Two days later, after dispatching all the troops into the mountains, Uncle Marrok returned to the castle and found me in the office reviewing all the documents.

“Nephew,” he said from the door.

I stood up as he walked into the office. “Uncle Marrok, are you okay?”

“No. But what can I do? Life must continue.” Uncle Mark's voice was filled with sadness. “The troops will have feedback in the next two days. By the end of the week, we should ...