The first thing Milo did once they hit the road was cut down some trees. The trees were then turned into spears so that Turial and Turiel could have something bigger than their daggers. As for Haldor, he had been given the lone shield and shortsword which was all the remained from the weapons Milo had brought with him through the rift.

  The rest of the trip was spent giving the twins and Haldor fighting lessons while Ivy scouted ahead. The twins were eager to learn and drank up every technique and bit of advice he gave them. And while nobody would ever call Haldor a talented fighter, he did pay attention to everything said and did his best to implement it.

  Haldor’s true contribution to their little part however was keeping Crystal distracted from whatever was going on in her head. The big man would joke and speak with her and Milo would often catch Crystal smiling despite them coming ever nearer the one place in the world she didn’t want to be.

  About seven hours into the journey, they arrived at the end of the forest. There they found Ivy already waiting for them at the edge of what looked like a cornfield. Haldor was quick to assume control over the situation just like they had agreed.

  “Report.”

  “The town seems calm, I detected no sentries of any kind and the guards at the entrance look poorly equipped. We should be fine to proceed with the plan.”

  “Very well, we go the rest of the way together, keep your weapons sheathed and try to keep your body language relaxed and natural.”

  Everyone in the group nodded except for Crystal who was looking paler than ever. Yet she still followed them as they approached the town at a slow walk, giving the guards plenty of time to see and prepare for them.

  By the time they arrived at the entrance it was blocked by a shabby looking wooden gate that looked so weak a strong gust of wind might destroy it. There were small holes in the gate trough which they could see faces watching them. The moment they came to stop a voice shouted from within the gate.

  “Who are you and what is your business here?!”

  Milo took up position in front of the group and put on the celebrity smile he had spent so much time perfecting back on Earth.

  “My name is Milo, I am the lord of a nearby city and I have come to deliver good news about the satyr menace which has been plaguing your town. I also have one of your citizens with me, rescued from a satyr raiding band.”

  A collective gasp went up from behind the gate as Crystal stepped into view.

  “Ancestors save me, that’s Crystal!”

  Moments later the gate was opened and six men wearing crude leather armour walked out to greet them. They focused on Crystal while Milo focused on the clubs hanging from their belts, an elite force this was not.

  Most of the guards were looking at Crystal, but one of their number, older than the rest was studying Milo from head to toe, his eyes fixating on the hilt of his claymore.

  After a few moments he spoke in awkward voice.

  “I’m afraid we can’t permit you within the city as long as you’re carrying weapons.”

  Milo had zero doubts he could cut down these six guards with one hand and a foot tied behind his back. Even so he was reluctant to give up his sword, so he decided to try a compromise.

  “I am a great lord, and I will not disarm for anyone, I will however allow you to disarm my guards.”

  In truth it wasn’t much of a compromise, the twins were already nearly disarmed and only Ivy and Haldor had any weapons of consequence.

  The guard captain licked his lips uncertainly and his eyes flicked to Crystal. He walked over to her and addressed her in the polite voice of a loose acquaintance.

  “Your husband has been looking for you everywhere, we thought for certain that you had been taken by the satyrs.”

  The mention of her husband made Crystal’s knees shake and Haldor quickly moved to support her. The guard captain went on.

  “I don’t know these… people, will you vouch for them Crystal?”

  “T…they saved me.”

  The words barely came out but that seemed to be enough for the guard captain. He nodded and then returned to Milo.

  “Since Crystal vouches for you, I will allow you to keep your sword, and your guards will be allowed to keep their daggers.”

  That was more than he had hoped for. All they had to leave behind was Ivy’s bow which was useless without arrows, as well as Haldor sword and shield and a pair of crude wooden spears.

  The guards formed up on either side of their party as they entered the town of Willowford. The first thing which struck Milo was just how poorly the building were made. No wonder Indra had been amazed by the wooden houses he could summon, most of the houses on display looked close to collapse. The road they were using was also less than impressive, being made out of mud and a few old planks. The curious villagers who came out to watch them wore crude wool clothing which only added to his certainty that he would mainly be dealing with poor peasants.

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  As they arrived at the centre of the town the muddy road gave way to crudely carved stones. The stony ground was so uneven that Milo imagined it would be a nightmare to drive a wagon in this place. The houses in this part of the city looked better but only a few were of the same level as the ones he could summon. The exception was a giant house on the other end of the square. He pointed at the house in question.

