After that meeting with the cloaked man, weird things started happening all around Laudan. At first, it was very subtle: in the fields, people started noticing that there were things missing, mostly food and some logs for the fire that could’ve easily been missed. But then, bigger things started disappearing, like clothes hanging out to dry in broad daylight, some chickens, and at some point, a dagger was stolen from Ronan, Laudan’s blacksmith. However, the biggest scandal of all was when Blackstone, one of Chief Claimon’s finest horses, disappeared mysteriously for almost a day, only to be found at the barn at sunset, fed and taken care of, as if it has never left. Taking that horse on that specific day wasn’t just a random act, as on that day, both Chief Claimon and Lord Laudan had left and only returned at night– which meant that whoever was doing this wasn’t just a petty criminal, but somebody who knew exactly what it was doing and how to do it as well.

All of us noticed these things, but we tried to keep it to ourselves as much as we possibly could, because as soon as the news reached the higher ranks, like the soldiers or Chief Claimon, we knew what would happen, and it wouldn’t be pleasant. Throughout Laudan, you could always find somebody with a story related to torture, unfair accusations, family members disappearing, never to be seen again, and of course, death. Our household was no exception to that rule. Though I lived with my father and Adrian –my mother had died when I was born – I knew that many years ago, my father’s youngest brother, our uncle John, had been arrested and taken away to the castle, never to be seen again. However, I found out about this story by accident, in a casual conversation while running an errand for one of my neighbors when I was a child, but I never got anywhere further than that. My father was a man of very few words, and he only talked whenever it was absolutely necessary, like work and tasks that had to be performed during the day, always practical, harmless things – therefore, it was useless to even ask about personal matters, as we would be receiving nothing but silence from his part. I tried asking Adrian about that story, but he always said he knew as much as I did, and so I left it at that.

Speaking of Adrian, I noticed that after that episode at the barn, he was acting strange too: he started disappearing for long periods of time to places nobody could find him, and when he returned, he would have a strange look on his face, like he was troubled about something, but whenever I asked, he would never say what his problem was. At times, he was just so absorbed in his thoughts that he wouldn’t listen to anything anybody would say to him unless he was being yelled at. Sometimes, when we were lying in our beds, I noticed that he wouldn’t fall asleep right away as he did, but he would stay wide awake, staring at the ceiling, and when I woke up, at dawn, he would still as I had left him, with dark bags under his eyes. As for my father, he didn’t seem to notice anything at all. As long as the work was done – and it always was – what could be going wrong with Adrian? But I was afraid for my brother. What if the figure under the hood was threatening him? Was he doing something that he wasn’t supposed to do? Were we going to be punished for whatever he was doing? As much as I tried, I could never find the missing link between these two. At times, when I saw him sneaking around, I tried to follow him, but luck was always on his side, as somebody always found me out and called me to go back to work, or Adrian simply disappeared out of sight, leaving me clueless about where to find him.

There was only one time I almost caught him in the act. It was the season for picking oranges, and I had been out all day with the other girls at the great orchard in the palace. After a long day of work, my neighbor Joan and I walked back home, while the red sun was starting to set, as another day ended. Joan and I were almost close to home, and we were chatting about nothing in particular when Joan stopped.

“Now, just look at that.” She said, pointing out to the sky. We were up on a field, almost close to home, and from there, we could see the sunset in its full splendor, surrounded by clouds, all tainted with red.

“It means it’s going to be hot tomorrow. It’s good for us, we won’t be dying of cold out there in the fields.” I said, rubbing my hands to keep them warm. For a while, none of us said anything, as we just enjoyed that sight. From there, I could see the outskirts of Laudan, lands filled with crops all over, and dark huts stood here and there, with smoke coming out of the chimneys, and at the very end of the last hut, there was a big forest, meant to protect the crops from the wind. As I looked there, I saw somebody walking into the woods. It was Adrian.

“See you tomorrow, Joan, I have to go,” I said, leaving Joan standing at the field looking surprised. I ran down the hill, trying to be as fast and as discreet as I possibly could, as Adrian walked into the woods. I managed to get there and I went in, trying to lay low behind the bushes and to be as quiet as possible. Adrian walked for a very long time through the forest until he almost reached the end, very close to the borders of Laudan – a forbidden territory for anybody who didn’t have permission to go there. He stopped at the very end and stood there, waiting. I hid behind a bush, from where I had a fairly good view of Adrian, though it was getting darker and darker. However, this seemed to fit Adrian’s purposes, as it looked like he was actually expecting it to be dark. As it turned out, there wasn’t any need for him to do anything at all but to wait, as soon enough, there was the sound of rustling coming from the forest and somebody appeared in front of my brother. Though the face was covered in a hood, I knew it could only be the guy from the barn.

“Did you find anything?” Adrian asked.

“Yes. I’ve managed to meet him, and he said that he’s willing to collaborate with us on our cause. He also said he would like to meet you in person. ” The man spoke with a low, raspy voice.

“Tell him it won’t be possible yet, it’s still too early for me to go anywhere at this point.” The cloaked man hesitated a little before speaking as if he didn’t like what my brother said.

“Sooner or later, you’ll have to take your place, Adrian. It’s only a matter of time until we’ll have to take a stance. ”

“I know, but I don’t believe it is the right time yet. Don’t worry, I’ve made my decision and I won’t go back on it. I’ll take this until the very end.”

“Alright. Meanwhile, I’ve also found something that I would like you to know. It turns out that –“and in that precise moment, I suddenly I lost my balance and I fell forward, making a lot of noise. The cloaked figure ran away into the darkness and Adrian went towards the bush where I was hidden. Adrian grabbed my arm and lifted me up, almost making me lose my balance as I tried to stand up.

“I knew it! Why are you here, Sara?”

“That’s what I should be asking you! What’s going on? Who is he, Adrian? What are you planning?” Adrian put his hands on my shoulders as he looked me deep in my eyes.

“Sara, it’s nothing for you to be worried about.” I tried to release myself from his grip, but Adrian didn’t let me go.

“Then why do I have this feeling in my gut that I should be worried?”

“Sis, you don’t, that much I can guarantee you. I can’t tell you anything now. The less you know, the better, alright? And please, don’t tell Father.”

“Then how do I –“

“Please.” I sighed.

“Fine, Adrian. Have it your way, then.”I released myself from him, and before he could say anything else, I added “Don’t worry, I won’t tell Father. Just don’t make me regret this.” I walked away and went home.