Steel and Sorrow: Rise of the Mercenary king

Chapter 5: Small men have great shadows(5)

With a careful motion, Alpheo he opened his palm, allowing them to glimpse at it .

Jarza, the oldest among them, was the first to speak

"How did you manage to get your hands on this?" he asked, his eyes shining with interest.

Alpheo merely shrugged in response, a playful smirk playing on his lips. "Let's just say I have my ways," he replied cryptically, his eyes twinkling with mischief, seeing the other pressing him for answer with their eyes he relente

'' I porposelly broke an urn , or whatever you call that thing holding the wine, I received a slap for it , but in return I gained this'' He said as he flickered it within his finger. The eyes of the group following the hand-trick

''You are one of a kind Alph'' Egil muttered as he scratched his head in amazement ''While the rest of us are struggling to survive , you have the strenght to work towards our escape , I swear if we make it alive out of here, I will make a statue out of you''.

As the praise round continued, Clio and Jarza joined in with enthusiasm, their voices blending together . Alpheo watched them with pride, taking each word of praise as a personal triumph.

"With this, we now have four " Clio murmured, casting an admiring gaze at Alpheo, who stood tall and strong like a leader among them. "But who will hold onto it?" Egil interjected, breaking the momentary silence.

"Each of us already has one, and obviously Alpheo is out of the question. So...any volunteers?" There was a brief pause before Clio confidently spoke up. "I will keep it." But before anyone could protest, Jarza's voice rang out.

"No, I will be the one. I am the strongest and also a carrier. I will keep it in my mouth along with the others during the day, as I never have to speak, only to carry the sacks during the march ." All eyes turned to Jarza.

Everyone's gaze then went to Alpheo , after all he was the facto-leader of the group, as most decision went through him .

With a nod from Alpheo, it was decided. "It's settled then," he declared, swallowing another hard piece of bread.

"We finally have our chance to escape," Egil declared, his voice tinged with excitement. "Under the cover of night, we can slip away unnoticed and leave this place behind us, finally we can leave this hell..."

Jarza and Clio nodded in agreement, their faces breaking into wide smiles as they envisioned the possibility of freedom. For them, the prospect of escape was a beacon of hope in an otherwise bleak existence.

But as the others smiled and nodded in agreement, Alpheo's expression remained unchanged. His smile faded, replaced by a steely resolve as his eyes took on a darker tone. His jaw clenched and his mind racing with the weight of something he had not said

The tension in the air was palpable as Jarza leaned towards Alpheo, his expression curious and concerned. "Is there any problem?" he asked

Alpheo returned her gaze with a steely one of his own. "I am not so sure about that plan either," he spoke, his words carrying weight and doubt.

Egil's voice trembled as he protested, "But you were the one to propose it..."

Alpheo's jaw tightened as he responded, "That was three months ago. Circumstances have changed. That plan is no longer doable."

A flash of anger burned in Egil's eyes. He had toiled for years as a slave, slowly working to escape the hell he lived in, each night he would sleep with the fear of being found . And now, just as he could finally taste freedom, Alpheo - the same man who proposed the plan - had extinguished that hope.

"Did you get cold feet?" Egil's question dripped with an accusatory tone

Jarza intervened before the situation could escalate further, his voice laced with warning and a bit of a threat: "Calm down with the accusations, Egil.We are all in this together"

His words succeeded in calming Egil down, his anger melting into apology. They all knew that if Alpheo said something couldn't be done, it was for a good reason. If he said the sky would fall tomorrow, they would all pray for their souls, before questioning him . In their many years together, they had learned to trust in Alpheo's judgement and resourcefulness above all else.

Clio's voice was laced with disbelief as she asked, "Is there any reason for you to say that?" Alpheo tilted his head back and sighed heavily before responding. "The original plan was to cut our bindings during the night when everyone was asleep, using those sharp pieces of pottery we found. Then, under the cover of darkness, we were going to make our escape. The defenses back home are usually lax at night since they don't expect any attacks on their own land." He paused, his last words coming out like thorns that pricked at his skin. "But now, with us being held captive in these cells, that plan is no longer possible." A pained expression crossed his face as he continued, "There are too many guards watching at night now. They would surely notice if we tried to escape. And I value my legs too much to risk losing them in a failed attempt. Give up that plan is no longer feasible...''

All of them kept silence as if their voices were carved out from thier throat. Jarva raised his head and opened his mouth to try something , but no word came out .

''Are you asking us to forget about it?And to simply toil around until death claim us?'' Egil then asked , the silence becoming unbearable for him. His dirty blonde hair fall on his face, but he would not bother to flick them away

''Why don't you stop attacking him Eg-'' Clio started to defend Alpheo but he was interrupted by the man itself

"Egil," Alpheo began, his voice low and intense, "don't you ever dare to say that again. I will burn this world down myself before I let these mongrels bury me in the earth as a slave."

His words echoed through the heavy silence, slicing through the tense atmosphere like a sharp knife. Jarza and Clio shifted uneasily, feeling unsettled by Alpheo's tone. Even Egil, who had been seething with anger, was suddenly calmed by the intense yet composed gaze of Alpheo.

"Do you have a plan?" Jarza finally spoke up.

"Of course I do," Alpheo replied confidently, his eyes scanning the surroundings for good measure

'But first, I need to calm down. Nothing good will come from antagonizing them. I need all of them'

He breathed in a bit of air before starting '' if a silent escape is no longer an option, then we will go to plan B''

''Which is?'' Clio asked

The words fell from Alpheo's lips , his voice carrying a hint of excitement at the daring plan. "It's simple, really," he declared. "We break out violently and take control of the camp. And in the meantime, we'll seize all belonging in it, while killing all soldiers inside ." His tone was calm and casual, as if they were discussing a leisurely stroll instead of a suicide mission that involved cutting through the army of the strongest empire in existence. As it was the simplest thing in the entire world.