  “Who lives there?”

  “Laurel Roseway, wife of our former mayor.”

  Milo thought he detected an undertone of anger in the guard captain’s tone. He was about to probe for details when the man cut him off.

  “Wait here, I’ll go fetch the mayor.”

  With that said he strode off in the direction of one of the nicer houses. By this point half the town had come out to watch them and Milo had a sneaking suspicion that these people didn’t get much in the way of entertainment. He did his best to smile at the crowd and made sure that Ivy still had the sack they’d packed before leaving their base. She saw him looking at the sack and winked at him. She was ready, now all the remained was for him to identify the right moment.

  The moment arrived a few minutes later when a fat red-faced man arrives huffing and puffing. The man was accompanied by a tall man wearing a full suit of cheap looking plate armour. Another six guards followed behind the pair, bringing the total number up to 12. The fat man was looking at him with such hostility that Milo decided the moment had come. He took the sack from Ivy and then leapt up onto a nearby cart.

  “Citizens of Willowford! My name is Milo, champion of Lilith and I have come here today with a great gift!”

  He upended the sack and a dozen severed satyr heads rolled across the pavestones. A collective gasp went up from the crowd but they didn’t panic. After a few seconds one of the braver among them walked up and picked up one of the heads and held it aloft.

  “It’s a satyr!”

  Uncertainty faded from the crowd, and they erupted into cheers. Milo let it go on for a little while before raising his voice again.

  “Yesterday me and my companions came across a band of satyrs and their prisoners. We slew the satyr and rescued the prisoners, afterwards we learned that one of them comes from this very town!”

  Milo felt like an asshole as he pointed at the terrified Crystal, but they had already reached the point of no return.

  “It’s Crystal!”

  “Quick! Someone go get her husband and daughter!”

  Milo’s eyes flickered to the red-faced man in the robe and saw that the hostility had only deepened. It was time to bring his little show to its conclusion.

  “People of Willowford, I have heard from Crystal how you have suffered from these vicious satyr attacks while your king does nothing to help you!”

  The crowd’s murmurs deepened, and he could see many shooting angry glances at the robed man with the red face.

  “You have been abandoned but hope is not lost! I, Milo Harper, Champion of Lilith and lord of this region, offer you the protection of armies! Join me!”

  About a third of the crowd was completely swept up and started cheering. It was less than he had hoped for but at least they weren’t attacking or cursing his name. Well, all except for one.

  “Guards! Apprehend him!”

  The crowd went silent, and Milo turned to face the red-faced man in the robes. The guards drew they clubs and the man in the cheap plate drew what looked like a bastard sword and pointed it at Milo.

  Milo simply smiled at them.

  “And who are you?”

  “I am Kerill, mayor of this town!”

  “I would reconsider that order if I were you mayor, I came to this town with noble intentions and have offered your people only friendships and protection.”

  Kerill pointed a finger shaking with rage at him.

  “Friendship!? You are trying to incite a rebellion! Lay down your weapons and I promise that you shall have a quick death!”

  Milo jumped down from the wagon and Haldor shoved a terrified Crystal behind him. Then he and the rest formed a protective circle around Milo. They were only five and to the red-faced mayor this clearly looked like a winnable fight.

  Milo ignored the mayor and instead addressed the man in the cheap plate.

  “Be warned, I would strongly urge you to ignore that man, I will not allow myself to be attacked.”

  The man chuckled and then slammed the visor of his helm down before advancing on them. One of the guards lunged at Ivy and she sidestepped the blow before ramming a dagger into his neck. The guard fell dead on the spot and Milo sighed. Now that blood had been shed there was only one way out of this, still he gave it one more shot.

  “Guards of Willowford! If you want to live, lay down your weapons at once, I will not ask again!”

  Milo noticed that the guard captain was lagging behind his men making him possibly the smartest man in Willowford. The guards closed as one and then struck. Had they been armed with spears and shields they might have proved dangerous, but their clubs were clearly designed to beat down regular human peasants, not hybrids. Haldor called orders and the guards were killed, crippled with ruthless efficiency. At this point the only thing that could turn this situation was if the crowd joined the fight but not a single one of them looked tempted. Only three of the guards were left alive when Milo raised his hands and shouted.

