He smiled faintly at the cloth with the gems resting on it, the torchlight shifting across their surfaces.
"Don't lose those," he said to Garren.
"I will not, m'lord."
Darion believed him immediately.
That realization settled in quietly.
Trust was a dangerous thing in this world. Back on Earth people betrayed each other over far less than gemstones worth small fortunes and a treasury filled with enough gold to change an entire territory's future.
In this medieval world, it was possible…
A desperate man with access to this kind of wealth could disappear overnight and never be seen again.
Garren could, technically, do exactly that.
Take horses, take coins and ride somewhere far from Percvale and start a comfortable life somewhere nobody knew his name.
But Darion didn't actually think he would.
Not really.
He looked at the older knight for a moment in silence.
