Morning had arrived, and the palace of Mandeland was busy as always, with the evil lord’s bandits readying themselves for another busy day. The elders had advised them to briefly pause their chaos agenda and switch back to patrolling the streets, just to mess with the minds of the people.

Even though they had not been too enthusiastic about this, the prospect of mentally damaging the villagers with their on-and-off actions sounded exciting, so they agreed.

As Oren and a few others shuffled out of their room to find something to eat in the kitchen, groggy expressions on their faces, he heard a familiar voice call out his name.

“Oren!”

He turned. It was Soayi, beckoning to him to come.

Amidst the usual snickers and ‘Soayi’s boy’ taunts that were standard, Oren immediately turned towards him and moved to him. Soayi duly led him further down the wide hallway before stopping and facing him.

A hint of pride sparkled in his gaze, accompanied by a subtle smile of approval. “Oren,” he began, his voice carrying the weight of extreme pride, “you have done a tremendous service to Lord Dreck, you know that?”

Oren smiled and bowed his head humbly, his chest swelling with pride at his cousin’s commendation. They had wasted no time slaughtering the men he and Mealor had overheard planning to battle them, and nobody had to be a mind reader to see how proud Soayi was of his little cousin. “Thank you, Soayi. It was my duty to ensure the security of our realm.”

Soayi nodded, acknowledging Oren’s humble response.  “Your diligence and insight have averted any potential surprises. The information you uncovered was so crucial. Who knows what kind of problems they could have brought us? You did well, my boy. You really did.”

Oren’s delight was palpable as he replied, “What more can I say, cousin? I’m honored to have been of service. It’s been a real privilege to serve a man as powerful as Lord Dreck,  and I’m not taking it for granted.”

Elder Soayi leaned forward, his expression becoming more solemn. “Rest assured, Oren, I will personally ensure that Lord Dreck is made aware of your contribution. I  will ensure he recognizes you and Mealor for your dedication and loyalty to our cause.”

Oren’s heart swelled with a sense of accomplishment, knowing that his actions would be acknowledged by Lord Dreck himself. That would be simply marvellous. “Thank you, Soayi. Your support means the world to me.”

The elder nodded, his approval evident. “That’s what family is for, right? Now, I must attend to an all-day assignment given by Lord Dreck himself, so this will have to wait. But I will speak to him when I return.”

Oren nodded in acknowledgment. “Of course, Soayi. I will be waiting on you for any further developments.”

“Good. And by the way, how’s your trophy looking beside your bed?”

Oren laughed. The trophy in question was the head of one of the men they killed in that surprise attack. “Oh, it’s a worthy addition to it. Reminds me that I’m built for this life.”

“That’s my boy! Well, I need to get moving now. I will see you tonight.”

With a final nod of assurance, Soayi turned from him and made his way toward the exit. Oren also turned and headed to join his colleagues, feeling filled with a sense of purpose and joy.

How good it felt to know that he would be acknowledged by Lord Dreck for his actions!

***

Later that afternoon, Oren was busily walking around the garden, the excitement still swelling in his chest.

Who would have thought a little frolic about the village would place me in such an honourable position? he said to himself as he paced up and down the garden, avoiding the dead peacocks that lay in his path.

He and Mealor had not been on duty that evening, so they had just decided to engage their curiosity pangs and see what else Mandeland had to offer, and eventually destroy. Little did they know they would find something that huge.

And now they could look forward to some honour from the boss himself. It was a given that he would, once one of his elders spoke to him.

He nodded to himself as he continued to walk on. “I wonder how Lord Dreck will do it, though,” he wondered. “Will it be just an announcement? Or is there a medallion he’ll give us? Hmmm. It would be nice to get a medallion…”

A commotion interrupted his thoughts. His eyebrows furrowed, he sped to the area of the gates.

A number of his colleagues were dragging a number of villagers in. As usual, they did their job with heartless efficiency while the villagers cried and pleaded for mercy.

“They were caught trying to escape the village,” one of his colleagues commented loudly as he came to stand by him. “Sawid and Gunnin found them trying to break through the gates and seized them immediately.”

Oren laughed scornfully. “Ha! Pathetic fools! They think they can run away like that? Good on them for catching them!”

“Indeed! I’m sure my lord’s going to give the lions some well deserved lunch.”

“Oh, very well deserved! Let’s go see what our lord says. Hopefully he gives them up to the big cats.”

***

“My lord, we found these villagers at the village gates, trying to escape the village. They are in clear violation of your orders, my lord.”

Dreck sat in his throne, his sadistic eyes scanning the group of terrified people before him. He shook his head and sniggered. “Trying to get out of here, are you? Ha! Big mistake! Nobody’s leaving this village, fools! Absolutely nobody!”

From a distance, Oren and his colleague snickered, watching eagerly and hoping for the announcement they wanted.

Dreck continued. “But… if you really want to leave, there’s a pretty good alternative I have in store for you all. I’ve got a couple of lions and tigers that can accompany you out of here. A better alternative, right?”

