A few hours full of eventful dreams later, Dustin awoke and blinked his way into a new day. He glanced about with interest, this moment being his first chance to take in the sights of Forbache in the morning light. Dew glistened on the delicate branches of the shrubbery around, and as Dustin's gaze ascended from there, he found himself able to fully appreciate the verdant richness of the trees farther west. The majestic beauty all about left the young prince with nothing but wonder.

In short order, the others awakened, ate a light meal, and set out to find the nearest town. When the quartet reached the tree-line, Michelle suggested she could climb a tree to gain a vantage point and spot a town from there to reduce their wandering.

Dustin, Jude, and Kyle waited with some measure of apprehension as Michelle worked her way up the tree, her utter confidence in each move indicating she had done similarly many a time before. After a couple minutes of climbing, she had reached the highest branch sturdy enough to support her weight, so carefully stood up and peered into the distance westward.

Michelle surveyed the land ahead for quite some time without saying a word, so Dustin eventually grew impatient. He craned his neck and cupped his hands over his mouth. "Well, what do you see?" he shouted.

A moment passed before Michelle looked down and replied, "There is a town to the northwest, no more than half an hour's travel. However, the gates are closed."

Dustin exchanged a glance with Jude. "That is peculiar."

Jude nodded. "Very odd. Still, we would be unwise to assume they won't open to us."

"Of course."

Michelle carefully maneuvered her way back down, and once she had taken a moment to regather herself, the party continued through the brush and vegetation under her lead. Along the way, they passed a cluster of bushes loaded with berries, which Jude didn't hesitate to ask Michelle about. With a pleasant grin, she called the procession to a halt and plucked some out for the men to try. The streaky red skin was somewhat chewy, but the juice was sweet as honey and sparkled in the mouth in a delightful way. Jude expressed distaste for them, but Dustin, Kyle, and Michelle picked out handfuls to snack on as they continued to the town.

When they began to approach the massive black gate on the south side of the town, Dustin broke position in the line to ride alongside Michelle and her camel. He squinted at the metal doors, noting with confusion that they weren't completely closed, but rather had been parted just a bit wider than a horse's shoulders. No guards stood at or around the entryway, a fact that left Dustin with uncertainty over whether to feel reassured or all the more concerned.

A few more paces, and Dustin locked eyes with Michelle. Neither spoke, but clearly, they were thinking the same thing. Whatever lay beyond the narrow opening, being the first in the party to make entry was somewhat more of a risk. One of them would have to take the chance, but who would that be?

"You are a prince." Michelle said, "I'll take the lead."

"Gives 'ladies first' a new meaning." Kyle muttered humorously behind them, earning a chuckle from Dustin.

"Very well." Dustin answered Michelle, "And I shall be right behind you."

So Michelle cautiously guided her camel through the narrow gap, Dustin and Consequence not more than a few inches behind. Nothing seemed to happen to Michelle at first, so Dustin confidently made his own entry and glanced about. The stone architecture all around struck him as rather impressive, at once giving off an atmosphere of grounded firmness and one of artistry and gracefulness. Nonetheless, the fact not a soul stood anywhere in sight couldn't but be a little unnerving.

Then a revolting stench, fouler by far than anything Dustin had ever smelled before, battered his nose with all the force of a cavalry charge. He nearly toppled off his saddle, but managed to regain his balance and settle for a bout of violent coughing. Michelle gagged violently ahead, appearing ready to retch any second. Jude and Kyle soon also hacked in disgust.

"It is the smell of death!" Michelle managed to cry out, reaching into her saddle pouch to retrieve the face covering she'd used in the wildlands to shield herself from sun and sand. "Protect yourselves, or the plague smites you!"

Dustin swiftly followed suit, wrapping the white cloth over his nose and mouth quicker and tighter than he ever had before. He also crushed the remaining berries he'd had in his hand, soaking the juices into the silk to further interrupt the foul stench's progress to his nose.

"I see no reason we shouldn't be turning around!" Jude shouted, voice slightly muffled by his mask, "Nothing good can come of a place like this."

Dustin craned his neck to eye Jude. "I should like to discover what happened here, nonetheless. Perhaps there are people here who need help."

"We have no means to—"

"I agree with Dustin." Michelle cut in, "I yearn to leave, but we investigate first."

