A Land Without Kings

Chapter 30: Fintan

Gerd, Vince, and Fintan travelled along the main road of Scourden on horseback, a light wind blowing at their backs as they went. The path was beautiful, bright green patches of grass lined either side of the road. Roaming hills were littered with trees to either side you looked. The windy road went down into valleys and up steep hills. The temperatures were cooling off recently, as winter was fast approaching.

It had been a couple of hours of riding with little to talk about between the three men. Vince hated the silence but figured he ought to let the two wiser men be the ones to break the silence if it were to be. The discussion that had ensued, however, had been on where they intended to travel to. Vince had heard Gerd mention they ought to start in Scourden.

"They have multiple kingdoms in their lands, one of which I am quite close with their lord, and I am sure I could convince him to ride and mobilize the first men of this new force."

Fintan and Gerd had agreed that it would be Scourden, and then assuming that worked out, they would reach out to the other members of the Magi Order and build from there."

"The communication channels have been blocked since the temple came down. I have encountered Randor Redcloak once, but he is now in peril at the hands of the impending armies of the south, last I heard. Some of the Magi went rogue after the attack on the temple. I don't know where the other Magi Knights fled to, but there is a way to try to connect via stone transcription."

Vince had no idea whatever stone transcription might be, and he had been tempted to ask. He hadn't been taught much of the magic stuff yet. He had not even seen Fintan perform much magical works himself as of yet. He faintly remembered Fintan saying in one of their first encounters, "Magic can be good. But if you use it for your own desires, the stones will know, and it can corrupt you. It can ruin you."

Vince did not know what that may curtail, but he was certainly curious where the boundary lay. Vine's thoughts wondered far and wide on the long, boring route through the center of Weptswur. His imagination took over, imaging himself in full Magi Knight attire. The sword at his belt. The hilt glowing with the blue stone as he raised the hilt from its scabbard. He imagined slaughtering the enemy with his sword's blade. The ladies would love him for it, and he could have the most beautiful woman in the land. His thoughts turned to fear, what if he did not live to see days where he would take a woman for himself. He could die before then. The Magi Knights were not technically even supposed to have a woman, not ever. It was seen as a distraction.

Vince came to when his horse neighed nervously and became skittish. Vince felt himself almost thrown from his seat as the horse bucked now. Fintan and Gerd were up ahead and paid no mind as they continued on at a trot. Vince's horse stopped and suddenly an arrow skidded right before Vince's face, thudding into the base of a tree on the other side of the path they traversed.

"Fintan! Gerd!" His voice was muffled as he tried to speed up his horse, but it threw him off. His body slammed into the hard, dirt ground. His other two riders were gone down the crest of the hill, his own horse ran after them, leaving Vince alone on the ground. He quickly scurried over to the cover of the trees on the side of the road, another arrow hissing by him, narrowly missing and thudding in the trunk of the tree that he ducked behind. He was bent over, clutching his rib cage which had taken a hard slam as he hit the ground.

His hand went for the hilt of his sword. He peered around the side of the tree to get a scan. On the other side of the road it was also heavily wooded. He did not have time to see the figure who was crouched down in the woods before another arrow missed his face by inches.

Vince grabbed a branch from the ground and nudged it outwards from his position and sure enough, an arrow whizzed into the tree limb.

Gerd and Fintan must have realized what happened because their horses reached the top of the hill as they came sauntering back. Vince saw what was about to happen and acted quickly. The archer realigned to fire towards the men on horseback, but Vince leapt out from behind the tree and made a dash for it. He saw the man now, in a purple cloak. The arrow was nocked and ready, but Vince grabbed a small throwing knife from inside his own cloak and launched it towards the archer as he sprinted towards him. The enemy in the shadows of the woods flicked out a hand and caught the dagger by the hilt, standing from his spot. His crossbow was pointed in one hand towards Fintan and Gerd's direction, and the throwing knife dagger was pointed towards Vince, who had stopped sprinting when he saw that the man had some skill, catching a rapidly throwing knife was no easy task. The man emerged from the shadows. His face had a dreary, droopy look. His eyes appeared tired and his lips sagged. He who spoke to Vince,