Thanenor winters were typically more mild than most of the provinces in the Emerald Kingdom. Their soft rolling hills, and mostly pasture type lands were always known for the pleasant weather. Never too much rain, wind or snow. The main supply line of imported foods traveled through the country roads of Thanenor, for King Herrod. Amdesse was north and was known for their seasonal crops and preserved meats, though the druids of those lands typically drove a hard bargain. The Kingdom supplies would run from the coast of Amdesse, through the heart of the province and then wind through the country backroads of Thanenor before entering the Emerald province where the castle stood central to all.
For two months, a supply line had not made it through Thanenor and the rebellion was thought to be the reason. King Herrod had sent a Brother of the Shadows to take care of that little problem, and all was thought to be well. To help this supply run make it through, he had sent Servant Guardian Dray to escort. The initial pick up had been easy, and went as usual. Count the vegetables, count the bread loafs, label and count the wine casks. Pretty basic stuff, but Dray felt confident in number counting ability. He one of the few that could count higher than the fingers on his hands and toes on his hairy feet. Speaking of feet, he really needed to trim his toe nails, they were beginning to resemble tiny daggers. He'd have to get on that situation when he returned back to the castle.
He had taken his seat next to the main cart driver, a withered old man with a piggish nose and nostril hair so thick that Dray thought he had a second mustache. His wispy gray hair was long and combed over from the side of his bald head to the other. In the winds it blew almost straight up. Dray wasn't much better looking he reckoned but when his hair had thinned, he shaved it off to bypass the embarrassing moments Soren was experiencing. Great Cor above, why would a man subject himself to such a thing? Dray pointed a finger at it and Soren licked his hand and tried to smooth it back down. It hadn't done a thing.
"That's better." Dray said, knowing he was absolutely lying.
Soren grunted, one of the few times he actually responded to something Dray had said. He looked back over his shoulder to check on the cargo. Four high walled wooden carts filled to the brim and covered with cured hide to keep the goods from the elements. They were all attached to the lead cart which he and Soren manned. Following behind were four footmen of the Emerald Army, they were dressed in the green and black leather ceremonial armor and carried short swords with unadorned small buckler shields. Dray thought on this for a moment. If there had been so many problems with supplies coming home, why not send more guards? Why not arm them better or even give them better armor? Had this been set up by King Herrod or someone else? Dray could help with his guardian weaving magics but still, it seemed odd. He turned back to Soren, and watched him whips the reins that were connected to the four large oxen that powered this supply cargo.
"Figured there would've been more footmen to protect the goods." Dray remarked as he pointed a thumb behind him.
Soren looked at him and made no remark, just stared at him blankly. Dray stated back for an agonizingly long moment. This was weird.
"Do you speak, man? Like are you capable?" Dray questioned as he adjusted himself in the seat, pulling his gray robes tighter around his thick neck line.
Soren snorted and cracked the reins again as the oxen slowly picked up their pace.
"Will you try to talk to me the entire drive?" Soren finally responded in a thick, throaty, country rasp.
Dray was slightly taken aback by the response but he smiled nonetheless. "I'm not sure what answer you're getting at. Is it rude to talk on a long ride?"
Soren snorted again and hocked a green globule to the side of the cart, "You ever had to go elbow deep in an oxen asshole to pull its own shit out?"
Dray stuttered, opening and closing his mouth with no words coming except for a squeak. Soren slapped his knee and laughed. Dray understood now, this was just a backwoods country man that was trying to see what kind of embarrassment he could cause a man of the cloth. Little did this skinny little booger know, Dray came from the inner city of the Emerald Castle where every day was a rough life. Rough talk, rough ways with your fist, stealing to eat for the night and so on. He had lived int he kind of poverty that country folk just didn't understand. Piss and shit buckets from everywhere inside the city would be emptied into the latrines that just happened to run through the heart of where he grew up before it flooded out into the mote around the massive castle. Diseases spread like wild fire and flies caked every surface. Living inside of a walled city only afforded a poor person the protection of those walls. You still paid tax, you still worked yourself to the bone and you still lived in absolute filth. That was the hierarchy, that was the way. Everyone had a place within those walls and if you chose to leave that station, you most likely did it through the sword or the cloth. He had chosen the cloth because his Guardian magics were strong.
