Líadain to sell their crops during the large festivals and markets that happened once or twice a year.

Theo remembered selling fresh bread at these markets when his parents were alive. It brought a sad smile to his face that Noah caught. Those were some of the best memories Theo had of his parents and brother.

Noah chuckled at the memory. "Do you remember that one year Natalie stole that sack of flour from Mr. Oswald?"

"Yeah," Theo let out a laugh. He turned to Gabriel who was listening intently. "Someone else had found dye..."

"I think it was Emily."

"Emily yeah, and so we mixed the flour with this blood red dye and used them as powder bombs." Theo was smiling ear to ear along with Noah.

Gabriel grinned and cocked an eyebrow. "And what exactly did you use these bombs for?"

Theo glanced at Noah and Noah took over the story. "We attacked the royal guards."

They all played a game to see who could get the most hits in. Noah managed to win with twenty hits by the end of the day. Everyone was laughing at the sight of the normally pristine armors of the royal guard now covered in caked dyed flour. It was one of the last good days in Líadain before things took a turn.

"That was a fun day." Theo smiled sadly. A few weeks after that he was the one who would find their parents dead in the bakery. No one would have answers as to how they were killed or who had done it. It was also the last market that would be held. That next year war was declared by the king.

Gabriel could sense the change in Theo and Noah. He cleared his throat. "It looks like another mile and we'll be in town." Hopefully, the change of topic would get the brothers' minds off whatever they were thinking about. "We'll settle in and figure out where to go from here."

The ride was quiet for the remainder of the time left on the trail. Once they made it closer to the village, it was clear what the years of war had done to this place. A once bustling and happy village is now a mere whisper of the past. Most of the homes looked as if they'd collapse with a gentle breeze. Theo looked around with sadness filling his heart. It was a reminder that the little guys were the ones paying the consequences.

A man greeted them as the three entered. Gabriel hopped off into the muddy street. If that's what it could be called.

"We don't take in travelers."

"I know. I'm here to speak with Matilda," Gabriel answered in a hushed voice. The atmosphere over the entire village was heavy with fear and anxiety.

The man tilted his head slightly then his eyes went wide in realization. "Gabriel?" When he saw that Gabriel didn't recognize him, he continued. "It's Riley."

That's when the realization hit Gabriel and he wrapped Riley in a tight embrace. Theo and Noah only watched quietly from their horses. When he pulled away, Riley was on the brink of tears.

Riley shook his head and a shadow fell over his face. "Matilda was killed."

"What?" Gabriel's eyes widened slightly but he knew this wasn't the moment to freak out. Not when any sudden movements could get them killed.