His father had been a carpenter. It was not a trade inherited from his grandfather, as that man had been a blacksmith, and before that, his family were apparently potters. They chose whatever profession brought them the most money, and Sadiq had been expected to take up his father's trade or find another that promised success. Sadiq loathed either option because he understood it to be pointless.

  The To’eh clan held no weight behind their name. They were not known for anything, and people overlooked them. While some vendors at the market had people flock to them without much prompting, his father was practically begging for someone to buy the table he painstakingly carved. No weight meant his clan was unimportant, unseen, unless it was to bleed them dry for all they were worth, like the Harald Clan did.

  When Sadiq was young, he would sometimes dream about doing something extraordinary, something that would set his clan apart. He had thought about becoming a warrior, going off to lead men into battle, but that meant he would have to join Harald’s army, and that had not sat well with him. Then he pursued the idea of leaving his family to wander the lands, becoming a nomad who helped others, and news about his good deeds would be spread. It had been an enticing thought, yet it had felt selfish to leave his family fending for themselves.

  He had dreamt of many paths, planning his future with a sense of hope.

  How naive he had been.

  “Please allow us more time!” the girl pleaded, falling to her knees and grabbing the edge of his robes to keep him from leaving. “We will find a way to get the money! Don’t take them, I’m begging you!”

  Sadiq looked at the groveling girl; her silver hair grew muddy, along with the rest of her clothing, as she bowed in the mud. She is the leader of the Memoria Clan, having taken over after the death of her father and brother. He cannot recall her name, but she is a young lady at fifteen, whose spirit has frayed because of the responsibility laid on her. It is not typical for the daughter to take over leadership, but her clan had no one else to turn to. Her brother had sired no children as he was three years younger than her, and her mother had passed away the year prior. She was all that remained, and Sadiq had to commend her because she was desperate to uphold her people’s trust, forgoing her pride by groveling at his feet.

  Sadiq wondered if she had dreamt like he used to when he was a child. Had she believed she would marry into a clan of prestige, that she could leave her life of poverty behind for something more, or perhaps she thought her father would one day reveal to her and her people that he had stumbled upon some great fortune? Whatever her future might have been, it was no longer hers, and she should accept the path before her. “What do you think is the priority of a clan leader?” Sadiq asked, crouching to her level. It was then that he noticed her actions inadvertently caused the bottom of his robes to become dirtied with mud. The mud marred the emerald green silk with accents of silver, and he found a strange satisfaction in seeing the Harald Clan’s colors smothered in filth.

  He focused his attention back on the girl, repeating his question as he gently caressed the back of her head. “To protect his people,” she replied, hesitantly lifting her head to meet Sadiq’s eyes. Her crimson eyes glistened from her shed tears, and Sadiq felt a margin of pity for her. “You’re correct. Their safety should be held above all else, so why do you tempt that?”

  “Our village is small, and you’re taking the best of our youth and the more experienced adults! Without them, how will we fare?”

  “Better because you won’t be dead,” Sadiq simply replied. A look of terror came over the girl’s eyes, and Sadiq wondered if her father had taught her nothing of the consequences that came when defying Clan Leader Cedric. “If you continue to fight us, then I will have the soldiers draw their swords against you. We will kill anyone who opposes us, and those left alive will come with us anyway.” The girl sat back on her knees, still clutching the hem of his robes. “Any life is better than none at all,” he said, ignoring the memories his words brought with them.

  “We will struggle….”

  “You always were, so what difference does it make?”

  “....None.”

  Sadiq watched as the girl loosened her hold. Around him, there had been ensuing chaos as the villagers had protested against Harald’s soldiers taking away their loved ones, but their fighting ceased when the girl raised her voice loud enough for all to hear—“Let them take who they want! Stop—stop fighting and let the soldiers take them!”

  He stood up. “Be glad today that you made the right decision.”

