Matilda and the healer rose to their feet, and I shrank back in fear. The men wore wool tunics like common folk, but their eyes and posture proved otherwise.
"Who are you, and what do you want?" the healer asked, stepping in front of us and shielding us from the men.
One of them, sandy-haired with a careless look, stepped forward, his eyes narrowing. "I assure you, we want no trouble. Only the two girls."
Fear crawled through me, and I found myself clutching Matilda's trembling hands. "What do we do?" I whispered.
"I do not know," she whispered back.
When the healer made no move to step aside, the man sighed in frustration. "If you choose to get in the way, you will get hurt as well."
He took a step forward and raised his sword, but it was blocked by another blade.
We all turned to see Maxwell, clad in his military armor, his face set like stone.
"Get out of here," he said without looking.