  “Enough! We did not come here to slaughter the citizens of Willowford!”

  The remaining guards fell back, and the plated man immediately started moving in their direction. Milo wasn’t about to let him put a stop to the little show of disobedience. Milo drew his sword and pointed it at the man.

  “You there, halt! Turn and face me like a true warrior!”

  The plated man halted and turned to look at him. Milo pushed past his defenders and settled into a stance. The plated man’s face was covered by his helmet and yet Milo thought he could detect a hint of fear in him. He couldn’t blame him after seeing how easily his bodyguards had dispatched the guards.

  “Fight me or are you a coward!”

  The comment immediately got the crowd back on his side and several started cheering while others shouted.

  “Kill him!”

  “Kill the bastard!”

  Whoever this man in the plate was he was not well liked by the towns people.

  The man roared and then charged Milo with such poor form that he nearly burst out laughing. Rather than killing the man in a single stroke he decided to put on a show. He cast the flame sword spell prompting another shocked gasp from the crowd. Milo deflected the first strike and then stopped in and elbowed the man beneath the rim of his helmet. His opponent’s helm flew off revealing a murderous glare set in ugly features crossed by a long scar running from one end to the other.

  The man lunged at him and Milo deflected the blow into the pavestones before punching the man, breaking his nose in a fountain of blood. The man’s eyes were wild, and he staggered back several steps. He could see the realisation of just how outmatched he was dawn on the man’s face. He looked close to running and so Milo decided to end the fight prematurely. He lunged in feigning a strike on his left before knocking the man’s sword side and delivering a wicked slash across his throat. The man’s head rolled across the ground settling at the feet of the mayor. The man was staring down at the severed head and stammering when Milo approached him.

  “Y…y…you can’t…”

  Milo’s smile was feral as he placed the bloodied tip of his sword underneath his chin. The mayor was frozen in place and was barely able to meet his gaze.

  “I’m afraid the time of your rule is over Mr mayor.”

  He was about to cut the man down when a sharp voice stopped him.

  “Enough!”

  He turned to see the crowd part for a grey-haired woman in an elegant dress. The woman looked down at the dead guards with distaste before her gaze settled on the mayor. Milo saw true hatred in her eyes as she walked up to the man and slapped him. The mayor collapsed to the ground in a sobbing heap and Milo sheathed his sword. The woman inclined her head in a greeting.

  “My name is Laurel Roseway, and I thank you for freeing us from this man’s tyranny.”

  So, this was the former mayor’s widow, he had to admit she looked far more formidable than the sobbing mayor.

  “Milo, champion of Lilith.”

  “Yes, I heard your little speech, you say you’ve come to help us, very well, I ask that you allow me to place the mayor under arrest so he can be tried for his crimes.”

  Milo looked down the man in question and back up at Laurel.

  “He’s a criminal?

  Laurel nodded and then raised her voice so that everyone in the square could hear her.

  “He is responsible for the death of my husband! He used his position as a trusted friend and advisor to fabricate false accusations to steal his office.”

  Laurel turned to look at the decapitated corpse of the man in the cheap plate.

  “He was aided in his crime by the sheriff who knowingly executed an innocent man!”

  Milo was about to reply when angry shouts erupted from the crowd.

  “That bastard raped my daughter!”

  “Bullied me into giving him free ale!”

  “Demanded I pay him to protect me from the satyrs and then left us to fend for ourselves!”

  Milo couldn’t quite believe his luck. He’d killed the most unpopular person in town in a duel, it also explained why nobody had come to the man’s aid during the attempted arrest.

  “Very well, a trial it is.”

  Laurel turned and addressed the guard captain who had wisely held back from the back.

  “Jack, bind this maggot and lock him in my potato cellar.”

  The guard captain saluted and then gathered the three remaining guards to help him with his task. Laurel watched them drag the sobbing man away with a cruel smile on her face. Once he was gone, she turned to address the crowd once again.

  “Until a trial can be held, I will assume the role of mayor for this town. Now please go back to your homes and I will speak with our new friends about their promises.”

  Milo was amazed to see the crowd actually disperse at her words. Laurel was clearly well respected and might just be the key to taking Willowford without any further bloodshed. Once the crowd was dispersed Laurel went on.

  “Follow me, we will speak in my house.”

  Milo followed her into the house where Willowford’s fate would be decided.