Rebellion: Prince of Dawn

Chapter 18.2: Goodbye Blue Sky

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JAIME FONTOYA

When we returned to the fields, half of the farmers were finishing up the last of the harvest. The other half were digging canals to connect the fields to the moat.

Once all the crops have been reaped, the harvesting half would help diverge the lake to flood the fields. Everything should be finished by sundown.

The bandit we captured was too heavy, so we removed his armour. That way, Ilias could levitate his unconscious body to the village with ease.

"Who the hell is that?" Tony pointed out.

I tossed the armour with an eagle emblem to his feet.

"Bandits?"

That word stirred the nearby villagers' light atmosphere. Their panic travelled among the farmers and summoned the rest of the sentinels.

"Where did you see bandits?" Askeladd questioned.

"Bandit. Just one," Ilias corrected. "We found this one scouting on the other side of the lake. It's a good thing we noticed him."

"If there's a scout, then it means they're preparing to attack. They must've sent that one to see if the harvest is finished."

"How long do we have?" I asked.

"Until tomorrow. They'll know something is wrong when he doesn't come back tonight."

Ritsu butted in. "I thought I bought us an extra fortnight?"

"It looks like they're double-checking."

The farmers gathered around, picking up axes, sickles, shovels, and anything else that could kill. The ones working on the moat watched.

"H-h-he's a bandit?!" one of them said. "Let's kill him!"

"Gut him like they planned to do to us!"

A mob formed, chanting for the scout to be executed. One of the farmers charged, but Askeladd redirected him back to the others. The twins donned their sword and shield while Tony began pushing the ones that charged away. Ilias and I stuck close to the scout, trying to protect him. One of the farmers slipped through and was about to strike the bandit, but Mondatta enveloped him in a bubble.

Askeladd snatched Tony's pistol and fired a round into the sky. "Enough of this! We're not butchers!"

"They are!" a farmer cried. "Does a deer not fight back when cornered by a wolf?"

"I'm not saying this man is innocent. But killing him now is a mistake. He has more value if he's alive. We'll question their plans and once his usefulness has worn out, maybe then we'll figure out what to do with him."

We dragged the scout inside the village and tied him to a wooden post. The farmers wanted to watch the interrogation but were ushered back outside the walls. Tony, Roxy, and Roxanne stayed outside to manage them.

Ilias woke up the scout with a mixture of healing jynx and a blast of ice-cold water

"Huh?! What the hell?" the scout asked.

Askeladd stabbed his sword into the ground and used it to support his weight. "I wager you weren't expecting this."

"Where the hell am I?"

"Look around. It should look familiar. I'd recommend ignoring the walls though."

The scout shook himself awake and studied the area. "Don't tell me this is the village."