"Your Lordship," Captain Kaleesh said, eyes fixed on the ground as he remained on his knees before Lord Kadun . "I did not intend to cause you trouble . "
"But you did," the Lord said . "Explain yourself . "
The captain remained silent for a moment, and when he finally spoke, it was in a soft voice . "Your Lordship, their attack was a clear provocation . To let such a thing go unanswered would have tarnished your honor in the eyes of the world . "
"Is that so?" Some amusement sounded in Lord Kadun's voice . "And what would an outsider like you know about that?"
"Your Lordship," Captain Kaleesh said again, his voice firmer now . "I know little of the Imperium and its customs, but I do know battle . To let an insult like this go unpunished would merely invite more of the same . Only strength demands respect, and with your power, none should dare insult you . "
At this, the Lord let out a loud laugh . "Hear that, Payam? Even this outsider thinks you're a coward . "
"My Lord," the steward said, speaking in a respectful tone that carried just a hint of frustration, "I merely attempted to protect your interests, to avoid a costly conflict . Your lands' finances are—"
"Bah!" Lord Kadun interrupted him . "What good is coin without honor? The outsider has the right of it . Insults must be answered . "
"Of course, my Lord," the steward said . "As always, I bow to your wisdom . "
"As well you should!" The Lord said sharply . "As for you outsiders, you did well . For that, I will forgive your insubordination — but only once . "
Without any further words, he turned around and headed back to the Knights and Rangers, then ordered them to get moving again .
Still, Captain Kaleesh remained on his knees for several more moments, clearly unwilling to risk giving even the slightest offense . But finally, he rose to his feet again, and after a final bow at the Lord's turned back, he led his commanders back to the group of mercenaries at the back of the column .
None of them said a word as they made their way past the soldiers . Whatever thoughts they had, they kept to themselves — at least until they were well out of earshot of any Darians .
When they'd finally rejoined the mercenaries, Arran glanced at the captain . "That was…"
He struggled to find the right words . Even now, the Lord's power filled him with awe . And yet, the man had shown no sign of the wisdom he'd expected in someone so strong .
"The most dangerous fool you'll ever meet," Captain Kaleesh said in a low voice . "Do not mistake his strength for wisdom, or his dullness for weakness . He is every bit as dangerous as he appears, but a simpleton all the same . "
Sassun cast a worried look at the soldiers in the distance . "Captain…"
"You're right," the captain said . "We shall speak no more of this . But all of you, remember my words . Every single Lord within the Imperium earned his position through boundless might, and even the least of them can crush us all in an instant . "
It was a warning Arran did not need . Just the glimpse he had seen of Lord Kadun was enough to tell him this was someone he was still far from being able to match . And if the other Lords held similar power, then he needed no encouragement to steer clear of them .
Within moments, the long column of soldiers and mercenaries set into motion once more, only now with Lord Kadun and his troops at its head .
Another week of slow travel followed . While Lord Kadun's presence might have inspired the soldiers and mercenaries to move faster, the mules that drew the supply carts were the ones that set the column's pace . And to them, a Lord was no different from a common farmhand .
Eventually, however, the column came to a halt barely a mile away from what looked to be a large city . But Arran's hopes of seeing more of the Imperium were quickly quashed, as only Lord Kadun and his troops departed for the city .
The rest of them remained waiting, until after nearly half an hour, a small group of guards joined them . The guards exchanged some words with the soldiers' leaders, after which the soldiers set off for the city as well .
After that, the much-diminished column set into motion once more .
If the soldiers had shown little interest in conversing with the mercenaries, the guards barely even seemed to notice their presence . Although the mercenaries outnumbered them ten to one, the guards paid the group of Body Refiners no attention whatsoever .
Instead, they merely headed the group, seemingly unconcerned with whatever happened behind them . Had any of the mercenaries wanted to escape, doing so would have been as simple as walking away .
After several days of this, Arran approached Captain Kaleesh, curious to hear what the explanation for the guards' odd behavior was .