A little ways farther into the town, Dustin spotted the first evidence of what had happened in the town. No plague had swept through the streets; this was the result of a battle. A bearded man lay dead on the side of the road, and Dustin nudged his horse closer to investigate.

He dismounted and knelt beside the corpse, stomach churning at the sight. The dead man's skin lacked color; pallid, cold, and visibly devoid of life. Though he had been wearing a suit of decent plate armor, it hadn't been enough to protect him from the death he had suffered—a shard of pottery lodged in his neck. By the looks of it, he had bled profusely, but the blood around the wound was now dark and crusty. Even though the man bore all the marks of a typical Innutukian, Dustin couldn't help but feel pity for him. Death was a tragedy, no matter who it befell.

"Three of them lay over here." Michelle called, drawing Dustin back to his feet. He grasped Consequence's reins, and they walked side by side to the spot she had indicated.

Three more Innutukians sprawled out beside the road, one with a mangled head, another peppered with arrows stuck in his exposed flesh as well as the fallen shield at his side, and the third having died from a wound of unknown origin. All that could be seen was a dark red stain beneath him, almost brown in color.

Farther into the city, Dustin and Kyle stumbled upon a pile of bodies, several dozen in number, and all Innutukian. Here and there, a fallen horse added another note of tragedy to the whole ordeal. Again, Innutukian or not, a great slaughter had befallen these people, and whoever had killed them had done a greater dishonor than simply slaying them. The Innutukians customarily burnt their dead, yet the killers had simply left the bodies to rot in the sun's heat.

The somber quartet stopped about halfway into the town to turn back around. All they had seen was more of the same—Innutukian corpses aplenty, many with expressions of agony eternally etched into their faces, and most leaving bloody stains where they had fallen. Crimson stains that would forever tell the story of their suffering to any who tread by.

"So..." Dustin began slowly as they trudged back to the southern gate they'd entered by, "what do you think happened here?"

Michelle shrugged. "My best guess is the rebellion does this. They engage the Innutukians face to face and earn themselves a rare victory."

"And for what?" Kyle barked, "They didn't earn any territory for themselves; they made this place unlivable. All I see done here is they ruined a town."

"Think again. When you look at those bodies, do you see weapons in their hands? Are there arrows in the quivers?"

Dustin nodded thoughtfully. "They plundered the bodies of anything useful. I saw no weapons near those bodies but broken ones."

"What a reason to die." Kyle grumbled, "I'm no lover of the Innutukians, but losing your life so someone else can hold your crossbow seems cruel."

"War is cruel." Michelle said coldly, "Many times, I encounter camps full of my fallen countrymen, just as you see here. Innutuk does the same to us."

"It's no thing of beauty, but what must be done, must be done." Dustin muttered thoughtfully, "If the rebels hadn't done what they did here, then we would be eyeing their corpses instead of the Innutukians'."

"Exactly. In war, you kill people or you die."

Kyle sighed. "You're right. We just have to make sure our people and our allies win, and as quickly as possible so less people die."

Dustin grinned back at Kyle, even though the mask prevented him from seeing that. "Now that's the spirit, son of Korynn."

When Dustin returned his attention to the path ahead, he found himself following Michelle out the gateway again. After they'd progressed a few paces back into the forest, he gladly reached up to undo his face covering, but then a rustle in the bushes not far off spooked him. That hand darted down to his sword hilt instead.

Then, in one coordinated move, dozens of dark-skinned warriors erupted from the bushes all around Dustin and his companions. Armed with crossbows, bows and arrows, and the occasional battle axe, they glowered at the newcomers and shouted at them in a tongue Dustin didn't understand. Even so, their tone was anything but friendly. His stomach sunk as he glanced to Michelle for guidance.

****

A/N: Bit of a heavy chapter, eh? A slow survey of an Innutukian slaughter, followed by Dustin's party being called to a halt by a band of warriors...that was a big bite to take in, I'd say. 

(But you won't be taking bites of any size anymore if you don't vote and comment, if you know what I'm saying. 😂) 

For those of you who may have missed my announcement, I'm aware I'm posting Tuesday evening instead of Tuesday morning. Since I've started a new job, my morning time went poof, so I've gotta relocate. So expect the updates to come same day, but just in the later hours. ❤️

And that'll be it for me; have a nice week, and I'll see you in next Tuesday (evening)'s update! 😁