Outside Quitfort
Echoes of raucous laughter and the sharp tang of ale spill out from the tavern into the cool night air.
Inside, Caesar and his companions sit with Julius and the blind man at a long, scarred wooden table. Tankards clink, voices rise.
"You're one crazy kid, running straight toward demons like that," Caesar slurs, grinning wide. "Really? You've got balls, Julius."
The bald man across from him raises his drink in salute. "Hear, hear!" He downs it in one long gulp.
Julius stares at them, eyebrows raised. "You call yourselves elite knights? What a joke."
"Come on, one sip," Caesar urges, pushing a foaming mug toward the boy.
Sara, smirking, holds out a bottle. "Drink with us, kid."
Julius opens his mouth to protest, but the blind man quietly reaches out and covers the mug with his hand.
"How about we save the drink for when he's older?" the blind man says calmly.
Caesar's drunken eyes widen. "Huh?"
Before anyone can react, Julius snatches the mug, tilts it back, and drains the entire contents in several determined gulps. He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand.
The table falls silent for a heartbeat.
Then the tavern erupts in booming laughter.
"You're a funny one, kid," Caesar roars, slapping Julius on the back. "How's it feel?"
Julius shrugs. "Nothing."
"Huh?" Caesar blinks, confused.
**Later that same evening**
The blind man stands alone on the rooftop corridor overlooking the darkened kingdom. A cool wind stirs his cloak. The stars are sharp above the distant walls of Quitfort.
Footsteps approach from behind.
"Looks bad out there, doesn't it?" Caesar's voice, still thick with drink but steadier now.
The blind man doesn't turn. "Sorry, my bad. Forgot you can't see." Caesar scratches the back of his head awkwardly.
"I hear that a lot," the blind man replies, a faint smile softening the words to ease the tension.
"What are you doing up here? Tired of drinking already?"
"My head can't take any more of that poison tonight."
"Mine either," Caesar admits. He leans against the stone railing beside him. "So… you and your son. How long have you two been traveling?"
"Our village was attacked by bandits. We had to flee."
"Must've been rough."
The blind man nods slowly. Ceasear then continued "I didn't have parents growing up. War took them. I learned to survive on my own. Now that I'm older… I understand. War is just an excuse for bloodshed."
"Couldn't agree more," The blind man mutters.
A pause. Then: "By the way, where are you from?"
"North of here."
Caesar's tone sharpens. "North from here is the Pale Reach."
The blind man's hand tightens on the hilt of his sword.
Caesar turns away, gazing out over the night. "Been meaning to ask… that sword. Only Golden Cloaks carry blades like that. Either you killed a knight and took it, or you're the false knight traveling with Valthor."
The blind man says nothing.
"I heard the stories," Caesar continues. "About your… incompetence. Letting a boy playing god tempt you. Foolish, if you ask me. What do you expect in return? He'll just use you for his own ends."
In one smooth motion, the blind man draws his sword and levels it at Caesar's back.
"You know," Caesar tilted his head back, looking at the stars.
"What I find funny? The Allthing has every ancient text ever written locked in their vaults. Every prophecy. Every warning. And the one they kept reading — the one that scared them enough to keep a boy in a cage for seven years — is maybe thirty words long."
He held up a finger.
"When the black flame stirs in mortal realm, the Silent One walks again. He alone can drive Surtr back into the dark before the burning."
He lowered his hand.
"That's it. Thirty words. And the boy you've been dragging across Valdheim is every single one of them."
Caesar doesn't flinch. "Didn't believe it until I saw his power for myself. Couldn't recognize him at first. You did good work hiding it—shaved his head, made him thinner."
"Shut up, brat," the blind man growls. "Don't make me kill you."
"I expect nothing less from you, oath-breaker. What was your ridiculous name again? Gnorm?"
Suddenly, Caesar reaches into his own mouth—impossibly—and draws forth a massive, gleaming weapon that had been hidden by some strange magic. The blind man—Gnorm—stares in stunned silence.
Outside the bar
Julius steps out into the night with Caesar's companions. They freeze as a distant explosion lights up the horizon.
"That's the signal, huh?" Sara says.
They move to grab Julius, but a tremendous force hurls them all backward. They crash through the tavern wall in a shower of splintered wood and broken tables.
The chapter ends with Gnorm raising his sword, facing Caesar in deadly silence under the starlit sky.
To be continued