In the blink of an eye, several months passed. The kingdom was more or less at peace, so Zaos had the time to build up the strength of his group. Just as he had expected, some of the recruits gave up on his unit after they calmed and began to think about what they should do. Despite that, his unit still gained four hundred new members in the first months after their return.

  After his promotion, Zaos and his three lieutenants also had to promote another recruitment. As it turned out, some of those who failed before tried again and succeeded in passing since they knew what Zaos would test. Zaos imagined that he would have some candidates after the first important mission. Still, aside from Nyana, no one else really shined on the battlefield. So, only she was promoted, and she became the leader of the particular group that only had mages. After one year, fifty other mages joined the Bloody Knights, so it seemed that Zaos would have many more opportunities to use magic.

  During the next year, Zaos worked hard to build up the strength and teamwork of the group. He also did that by sending small teams on special missions around the country. Those were fairly simple, and he used them to grant the newbies some experience. Things like escort missions were things his unit had to do pretty much every week. Zaos also joined some of those missions, but he only did so when they were a bit more complicated or when someone requested his work. For example, Orleand asked him several times to guard some of his ships since the pirates in the region still were causing problems… but they never attacked. Zaos gained some money, but he felt like he only wasted time.

  Maybe it was because of those missions. He didn't have the chance to see Drannor and Ameria all that often. They only saw each other in a few events, and they were pretty far away from each other. So, they only greeted each other with their eyes because most of the time, Zaos was working, and the other two were special guests for those events.

"Captain, shouldn't you participate as a guest in these kinds of events?" Cohnal asked in one of those missions.

"I would rather run to the borders and pick a fight with the mercenaries than try to socialize in this kind of place," Zaos said.

"I can understand the feeling, but…" Cohnal frowned. "Oh well, if I didn't know your name, I would never have guessed that you are from such a highborn family, Captain. You look much more like a rough mercenary."

"I will take that as a compliment," Zaos said.

  Just like time passed so fast, Zaos almost didn't notice when he turned sixteen. He felt completely fine, but something was bothering him. His father wasn't mentioning anything about his marriage anymore. Not even after the wedding, he had with Jeline. Either he was having a hard time finding one patient enough or really was waiting for Zaos. Although he was trying, Zaos was having a really hard time connecting with other people. He talked with his lieutenants about most things, but things don't proceed that well when he meets any woman or girl around his age. Zaos even tried to talk with some of the female mercenaries of his unit in a pub, but while they had a few things in common, things still didn't proceed well.

  After taking a day of to think about that part of his life, Zaos realized that he felt comfortable in only talking with Nyana, Edea, Ameria, and to some extent, Noemi and Melisse. Nyana was out of the question. Ameria was practically already married to Drannor, and Edea wasn't interested in a friend's son. Rather than that, it seemed that she wasn't interested in any marriage. Maybe things could work out with Noemi, but Zaos didn't want to live far away from the capital, and Melisse already had Cohnal.

"Life on the battlefield is so much simpler…" Zaos said and then sighed.

  A few more months passed, and then one day, he was suddenly summoned to the castle. It seemed that the peaceful days were finally gone. Zaos could tell that because he was aware of some troublesome rumors…

  It had been a while since Zaos had set foot in the castle, and things were the same as before, at least in the throne room. The royal guards weren't there, and Zaos only found his father, the king, and Drian. Unlike the last time, they seemed pretty serious about something.

"Thank you for coming so fast, Zaos," Dalyor said. "I believe that we found your next big mission."

"I have heard rumors about weird movements in the North again," Zaos said. "The followers of the demon god had attacked the base more than a few times, and they even destroyed some villages. Is it about that?"

"Yes, they stayed quiet for too long considering the attacks of five years ago," Dalyor said. "According to some reports, they have been capturing some villagers and soldiers and then brainwashed them. There is no mistaking, they are preparing for a real war this time, and they won't ally themselves with the mercenaries. They will use our own people against us."

  Although Zaos heard that, he didn't pay much attention. He learned a long time ago that the king wasn't that naïve or good-natured. Maybe the story about the demon god was true. Still, Zaos was pretty sure that Dalyor was hiding some important pieces of information.

"You are to march toward the North as fast as possible with your unit, as soon as you arrive there, present yourself to a man called Vitalar," Dalyor said. "You are to follow every single of his orders and stay there for as long as he sees fit."

"Vitalar? What happened to commander Ruvyn?" Zaos asked.

"Nothing happened to him. He still is the commander of the base in the North. Everything regarding the defense of the border is up to him, but everything else is under Vitalar's command," Dalyor replied. "He may not look like a soldier, but all the matters outside the base were on his hands. Remember this, Zaos. When he gives you an order, think that I am the one giving the order."