I climbed up over the hill, tired from my journey. I looked down at the brightly colored tents clustered around a large bonfire. I needed to hurry; they were so close to the grove. I stumbled over the rise of rocks and slid down the other side. Guards came up from behind the surrounding trees and boulders. I lifted my hands up and let them lead me to the camp.
They escorted me to the large central tent. A flag waved above the entrance. A falcon in mid-flight was encircled by a chain. I knew the insignia. I wondered how long I had been in the grove. I sighed and stepped into the tent. I stopped a few feet from the small table. An older man was sitting there. A quick look told me he was the colonel. I nodded at him.
“Please, sit down.”
He gestured to the empty chair across the table from him.
I sat down.
“Thank you.”
“So, who are you and where did you come from?”
“I’m Jonathan Montgomery of Pine Song. My village was attacked and some of our people were carried away. We went after them.”
“Where are the others?”
“All dead.”
“How did you manage to make it out?”
“I hid.”
“You hid?”
He leaned forward and folded his hands on top of the table.
“They came at us from nowhere. We didn’t stand a chance. We scattered and hid. To the best of my knowledge, I’m the only survivor.”
He nodded.
“What did you learn?”
“I was able to follow one of the creatures back to their base camp. They cleared out. Sounded like they were heading to the eastern ridge.”
“Good.”
He pulled a sheet of paper and a pen from a box on the floor.
“I’m grateful for your information. However, you will have to remain in custody until you can be fully debriefed.”
He scribbled furiously.
“I will have you escorted to Port Oak. Give them your full account there.”
He wrote some more, then folded the paper and sealed it. He stuffed it into a tube and handed it to me.
“You’ve done well. We’ll make sure your people are avenged.”