  —————

  The sun had already left the sky before Sadiq returned home. His position as squire to Seneschal Valentin offered him a decent way of living. The Seneschal owned a sizable acreage of land, and there Sadiq’s dwelling was built. His home is a single-storied manor crafted with high gables, tall arched windows, and heavy wooden doors branded in iron. The manor was expansive in size, holding many rooms within, all furnished with handcrafted pieces. It was a home that could comfortably fit a family, offering shelter, breathable space, and a sense of wealth.

  When Sadiq stepped through the doors and was met with silence, however, the manor felt like an empty coffin. He crept through the darkened hallways, the wall candles unlit, and went to the kitchen and stood at the threshold, and before him came the image of his mother, smiling as she cooked their evening dinner. His mother used to love to cook, even though she had hardly anything to make a meal with. It was enough for her to provide something for her husband and children. Sadiq could only imagine what she would be cooking if she were granted permission to all the foodstuffs he had in his pantry. The moment Sadiq moves, the image fades, and he breathes slowly before abandoning his thought of food to head for his study.

  His study is also the manor’s library, and before the manor was built, Sadiq had never seen such an array of books and journals. It had been done upon Valentin’s request as the Seneschal wanted his squire to be learned. Sadiq had been unable to read and write, but after years with various tutors, he became quite distinguished. In fact, Sadiq believes that if his mother and sisters could see him now, he would be unrecognizable. Then again, perhaps they would be as well to him.

  “I thought you would be gone for much longer. Don’t tell me you burned the village down and that’s why you’ve returned so soon.”

  Sadiq had thought that when Valentin had taken him as his squire, it meant that he would be given enough privilege to keep his mother and sisters with him. That assumption had been incorrect, and it had been with trepidation that they were torn away from him. He later learned, after many months, that his mother became a servant to the court secretary, and his sisters were handmaidens to the clan leader’s youngest daughter. Perhaps it was harsh, but he thanked God that his sisters were of average features, nothing striking in their appearance. Their father used to joke that the only one who stood a chance at marrying into money was Sadiq, and it was by this fortune that his sisters were kept safe.

  Without his family by his side, Sadiq had thought he would have to live alone. Another incorrect assumption because Valentin had appointed Bauer as his yeoman and set him to live with Sadiq in the manor. Their first days together had seen Bauer continuously try to harm Sadiq, hating the boy for his betrayal against their clan, but that was not the only reason why he festered a hatred. Bauer had been married, and he and his wife had taken guardianship over their granddaughter when her parents passed. They had loved the girl, raising her from infancy until she turned twelve. The family became separated after Sadiq led Harald’s soldiers to the cave in the mountains, and Bauer received no word about them for almost as long as Sadiq had about his family, until the day Bauer came into contact with a butler who knew of his granddaughter.

  Bauer’s wife had been killed when she tried defending her granddaughter against the noble who sought to make her his fourth concubine. For an extended period, Valentin had to separate the two men as Bauer became so inconsolable that he promised death against Sadiq and the noble who stole his granddaughter. When it was finally time for Bauer to come back to the manor, he treated Sadiq with a new indifference, his loathing for the man simmering underneath the surface. He did not try again to take Sadiq’s life, but Sadiq did not trust the man and slept with his bedroom door locked and barricaded.

  Even now, after twenty-seven years have passed, the man has yet to let go of his anger.

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  “There was no need to,” Sadiq replied. He sits at the only desk, pristine parchment before him, as he uses a quill and ink to write a report to Valentin, who will later present it to Clan Leader Cedric. As he writes, he keeps Bauer within the corner of his eye on the off chance the man decides to lunge at him. Despite Bauer being advanced in age, the man was still sprightly, and Sadiq believes he keeps himself in shape, awaiting the opportunity to strike out against the masters who have taken everything from him. “Their clan leader— She gave her people willingly.”

