The stables were small but perfectly fine for his horse. Then Javelin wondered what Ky would do with his stallion. People around here didn't know about the horse's temperament. They didn't know the rules. They could get bit.

Ky would explain. Whenever he got here.

"There, all set. Now we can go back," the other young knight said. Bowen. He was seventeen, and more experienced than himself.

He started down the exit and into the cold air with Javelin following beside him. He balanced his flagstaff over his shoulder. They crossed the small snow covered yard and into the streets again. Eyes came back upon them as they walked, all of them people of the village. They looked wary but curious about them. He even saw some undressed for the weather, looking over their porches at them. They watched every knight who walked by the street. Many knights talked with the civilians. Casually, even. He hadn't yet figured how many there were stationed here.

He followed him back to the chief's office where he expected Ky to be waiting outside for them after their unannounced leave, but he wasn't. His horse wasn't even there.

Bowen stepped up to the glass door and peeked in, then pulled back. "I don't see him. That was fast."

"Do you know where he went?"

"I don't know," he said with a shrug. "To meet with someone else, I guess."

"What are we supposed to do? I'm not sure if I was supposed to stay with him."

Bowen looked on at him. "Well, if he did, he'll find you. Can't miss you with that flag." He pointed to it.

Javelin grinned. "I guess not."

"We can still get you settled meanwhile. Come on." He nodded his head to the side and led the way back into the street again. They walked back to the street where he and Ky had come through, where it was more active and spotted more activities of the knights. Bowen shot a few waves at them and they returned it. Javelin, although, just kept to himself and watched, walking behind Bowen.

"Keep the flag flying," one called from a porch at him.

Bowen led him to a two story motel and climbed the steps to the lobby. "All of the knights are housed for free. Some are teamed together to save space." He stopped and faced him. "Care to room with me just in case they are filled up? I'm not sure if there are any more available. And it looks like you could use some company, kid."

"I guess it wouldn't hurt."

"Hey, I'm all alone. Couldn't hurt." He turned and walked up a flight of unpainted wooden stairs that led to the second floor. He led the way to a door on the right and went inside. "The best thing about being a knight is getting free rooms. And you get good looks from the girls. A couple eye me up." He went inside where there was a single bed, bare wood floors and a loveseat against the wall. He saw a bow and a quiver pack leaning against a wall beside the bed.

"It's not too bad," Bowen said. "Kind of cold, though. It's a bad idea to walk on the floor with bare feet."

"Thanks," Javelin said and walked in further. He walked to the quiver back and began to put his flagstaff beside it but stopped and pulled it back. He wasn't sure if it was right to put it away like that. It could be dishonorable. When he was at the headquarters, it was taken care of and it had its own place. And he didn't have access to just one. He could grab any one he saw.

He finally decided to set it against the wall anyhow.

"You can rest here if you want. I'm going to the near by tavern for something to eat. It's the building right beside us if you want to join.."

"I could use some rest, in fact, after all that traveling."

"Well, that's fine. You can tell me all about that later. I'll catch you around, partner." Bowen then turned and left the room, closing the door behind him. Javelin gave a look around and walked immediately to the bed where he flopped down on it.

When Javelin woke, he was alone. He sat up, rubbed some sleep away before he glanced around. His flag was still leaning against the wall with Bowen's bow and arrows. As he sat there, he felt the rumble of his stomach. He forgot the last time he had eaten. Only a few things here and there during the trip, but at least here he had the chance to get something to eat.

He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stood up. He looked around and paused when his eyes fell upon his flag, unsure if he should bring it along with him. He bit his tongue, but thought against it. He was worrying too much about it.

Let it rest, he thought. There was no sign of battle.

And so he left the motel with his black boots meeting the snow again, the same riding boots he had worn for hours and hours. They weren't exactly comfortable and not exactly uncomfortable, either.

He looked side to side, looking for the tavern Bowen talked about. He easily saw it on his left. He turned and walked up to the porch where two men were standing. When he passed them, they whispered something to each other, but he ignored them and went inside.

The wooden walls and floors were bare and unpolished. There were several tables and chairs, most of them occupied. Several people were wandering about where it was too crowded to sit. Many of them were knights, dressed or not dressed formally. On one side of the wall was a tapestry of a mountainous world. There were two faded purple mountains, a forest and a grassy field. It reminded him of the mountains in the distance he saw outside of the village's gates.

He heard music. Someone was playing a low song on a acoustic guitar, singing. It was a pleasant song.

He took a few steps further inside, then saw someone wave him down. "Javelin," he heard from behind the talking and music. He squinted and saw Bowen waving for him.

