The three of them headed back to the battlefield, took their horses, and got back to the village. The sky had turned dark, and distant stars were visible. The horses galloped under the night sky, and they were back in the village. They went inside the inn and saw Flexin and Irnik eating at the table. They joined them.
"You are back…" The captain said while eating. "Got anything?"
"Yes…" Felmer said, opened his back and placed the rock and the paper.
"Oh…You passed it…" Flexin said.
"Yep…"
Then they sat at the table and told everything. Felmer kept his voice low.
The captain looked at Felmer and then at Elna. Elna nodded. The captain was assured that Felmer wasn't exaggerating. He was telling the truth.
"You sure have gotten better…" The captain praised him.
Then they ordered more food and filled their stomachs. After dinner, they went to the room and sat on their beds to decipher the fourth clue.
"Four winds argue above the plain,
Yet none may cross the watching line.
Follow the star that bleeds at dawn,
It points away from every throne." Elna read it aloud.
They begin to think and understand what it means. They couldn't understand. But Elna was getting a hunch.
"I understand the bleeding star. It is always in the east during sunrise and appears red due to the sunrise. This tells us that we have to move east." The captain spoke before Elna.
"No…It appears red. But it is not. In university, during astronomy classes, I studied this star. It appears near the one you mentioned, but it is mostly southeast." She said and opened a map. "And that direction leads us away from Hormis and Falvaria."
"Away from every throne…Won't that be in the ocean?" Melfer asked.
"No…It says where four winds argue above the plain." Felmer said, looking at the paper.
"If we take the thrones as the three kingdoms, then we could find a place on land," Elna answered. "We can't decide on a specific location until we see the star."
"Bleeding star…Is it at the southwest?" Melfer asked.
"Yes…That's what I studied." Elna replied.
"Fine then…We will see tomorrow morning. Rest now," Elna said and folded the map.
The rest agreed and went to sleep.
A scout came running to Deris and told him about what happened with their 8 men. He heard it all and was left stunned. Felmer's skill had exceeded his expectations. He never imagined Felmer would be this good. The soldiers around him were shocked as well.
'None of our men are bad. They are all trained…Why did they get careless? Damnit!' Deris thought.
"Fine…We will go with plan B. We will chase and scout them till they get the end product. Once they get that, we will attack with full force and take both their heads and the thing they are finding." He ordered and then walked away.
The riders looked at each other and then at Deris. They could see the frustration in his eyes. But they had no choice but to follow the orders.
Later that morning, Felmer woke early, before sunrise. He yawned and looked around. The rest were sleeping, and Melfer wasn't there. He opened the window by his bed and looked outside. It was quiet. Farmers were leaving for work, and soldiers were standing in their positions, looking around. Below, he saw Melfer leaving the inn. He called him from there.
"Where are you going?" Felmer asked with closed eyes.
"Why do I need to tell you? Are you my parent?" Melfer asked.
"Still…" Felmer yawned.
"For a stroll. And find that bleeding sun. The sun is about to rise…" Melfer said and walked ahead.
Felmer then went to his bed and slept again.
Later, Elna awoke him. Melfer was back from his stroll as well. They had breakfast and were back in their room. Map open, and they were standing around it.
"I saw two of them. One was a bit near the horizon and redder than the other. It was almost southwest. I think it might be that." Melfer said.
"Yes…It matched the description of what I studied." Elna replied, looking at Melfer. "I have been thinking since last night about the four winds. I still couldn't understand."
"Then? How do we find the place?" Felmer asked.
"I have an idea." She said and took out an arrow. "If we draw a straight line from our location to the star's location." She placed the arrow in that direction on the map. "It leads us to an unrecognised place away from both Hormis and Falvaria." She said and looked at the place on the map. It was in the borders of no kingdom. A free territory.
"This can be it…"
"Then we have to move and be more careful. No rules mean freedom for our pursuers." The captain said.
"Okay then…Get ready. We leave now." Elna announced.
They prepared and then left the village. The journey for the fourth trial had begun.