Fifty Seven: The Devil's Due
The sun finally breaks the horizon, bathing the city in a soft yellow glow. Mist and steam drifted towards the sky as the water mage did his work on the remnants of the burning city.
The siege is over.
But the battle within Ceris had only begun.
My men drag away the corpses of Orks, piling them into carts to be burned. The people of Ceris watch with dazed expressions as we perform the grim work.
Among them, I see Markus’s wife. She stood tall, her hair in a tight bun and her expression fierce. When her eyes fell on me her face softened just an inch.
“Ser William,” she said. “I believe I speak for all of Ceris when I thank you for what you and your men have done for us. Many soldiers would have fled in the face of such odds. But you and yours did not, and for that, you have more than my thanks.”
She hesitated for a moment, eyes flickering towards the people. There were a few encouraging smiles thrown her way, and only her husband, Markus, seemed to disapprove.
“You have our loyalty,” she said suddenly. The proclamation caught me off guard. I was saved from conjuring a response from thin air when she continued, her face determined.
“There is a rumor that you mean to start your own Company in the Kadian Army. If this is true, then I, and others like me would like to pledge ourselves to your service.”