He went to him and joined him at his sole table.

"Hi," Bowen said. "I was about to get up and get something. What's your poison?"

Javelin took a moment. "Tea, I guess."

"Tea and a coffee. Waiter!" He stood and walked to the bartender, where he waited and returned with two coffees for himself and his tea. He quietly sat, fixing their drinks, listening to the music, which was surprisingly played by a knight in the back. They watched people walk by. Then he saw a female knight in white and pink with a long braid going down her back walk past. He picked his head up, watching her, then leaned towards Bowen.

"You have a woman knight!"

"Yeah. That's Hope. She's real sweet."

"It's rare to see a woman knight."

"Yeah. And the people here don't know that, either. Some men whistled at her once and a couple of knights threatened them. And another man tried hitting on her. She could have chased him off, but someone else did. We saw him running past like someone beat him up. Running and scrambling" He let out a short laugh. "We're protective of our ladies."

"Did he get beaten?"

"No. Someone just scared the hell out of him."

"How are the people around here?"

"They're real greatfu—"

He suddenly jumped when something fluttered by them. Javelin felt a flap of wind, then saw a bird perched on the spare chair. Near him, Bowen shouted, "Geez, Kron, enough with the bird!"

A large and stocky man approached them, a bear of a man. His hair was brown and shaggy. He was dressed in a drab brown and white uniform with a gauntlet on his arm. His eyes were pale blue. He came over with a cruel look on his scarred face. It looked like someone took a razorblade to it.

The man stopped by Bowen with a frown on his face. "You coward." He held his arm out which the bird, a falcon, leapt onto his thick leather gauntlet.

He glowered on Bowen then looked at Javelin with that same look."You the new boy?"

He had a rough snarl to his voice.

"Yes, sir."

Not impressed, the man returned his attention to Bowen and slapped him across the back. "It's your turn to guard the watch towers again. Go."

He jumped, hung his head and sighed. "All right." He slowly rose and walked away. "See you, Javelin."

As he left, the man looked at him, frowning. The two exchanged glances, but said nothing to him and walked away, leaving Javelin by his lonesome.

He sat alone, looking down on his cup of tea. He listened to the music, which stopped for a moment then restarted for another song. He sat there for minutes, not sure what to do now, but soon, a white clothed body stopped by his table. It stood there, and when he picked his head up, he saw Ky looking down on him. He watched him carefully. He didn't look angry but he didn't seem exactly pleased.

"Javelin, there you are."

"Sorry. About earlier."

"You mean leaving? What happened?"

"Bowen, the other knight, and I went to take my horse to the stables. We went back and you weren't there. We thought you had some other business to attend to."

"It was irresponsible to do that."

"Sorry."

Slowly, Ky sighed. "At least I was able to find you."

"You needed me for something?"

"No."

Javelin looked down on his cup of tea then looked back up at Ky again. "Can I get you some tea?"

"That wouldn't hurt."

Javelin smiled. "Let me go get one." He rose and left, shifting past older knights, and ordered a cup of tea from the bartender, which he found was free, too. He then returned to Ky, who was still standing. He handed it over to him.

After he did, a knight in white and red passed behind him. He bumped his shoulder into Ky. He snickered before he passed the two.

Ky immediately jerked his head up and snapped it towards the knight. His body suddenly tensed and he stopped what he was doing. He saw his jaw tighten as he watched the knight walk on and leave the tavern.

Ky waited a few seconds then went after him, leaving Javelin behind, confused and alone.


Ky stormed out the tavern and after Sol. The laughter he heard over his shoulder didn't sit well.

He saw it. He saw him fall off his horse.

If Sol didn't give him respect now, he would rub it in even more. The leader of the Holy Order falling off his horse was a damn embarrassment. And for racing.

Damn. Damn. Damn!

He went after him, but after a few strides, he lost sight of him. He stopped and looked around the snow covered streets, and saw nothing. He looked behind himself then walked off in search of him, beginning to pass a gap between the tavern and another building. When he did, something hit him.

He looked down the opening and that was when he saw it, but he stood there dumbly.

With a handful of a fresh snowball, Sol hurled it at him. This one hit him on the forehead.

"Sol!"

Not thinking, Ky reached down and formed his own snowball and threw it at Sol, who ducked behind a trash can to avoid it. It hit the side of the trash can instead.

Ky stared at him with a blank mind, then—

What the hell was he doing?

Maybe the mountain altitude was getting to his head.

He walked towards him. "Sol, what are you doing?"

