By the time I finished hauling the last water barrel to the courtyard, my hands were already cut and bleeding again. The sun was setting, painting the sky in shades of orange and crimson that reminded me of fire.
The garrison had already begun their evening meal.
I watched from the shadows as the soldiers filled their cups, drank and laughed about tomorrow’s march.
I didn’t even notice when Elera appeared beside me, her small frame very tense.
“Something is happening”, she whispered. “Look at them. Something’s wrong ”.
At first, I didn’t understand what she meant. The soldiers were just eating, they were just—
One of them staggered forward, his cup falling from his hand, shattering against the floor.
“What..what is happening ”, he gasped , his hand clutching his stomach.
Then anot
