Hello, back again after a long absence. Things on my end have been a bit shitty, had a pretty tragic death in the family not long back and since then its seemed like its been one thing after another. Because of all those things I've felt pretty terrible about myself as a whole so any writing I've done both past and present I've just sort of hated. Thank you so much for your comments though, they have all been so sweet and have kept me trying to write which is something. Gosh, this all sounds so dramatic, hehe. Anyways, I'm gonna give this a go and try and get it all finished for you, still have the story in my head. I'd be interested to hear what you guys are expecting from it and if anyone wants to help with reading through drafts I do or editing, just drop me a message. Also, I have started writing a little poetry on Instagram, my name is tootytots1 if you wanted to check that out.

Honestly though thanks so much for keeping reading and checking for updates, tis so sweet. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

Edward leant over the map, flattening out the leather on the fallen tree trunk and tracing the known roads that lead to Menar, not all of them were marked and he crudely scrawled them with a piece of blackened wood that Bear had pressed into his palm.

"You've bin lookin' at tha' thing for hours. The world ain't flat ya' know?" Bear was crouched near the fire, a bowl of chestnuts sizzling away and a large iron rod roasting slowly in the hottest embers of the fire; Bear was making armour, using the hot poker to neaten up any frayed edges of the leather, a practice that Edward had never seen before. He would have asked the large man about such a practice if not for his insistence on discussing the futility of maps. "My Ma' used to say, mind this is all guesswork, that we're as round as the moon."

"Really?"

Bear stirred the chestnuts and Edwards mouth watered at the smell. There was so little to eat in the small village, the day to day of the place having all but ground to a halt in light of Tharin's presence. The air of suspicion that he and his men brought with him had descended, smog-like, and choked the very life out of the residents, of those that had survived the purge, very little of them were ever seen during in the day; haunting their houses like phantoms, reduced to echoing footfalls that disappeared round corners in a panic. As such Bear and Rhylan had joined the other soldiers, hunting what they could from the woods that surrounded them, more often than not returning empty-handed. It seemed that even the animals had felt the change and taken flight as soon as they could, all that remained were the fattened rats that scampered through the encampment, drawn to the bloated bodies of Tharin's victims that had been piled high as a gruesome reminder of what befell all those that threw in their lot with servants of the devil. Edward had seen many such fattened rats turning on the spits and been ravenously pulled apart by emaciated soldiers who looked on the meal as if it were an offering from God himself. Most men fell, and their bodies were quickly burnt, a fact that Edward found himself morbidly thankful for as it blotted out the thick stench of decay that permeated everything.

"Hmm, I don't know the truth of it, but I know a man should be able to know where he breathes by the earth neath his feet and sky bov' his 'ed."

"You're being mightily poetic this evening, shame Rhylan isn't around to hear it. He would be surprised." Bear grinned, tugging the glowing iron out of the fire and casually burning some errant strands of leather that curled into lazy ribbons of smoke.

"He knows I wax lyrical in ova' ways." As always when Bear spoke about Rhylan there was a glint in his eye, some unspoken secret that Edward couldn't guess at. He quickly cleared his throat uncomfortably, glancing back at his map.

"I don't much care about the shape of the world or where exactly I am in it, I just want to know how he's doing it."

Intercepting the cargo had been easy, whoever Tharin had entrusted to move the glowing rocks they were, by no means, loyal to his cause. When faced with the possibility of death they'd run for the cover of darkness, tripping over themselves in their bid for freedom. Edward was not worried that they would return, if any of the runners had a modicum of sanity, they would realise that the only reward for a guilty conscience over desertion was death. Best to stay away and hope that in all the muddle of fighting and dying enough people would forget names and faces. Despite these successful run-ins and the luck they'd had finding a small cave opening that meant they could hurl the rocks into the earth, Tharin's plans, though slowed, were still moving ahead and the man himself did not seem in any way rattled.

As expected, Tharin had outsourced for a blacksmith, which had put the whole thing on hold for several weeks till the man had arrived, large hammer in hand even as he walked through the gates. He was a short, squat man, wider than some men were tall, with a great blackened beard and a ring of baldness on his head that had an unusual sheen as if he spent his spare hours polishing it. Arfall, Rhylan had whispered the name in his ear and he had nodded as if it meant something to him, but it didn't. Just another man to kill. The only problem was, Tharin had been smart; welcoming him behind the walls of the Manor he'd commandeered, placing more guards on duty. Rhylan had snuck around the place every night, only to return quickly shaking his head. Wherever the Blacksmith was being held it was a tight-lipped secret that no one was giving up. In light of this, Edward had doubled his efforts with the shipments, and while there were only four of them, they'd been relatively successful, meaning that Tharin's resources should have been dwindling into nothingness. Tharin should have been, at the very least, getting a little bit worried. Instead, he seemed a little blaze about his whole once secretive plot, announcing that small groups of soldiers should be brought to the training grounds where they were fitted out with new weapons and armour, all encrusted with glowing stones, the workmanship crude at best. As Bear had pointed out on numerous occasions, the stones appeared to do little but make the poor sods look laughable, their fighting remaining, as ever, the sub-par fumbling imitation of the real thing.

