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that he carried quickly drowned in the sound of the barn's roof crashing down in defeat.
    Stephen arrived as Simon joined the others in trying to stop the spread of the fires. The volunteers quickly organized and began to pitch in, but often he noticed them glancing around in fear not generated from the fire. The herdsmen and their families that had served the Aramatheas for so many years now lay all around them. Many were torn to pieces, as if animals had attacked the farm with a passion, but no animals that he knew would set fire to a farm. Though Simon was never in the military, he could have sworn that at least some of them looked like victims of manmade weapons.
"Simon, did you see this?" Stephen called to him.
    A broken portion of fencing still surrounded the fallen home. To one of the remaining fence posts, the man had found a large sheet of paper. "What is it?" he asked as he joined Stephen. A sign with the words `The penalty for treason is death' was emblazoned across it. "Treason?" Simon questioned in confusion.
    "I would guess that King Merrick finally decided that he didn't appreciate your brother beating on his guardsmen. This doesn't bode well for what we've started, I fear," Stephen replied. Simon could see genuine worry on the man's normally jovial face.
    "Master Simon, Master Gerid!" a cry from near the remains of the barn drew their attention. Simon felt a small comfort as he spotted a half dozen of his retainers running towards them.
    "Timoth, Heron, what happened here?" "There were demons, Master Simon!" the shepherd, Timoth answered fearfully. "Winged demons descended from the air to kill everyone. We were tending the flocks when we spied several fires lit near the houses. Not long after dark, the demons attacked and began killing everyone that they could find. Then they set fire to everything near the house and barn."
"Did you see who lit the fires?" Simon asked trying to get through the emotions piling up inside of him.
"We saw several of King Merrick's soldiers around though we didn't see if it was they who actually lit them. I am so sorry, master, but we were too afraid to approach while the monsters were around. The soldiers didn't seem to worry over their presence and just watched them kill everyone and destroy the farm."
"Don't be sorry for not getting yourselves killed here as well, Timoth, for that is what would have happened if you had tried to stop it. The soldiers had to have led those demons here as you guessed. King Merrick has decided to brand my family for traitors. I don't know what sorcerery called forth such demons, but they must be under his control if his men were here and unafraid. What we did to deserve such a thing I still can not guess.
"Did any of the other servants or their families survive?"
"Yes, master, those that live in the homes over the rise. They were spared. Many of the flocks and herds were attacked and slaughtered in the fields though. That was how we spied the demons. I even saw one of the monsters strike down a full grown bull with one blow from a mace and begin feeding."
Simon shook his head with dismay. His brother had moved nearer to hear the news and the two brothers exchanged sad looks. "We'll have to leave this country," Simon sighed. "It's not safe here for us anymore. When the lord finds that we have survived, he'll no doubt send the demons or his soldiers for us again."
"But where will we go?" Gerid cried out in anguish. The sights he had seen were tearing at the young man's soul. His bravado at standing up to Merrick had waned in the news of demons. Simon could see that the boy felt this was his entire fault.
His older brother thought for a moment trying to consider their options now.
"You can stay at the White Horse as long as you like, my friend," Stephen offered, though his eyes betrayed the worry of harboring traitors despite his ties to a growing rebellion.
Simon shook his head adamantly. "Your hospitality is appreciated, Stephen, but it would only be