Eric opened his eyes.
"By all the Saints! You are alive!" Tern called sitting beside his bed.
"What happened?" Eric asked in confusion.
A doctor entered the room.
"So you're awake already? You're really strong, lieutenant."
"A dagger stab has knocked me out, I wouldn't call that strength." Eric replied reluctantly.
"Haha, you don't have to worry. Stab was not what beated you. It was a poison, quite a strong poison." The doctor laughed.
"Your father was here too, but he was called to something important." Tern smiled.
"Don't lie to me, Tern... What about Carn?" Eric replied.
"He went for something to eat. He was really here... for a while."
Carn entered the room.
"I have everything. Something sweet, meat, bread, fruit... Ah, Eric, you're awake?"
"Hah... You have truly devoted friends. Looks like you no longer require my attention. Eat and then I'll come back to see you again." The doctor said and left the room.
But then someone else entered...
Both Tern and Carn stood in consternation.
Eric, just overwhelmed with food, tried to get out of the bed.
"It's alright, lieutenant, just lie down."
A hooded man approached Eric.
The blood in his veins was freezing from the man's presence.
"Our society hopes for your fast recovery. I came to thank you for your courage, lieutenant. We'll meet again when you're out of this building. And your friends... can accompany you." The hooded man then left the room.
They all breathed out loudly.
"Saints... If this was a friendly meeting... I really wouldn't want to be their enemy." Carn sighed.
"So, in the end you'll get to them, by a different way, but you will. I can't wait to be afraid to talk to you." Tern laughed.
"It's not yet certain. I don't know exactly what they want." Eric replied.
"What have you done?" Carn asked.
"My job, Carn." Eric answered sharply.
The next day Eric was released from the hospital.
He headed straight for the guardhouse.
"Eric? Are you here already? You should rest." The man sitting in the alcove in the main corridor said in dismay.
"I'm alright, Garon. Is there any work to do?"
"Actually, no. There was only one strange guy... He left you the letter." Garon handed Eric a letter with a seal that he already knew well.
It was the seal of the Crows.
Eric settled into the chair in the corridor and opened the letter.
It said "At 8 o'clock in the north meadow."
After a regular walk around the city, Eric went to a meeting place. The moon lit the meadow, the place was unusually silent and cold.
Suddenly, several men in the hoods emerged from the darkness. "So you came alone?" The familiar man from the hospital said with a smile.
"Yes, sir." Eric replied.
Eric stood upright, with his head up.
He wasn't afraid, he felt respect and averse at the same time. However, he got used to this feeling a long time ago.
"You don't look scared. You surprise me." The hooded man said.
"A man loyal to the Imperium has no reason to be afraid of another man loyal to the Imperium, isn't it right?" Eric replied.
"You're absolutely right." The man laughed.
"You helped us a lot, we want to pay you back."
"Hmm... And do you mean something specific?" Eric asked.
"We know you would like to become one of us. We could..."
"I'd rather get that position because of my abilities than my connections, sir." Eric said proudly.
"Haha... I have to say I didn't expect this." The man laughed.
"But I see that you already have the skills, Eric. Have you tried to join?" Another man asked.
"Yes sir, but I'm not worthy yet." Eric replied.
"I don't understand who would refuse someone like you..."
"My father, sir." Eric replied.
"What...? So you're..."
"Yes, sir." Eric said.
"Your mother must have been very brave." One of the men said seriously.
"She probably was." Eric replied.
"Strange... So what can we do for you, blooded one?"
"For the beginning, stop calling me like that." Eric replied with disgust.
"Forgive me, others like you appreciate the title." The man frowned.
"But I don't, I didn't choose it." Eric frowned.
"Aren't you happy for that? There are very few people like you. You should be proud of the sacrifice your mother has made to give birth to a new, perfect race." One of the men proclaimed.
"Do you call this perfection? I wouldn't call it that way." Eric said.
They all looked at him blankly.
"Back to the point, we still owe you... Tell me what you want."
Eric thought for a while.
"That expedition to the Old Empire... I'd like to be there." Eric suggested.
"You already have the preconditions for this. All right, we'll see what we can do with it." The man nodded, and before Eric blinked, they were all gone.
"Eric? What are you doing here?" Tern approached.
"And what are you doing here?" Eric asked.
"You left that letter to Garon."
"Are you reading my letters?"
"No, just this one. We were both worried about you... I'm sorry."
"Oh, that's alright, Tern. What did you think they would do to me?" Eric smiled.
"I don't know..."
"Hmm... Let's go back to city, Tern." Eric said, and they both went there.
"What did they really want from you?" Tern asked.
"Just to give me the reward." Eric replied.
"Seriously? And what?"
"We'll see, Tern." Eric smiled.
They both identified themselves by the gate guard, and walked through the huge gate to the city.
"Now, let's split up, huh?" Tern said.
"Yes, I'm pretty cold after all of that." Eric replied, while shuddering.
"We'll see each other tomorrow. Goodbye, Eric." Tern said.
"You too... And Tern?" Eric shouted.
"Yes?"
"Thank you."
Tern just smiled and walked on the wide, empty road home.
ns 15.158.61.8da2