Oren’s cheers of delight contrasted with the petrified screams and pleas.

“Perfect! Men, you know what to do. Take them away!”

Oren and his colleague turned to each other, grins on their faces. “Just as we were hoping for!” he gloated. “Let’s go help the others out!”

“Sure!”

They sped from the entrance, making their way to the forefront, where the other bandits were dragging the condemned villagers to the other side where the hungry beasts were.

As they dragged more people away, Oren’s colleague outran him, grabbing the last person and dragging him away.

Well, the penultimate person, actually.

Upon seeing the last person, Oren stopped and froze.

It was a two year old boy. He looked up at Oren, tears in his eyes and his lip quivering.

Oren stared back at the boy, that familiar pang of compassion springing forth. Ugh, this isn’t right. Look at him. He doesn’t deserve this.

That Achilles heel coming back to haunt him again. He had promised Soayi he would work on this soft spot. But… as he stared the toddler in the face, his heart warmed up. He didn’t mind tossing any other person into the cage. But… this one… it was so hard…

“WHATTTT!!”

Oren snapped out of his reverie and looked up at Dreck.

He had never seen the lord looking that furious before.

“PITY? YOU DARE TO SHOW A VILLAGER PITY??!!” Dreck roared, his veins popping out of his neck. “FOOL! I’LL TEACH YOU PITY! GUARDS! SEIZE THEM! THROW THEM INTO THE CAGE! NOW!”

The warmth in his chest suddenly went icy cold. Terror shot up his veins as his eyes shrunk in shock.

“No-no-no, I’m sorry, my lord!” he stuttered hurriedly. “I’m doing it. I-I-I’m doing as you say-“

“SEIZE HIM! NOW!”

What??!! He was being sentenced to death? Just like that?

But how? He was a bandit! Yes, he froze momentarily, but he was going to do it. Why was he-

Strong hands grabbed him, interrupting his train of thought. He found himself lifted off the ground, and carried towards the space where the cages were.

Horror enveloped him in that moment. This could not be happening! It couldn’t be!!

“No, please, don’t do this!” he screamed. “Brethren, stop! I’m one of you! Please!”

“TAKE HIM! FEED HIM FIRST! THAT’LL TEACH HIM TO SHOW PITY! FOOLISH BOY! THROW HIM IN FIRST! FAST!”

The terror in his bowels flamed furiously as he was carried on.

He couldn’t believe it. The weakness in him had become the point of his downfall. Despite his prowess and excellence as a heartless bandit, it was this one vulnerable trait that was leading to a horrid demise.

The cruelty of life.

“NO! PLEASE! DON’T DO THIS! NO! NOOO-“

He was tossed into the lion’s cage.

And his screams were instantly silenced once the big cats pounced upon him.

***

That evening was a sober one in the bandits room.

They sat hunched around a long, battered wooden table, the flickering candlelight casting eerie shadows on their weathered faces. The room’s walls were adorned with trophies from their nefarious exploits, but today, none of those mementos offered any comfort.

Mealor, who discovered the secret meeting with Oren, stared down at his clenched fists, knuckles white from anger and guilt. His eyes, normally filled with a mischievous spark, were now dull and empty. The pitiful screams of Oren tormented his thoughts.

A heavy, oppressive air hung over the room, as if even the shadows were mourning.

The bandits were not new to violence or treachery, but this act had crossed a line even for them. They had been uneasy doing it, but none dared to defy Dreck’s orders openly, especially considering how angry he was at that moment. The bandits who tossed Oren in the cage may have had straight faces, but they were very much tormented within as they carried it out.

The greatest fear that gnawed at their hearts, however, was not the memory of the brutal execution but the impending arrival of Elder Soayi. Soayi may have been known for his unwavering loyalty to their leader, but he was also notorious for his open love and care for his younger cousin. They had seen him strike down bandits who showed cruelty to Oren, so they knew how important he was to Soayi.

And they may have been devastated, but they knew that if anyone would take outraged at what had transpired, it would most certainly be Elder Soayi.

“What are we going to do?” one of the bandits spoke up, a very worried expression on his face. “What are we going to do? It’s going to be chaos once Soayi returns.”

Mealor lifted his head up and sighed. “Indeed it will. We need to think of something, and fast.”

“Let’s use this night to think of something,” another bandit, Gunnin, piped up. “Surely Elder Soayi won’t enter this room tonight. We have all night to conjure something to tell him.”

The others nodded. “Good idea,” one of them agreed. “If we use the next few hours properly, we can think of something.”

“And we’ll all be in agreement on it,” another named Kael added. “So we all need to pay attention and have the same story in mind.”

“Brilliant. Alright, so let’s see. Do we go with a relocation excuse or-“

Suddenly, the heavy door swung open with a creak.

The bandit speaking went silent.

Every bandit turned their fearful gaze toward the entrance.

And everyone’s heart sank upon seeing who had entered their room.

It was Soayi.

How wrong they were.

Uh oh. This won’t end well…