  “I presume after she heard your foul, deceitful words about life and a leader’s responsibility?” Bauer asked, sneering and already knowing the answer. “You don’t believe in the words, yet you repeat them ever since Valentin taught them to you.”

  “Why are you here, Bauer?” Sadiq questioned, cutting off any further remarks the man had about his work. They were always the same, and it is not like this is the first time Sadiq has returned from a village collection, nor will it be the last.

  The man frowned, but pulled from within the confines of his yeoman’s tunic a folded letter. “Valentin came for a visit and said to hand this to you whenever you came back to the manor.” Bauer said, not bothering to walk up to Sadiq and instead choosing to flick the letter his way. Sadiq caught it, and before he could ask what the contents were about, Bauer promptly left.

  “I am currently within the capital, and want you to join me. Our clan leader has bestowed a unique quest upon us, and I will relay the details to you once you’ve arrived.”— Seneschal Valentin Harald.

  —————

  “Do you know of the Reis Clan?”

  Sadiq tilted his head. He is standing before his seneschal while the other man sits behind a large mahogany desk, with various stacks of papers lining the desk, and an inkwell in the corner. Valentin looked troubled, and although the man’s ebony skin was never impaired by wrinkles even while being of older age, he finally looked weathered. “They are Harald’s highest contributors. I’ve never had to survey their clan because they pay on time, and Clan Leader Cedric affords them special privileges. They are akin to the noble status of those in the high courts, but aren’t involved with political matters.”

  “You are correct,” Valentin replied, looking pleased with Sadiq. Since becoming Valentin’s squire, the man has done much to teach Sadiq how to navigate the Harald Clan. It is Valentin’s goal for Sadiq to take over his position one day, and Sadiq cannot help but feel grateful to the man. He may have been the one to burn his village, but he was also the one who gave Sadiq life, so he tries to repay him through diligent service. “Our normal interactions with them are simple letters and parcels they deliver to the capital. They provide us with ledgers so we can review their earnings and determine the amount of tribute they owe. If anything is amiss, they will send word to us, and that is that. Eight days ago, they failed to pay their tribute. We gave them leniency since this was their first infraction, but now that we're nearing fifteen days without payment, we cannot tolerate such insolence. I want you to visit the clan and determine why they’ve suddenly stopped communicating.”

  He was dismissed afterward.

  —————

  The Reis Clan is situated on the northeastern side of Harald’s territory within the city of Palermo. From how Valentin described the town to him, Palermo stretched across the valley in a jumble of narrow streets and tight alleyways, packed closely together. The city was always full of movement: merchants called out their wares, children ran laughing through the lanes, and musicians and performers filled the corners with music and spectacle. At the heart of the city loomed the land belonging to the Reis Clan. They imposed their rule over the city, maintaining order, whilst also hypocritically committing offenses against the people, not that the inhabitants would ever say anything against them. To go against the Reis Clan was to invite death.

  When Sadiq and his party neared the first houses that marked the city’s border, he had expected noise to greet them, seeing as it was near midday. Not a sound reached their ears, and Sadiq felt a sense of dread as they urged their horses to continue forward. Why the city was so quiet became apparent when suddenly the rows of houses and shops gave way to pure destruction.

  Crumbled buildings, piles of ash, and blackened timber filled his view as he tried to comprehend what he saw. It was as if a storm had come through to wipe the city off the face of the earth. The hooves of their mounts crunched against the debris. Sadiq, although weary, decided to call out. “Are there any souls that have survived this catastrophe?”

  His words echoed across the landscape of debris, and it seemed there would be no response until a shifting of rubble startled them. His party consisted of five soldiers, and they circled him with their weapons drawn. He may not be as skilled a fighter, despite training under Valentin, but Sadiq, too, withdrew his sword. The man can still hold his own, although he is praying against confrontation as his eyes search for the source of the noise. “Whoever is there, make yourself known by order of Squire Sadiq To’eh under Seneschal Valentin Harald!”

