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The night was unsettling, with shadows dancing under the faint light of the moon. We had won the negotiations with the poachers, but the triumph quickly dissolved as the sound of hooves and distant shouts filled the air. The ground trembled under the weight of an approaching army, and we stood frozen, surrounded by the night and uncertainty.

As the noise grew louder, the gleam of steel caught the moonlight. Soldiers encircled us, their weapons drawn and ready. The weight of the situation sank in—we had no chance if they decided to attack.

Mannes glanced at me, his face pale but composed. Without speaking, we both understood. There was no way we could fight this. Even our victory with the poachers now felt insignificant.

A commanding voice broke through the night. "Drop your weapons!"

Mannes was the first to comply, releasing his sword. The rest of us followed suit including my men and the poachers, weapons clattering to the dirt. We raised our hands in surrender, praying that the leaders of this force wouldn’t simply cut us down.

From the ranks of the soldiers, a figure began to approach. A woman, sitting tall and proud atop a dark horse, dressed in elaborate, polished armour that gleamed under the moonlight. Her dark cloak trailed behind her, and her hood obscured most of her features, but her piercing eyes were visible, scanning each of us with calculated authority. Every move she made on her horse spoke of power and control.

Her eyes settled on us, narrowing slightly. "Which one of you decided to start this little enterprise of illegal poaching?" she asked, her voice sharp and cold.

I quickly stepped forward, knowing I had to explain before things got worse. "We’re not poachers, my lady. We’re mercenaries. We were sent by Tadeos, the governor, to deal with this issue. I convinced the poachers to surrender peacefully."

At the mention of Tadeos, her eyes flared with anger. She shifted slightly on her horse, her gaze burning into me with fury. "Governor, you say?" Her voice was low but laced with venom. "Tadeos is no governor here. How dare you call him that in my presence!"

I swallowed hard, realizing I had struck a nerve. Her reaction was far stronger than I anticipated, and I could feel her displeasure ripple through the soldiers around us.

"Forgive me, my lady," I said quickly, lowering my head. "I misspoke. We were only following orders."

Her gaze stayed fixed on me for a few more agonizing moments before she spoke again. "Tadeos," she muttered under her breath as if the name itself disgusted her. "He may have sent you, but you answer to me now."

Her voice rang with authority, and she turned her attention to the poachers. "So, these are the ones who agreed to surrender?"

I nodded. "Yes, my lady. They’ve agreed to cease their illegal activities and face justice."

There was a brief pause as she scanned the poachers with disdain. "Justice, you say? so are they prepared to die ?" She had a concerned look. "They’ll face justice, but not in the way Tadeos intended."

With a sharp gesture, she signalled for her soldiers to move. They grabbed the poachers and began lining them up. One of her men brought out a heavy whip, its leather strands thick and menacing. The poachers’ faces drained of colour as the woman dismounted her horse, now standing tall before them.

"You will each receive ten lashes," she declared, her voice cold and final. "Consider it a gift of mercy, for I could do far worse."

The poachers began to plead, but their words were cut off by the sound of the whip cracking through the air. Each strike echoed louder than the last, and the screams that followed seemed to linger in the night. I stood by, my stomach twisting, though I tried to hide it. Mannes kept his eyes forward, his expression as hard as stone. He had seen things like this before, but it never became easier to witness.

When the punishment was finished, the poachers were released, battered and broken. They limped away into the shadows, their bodies marked by the lashes they’d received. The woman turned her gaze back to Mannes and me, her expression unreadable.

"As for you," she said, her voice now addressing us directly. "You will come with me to Jalmyrys. We have unfinished business, and I will not have you running back to Tadeos before I decide what’s to be done."

Mannes and I exchanged a glance. There was no point in arguing. This woman held all the power, and it was clear that we were now in her hands.

She mounted her horse again with a swift, practised movement, and her soldiers began to form up around us. We were led out of the camp, and I felt the weight of everything that had transpired sitting heavily on my shoulders. We had managed to win over the poachers, but now we found ourselves under the control of someone far more dangerous.