“B-Bandits,” he responded. “My party was escorting a merchant caravan from the n-next town over when they attacked us.”
“How many?”
“Too many, sir. Fifty. Maybe m-more. M-my commanding officer ordered me t-to leave and get reinforcements. But there’s s-so many, sir. Too many.” The man’s eyes blew wide as he grabbed the front of Maddox’s shirt with a shaking hand. “It’s a s-slaughter. I can still hear their screams.”
Maddox grabbed the knight’s hand. “Tell me your name.”
“Neville, s-sir.”
“You bring honor to Bremloc, Neville,” Maddox said, the edges of his eyes tight. A look I knew well. He was upset but trying not to show it.
I knelt beside them, my eyes stinging.
“I d-don’t want to die,” Neville said, tears mixing with the blood staining his cheeks. “I-I’m scared.”
“Do not fear death,” Maddox gently said. “A warrior’s paradise waits for you on the other side.”
The knight’s eyes then glazed over, and a final exhale left his lips. I hadn’t known a thing about Neville, but my heart hurt at his loss. He meant something to someone. A son, maybe a father. Someone’s sweetheart.
And now he was dead.
“The physician is on his way,” a man said.
“Tell him to return to his clinic. There is no need for him now,” Maddox calmly responded before releasing Neville’s hand. “But I suspect we’ll have need for him by the end of this day.” He turned to Baden. “Prepare to move out.”
“Yes, sir.” Baden rushed toward the mess hall where other knights were eating lunch, not yet aware of the situation.
“Maddox.” His name broke on my lips. It was suddenly hard to breathe. I took air into my lungs, but they wouldn’t work. “I… I don’t…”
“Breathe, Evan.” Maddox took my face in both his hands. They were steady. Too steady. “There. That’s better.”
“Are you going to fight the bandits?”
Maddox only stared at me before capturing my lips in the softest of kisses. It was the first time I’d hated a kiss. It felt… different.
It felt like a goodbye.
He then rose from the grass. “Ready the horses, men! Prepare to set out at once!”
“Yes, sir!” came the immediate replies, all in unison.
As Maddox relayed more orders, his words began to run together. There was a loud ringing in my ears. He, Callum, and the rest of the knights I loved would be marching out to confront dangerous bandits.
What if one of them didn’t make it home?
I watched as a younger man—a knight in training, maybe—brought over Maddox’s armor and helped him into it. Strapping the chest piece in place before tying the forearms grips.
“Maddox,” I whispered. Too low for him to hear.
Another boy then rushed over with Maddox’s stallion. Maddox took the reins and said something to Quincy. Everything was happening so fast. They were about to leave.
“Maddox!” I exclaimed, finally finding my voice.
His gaze shot to mine. And though it was nearly imperceptible, some of his hard edges softened. As Callum and the others readied their weapons and horses, Maddox neared me. “Duke will take you home.”
“I don’t want to go home,” I said as fear wound through me. “I want to go with you.”
“With me? To fight the bandits.”
