"I was about ten when Bluhera invaded Kirh," Reed began. His eyes remained fixed on the darkness in front of him, undoubtedly seeing things Neve could not begin to fathom. "Before then, I went to school. My older brother had already gone abroad to attend university. My father was a merchant, which is why we were educated.
"He traded with both Bluhera and Asteria before the war. But he and my mother were both part of the Kirh's nationalist movement. They protested Bluhera's influence over Kirh, even before the invasion. When Bluhera's forces finally arrived, they completely extinguished any form of resistance."
Neve's heart twinged for the boy. She had been sheltered from the effects of the war, having been tucked away safely in the Capital.
"My parents were imprisoned and publicly executed," Reed continued, his voice remaining resolutely steady. "They let me live, but I had no place to go. Our relatives had either been imprisoned or had fled the country. And Kirh's infrastructure had been completely decimated by Bluhera's forces, so I couldn't even enter a monastery.
"I wasn't the only child orphaned by the invasion, though. We stuck together and did whatever we could to survive. Stealing, pickpocketing, panhandling...it was the only way we could feed ourselves."
"I don't think anyone could fault you for that," Neve said quietly.
"Well, the people I pickpocketed might not agree with that," Reed replied with an almost imperceptible smile. "I'm quite good at it, pickpocketing. I was only caught once."
"Oh?"
Reed's smile faltered. "Those bandits, the ones you killed. They were part of a huge criminal organization from Bluhera. The ones who went to Kirh kidnapped children and women and brought them back with them."
Neve clenched her jaw. "I suppose it was not a mistake to kill them, then."
"Not really, no," he agreed. "Though the ones you killed were certainly not the most dangerous. The members of the organization I encountered in Kirh were the wealthiest of the bunch. I thought I could target them, and the other orphans and I could finally escape Kirh.
"And I succeeded, at first. I managed to sneak into their estate and escape with some money and jewels. I didn't want to take much more than we needed, since I didn't want them to notice what I had done."
The boy sighed, a bit sheepishly, and continued with his story. "But I didn't realize the value of the jewels I had stolen. By the next morning, the organization had begun to ransack the city, searching for the jewels.
"I gave the money to the orphans, telling them to pay a merchant to escort them across the southern border. I stayed behind to cover my tracks, since I sold the jewels to smugglers the night before.
"The organization caught me. Someone must have informed them," Reed said, shaking his head regretfully. "I wished I had left with the other orphans. I'm great at stealing but absolute shite at lying.
"They beat me black and blue. They told me I could either forfeit my life, or spend it repaying my debt to them."
"So you chose to live," Neve concluded, empathizing with the boy. What child would have chosen death?
Reed nodded. "They took me to Bluhera. I mostly continued stealing and pickpocketing. I tried to escape a few times, so they sent me up north, with the bandits you killed. You know, so I couldn't run back to Kirh."
"And somehow, you ended up in Asteria. What an incredible story," Neve remarked. She turned her head, catching the boy's gaze. Her next words were delivered heavily. "I'm sorry you had to experience such horrors. I can't imagine the pain you must have gone through."
"Well, you won't have to imagine it for much longer," Reed shrugged, looking away. "We're headed to Hell's Gate. You'll see it all for yourself."
Neve bit her lip, turning back to the road ahead of her. The weight of Reed's words rested heavily on her shoulders. The pair rode in silence for what felt like hours, watching the scenery pass through the dim light of their torches and the occasional moonlight that slipped through the clouds overhead.
When the silence grew deafening, Neve spoke again.
"Explain your encounter with Bluhera's Imperial Army."
Reed jumped at the sound of Neve's voice, causing his stallion to grunt in annoyance. He steadied himself, cursing under his breath.
"It's as I explained earlier," Reed replied. "We were raiding military camps when we found the Imperial Army. We didn't realize it, at the time, because they were disguised. I went to scout the area first, since that was my job."
"Disguised…" Neve repeated quietly, furrowing her brow. It was unusual for such esteemed knights to be hidden in the northern forests.
"It was evening when I snuck into the main tent. The knights were eating outside, so I had time to look around," Reed proceeded with his story. "Right away, I noticed something was wrong. Their equipment was expensive, more expensive than anything I had seen before. Then I saw a cloak with the crest.
"I ripped the crest off without thinking. For proof, maybe? If I had been caught, they would've had my head. In any case, I knew I had to escape. But I stayed back for a few moments to listen to the knights through the tent. Just in case I could hear any information worth selling."
"You must enjoy playing with fire," Neve observed.
"Well, the greater the risk, the greater the reward," Reed replied. "Plus, I had a huge debt to repay."
Any trace of humour disappeared from Neve's lips. The gravity of Reed's situation, as well as her own, weighed on her again. "Of course."
"What I heard exceeded my expectations," the boy continued ambiguously. "I ran after that. I knew we weren't safe. I told the bandits about the Imperial Army, but not about what I had overheard. They didn't believe me until Bluhera's hunting dogs tracked us down."
Neve nodded, listening raptly. She had heard many stories about Bluhera's hunting dogs. Their Imperial Army fought with hunting dogs, which Asteria claimed was archaic. They were beasts that mercilessly pursued their foes, human or otherwise, like prey.
"We left as quickly as we could. The dogs followed us for hours. We managed to fight them off, but we lost two men along the way," Reed explained. "We continued west for the next few days, not realizing how far we had gone. That's when we, uh, encountered you on the road."
"You're lucky you survived the journey between Bluhera and Asteria," Neve said. "I'm quite impressed that you did."
"Some of the bandits were from the north, so they could forage and hunt," the boy replied. "But there's really not much this far north. By the end of it, we had to eat tree bark."
"My sympathies," Neve said in earnest. She looked at Reed through a sideways glance. "Now, tell me exactly what you heard from the Imperial Knights."
Reed gulped audibly. His voice wavered slightly as he spoke. "You might find this difficult to believe...My Lady."
"Forget the formalities," Neve almost snapped, eyeing the boy suspiciously. 'Had he been lying this whole time?'
"I'm not lying," Reed blurted out, as if he had heard Neve's thoughts. "But it sounds like fantasy. I wouldn't believe it, had I not heard it directly from the Imperial Knights' mouths."
"Even if the information you give me is false, it is still my duty to report it," Neve said. "So I will withhold any judgement."
Reed nodded, licking his lips nervously. "Well, I heard...I heard that Bluhera's Imperial Army was planning to invade Asteria in a fortnight. And that the Red General would be leading them."