"We must be missing something, maybe a secret delivery route?" Even as he queried, squinting at the map, he knew it was impossible. There were plenty of routes into the small village, but only a handful that could support a wagon load of precious heavy cargo. The whole north of the village was ruled out as a possible entry point, simply because of the unpredictable bogland, it became during the winter months, great quagmires of stinking mud that could pull great wagon loads into its depths before anyone had time to realise it was sinking. It was known as the Bloodlands, said to be haunted by all men fallen in battle, their blood turning the earth crimson; Edward had believed such stories for the longest time, but Rhylan had assured him that the colour of the mud was down to a nearby natural spring.

'I'm tellin' ya', he's rattled, jus' don' wanna make it known, not yet." It made sense, being unknown to an enemy was the best way to win any battle. Regardless of who the odds favoured; phantoms were a difficult foe to face. But Edwards had been sure that such thinking was not something that appealed to Tharin, a man who seemed to be ruled by his emotions, every action and reaction reeking of the hatred he had for magic users. He'd been sure that any risk to his God-given mission would have resulted in Tharin showing just how unhinged he truly was, opening himself up to mistakes. He was, however, proving to be a more patient man than he'd initially thought, that or he had found another way to get the stones through the gates of the village without Bear, Rhylan, Taigen or himself noticing.

"We got to him." Both Bear and Edward reached for their weapons at the sound of the new voice speaking just outside their small encampment, lowering them quickly with heavy sighs when Rhylan stepped out of the darkness.

"One these days, imma' cut you by accident."

"You would need speed for that." Rhylan bit back dryly, crouching near the fire and warming his hands.

"Nothin' fast about me, I'll give you tha'. Like to take my time, be thorough." Edward did not miss the flush of Rhylan's cheeks as he lowered his head further into the material of his jacket pulling it up around his mouth.

"What did you find?" Edward leaned forward palming some steaming chestnuts, passing them quickly between his hands.

Rhylan opened his mouth to answer only to be interrupted by Taigen bursting through the trees.

"There was someone…Oh." He reeled back at the sight of Rhylan his shoulders slumping, newly shaved head lowering.

"I wouldn't be too downcast, better men have yet to catch Rhylan when he does not want to be found." Edward nodded at Bear and the great man placed his armour-in-progress gently on the log beside him and rose, taking a small pouch from off his belt. With methodical care he placed them around the encampment, stepping into the circle of magic before allowing the last one to settle in place.

"I don't know why we don't use these all the time," Taigen grumbled, helping himself to some chestnuts, his face downcast.

"I've told you, that would make use complacent, besides how would you learn if you had those things doing it all for you." Rhylan sniffed, eyeing the space around him suspiciously. Edward had to admit that the stones were something verging on a miracle, encasing them in a bubble of magic that meant they were invisible to onlookers, or so Bear told them, having inspected some of the scribbles his 'Ma' had left with them. Along with Edwards mistrust of Bears ability to read was the unshakeable fear that they were sitting ducks for their enemies to pick off, with no watch it would be easy for any enemy worth his salt to sneak up and kill them all as they spoke openly of their plot to end Tharin's plans. The only comfort was the feel of magic and the silence that descended as the rest of the world was shut away.

"So, what did you find?" Rhylan shifted his gaze from the tree line reluctantly.

"There were suggestions, whispers more than anything, that periodically some of the men have been going missing."

"Who?" Rhylan glanced at Taigen, his steely gaze letting the young man know that his questions would have to wait.

"Most of the soldiers that I asked didn't have names, the ones that were taken are young and mostly invisible. They've been going for weeks, it's just no one noticed till Aaron was taken. He'd gotten quite good at cooking apparently and when there wasn't the weekly broth, well, people started to notice."

"Aaron, Aaron Lookey?" Taigen leant forward quickly, his eyes wide with panic.

"They didn't say."

"Calm you'self, boy," Bear grumbled quietly, pushing Taigen back with a gentle but firm hand and, begrudgingly he sat back, lowering his head.

"What else?" Edward encouraged.

"Well, they have been taken, tortured too. They said he keeps asking about the missing cargo." Edward quickly stood, pacing the space in the middle of the encampment, eyes fixed on the earth beneath his feet. The fire spat in sharply in the quiet. He paused at the sound, the realisation sinking onto his shoulders with all its heaviness. There was nothing they could do for those poor souls, if they attempted to break them free then they risked everything they were trying to achieve, had already achieved.

"What's to become of them?"

"Execution. Tharin stands to make an example of them."

"Then we must rescue them. We've all been there without getting noticed." Taigen said excitedly, beginning to scribble a basic drawing of the manor's layout in the soil at his feet. Bear placed his foot over it and shook his head.

"Nice dream, boy, but a dream."

"But we've done it, several times. Rhylan had to do it to get this information."

"And that was a risk. Think how much we risk not only getting all of us in unseen but then bringing injured prisoners out with us."

"But we have to try, they will die for us, for something that has nothing to do with them. They are innocent." Taigen had stood, shouting his objection in Edwards's face, tears shimmering in his eyes as he glanced at each of them gathered around the fire. He blinked owlishly several times, as though he no longer recognised their faces, watching them fall dramatically from the pedestal he'd placed them all on.

