Chapter 286

We sat quietly before Damien spoke again. He didn’t understand why bandits would be taking men, trying to take warriors made even less sense. He pressed the General for information, but there was nothing more to say. The General claimed the women had not told him what the bandits were doing with the men.

“The women don’t stop them?” Christof said curiously.

“No,” the General said simply, “apparently they cannot. From what we can gather, the women cannot find the bandits. It is a strange circumstance. I fear it will scare the shopkeepers. The men that travel will stop coming this way. It will upset the men.”

The General’s brother addressed Damien. He told them that Damien and his brothers were put on the patrols the next day. They should rest well tonight.

The General and his brothers were morose as they sat staring into the fire. The responsibility of caring for the compound must be enormous. Secretly, I was glad Damien would not know the same stress.