3:43 AM
Edmund watched the clock's hands as they raced away from each other. He placed the jeweled dagger in a leather pouch and fastened it shut.
The door burst open, and Adrien rushed inside, panting. "Priest... come outside..."
Edmund stowed the pouch in a closet and followed Adrien outside. Roman and the other villagers were gathered around a dark-skinned young man who appeared to be from the Sunless.
Roman, who had apparently encountered Derrick on the way and brought him back, said, "We don't trust Sunlessians. How do we know you're telling the truth?"
Derrick pulled a lock of white hair from his belt pouch and threw it on the ground. "Is that enough?"
Edmund closed his eyes and whispered a prayer for their safety.
Derrick said, "The Ultras are with me—all three of them. If you want them back, you'll do what I ask."
Roman asked, "And what is that?"
"Twelve of you will come with me to the Bamboo Forest to retrieve them; bring all your provisions..."
Roman smirked. "All our provisions?"
"All of them," Derrick repeated.
Nature said, "Winter has arrived earlier than ever, and most crops are lost. We have nothing to give you."
Derrick stared at Nature with his pitch-black eyes. "Then prepare to be preyed upon by the wizard's shadow army."
Edmund didn't know who Derrick was or where he had come from, but he was confident the young man knew their weaknesses too well.
Edmund pulled Adrien aside and took him back to his house. Locking the door behind them, he retrieved his pouch from the closet. "These people are foolish enough to follow a Sunlessian with all their provisions. This is our best chance."
He handed the pouch to Adrien. "Right now, you're the only one I trust."
Adrien asked, "What's this?"
"A dagger. Take it and head to the Fires Mountains."
"Will this be enough to stop them?"
"I don't think so. But it might buy us some time. The danger will pass if we can hold out for three more days."
Adrien hesitated. "But after three days, what will happen to the others?"
Edmund looked away into some unknown distance. "No one knows..."
"Will is my best friend, but Ozhem is our home... and we all want to protect our families."
"Handing over Will won't change anything. Who knows when John will rise again? Who knows when he'll place another coffin in the town square and demand another sacrifice?"
He stood and looked Adrien in the eyes. "Go to the Fires Mountains. The one who can help us will find you."
Adrien looked down at the pouch in his hand. The journey ahead was perilous and deadly, and he didn't know what fate awaited Ozhem and its people. But if there was a chance to save his friend, he had to take it. "Alright."
Edmund said, "Go through the back door. The horse is tied there. I need to go see what's happening."
As Adrien left, Edmund rejoined the others. The villagers were murmuring among themselves, debating whether to hand over their provisions and retrieve the Ultras.
"If we give them all our supplies, we might escape the wizard, but we'll starve."
"Since when do we trust the Sunlessians? They're liars and cheaters."
"We can manage the provisions somehow, but if we lose the Ultras, the shadow army will be our end."
Roman remained silent. He wasn't foolish enough to be swayed by a lock of hair and a child's words. "We're not going anywhere with you," he declared.
There was a moment of silence, and no one opposed him as he continued, "Bring us the Ultras. We'll hand over the provisions."
Derrick smirked. "I'm the one who sets the terms here, not you."
Roman, unfazed, replied confidently, "The Ultras may hold value for us, but they don't mean anything to you. Killing them won't benefit you because you can't trade corpses. So, it's up to me to decide when and where the exchange happens."
Derrick scowled. He wasn't pleased with the situation and seemed as if his plans had been foiled. But Derrick wasn't ready to back down. "We're used to hunger and cold, and we'll survive. If you don't come to the Bamboo Forest with the provisions by tomorrow, I'll send you their corpses."
He mounted his horse and rode off the way he had come.
Edmund began to speak. "If we continue like this, we'll destroy ourselves with our own hands. We're letting everyone take advantage of our weaknesses. Without food, we'll grow weak, and soon, we'll be at their mercy. In the end, we'll lose everything we have."
He paused momentarily, then added, "No one knows the consequences of not offering a sacrifice. But right now, we know what will happen if we do. And that's assuming they even have Will."
Edmund's words were more thought-provoking this time. Even Romans knew that without food, they wouldn't survive long. Ozhem had never needed to rely on other lands for sustenance, and if that changed, it would open the door for others to exploit them.