The Army of One

Chapter 1: The Murder

The red light of the new dawn hits the forests of southern Dacia, as the new day in the village Arcidava starts. Darius Komozai the leader of the village grabs his crook and puts on his wool jacket heading outdoors. He steps out into the brisk fall air.

"Darius, where are you going? You haven't even eaten yet." Darius's wife Biliki says.

"I have to go out and check on Charnabon's sheep. They were attacked last night," he replies back. Charnabon is Darius's shepherd. He takes care of the herd. Charnabon fell off of a mountain when he was young. Miraculously though, he survived. Ever since then he had a crooked right arm, and limps every time he walks.

Darius reaches the part of the mountain where Charnabon takes his sheep every morning. Though he's not there. "He must still be sleeping in his hut," Darius says to himself. "Charnabon!" Darius yelps across the field. "Charnabon!" a second time. "What the hell is wrong him," he mumbles to himself. He walks across the moss covered rocks as he spots Charnabon's hut in the distance. Darius perches himself on a tall rock overlooking the herd of sheep, and the hut in the middle. As he's scanning the flock, he realizes that seven of the fifty sheep he had are missing.

"What's this?" Darius remarks. "Damn wolves can't leave my sheep alone." He gets off and moves down the rocky bluff. Darius goes to investigate the tent where the shepherd sleeps. "Charnabon!" he hollers. "You were supposed to be up hours ago!" Yet no response. As he inches closer, he smells a horrible scent coming from the tent. Is he ok? he thinks to himself. He goes to flip the curtain cover. "Speak when you're spoken... oh Lord have mercy" Darius focuses in on him.

Something happened, something horrible. Charnabon has been murdered, In a brutal fashion as well. A large lance to the chest, with a gravely bruised face. 

"Who could have done this!" Darius says angrily as he investigates the gruesome view. He grabs the dead corpse and wraps it in a blanket from the used tent. "You were more than just a shepherd to me," he claims with a teardrop in his eye. As he secures the dead body he notices something very alarming. Charnabon's signature silver necklace it's missing. He made that necklace himself. "Who the hell... You know what I will find and put whoever did this to justice," he says bitterly. Darius starts his walk back to town with Charnabon's dead corpse over his shoulder.

"Darius!" Biliki shouts. "Where have you been, you've been gone... Wha...what are you holding?" She paces over and examines him.

"Charnabon," he sighs. "He's... he's been killed." Darius finally gets it out.

"Wha... what do you mean he's been killed?" she replies.

Darius settles the corpse on the ground. "Look at him, his face has been ravaged." he pauses. "They gashed through his chest," he says wiping the tears from his eyes. "They also seven out of the fifty sheep that were there."

"Who could've done this!" Biliki exalts."How will we break this to his wife?" she asks sullenly.

"I have no idea who it was," he explains. " But we should invite her to our house tonight and break the news," Darius says as he covers carcass back in the blanket.

The day passes and the time has come to tell Charnabon's wife, Duccidava. Biliki heads to Charnabon's house. Biliki spots her in the front of her home. Collecting chicken eggs, as she whistles. Little does she know her life is about to change for the worst.

"Duccidava!" she yells. "How about you come on over to our house for dinner tonight?"

"Yes!" Duccidava responds as she finishes up feeding the chickens. "I'll be right there."

"Great, I'll see you there."

Biliki goes back to her house. One her way, rehearsing how she will tell Duccidava.

"How did it go?" asks Darius as he sets up the table.

"She'll be here any minute," she responds.

Then comes a knock at the door.

"In fact, that should be her," Biliki mentions.

With sweaty palms, Biliki unlocks the door. "Well," she sighs. "Here it goes."

The door opens.

"Hello, guys!" Duccidava says. "Thanks for inviting me over."

"Sure no problem," Biliki claims. "Make yourself at home."

"Here Duccidava, take a seat." Darius pulls a seat inviting her to sit.

"So why did you guys decide to invite me tonight?" she asks.

"Well, there's something we need to tell you about." Darius implies.

"Wh... what is it?" she asks.

"You see, I went to go check on Charnabon in his tent on the mountain and..."

"And what?" she asks as her face fills with nervousness.

"And..." Darius could not put it into words, as he starts tearing up.

"Your husband is dead," Biliki says suddenly. "We don't know by who, but he was murdered by a sword to the chest."

The vibes in the room turned to complete grief. Duccidava with a grimace on her face