"If we get caught, more innocents will die, more than we could imagine." Edward's voice was starkly quiet against Taigen's desperate shouts.

"But this is what we do, we risk everything, for everyone. If we don't try then we are just as bad as him, playing his wicked game for what, to win?"

"Boy, this is bout winning. We lose an' generations after suffer for it."

"Allowing Tharin his games is the only way we don't show our hand," Edward added.

"You're all fucking cowards," Taigen spat at them, circling quickly to give them all a tearful glare, "I don't care what you do, I'm going to get them out of there." He huffed, picking up his two axes and heading towards the treeline.

He didn't get far, before Bear had grabbed him, yanking him back to the centre of the fire, pinning the small boy to the earth with one large hand, the other relieving him of his axes with ease.

"LET ME GO. LET ME…"

"Scream all you want, boy, no one can 'ear you."

Edward adjusted the iron bar that Bear had been using, pushing it into the white-hot centre of the fire, squinting as sparks flew up into the night air. He nodded at Bear, who hoisted the boy over to the log they had both shared only moments ago, forcing him to his knees before it. Rhylan, who seemed to teleport across the small camp, grabbed Taigen's arm, pressing his palm against the rough bark, making sure the fingers were spread evenly.

"What are you doing, let me go. LET ME GO."

Edward knelt in front of him, hardening his heart to the fear he saw, the tears making tracks through the mud on his cheeks. "Choose a finger or lose the hand."

"WHAT?! WHAT IS THIS. LET ME FUCKING GO."

"Choose a finger or lose the hand."

"I'M NOT GOING TO CHOOSE, LET ME…I want to go." His shouts tapered off to a sob and Edward grit his teeth as his stomach turned. Edward palmed one of the boy's axe's swinging it deftly in one hand, raising it above his head quickly.

"WAIT, PLEASE, MY LITTLE FINGER, THE SMALL ONE." Edward nodded and brought the axe down sharply, their little bubble of magic ringing with Taigen's screams. Quickly Edward grabbed the iron rod and pressed the glowing end to the wound, it hissed and smoked, and Taigen's eyes rolled back, slumping heavily onto Bear, mouth still open in shock at the pain.

"Hold him up." Bear hoisted him easily and Edward smacked the boy's cheeks till he groaned, eyes fluttering open, fear and anger filling them as reality throbbed around his wound and travelled up his arm.

"You listen to me," Taigen moved to look away but Edward grabbed his cheeks harshly, pulling his to meet his gaze, "you will listen," Taigen's bottom lip wobbled but he did not try to move his head again, "there are no heroes, none, and if there were, we are not it. There are no right choices, but you always have to choose."

"You can choose to do the right thing." Taigen blubbed and once again Edward was impressed by his bravery.

"And what is the right thing? Save your friend? Risk getting caught and let all those other innocent people die?"

The fight seemed to leave Taigen's eyes all at once, his body slumping heavily in Bear's arms with such force that Edward thought that he had passed out again. But he spoke, his voice low and monotone.

"What would you have me do?"

"It just goes to show, dress a cunt colourful, still a cunt," Bear sniffed in disgust at the psychedelic patterns on Tharin's tunic, the gold thread glittered even in the dullness of the day. Grey clouds tumbled over his head and yet he shone as though it were a summers day and great rays were falling upon his person making him glow. The wooden podium he stood on had been hastily erected during the night, he and Rhylan had watched with open amusement at the fumbling attempts to keep the wood slats from sinking into the muddy quagmire that the encampment had become in the torrential rain.

"Can't help but agree there," Rhylan muttered.

Tharin had waxed lyrical for some time about the importance of loyalty, a young man bleeding and beaten as is feet, arms painfully twisted behind his back and tied with thick rope. Edward glanced at Taigen, wondering what was going on in the young man's head. He hadn't said much over the past few days, listlessly going through the motions of training with Bear and Rhylan but saying nothing. The wound had swollen a worrying amount, but Bear had found some herbs and made a poultice that he'd wrapped the young boy's hand in every night, now it was scabbing and looking as good as any wound could when on the mend. There was part of him that felt bad, the part that met with Mina only nights ago and had wept on her shoulder, telling her what a terrible man she had chosen to love. She had soothed him, as ever not listening to his protests, whatever truth there was to see about the man he was outside of their little bubble she refused to acknowledge it.

He glanced up as Tharin ended his speech. Aygust stepped forward unsheathing a dagger and holding it against the young man's throat. Edward was certain he saw relief in the prisoner's eyes, whatever he had suffered at the hands of Tharin, he was willing it to come to an end.

"This man's life is in your hands, come forward, turn yourselves in and no one has to die at your expense." Edward shifted uncomfortably waiting for Taigen to react, but he did not move. His eyes never left the podium, even as the blade made its way across the prisoner's throat, and blood sprayed those that had stood too close, their exclamations of disgust filling the air. Edward felt the heavy stone of guilt settle in his gut, feeling as though he had been the death of two men that day. He realised Taigen had lost more than a digit, he'd lost something far more important; hope.