Page 7 of Silver & Smoke
It felt like an age had passed, but as they finally approached the first village on the outskirts of Highguard city, something shining on a stone wall caught Torj’s eye.
‘Hawthorne,’ he said, signalling to halt. ‘You see that?’
Wilder followed his gaze, frowning. ‘What is that? Blood?’
Torj urged his stallion closer to the wall, the moonlight illuminating something wet. Removing his riding glove, he dragged his fingers through the moisture. It didn’t have the coppery tang he associated with blood.
‘Paint,’ he declared, guiding Tucker back so he could survey the wall from afar.
Is this a better world?the vandalism read.
‘That’s not the People’s Vanguard motto...’ Wilder said slowly.
As Torj turned to Wilder, he heard a shout from within the village. He moved on instinct, charging on horseback towards the commotion, Wilder close behind him.
A crash echoed from the village square, followed by angry shouts. The details unfolded in fragments as they rounded the corner: a ring of villagers, the torchlight illuminating faces twisted with rage. Two men were grappling in the centre, one with a bloody nose, the other nursing a swollen wrist. Behind them, an overturned cart spilled apples across the packed earth.
‘This is your fault!’ one man spat, lunging forwards. ‘My brother’sdeadbecause you couldn’t keep your mouth shut!’
‘Andmybrotherhas lost his mind because of you!’ the second screamed back.
‘Stand down!’ Torj’s voice cut through the chaos, carrying the full weight of his authority. Most of the villagers startled at the sight of him – his warrior garb and the war hammer strapped across his back. But the two men remained locked together, deaf to everything but their own fury.
Torj saw no trace of enemy alchemy. This was just a poor village on the outskirts of the city, and yet... there was the same animosity here, the same anger. The shadow of Silas’s influence was spreading like a disease through the midrealms, village by village, just as Wren had warned. If he discovered the silvertide roses, his corruption and strength would be amplified a thousandfold. And if he sought to destroy them... there would be no stopping him.
Wilder was already moving. He jumped down from his horse and slipped between the fighters with the same efficient grace as always, his hands finding pressure points that made fingers spring open, weapons clattering to the ground.
Torj stepped in from the other side, creating a physical barrier between the men as they struggled in Wilder’s vice-like grip. ‘Enough,’ he snapped.
The sudden stillness that fell over the crowd told him they’d stumbled into something far more significant than a simple village dispute.
‘What is going on here?’ Torj demanded.
Both men blanched, but the one with the broken nose had the gall to meet his gaze.
‘You have no business here, Warsword,’ he said. ‘Look around. You’re too late.’
Torj surveyed the group. Their faces were gaunt, their clothes tattered and there was a hungry gleam in many of the eyes staring back at him.
‘Am I to understand that you arenotaffiliated with the traitor group known as the People’s Vanguard?’ he asked.
Someone made a show of spitting on the ground.
‘Tell us what happened,’ Wilder prompted.
A woman broke through the crowd, pushing to the front to address them. ‘A commander did come through here, weeks ago. He told us of their so-called better world, and all that Silas the Kingsbane was offering folk like us. Our mayor said we’d think about it, and he left... but not long after, a lot of our people started acting strange. Angry and violent... That’s what these two here are having words about.’
Torj exchanged a glance with Wilder. ‘This commander... Did he give you anything? Potions? Weapons?’
The woman shook her head. ‘We offered our hospitality. He shared a meal and then went on his way.’
‘Who shared the meal with him?’ Torj asked.
The woman looked around, brows knitting together. ‘They’re all gone now... or dead.’
A cold dread settled in Torj’s gut. This wasn’t just about claiming a throne – Silas was systematically corrupting the common folk, building an army from within. And with each village that fell, he grew closer to Delmira and the power of the silvertide roses – however he would choose to use them. But if there was one thingTorj knew about tyrants, it was that they never stopped at one kingdom. The Kingsbane would not stop until the entire midrealms was under his heel.
The race against time had already begun.
