Benni walked beside Reinhardt, carrying a large wooden crossbow and quiver of bolts. He looked side to side as the two journeyed down the long beaten dirt path toward the stoneworks where his father worked every day.
"When you're out here, how do you know who is friend and who is foe?" Benni asked suddenly, looking to his mentor. "How do you know who is good and who is bad?"
Reinhardt nodded and seemed to mull over his possible answers. "Well, lad, that's an interesting question, really. How do we ever really know? A Knight you've known for years can suddenly be your enemy. Then, a bandit you've sworn you'd kill if you ever saw him again could become your closest friend."
"If one of my friends did something truly evil, I don't know if I would be able to take them to justice," Benni said suddenly. "I think I'd be scared."
Reinhardt stopped and looked the young man over. "Words I never thought I'd hear you say. You're always so aggressive and combative, I had you picked to be more direct."
Benni shrugged and then he nodded. "With a friend it's different, isn't it? Wouldn't it be hard for you if Bryce Maxwell suddenly turned his back on Haile?"
Reinhardt thought for a moment. "I've done it already," he spoke quickly. "When Jerreth deserted us and left the Knight Guard in its time of need, Bryce stepped in to replace him and I as his second."
Benni grit his teeth. "Damn."
Reinhardt directed Benni's attention in front of them where the path seemed to narrow and enter the stoneworks. It was a deep pit that spiraled down and down and down into the lands with different stations on the way down. Some had water, others had equipment but they all had workers. "Now, enough chatter, you and I are here for serious business."
Benni nodded and followed close behind Reinhardt who made his way down to the first station about three hundred yards deep into the stoneworks. He watched worker after worker shoot both him and Reinhardt glances and dirty looks as they approached the guard post.
"Reimer!" Reinhardt called loudly. "We've arrived."
Suddenly a clammor came from inside the wooden guard shack. It was shoddy and beaten with a few logs out of place and a broken section of window. "I'm coming, damnit!" A scraggly voice called from the shack. A candle flickered in the window but the two couldn't see much of anything inside.
Suddenly, a single hinged door opened and slammed against the side of the shack. A short, angry looking man came lumbering out. His belly was quite ample and his stout legs looked like they could barely keep up with him as he moved toward the two. His face looked rough and dry with veins streaming along his cheeks.
"Too much ale," Benni suggested quietly to Reinhardt who nodded. "Maybe that's why me father was-"
"Stay very quiet," Reinhardt whispered to himself. "Do us both a favor, lad."
"Whasat?" Reimer blurted out in a slur. "Reinhardt, I haven't much time for games today we've much to do."
Reinhardt looked the man over. He wore tattered black short pants and a ripped up old sack like shirt that looked like it was homemade. His shoes were barely functionable and broken in multiple areas. "Yes, I'm sure." He moved toward the shack to take a look. "Bryce sent me to-"
Reimer moved quickly to intercept the Knight. "Come now, Reinhardt, what're you really doing here?" He put his fists on his hips and didn't budge.
A creak came from inside the shack.
"My Lord," Benni spoke quickly but was met with a glare from his mentor. "I think there's-"
"Who in the pisses is this?" Reimer asked, puffing out his chest to try and intimidate the young Benni. "Some little squirt o' yers?"
YOU ARE READING
The Knights of Haile: A Trinity of Heroes
FantasíaThe retelling of the Trinity of heroes