Chapter 24: The Archer
The sun was setting and the bonfire the knights lit looked beautiful against the dark expanse on the eastern side of the valley. The further the sun sank, the darker purple the distant sky looked. Orange flames stood against it nicely.
As long as Irene didn't think about the fact that the fire was created using dry sticks and the bodies of goblins, it was beautiful. There were six piled in total. If she got too close, she could certainly smell the haunting scent of burning flesh.
Just as the other apprentices, she opted to stand further off.
Since the threat of monsters had been taken care of, people were starting to appear once more. A farmer who had a house a short distance away even saw the flames and joined the knights in burning the carcasses.
The farmer was fetching water on Sir Gunnar's request. It wouldn't be wise to leave a fire burning during a dry season and near crops.
However, once the farmer appeared again with a couple of wooden buckets full of water from his well, he placed them down and wiped his forehead.
"You ought to take the kids to the tavern and grab something to eat," the old man suggested. "You can trust me to watch the fire. It's near my land, after all."
Sir Gunnar and Sir Phillip both looked over their shoulders at the apprentices standing in a group. They were looking a bit worse for wear despite trying to stand tall.
After the knights briefly discussed what the next few hours would contain, they walked towards the apprentices who were none the wiser to what the knights had just discussed.