"Seeing how much of a kid you really are," he said. "Now you're playing in snowball fights?"

How much did he have to agitate him?

"You started it."

Sol slowly rose from behind the trashcan. "And racing horses."

"That was— Sol, what's the point?"

"A kid shouldn't be here. You take back that other kid you brought and go back. We got it handled here." He walked towards him and tried to get past but Ky took him by the shoulder to stop him.

"Sol, I'm—"

"Get off me, boy." He swung around and punched Ky across the cheek.

He stumbled, holding the spot.

"Touch me again, boy, and you'll get a mouth full of snow."

"Don't walk away from me, Sol," Ky snarled "I'm not done here."

"Who cares?" Sol mumbled and walked away into the street again.

"Sol! Sol!" He chased after him and reached for his arm but by the time he did, he was in clear view of everyone. Again. He didn't want to continue their argument here. He never wanted anyone to see their arguments, so he withdrew.

Knowing he tried to grab for him, Sol looked back at him with ferocious eyes, glowering with a face that waited for him to say something.

But Ky didn't. Not here. Not now.

When he drew back, a toll of a bell rang throughout the village. And it wasn't the toll of a singing church bell. It was the bell of the watch towers at the gates.

Gears flashed in his mind.

He took off running. He ran through the streets with bystanders watching him, including a few stray knights. When he arrived looked up the tall tower closest to him and squinted to see the watchers.

"What's going on?" he shouted up to the crow's nest. There was one on each side.

"A Gear! There's a Gear out there!"

"How many?"

"Just one."

"Any of you armed?"

The man up the tower closest raised up what looked like a pack full of arrows. "Both of us. Orders to attack?"

"How close is it?"

"Too close. Out in the field.'

'Then attack!"

The archer then turned, loaded his bow with a single arrow and fired. On the other side, he saw a large bird fly out the gate.

Ky listened as the Gear roared and snarled outside. The archer on the left sent out a few arrows in flames. The other only stood there, watching, leaning forward.

"What's going on?" Ky asked.

They wouldn't answer him, too focused on the fight. Still, Ky stood on edge and looked up the large gate.

Soon, a group of knights ran up to him, nearly at all sides of him. Most of them were armed.

"There's a Gear outside the gate," he said.

"Then let's get out there!" one cried out, pumping a fist into the air.

Ky put a hand up, glanced to the gate, then returned his attention to the other knights. "Not yet. We put some men up there in the watch towers for a reason."

The men went silent.

Ky listened and looked at the gate near him. The archer fired another arrow into the distance, and this one formed into a bird-like shape as it went. If it wasn't created by him, it looked like it would burn him when he released it.

The other still stood, watching.

So that left the other to attack by himself? How much longer would his arrows last?

All went silent and still again. The two knights above watched the outside, the archer still aiming, and after a while, he disarmed his bow and put his arrow back into his quiver pack.

He looked down below. "I think it's dead," he called down.

"Well done," Ky said. He then looked at the other knights on his level. "Now, let's go outside and make sure that thing's dead. Open the gates, carefully."

He backed up as a few moved in and took the heavy gate on both sides and began to pull. They slipped a little and pulled. The gate creaked. They pulled, pulled, pulled.

He saw the knight from the right tower climb down the latter and walked to them. He was a big man with pale eyes. When he stopped, he raised his gloved hand, and from above, a bird descended and landed on it. It was the same bird he saw fly away from the crow's nest.

A Peregrine falcon. A beautiful creature.

The man looked at him silently before he joined the other men and pulled on the gate with them.

He slipped through when they finally got enough space to make it passable. He could see a lump on the snow that was the Gear. It must have been the size of an oversized bull.

He stood over it and stared at its lifeless body. Its entire body was nearly scorched and riddled with cuts and arrows.

"So this one of the Gears who the people of this village sees. They're getting bold again. That means more may come. Gentlemen, we will out and hunt." He looked at the dark forest in the distance, the one he and Javelin had raced through on their way here. It was a good spot for a Gear in waiting to snatch up human prey. It could even hide an army. They could hunker down and look like rocks and old trees. "We'll start there and spread out. We'll comb this entire area." He then looked towards the mountains, the same mountains that matched a tapestry on the wall in the tavern. But in the picture, it didn't have a dead Gear on it. "We'll start early in the morning, at first sunrise at the gate," he continued. "Be ready for battle. May God be with us." He looked around the frozen area around him then turned and walked back to the village.

He knew little sleep would come to him.

There would be dreams of Gears. Of snow. And of death.