William and Rogas rowed all night down the river to the north. When morning came, even though they were tired and sleepy, they still rowed. Rogas who was sitting in the front said over and over that they had better get away as fast as possible and then disappear. But when William asked how they would disappear, and did Rogas really had a plan, the man laughed.
"That's what's interesting about adventures. We don't know what we will find. We also don't know what we're going to do next!"
William was annoyed. "This is not an adventure. We're running away. We should have a plan if we don't want to be caught."
"I have a plan!" said Rogas. "I've heard of the villages in the north. We're going there."
They rowed non-stop, and finally reached a village in the afternoon. The village, called Orulion, was situated at the corner of the confluence of the river they had crossed with its larger parent river to the west, the famous and long Ordelahr River far to the north.
Its strategic position makes this village visited by fishing boats from the north and south. The crowd was like a small town, but because it was so far to the north, the influence of the Alton Kingdom didn't extend here.
In the past, Alton had stationed a number of his soldiers nearby, but not for long. The village was not rich and Alton needed his soldiers more to face the threat from the Tavarin Kingdom in the south. In the north, there was another nation that was also dangerous, the Hualeg people, but for most of the Alton people, the Hualeg land was far and had relatively few soldiers, not worthy enough to be a threat to the kingdom. So finally Alton gave up the north and left the residents there to fight on their own if the Hualegs came.
When Rogas told about the Hualeg people, William did not want to comment. In his heart somehow he was annoyed that Rogas continued to insult his father's native nation. But what Rogas said had some truth in it. In the last ten years, Hualeg's men have come five times to rob the villages north of the Ordelahr River. William was silent because he did not want his origins as a descendant of the Hualeg people to be known by others.
"So here's my plan," said Rogas as they tied the boat to the mast and climbed onto the dock. He glanced left and right, to make sure none of the villagers could hear. There was actually no one else near them, but Rogas still whispered, as if something he was about to say was very important.
"The village head here is called Turpin—or Taupin, eh?" he said. "A few weeks ago I heard he teamed up with other village heads in this north area to form an army of their own, which could fight if Hualeg's men came to attack. You know what, here's our chance. We can join this army." He gave one of the stolen swords to William and hooked another to his belt.
"Join them for what?" William asked.
"For what? Of course to get money!"
"But we went north here to hide. If we stay here too long and Mornitz comes, he can find us right away. Why don't we go further east? We just have to follow the creek to the end."
"What do you want to do in those forests? Be a hunter until you're old? How much money do you think you can make from there?"
"Why is it only money you think about?" said William indignantly. "I followed you here because I believed what you said, that we could safely hide in the north! Not for money!"
"But before that, you also suggested that we head south and join Alton's army. It's the same now, we become soldiers too, it's just that the people who pay us now are the villagers, not the kingdom. And don't tell me you don't like money," said Rogas curtly. "That's bullshit."
"You're the one who always says bullshit! This morning you said we should disappear, now you say to make money. Is this what you mean by the plan? You're only doing what's in your favor at the moment. You don't care about other people. No wonder so many people want to kill you!"
"Be careful with what you say, brat," said Rogas furiously with a savage look in his eyes. "I can beat you right now."
"Just try it then." William was furious too. "Do you want to fight? Or a sword fight? I can beat you easily. You know that."
"You know nothing. You're just a kid. Yes, you are strong and fast, but I can still beat you in some way."
William and Rogas looked at each other. Hands on the hilt of the sword.
A moment later, Rogas' expression changed. The man grinned widely. "Hey, hey, why are we doing this? We're both friends, right? Relax."
William shook his head. "I will become your friend when I can believe what you say. So before you proceed with your plan, you better tell me why this happened. What terrible thing did you do to make those people want to kill you, and also what terrible thing were you thinking when you met Mornitz at the tavern."
"My story can be very long. Now is not the right time. And what do you mean when I'm at the tavern? Do you think I have some kind of bad intention? You saw it, I was trapped by them and about to be killed!"
"I think when you met Mornitz at the tavern, you actually had the intention of either killing him or robbing him. Right? Rather than working for him, it would be more profitable if you could just take the money from him." He stared intently at Rogas, making the man dumbfounded.
Roger shook his head. "Where did you get such thoughts from?"
"I can sense it," William imitated Master Horsling's words. "The stench reached my nose. You can't lie to me."
"That …" Rogas looked nervous, seeming to really believe that William could read his bad intentions while in the tavern. "I didn't mean to do it! I do really want to work!"
William shook his head. "I think, just like now, you keep every possibility in your head. Including evil intentions. So when the time comes, you just have to choose which one is the most profitable for you."
"Well, aren't we all supposed to be like that?" Rogas smirked. "I mean, that's what being smart is. Always have lots of options."
"Others refer to it as cunning. And because they were so angry with your cunning, they wanted to kill you. That's what happened to Mornitz." William glared. "But you're right, maybe I should do that too another time, keeping a lot of plans. As long as I know first who my enemy is."
"William, I promise you I'll tell you everything, but not now."
Rogas glanced left and right. Their bickering has caught the attention of several people. Even though the number of people in this village wasn't much, it was a bad start if William and Rogas were to hide in this place.