Little update: Thanks to those who have read and upvoted Chapter 5. A big thanks to those who are following this story so far! In case you are wondering, this is a self-written story (an amateur attempt I know) during the days when I was fascinated by the stuff about knights, castles, kingdoms and sorcery, you get what I mean. With this platform, I hope I can share some of my past writings (without judgement hopefully) after going through them once more and get some feedback on this platform. So, thanks in advance for your support! For those who wish to check out the previous chapters, here's the link! With that, let the adventure continue!
Chapter 6
It had rained the entire night and it was still drizzling in the morning when Dax and his troops were making their final preparations for the trip to the hills. Unfamiliar with both the people and surroundings, Rak stuck close to Dax as they walked to the stables to get their horses.
All of a sudden, they saw Malcolm rushing down the flight of stairs, shouting for them to wait for him. He was panting when he reached the foyer and Dax gave him a puzzled look.
"I want to join you guys too! After all, Maltov's my brother."
"Are you sure?" replied Dax. "The expedition to the hills will be tiring. Why don't you stay behind..."
Before Dax could finish, Malcolm cut in and said, "If Rak can endure the journey, why can't I? You are just the King's aide, why am I supposed to listen to your orders? Shouldn't it be the other way round?"
Dax did not utter a single word as Malcolm haughtily strutted to the stables to get his horse ready.
By the time they reached the hill which Rak described, it was past noon. However, there was no body in sight. Instead, they saw a huge pile of sand and soil on the spot.
All eyes turned to Rak, who immediately defended himself, "I really saw Maltov's body here yesterday. The rain yesterday could have triggered a landslide. Maltov could be buried beneath this pile of sand and soil."
No one seemed to be convinced by Rak's words. And it took a while before Malcolm spoke, "Rak, do you know it's an offence to give misleading information?"
"You must believe me! I really saw the body when I was picking wild berries..." pleaded Rak.
"You seem to think that I'm some three-year-old kid. I'm not taken in by your fairy tale!" Malcolm's tone was stronger this time.
Sensing that things were getting out of hand, Dax suggested, "Let's stop the argument. Since we are here, why not give it a try? Come on, soldiers, get moving."
Malcolm could not believe what he just heard.
"Stop! This is absurd! No one will start working unless I give permission! One fine day, we have this stranger who comes and tells us that he saw Maltov's body yesterday and today he says it's buried under this pile of earth. Why should we believe him?"
Inevitably, Dax was getting furious.
"Malcolm, that's enough! I didn't bring you out here to create trouble."
"My dear old Dax, must I remind you time after time that you are just the King's aide and my words are bigger than yours. Even if that fellow was telling the truth, which I doubt so, is it worth the time and manpower to get rid of this sand and soil?"
"For Maltov's body, it's worth it!"
"You are always so stubborn. Whatever you say, my rank is the highest here, so only my words count. And I think we should abort this meaningless search and return to the castle. In my opinion, Maltov probably went out for some fun and he definitely will return a couple of days later."
And Malcolm added, "Ahh, before I forget, Rak should be brought back for questioning too."
Rak felt unjust but he did not dare to argue any further.
When they returned to the castle, Malcolm instructed the guards to lock Rak up in the cellars. Dax protested but to no avail.
Later that night, Dax went to the cellar and he found Rak being locked up behind metal bars, with both his hands cuffed. Rak was pleased to see Dax and he dashed towards the edge of his cage.
Dax made sure the guards were out of range, before he spoke, "Rak, I'm here to warn you that Malcolm might be taking your life any moment."