Chapter 20: The Thirteen

The guards hauled Mateo, Luar, Kamil, and Ofurd toward a low tent at the edge of the camp. Inside waited a man with a quiet, dangerous smile his name was Asual. He watched them without hurry and said, “Join us. We’re a small group. Thirteen in all.”

Mateo stiffened. “I need to speak with my friends first.”

“As you like,” Asual said. “Go on, talk.”

Mateo stepped out. The others were watching the guards closely; none of them looked like trouble. In a low voice he asked, “Did any of those men act strange to you? Any sign of a trap?”

Ofurd shrugged. “No. Nothing odd.”

Luar and Kamil agreed. Mateo nodded. “He asked us to join his band. He said there are thirteen of them.”

Ofurd was brisk. “I’ll vote to join. What do you think?”

Kamil hesitated a moment, then said, “I’m in.”

Luar was quiet but nodded. “Same.”

“If one of us says no, what then?” Luar asked.

Mateo glanced toward the tent. “He called them bandits. Refusing might start a fight. We should be careful.”

They returned to Asual. He smiled. “So you’ll come to our gathering?”

“Asual, before that will you tell us your names?” Mateo began.

Asual waved him down. “Wait. I should call my brothers so they can meet you.” One by one the other bandits entered the tent. “Nice to meet you,” they said in low voices.

“Asual motioned to his men. “Listen. These people will join us in our plan to take this country back. Treat them as brothers.”

Each of the four friends felt the moment differently. Mateo thought, What does he think he’s doing? but it sounded fun; it didn’t matter much. Luar wondered if Asual pictured himself giving orders to a whole army. Ofurd judged him like a veteran: This guy sounds like he’s been in a lot of wars. Kamil found the display dull and nudged a quiet, bitter thought at Luar: I hate Luar because Mateo scolded me once. If I leave this place I’ll take my revenge on you, Luar. The thought tightened Kamil’s jaw, a small, dangerous thing hidden behind a bored expression.

Asual pointed to a tall guard. “This is Able‑Nuts.” The name made Mateo smile uncomfortably, but he kept it to himself. Asual continued, naming the others: “Thrynn, Valtor, Qyren, Zephric, Orvian, Kryndel, and Jorvek.”

Mateo stepped forward. “And these are my friends Luar, Ofurd, and Kamil.”

Thrynn frowned. “What’s your name, then?”

“Mateo,” he answered.

Asual cleared his throat and called the group to attention. “Form four lines of three,” he ordered. “I will stand alone in the fifth line.”

Twelve men arranged themselves into four neat lines of three. Asual moved to stand slightly apart a single figure in the fifth line so he could look over all of them at once.

“Brothers,” Asual said, his voice rising to fill the tent. “We are here for one purpose: to reclaim what this country took from our families. Today, four of you stand with me Mateo, Luar, Ofurd, and Kamil. They have joined our cause. Make them trusted comrades.”

He split the ranks. “Six of you will search for water. Seven will gather food. Stay alert. If you meet strangers, capture them alive. We leave in about fifteen minutes.”

“All right, sir,” Mateo and the others chorused.

Asual’s eyes lingered on Mateo. “Before we go tell me something. Are you ready to fight for this?”

Mateo looked at his friends and then back at Asual. He could feel the weight of the choice: safety with strangers or uncertain danger on his own. He straightened his shoulders. “Yes. We’re ready.”

Asual nodded once, satisfied. “Good. Then let’s move. Keep watch and don’t underestimate anyone.”

They dispersed some to the creek beds, others into the low trees each man already calculating, already planning. Mateo stayed close to his friends, listening to the rustle of leaves and the soft footsteps of those who would be his allies or enemies by nightfall.

He didn’t know how this new path would change them, only that it had started here, under Asual’s strange leadership, with thirteen people now bound together by one hungry promise: revenge.

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