Chapter 19: “Beyond the Great Wall Trees

“Enemies spotted,” Mateo whispered.

Ofurd’s hand went to his chin. “What’s the plan?”

Kamil shrugged. “We could try to find someone who looks friendly, maybe they’ll let us inside the fort.”

Mateo looked at them slowly. “Do you see that guard at seven o’clock?” He nodded toward a lone sentry on the parapet. “We’ll throw a rock over to him to draw his attention.”

Ofurd grinned. “Just like in the movies you throw something, he checks it out, and then you take him down.” He laughed, half proud, half nervous.

“I’m good at throwing,” Kamil said. “I’ll do it.”

“Go on,” Ofurd said. “Remember what the examiner said everyone should have roughly the same age and energy. Give it a try.”

Kamil found a rock and flung it toward the base of the wall. It clattered loudly against a loose stone. The guard on the parapet turned, squinted, and called down, “Hey! You four! You do know I can see you, right? Be careful what you do.”

Then another guard hurried up the stairs, then another. Within moments three of them had surrounded the four friends.

The taller of the three his armor stamped with the number 948245 spoke first. “What’s that noise about?”

“One of them threw something,” another guard answered. “Should we arrest them?”

“Good,” 948245 said with a smile that wasn’t friendly. “More folk. Take them to the Grand Star.”

A younger soldier gulped. “Sir… maybe we should take him to the vice overseer instead?”

“First, tie them up so they don’t run like rats.” 948245 barked. “And move!”

“On it, sir,” replied a guard whose armor read 92256. He stepped forward and began searching for rope. “Oi where’s the rope?”

“Not necessary,” 948245 who introduced himself with a bow that was more posture than politeness said. “They’ll walk with us.”

“Name’s Lorfer,” he added, looking them over. “What are your names?”

“Mateo,” Mateo said. “Luar,” Luar answered. “Ofurd,” Ofurd said, and Kamil finished, “Kamil.”

“Are you… a party?” Lorfer asked.

Mateo glanced at his friends. “You mean, are we from this country? No we aren’t.”

Lorfer laughed. “Good. Not from this country. Our boss has a problem with this place.” He leaned in. “Which one of you is the boss of your group?”

“That would be me,” Mateo answered.

“You’ll see him, then alone,” Lorfer said, and waved them forward. Mateo’s heart thudded in his chest as they were led into a low hut that smelled of smoke and old wood.

Inside, in the half-dark, a man sat behind a crude table. He didn’t move at first; his face was a shadow until he spoke. “Why have you come here?”

“We” Mateo started. He swallowed and gave a practiced reply. “We were passing through. We only noticed one of your guards, that’s all.”

The boss studied him. “How many of you?”

“Four.”

He smiled, showing more teeth than warmth. “I have a small band nine of us. Good. I’m gathering the strongest people so we can work together.”

Mateo kept his story steady. “We come from a place that was happy until outsiders destroyed our nation. There were five of us once, but some died long ago. We were on watch when one of us was killed. The others… they left.”

The boss nodded slowly. “Name’s Asual.” He paused, then asked, “Are you beyond the Great Wall trees?”

Mateo blinked. “I’m sorry, sir. I don’t understand. What do you mean?”

“How long have you been walking?” the boss pressed.

“Only a few minutes,” Mateo lied. The examiner’s voice from their earlier trials echoed in his head: no progress, hurry show worth. Mateo kept his face calm.

A slip of paper slid through a narrow crack in the hut’s wall. The boss took it, frowned, then tossed it toward Mateo as if the news were nothing. His face changed when he read it. He muttered, then threw the paper onto the table.

The hut fell silent. Outside, the howl of a distant horn cut through the afternoon.

“What’s wrong?” Mateo asked.

Asual’s pupils tightened. “Arthen Vail the 16th,” he said slowly. “Commander Arthen Vail and his ten thousand marchers… they’ve destroyed a neighboring country.”

Mateo felt the world tilt. “Why would he,what for?”

Asual ran a hand over his face. “I don’t know his reasons. All I know is this: if he comes our way, we’ll either join him or be crushed. We need to decide who we owe our allegiance to and the right people to recruit.”

Outside the hut the guards shifted. The sky darkened with the shadow of something not yet seen, and Mateo realized that whatever had begun in the distance would soon reach them all.

He had to be ready for answers, for choices, and for the war that might follow.

This story is my original creation. © 2025 Ahmadyaar Durrani. All rights reserved. Thank you for not copying my work.