"Why aren't they guarding us?" he asked, eyes turned toward the guards at the front of the group .
"They have no reason to," the captain replied . "Until we receive our citizenship, any priest within the Imperium will instantly recognize us as outsiders . Even if we fled, we'd be discovered the moment we set foot in any town . "
Arran frowned deeply . "The priests can see whether someone's a citizen? How?"
"The priests' secrets are their own," Captain Kaleesh replied with a shrug . "All I know is that they have the ability . So if you mean to leave us, you'd best wait until they've made you a citizen . "
While the captain might not know the answer, Arran was all but certain it had to involve magic . And although he didn't know how such a thing could be achieved, if the priests somehow used magic, it was an important discovery .
The thought had already occurred to him, but now, he had reason to believe it might actually be true . And if it was, then he would have to reconsider his view of the Imperium .
But there was still far too much he did not know, and that would not change until he got the chance to explore the Imperium . And to do that, he would first have to become a citizen .
Their journey lasted longer than Arran would have liked . Led by the guards, they spent well over a week sluggishly moving along the Imperium's many roads, with little indication of how much further they would have to go .
Yet when Arran saw the shapes of mountains appear in the distance, he knew they were at last nearing their destination .
This was confirmed the next day, when they passed through a town in the mountains' foothills . Large and dirty, it had numerous inns, taverns, and shabby stores — a mining town, Arran knew, much like the ones he'd passed in the mountains near Amydon .
The column of mercenaries drew a large crowd of curious onlookers, and Arran knew with just a glance that most of them were borderlanders . While a handful of the people were Body Refiners, the vast majority were commoners, little different from the people with whom he'd crossed the border .
The guards passed through the town without pausing, and barely an hour later, they arrived at a vast camp . Filled with numerous low stone buildings that Arran took for barracks, it was a thoroughly unpleasant place, clearly built for function rather than beauty .
Here, too, all but a few of the people were borderlanders, and they looked at the newcomers with eyes that showed curiosity and suspicion in equal measure .
As the group came to a halt, a tall man dressed in a set of rumpled silk robes came hurrying toward them .
"Are these the new…" he began, but he stopped mid-sentence, his eyes going wide with surprise . "Are all of them Body Refiners?!"
One of the guards gave a small nod in response and handed the man a sealed letter . "Lord Kadun's steward said to give you this . "
The tall man cast another puzzled look at the group of mercenaries, then hurriedly opened the letter . And as he read it, a look of shock gradually formed on his face .
When he finally looked up from the letter, he had an expression of barely veiled horror . "This can't be right," he said .
The guard shrugged . "Not our problem . If there's an issue, you'll have to take it up with the steward . Either way, we're leaving . "
The group of guards wasted no time in departing, ignoring the tall man's pleas as they headed back out of the camp . And when they were gone, the man faced the mercenaries with a panicked expression .
Several moments passed before Captain Kaleesh finally broke the silence .
"Is there a problem?"
The tall man nodded emphatically . "I'm afraid a mistake has been made," he said, his eyes flitting across the hundreds of mercenaries before him . "This mine — I don't have enough guards to keep order . Not with such a large group of—"
"We don't need your guards," the captain interrupted him . "My men answer to me, and they will not cause disorder . Not unless I order them to do so, at least . "
"Then you're their leader?" Some relief showed in the tall man's eyes, but he continued, "I'm afraid they sent you to the wrong mine . "
"How so?" the captain asked .
"This mine," the man began, "it's only a simple iron mine . We have no need for Body Refiners . There's nothing of value here — not unless you enter the lower levels . " He shook his head . "But no one has gone down there in centuries . It isn't safe . "
His eyebrow raised, Captain Kaleesh stepped forward to face the man . "What's in the lower levels? And why isn't it safe?"
Again, the tall man shook his head . "There is no need for you to know that," he said . "What's down there is no business of yours . "
"You will tell me," the captain said, "and you will do so now . If not, there may be some disorder after all . "
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