-HIM-
We rode out into the night, prepared with all the warriors. It was a starless and moonless night, completely pitch black, providing us an excellent opportunity to move without attracting any attention.
We passed the mountain and a dried river before reaching the tribe nested in the rocky terrain. As soon as the tribe's village came into view, something about it struck me.
I couldn't decide what it was first, but the nearer we got to the place, the more deserted it looked. As my men spread out and took their posts around the village's territory, I couldn't help but feel unsettled about the place.
There were no guards at night, which was another odd thing. The houses looked dishevelled as if they had been abandoned for some time. The place seemed oddly empty, but I wasn't letting this deter me. All this could be part of their plan.
After ensuring everyone had taken their positions, I motioned at one of the warriors to blow the horns.
"The Chief of the Zanoba tribe, Griro, is summoned by the King of Cromiera, Alexnadors Cromeron the Fifth, to come out and meet me in front of the tribe," I announced, my voice boomed through the whole village. The ranges nearby echoed my announcement back to me.
A couple of moments passed after my announcement, but still, there was no sign of anyone in the tribe. As time passed, I became increasingly suspicious.
"Come out, Girro and face the King!" Hrako roared, his voice echoing in the night. After another moment of waiting, I finally noticed some motion in the distance. A shadow separated itself from that of the houses, heading towards us.
I found it odd how the person heading towards us didn't have a torch. I watched the shadow like a hawk as it walked with a limp leg. Apart from that, there was something else about how the shadow moved. It felt odd, almost mechanical. I had never seen any human walk that way.
This fed my suspicions. Was there something else going on in the tribe that others were unaware of?
"It's him," Hraku confirmed when the man reached close enough to our position, "But he seems different," He commented under his breath.
"Your majesty," Girro, the Zanoba chief, greeted me. His voice was low and raspy, oddly making my skin prick. "It's such a pleasure to see you. I should count myself lucky that you visited my tribe. Please tell me, how shall I be of service to you?" Girro bowed slightly, his movements more unnatural.
I couldn't make out much in the darkness, but his skin looked strange, too. It didn't have a natural healthy glow. There was a weird greyness to it that almost reminded me of sickness and death. It made me wonder if he was sick.
"You're not the Zanoba chief I had appointed. What happened to Datnek?" I demanded.
"Your majesty, you appointed him, but he was not good to the people. He was unfair to the men, disrespectful to women, and a tyrant to the children. I couldn't see my people suffer under him anymore, so I challenged him, and he lost. I acquired chiefdom lawfully." As he continued to speak, I noticed how his voice grew hoarser. It was as if his throat was too dry, and he had to forcefully breathe to even utter a word.
"What about the trouble you had been giving to Hraku's tribe? What about the woman you tortured and killed?" I growled. My question brought a sudden shift in his demeanour.
"What woman? I don't know what you're talking about, and it was Hraku who had been troubling my tribe for the longest—"
"Stop lying!" Hraku growled. I could feel him stepping beside me, ready to pounce, but he held himself back because I wasn't done talking to him yet. Besides, I had promised them I'd let them deal it their way, but first, I needed to get things straight.
"Who killed the woman?" I demanded.
"I don't know which woman you're talking about!" Girro shouted, his body growing stiffer with tension.
"Girro," I maintained my calm, "Someone from your tribe kidnapped one of their women, violated her and killed her brutally. I want to know who did, and if you don't tell me, I'll find it out either way. That wouldn't end well for your warriors,"
Girro dared to laugh in response.
"You're going to punish us all?" Girro asked mockingly.
"I will if you don't start giving me names," I stated sternly, making him laugh harder. I could feel Hraku tense beside me, yearning for Girro's blood.
"You seem to have a death wish," I growled, slowly moving my hand to my sword. He barked out another savage laugh, which was more raspy and forced. It wasn't natural. I had never heard a man laugh like that.
"You can't kill us," He said. "Because we're already dead," Before I could adequately make sense of his words, Girro's fingers snapped, and I saw something metallic come out from under his clothes. His reflexes were too sharp, even sharper than mine. Before I could pull my sword out. I felt a stab of pain in my chest.
Whatever it was, it was not only giving me pain, but it was burning as well. He'd infected me with a poisonous blade. The further intensified as I tried to take it out from my chest. If anything, it made things worse.
I bent over, trying to ease the pain. Meanwhile, the warriors gave out their war cries, and chaos immediately unfolded around me.
~
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