A Time of Tigers - From Peasant to Emperor

Chapter 263: The Darkest of Nights - Part 1

"Beam," Nila stopped him as his hand reached out towards the ladder, an apologetic look on her face. "…What of the children's bodies? They've been missing for so long – their families have a right to know what happened to them."

"We'll prioritise the living for now," Beam said grimly.

"…I understand. I'll tell their families what happened," Nila said bravely, as she clenched her fist.

Beam came to the fore. He'd expected the villagers to be buzzing around within the Elder's house, each of them anxious to take a glance down the hole – but he didn't find a single one of them inside, despite their earlier eagerness.

He had to wait for Judas to pull back the heavy front door before he could even glance at them.

Nila walked sheepishly behind him. No doubt she feared telling those few families whose children had not made it just what had happened. Beam felt a trace of bitterness at the thought. Though he'd not even known that those children existed, they'd still died anyway.

The girl had told him that they'd died weeks before, but their deaths were there all the same. It reeked of failure.

"THANK YOU!" A woman looked up, as Beam had begun quietly picking his way back down the village Elder's path. She was cradling her child – a girl, of six or seven – as tears of relief ran down her face.

Her words startled Beam. He'd been so caught up in his grim thoughts. He looked at her for a moment, in stunned silence.

"Oh gods, thank you," she said again, bowing her head to him.

The others joined in now, after hearing her. There were so many of them, now that Beam paused to look. So many families were gathered around the weak bodies of a rescued child. Those axes and weapons that they carried earlier seemed all but forgotten, as they lay strewn on the grass.

"THANK YOU!" Another woman shouted.

It surprised Beam to hear the shouts of thanks. He expected intense questioning, for them to press him on his decisions, for them to demand to see the Elder's body, so that they could be assured that he had paid for his crimes.

Yet, even as they crouched in the snow, cradling their weak children, the mothers of those reunited families had nothing but thanks. The fathers looked towards him in the same way, and they spared him a nod – a deep nod, filled with respect.

The same old man that had been so pressed to raid the Elder's house now stopped Beam and his group as they made their way down the path.

The axe that the man had been carrying earlier was now sheathed at his belt, and the look of anger that had contorted his face was now replaced by a tired look of relief.

"Thank you," he said emphatically, in the same way the women had before. He dipped his head towards Beam. "Judas told us that you found them in the basement. From the look of them, they would not have lasted much longer if you had not been able to find them."

"For finding them, you should thank Nila," Beam said. "It was her eye that managed to lead us towards them."

The old man glanced at Nila. "Thank you, girl… And I apologise for giving you a hard time earlier. I know ya were only trying to keep the peace. For that to have to fall to a girl your age – that I ain't right, I recognize. But it seems I have no control over myself when it comes to my family. Didn't realize that, until today."

"It's alright," Nila said, offering him a kind, but sad smile. "I understand."

The old man caught onto that. "Ah… That's right. Your Stephanie had gone missing too, hadn't she? Did ya find her?"

Nila shook her head, fighting to keep her smile from quivering.

"…I'm sorry," the old man said.

"Michael said she was taken somewhere, so I won't give up hope," Nila told him.

"I see…" The old man nodded. "Well, come and find me, when the time comes. You as well, boy. I have a debt to repay ya. Half the bloody village does at this point. Tell me, what of that corrupted Elder?

When will he be brought to justice."

"We found his body down there," Beam said. "He was killed, along with his servants."

The old man's eyes widened in surprise at that. "Killed? But… By who? Wasn't his cellar hard to get into?"

"It was, and yet he was dead all the same. There is great danger afoot, old man. You would do well to keep your axe ready, for it would seem the true nightmare is yet to come," Beam warned him gravely.

Another man might not have told the villagers at all, for fear of causing panic. But, surprising even himself, Beam didn't hold back. It didn't feel right to. The village men and women were not helpless, after all. Even without him, they'd acted for their children, and they were set on searching the Elder's house regardless.

When it came to family, they seemed to be a unified front, as strong and as motivated as the soldiers under Lombard, even.

"…That is a grave warning," the old man said, his voice trembling for a moment as he received it. "What do you advise we do?"

That surprised Beam. To see a man so many years his elder looking to him for advice. He found himself looking back over his shoulder, towards Judas and towards the sergeant as both men listened quietly.

"Uhm… I don't know," Beam said, honestly. "Perhaps simply being ready to fight will be enough, though I don't know yet what we have to fight against."

"Aye… Aye," the old man nodded. "That sounds about right. That's all a man can do. Be ready to protect his family at whatever cost. I promise you this: no man is going to be able to take my kin from me again. Be they Yarmdon, or Ingolsol himself, my family will be well protected."

Beam nodded.

"Nila. I'm going to jog back to camp with the sergeant and his men. I expect that the Captain will want to come and check the scene out himself once he has the opportunity. You don't need to be there to welcome him – just make sure that the villagers know to stay out of the basement, at least for now," Beam said.

With a serious nod, Nila assured him of her understanding. "I'll make sure they know."

The old man listened in. "I'll make sure they know too. I would urge you to rest, boy. You've done more than enough. But it seems that's not on the cards, eh?"

"Not yet," Beam said.