Drake picked up the worm.

"Hello, little guy," he said. Then he put the worm back in the dirt.

"Are you Drake?" a loud voice asked behind him.

Drake jumped and turned around. One of the king's soldiers rode up on a black horse. He had a yellow beard. His shirt had a gold dragon sewn on it - the symbol of King Roland the Bold.

"Yes, I'm Drake," Drake said, his voice shaking. Soldiers never came to the fields. Not unless a farmer was in trouble.