"You will come with us. You will give us answers," said one of the masked grey skins.

They were all surprised. A grey skin had just spoken to them in their own tongue.

"Come with us. Now!" yelled the grey skin again.

They couldn't leave Edward there. Edward was still unconscious and badly hurt with his wounds opening up constantly.

"We have an injured with us. We cannot leave him," said Rufus.

The grey skins looked at them.

"We will heal your friend, but we will not carry him. Your choice if you want to leave him here or take him with you. Choose now," said the grey skin.

Without hesitation, they decided to take Edward with them. They took away Doreen's and Edward's weapons. They tied their hands and started to walk towards the mountains. The grey skins tended to Edwards's wounds that were badly infected.

They were able to finally stitch the wounds and Edwards's condition stabilized. They put him on a makeshift stretcher and told the three of them to use it to carry Edward and not to fall behind.

The grey skins kept pushing the three of them to walk faster. It was hard to move since they had to carry a wounded Edward with them. They constantly kept asking if they wanted to leave Edward behind, but the answer never changed.

They avoided all the forts skillfully like they had been to the area many times. After a day's march, they had passed the last fort and they entered the mountain area. They knew they would not be captured anymore, but they didn't know what they were going to do to them.

The mountainous terrain was hard to traverse. Constantly had to watch your step. Sometimes if you made a step you could fall many meters down to your death. Also, the thin mountain air did not make it easier. All of their muscle was screaming and the grey skins did not allow them almost any rest.

The grey skins spoke in their own language and the one who could speak in their language hadn't spoken to them since that one time. They gave small rations to the three of them and told them to force-feed Edward with some food if they wanted him to survive.

"Where do you think they are taking us," asked Haley.

"I don't know. Not in over three hundred years has the kingdom sent forces or any other people into the mountains. There is no real knowledge on how the grey skins live. Most likely based on the primitive equipment they live in small villages made from some animal pelts and wood," said Doreen.

"Do not underestimate us, woman," said the masked grey skin.

The trail was hard. It took over a week until they got to the location where the grey skins were taking them. Edward was still unconscious. His survival was the most important thing to the three of them. They finally reached the destination the grey skins were taking them.

It was a city in a green valley surrounded by mountains. A small river ran through the valley. The buildings were built into the mountains like they grew from them. The grey skins grazed black goats in the side of the mountains and grew crops on the grass. There was one large building coming from the side of the mountain. It had even four large columns coming from it.

Everyone came to greet the grey skin warriors that had taken them hostage. They all looked amazed at the four of them. Edward was taken to a different place since he was wounded. The three of them were taken to the large building.

Inside there, the three of them were taken into a room where beautiful carpets and animal pelts decorated the walls. At the end of the room was a grey skin dressed in a red gown beneath it a white shirt. He was sitting on a small platform.

The three of them were placed on their knees in front of the grey skin who seemed to be the leader. The rest of the grey skins went to the sides of the room and sat down on the ground themselves. Few grey skins stayed behind the three of them to make sure they wouldn't try anything.

"My name is Tenzin Kelsang. I am the chieftain of this Dechen tribe. You are our prisoners. If you cooperate with us, you will be treated well. If not, we will throw you out. You will not survive in the mountains longer than a day," said the grey skin leader.

All of them were surprised that another one spoke their language and so well also.

"What is it that you want from us?" Doreen asked.

"You are of the Jacob kingdom. I wish to know my enemy. You will tell us everything you know about your country," said Tenzin.

"We don't know what to tell you," Haley said.

"Let that be for me to decide. For now, you are allowed to roam the town freely. Only you are not allowed to walk without someone looking after you," Tenzin said and pointed at Rufus.

"Why me?" Rufus said in a shocked voice.

"You are the only one who has such a powerful divine power. The other two need weapons or don't have divine power at all. They are otherwise just stronger than the average person. You on the other hand seem to have a powerful divine power. I can smell a tremendous divine aura coming from you," Tenzin explained.

Rufus was shocked that Tenzin was able to know so much about him with just one look.

"Amala. Please take them to their house," said Tenzin in the grey skin language.

The grey skin who had taken them hostage and was able to also speak in their language stood up. He removed his helmet. Underneath the helmet revealed a female grey skin. She had black hair. Her teeth were slightly sharper than a human's and had the characteristic larger ear leaves than an average human's. In many ways, she was not bad-looking.

"This is my sister Amala. She will guide you to the house that I have arranged for you. Your injured friend is there waiting for you," Tenzin explained and then ended the meeting.

Amala guided the three of them out of the large building. They followed them out and walked through the town. All of them were surprised. The grey skins seemed very polite. They saw kids playing outside and it seemed they didn't have many of the problems the people of the Jacob kingdom had.

Amala guided them to a house. It was a modest house with a common kitchen area with one separate room. A fireplace was in the middle of the room. Some similar carpets they had all over the room in the palace were also put as decorations around the house.

Edward was still unconscious and was set on a futon bed on the floor. A grey skin entered the room. He was tall and looked very muscular. He took his mask and behind it was a male grey skin. He had bright yellow eyes and had his hands wrapped in cloth.

"This is my brother. Pema. He will oversee watching over you," Amala explained and looked at Rufus.

They all looked and Pema. He looked like a strong person. He was a strong-looking person who was even taller than Tenzin. It was only strange that he didn't have the same eye color as Tenzin or Amala.

"He doesn't speak your language. He is a strong warrior. He also is blessed with divine power so I suggest not getting on his bad side, but he rarely gets mad or anything. We will summon you or come here if my brother decides to interrogate you," Amala said.

All of this was very confusing to them.

"Why are you being so nice to us?" asked Doreen.

"Hospitality is an important part of our culture. Also, we are different from you people. We are willing to show kindness even to our enemies. At least that is what my brother taught me," said Amala while showing small resentment towards her brother.

"Have a fire lit during the night. It gets cold during the nights here in the mountains. I will leave then. Pema will keep watch outside and will follow you wherever you go. You other two including your unconscious friend are allowed to roam freely in the town. If you cause problems, we will deal with you accordingly. I will take my leave now," said Amala and left.

The four of them were left inside the house. Pema was guarding outside in the cold and looked like he was not affected by the breezy air. He stood there almost with no expression. Guarding the house like a loyal dog.

"So this is our life now. Prisoners of the grey skins," Doreen complained.

"It could be worse. They also saved Edward's life. Let us be thankful for now for all the help they have given," Haley said.

"Yeah. We were able to stay alive thanks to them. For now, let's make sure Edward survives," said Rufus.

Edward was sweating a lot. In his head, he was having a nightmare. A nightmare of his past.