It was a time when the air was filled with the scent of spring and the rolling hills were covered with an abundance of wildflowers. The waters of the Ojong River flowed cool from the Tandrill Rim, where lived the people of the village of Marna. They were a strong, peaceful people with roots long ago set down in this land, but they were known to be formidable warriors should the need arise. For generations, the Marnans, as they were known throughout the land, had served the king of Meridian as the king's guard, mainly because they were larger than most people, with uncanny reflexes and a fierce loyalty to the kingdom.

One such guard was Trent, only eighteen years old and already a well-disciplined swordsman. The day after Trent arrived at the king's keep, he began training with Lieutenant Baxter of the king's guard. He trained hard nine to ten hours a day to further hone his swordsmanship. Soon, Trent would become the best student that Baxter had ever seen. Of course, Baxter did not let Trent know this because he didn't want the young man to become complacent or let his guard down in the midst of a conflict. His talent was not wasted on the king either, who on many occasions watched the boy training, with a look of admiration for the boy's spirit and willingness to give all of himself up to the task at hand.

King Derek Osprey of Meridian was a good and kind man and was very proud of his guardsmen. Recently, the king had received several reports of bandits attacking the supply trains coming from the eastern border and so ordered Captain Hilliard to take his best men to quell any further attacks in the area.

Trent had been with the guard for only six weeks when his cadre was chosen to serve with Captain Hilliard on this mission. Trent being young and relatively new to the guard took up the rear position of sixty riders and started a cheerful conversation with his row mate, Blain, who was from a small village to the far northeast of the Tandrill Rim. Blain's family was very proud that he had been accepted into the king's guard for it had been a very long time since any man, young or old, had been accepted from the village of Cartha. It was indeed an event for his village to celebrate, and celebrate they did for three full sunsets, feasting, cheering, and wishing him well on his journey to the king's keep in Meridian.

The ride to the eastern borders of Meridian took the guardsmen just three days. On day two of the three-day trek, the guardsmen met a wagon train, which was heavily guarded by what appeared to be mercenaries. After breaking their fast with the people of the wagon train, the guardsmen again took to the road, but not before warning the people to keep a sharp eye out for bandits.

Shortly before evening, the guards came upon a section of trail where the carnage was difficult to describe. Men, women, and children had been decapitated and their heads set on pikes. It was the most craven thing the captain had ever seen. Captain Hilliard ordered the men to bury the dead and then set up camp and get fires burning both for light and cooking. After setting up camp, men set to the more menial activities that were essential to their success, such as sharpening their weapons. Checking armor and tending their mounts were taken care of by squires, who also began preparing the evening meal.

After things in the camp began to quiet down, Trent asked Blain, who was only three years older than him, "So, friend, if you don't mind my asking, how did you become a guard? I mean ... not that you aren't a good guard, but for all these years, the king's guard has only come from Marna, so why did the captain choose someone from your village?"

"That answer is not easy in the telling," Blain replied. "In the past, a long time ago, people from my village were in the last king's guard. And on a dark and stormy night, someone was able to get through the keep's defenses to kill Prince Osprey's firstborn."

Trent said with shock, "You mean the current king's son?"

"Yes," replied Blain. "It was a very sorrowful time for all of Meridian. You and I would not remember, but my people have kept the memory of that terrible night alive, for the lesson to be learned from it, and so that it would never be repeated. No one was ever brought to account for the crime, but the king couldn't bring himself to trust anyone but his loyal Marnan guards. The king only just lifted the ban on outside guards a few weeks ago because he realized that you big Marnans aren't so good in tight quarters. I mean no offense, friend, but you must admit that I can get into places that someone of your size could not."

Trent laughed and said, "True enough, friend. No offense taken."

Blain, although older, looked more like a boy than a man standing next to Trent, who stood seven feet even with wide muscular shoulders and chest. His biceps measured twenty-six inches around. He kept his nearly white blond hair cut short to keep it out of his eyes in battle. He wore dark red leather pants that had six sheaths for throwing knives down the sides. Blain was just five foot four, with short cropped brown hair and eyes. He was of average height and build but had fast reflexes and was very good with his weapons.

The following morning, the men struck camp and began searching the area for any sign of the bandits. After four hours of searching, Marcus, a lieutenant and the best tracker among them, found tracks of as many as forty horses, which seemed to be riding hard to the west. The thing that surprised him was that there were seven wagon tracks among the fleeing horses.

When Marcus returned to report his findings to the captain, the captain spoke the obvious: "The train we broke our fast with were in fact the very bandits we are looking for." Captain Hilliard ordered the men to return the way they had come and to watch for any sign that the bandits had left the trail. The captain was beside himself with anger at having allowed the bandits to slip so easily from his grasp. He was certain that the king would be most displeased at the news.

The guard patrols continued looking for any sign of the bandits, and they were completely baffled when on the second day of the pursuit, they had completely lost their tracks. Captain Hilliard ordered a rider to return to Meridian to request that a decoy wagon train be sent to aid in drawing the bandits out of hiding. Then he ordered half of his number to return near the east end of the trail and to sit in ambush should the bandits return to that area. He took the rest of the men to the halfway point of the trail, which led through a dense forested area with large rock outcroppings, and dispersed them at intervals. Fires were forbidden, and the men were ordered to keep noise to a minimum so as not to alert the bandits of their presence. Trent and Blain were stationed together behind a large rock.

Blain said to Trent, "I'll take first watch. I'll wake you if I hear anything."

"Stay vigilant and wake me in two hours," said Trent.

The night passed without any sign of the bandits. Captain Hilliard sent word to the men to stay hidden because the decoy wagon train would be sent from Meridian soon.

Around midday, Trent heard the wagon train approaching, and just as he turned to wake Blain, there was suddenly the thundering sound of battle in the air. Trent, Blain, and the other guardsmen leapt from their hiding places and scrambled toward the noise. There were ten guardsmen disguised as merchants...