The leader of the Morl Riders walked towards the supposedly bounty hunter leader and grabbed him by the collar.
"You had to show yourself as a bounty hunter, not act like them…Failure," He pushed him. "The Falvarians want them dead. Make sure that I don't kill you before them…"
"Yes, I will…"
The leader's second-hand man got near him and stood beside him.
"Deris. They never told us about that lady and how experienced our targets will be. The Cerfisian Captain is injured, but the others are still a threat. One of the targets, Felmer Gorbin, was labelled as a critical one. His skill level was critical as well."
"Yes…We have to be careful not to involve other militaries in this." Deris turned towards his second-hand man. "We will not attack them unprepared right now. We will scout and find out what they are doing. Report to Falvarians, and attack them at the right time."
He said and headed to his Morl.
After some time, the captain and Melfer arrived in the room. The captain's wound was swollen and covered in a bandage. He slowly walked and sat on his bed. His face was pale, and he felt weak.
"Are you fine now?" Felmer asked.
"Yes…It still hurts. I can use the blade, but not the magic."
"Well…Don't worry…Rest,"
The captain lay on his bed, and then he slept. The others did the same and rested.
Everyone, apart from the captain, woke up in the evening.
"You guys hungry?" Elna asked them as she dried her hair.
"Where were you?" Melfer asked her as he rubbed his eyes.
"Took a bath from the nearby bathhouse. You guys should take one as well."
They nodded, and then the three brothers went to the bathhouse. After being refreshed from the bath, they came back to the inn. Felmer wore blue pants, a dark blue shirt, and a black coat woven by her mother.
After refreshing and changing clothes, they went down and sat at a table to eat dinner.
"So…Got any clues on how to solve the poem?" Melfer asked.
"Well, I did…Partially," Felmer replied.
"So…What is it?"
"Our next location is a temple near a dried-out river…" Elna added.
"Are there any here?"
"We didn't check the map."
The four of them ate their dinner. After that, they got up and first headed towards the counter to pay for the food. Felmer paid and then asked the innkeeper.
"Do you know of any temple in this country which is near a dried river?"
"A temple? There aren't any temples in this country. Moreover, there is only one river, and it is running all year," He said while taking the payment. "If you are looking for a temple, Efris is the best place. It is a religious country, so they will have plenty. As for a dried-out river, I don't know."
Felmer looked at him and nodded. "Thank you for the information…"
Then they went up to their room. The captain was still sleeping. Elna grabbed her bag and took out a map. She spread it on her bed, and others sat around it.
"We are here…" She said, pointing at the map. "And…Efris is here."
"It seems this village is near the border," Melfer commented.
"So we are going to a new country?" Flexin asked.
"Yep…It seems so…" Elna replied. "Fine then, rest and wait for tomorrow. We will set out after breakfast," She said and folded the map.
They went to sleep again. Felmer was awake for some time, but at midnight, he slept as well.
'A new country, huh?' Felmer thought.
The next morning, Felmer woke up. The captain was already awake.
"How are you now?"
"The arm is still swollen, but the pain has reduced."
"Can you travel?"
"Yeah…Why? Where are we going now?" He asked and sat on his bed.
"Efris…I partially solved the poem. We are looking for a temple near a dried-out river…" Felmer said and handed him the paper.
The captain read the poem and handed back the paper.
"What does the third silence mean?"
"We still haven't figured that out…"
Soon, Melfer opened the door and entered the room.
"Where were you?" Felmer asked.
"Out for a stroll…" He said and sat on his bed.
Soon, the rest woke up as well, and they went down for breakfast. They ate their breakfast, packed their things, paid the innkeeper for the food and the room, and then left the inn.
Their travel for the second clue has begun. The second trial awaited Felmer.