  From behind a wall that bent inward on the verge of collapsing, a man emerged. He is a man roughly in his early twenties or in the middle of them. He wore long, flowing robes of violet, white, and yellow, layered with wide sleeves and tied at the waist by a simple sash. His off-white hair is straight, and its long length is worn in a half-up style where the top portion is tied back with a violet ribbon while the rest falls freely down his back. His face is smooth and refined, with an oval-to-angular shape and a straight jawline—his almond-shaped eyes, the crimson color vibrant against his olive skin. Altogether, he is a handsome and fit young man, someone Harald would have taken into their ranks, although at the moment his features were deformed by grief.

  Sadiq lowered his weapon, signaling for his men to follow suit as he watched the young man, who did not bother acknowledging them as he continued searching through rubble. He chose to forgive such blatant disregard, chalking up the man’s poor etiquette to trauma induced by what he and the city experienced. “Young man, did you live here? Can you tell what happened? Where are all the people?”

  “I don’t know,” the man replied, continuing his search, not once looking their way. “I haven’t found anyone yet, and it is already the sixth day.”

  “What happened?” Sadiq repeated.

  “The Reis Clan was slaughtered, and the people living in the city were casualties during the culling.”

  “Was it the Bellona Clan?” That was the only explanation Sadiq could come up with. Out of all the warring clans, the Bellonas were slowly rising on par with the Haralds. They have consistently snatched away land and forced Harald to either concede or go to war. There was a possibility that Bellona had approached the Reis Clan to join their territory, and upon their refusal, their lives were taken. It could also be that Reis was the instigator, seeking to betray Harald, but instead of being welcomed by the Bellonas, they were used as an example. If the Bellonas have grown powerful enough to destroy a city, then Harald could be at risk.

  “No.”

  Sadiq reared back. “Then which clan could do this?”

  “It was no clan. No army of soldiers, no fighting—it was simply one man, playing the ballad of death,” the stranger replied, his tone a mixture of frustration, anger, and sorrow. He tipped over a large beam and sank to his knees. Sadiq tilted his body to see that the man had uncovered what looked like the lifeless body of a small child.”He killed them all….”

  Sadiq dismounted from his horse and waved away his men, who attempted to obstruct his path toward the stranger. He came up to him, watching as the man held the child’s hands, and he could hear a gentle prayer falling from the man’s lips—“Into your hands this child goes. Let the Lamb of God bring him peace, and may he rejoice in the Father’s light…in the name of Jesus, amen.”

  “Young man, what is your name?”

  “Heartsease,” the man answered. “If sir can please allow me room. I wish to take the boy to be properly buried.”

  Sadiq did as Heartsease requested, but that did not halt him from seeking further information. “And your surname, Young Heartsease?”

  “I don’t possess one. I was orphaned at birth, so I am part of no clan.”

  “Then…Young Heartseas, you grew up as an orphan in this city. Was he someone you knew, or was he a wanderer who decided to cause unspeakable trouble? Please be concise because the information you provide will be reported to Clan Leader Cedric.”

  By this point, Heartsease had dug the deceased boy out of the wreckage in which he had been lying, and he pulled forth a piece of cloth to place over the boy’s face. “I didn’t grow up here, and neither did he. We were supposed to pass through, but the Reis Clan had made that difficult.”

  Sadiq could understand what the young man meant by that. Part of the reason the Reis Clan was so wealthy is that they trapped the residents of the city. No one could leave, as they had to work to provide the clan with the money they gave as tribute, and anyone who came into the city gambled with their freedom. The young man and his friend might have sought adventure, but if something about them caught the eye of one of the Reis clansmen, then there was no escaping their fate.

  “You’re still neglecting to tell me his name. Are you protecting him? What is the man to you?”

  Heartsease looked up suddenly at him, and Sadiq was taken aback by his solemn expression, tears falling from the young man’s eyes. “His name is Adagio, and although not bound by blood, we are brothers.”