He smiled at Soren, "Can't yet say that I've had the pleasure. You ever been woke up to the smell of three hundred people's piss and shit running in a small river beside your house?"
Soren seemed surprise by the retort and stopped laughing, "Naw, can't say I ever have. You might have me beat there."
Dray smiled to himself inside, he had won that victory. After that exchange there hadn't been much talking. Dray had watched the rolling green hills as they began to turn brown on the crests from the changing of the seasons. The trees that once covered the Amdeese passes and then had gone sparse through Thanenor and it's wore country roads, were beginning to again line the cart path. Small bushes, at first, with red and yellow flowers and humming with giant honey bees. Then they began to grow into thickets and bramble bushes with their purple and orange leaves. This was the less country part of Thanenor, the part that signified that coming into the province of Emerald was not far away. Where Amdeese was almost nothing but great forest lands and massive wild animals, Thanenor was rolling country hills and wide open spaces where you could see for miles on end. One of the footmen had worked his way in front of the cart and held a hand up for Soren to slow the cart.
"Looks like a tree fell, perhaps from an earlier storm. It's not fully in the way, so the cart should be able to go to the left of it." The soldier yelled back as he kicked at the dead wood with a black leather boot.
Dray glanced over at Soren, "Do you know your left from right?"
Soren didn't answer, he was fingering his great gout of nostril hair and twirling a booger around his pinky finger. Dray fought down the urge to drive heave, he wouldn't give this man that kind of reaction. It's what he wanted anyways. The soldier up front was muscular and tall, easily enough for Soren to see over the oxen as he steered them his way. His face was broad and covered with a full black beard, and under his green leather cap a flow of black hair hung to his shoulders.
"Good eye, solider. What's your name?" Dray questioned as they headed towards him.
"Aye, Servant Guardian. The name is Keller. I fought in the Battle of Mist, when the Emerald Army overthrew the pagan tribes that held what we call home now." His voice was powerful and firm.
"Did you now? A Front Line Fighter?"
"Aye, Servant Guardian. Directly beside the Battle Priests you protect."
Dray smiled warmly as they pulled alongside where he stood, "Well, then you were a skilled fighter because here you stand today. Those tribes were not so barbarian and unorganized were they?"
"No, Servant Guardian. This had been their stronghold for years and they knew the lands well and how to use them to their advantage."
Soren rolled his eyes as they passed by Keller, "Those pagan tribes didn't do nuffin but keep to themselves and you's run them off their own damn land like a bunch of goodie goodies."
Keller and Dray snapped their attention to Soren, whose sneer was clearly visible across his worn face.
"Soren, those pagan tribes murdered Thanish, Amdeese druids and the like for rituals to their blood God. They enslaved the inhabitants of the Feral Wilds to do their hunting, farming, cleaning, butt wiping and everything in-between." Dray said sternly as he turned to Soren.
The cart was well to the left side of the path now as it passed the fallen tree. Keller watching intently as it cleared the debris. Suddenly, there was a jolt as a wheel had caught itself on the fallen tree. The third cart in the succession had come to a grinding halt. Keller stepped to the side to survey the damage.
"It's only caught in front, let us see if we can pull the tree the rest of the way out of the road."
Dray nodded as he watched Keller direct the other three soldiers. The trees around them had created almost a canopy above, their yellowing leaves swaying back and forth in the soft but brisk breeze. He watched the foliage above and amazed at the colors, red and yellow interspersed with light green and dying browns. Nature was such a beautiful thing if you took the time to really sit back and enjoy it. He looked down as he adjusted his feet in the riders seat. Boy, he really needed to clip his toe nails. He chuckled to himself, amused by his random thoughts and as he looked up he saw Soren staring contemptibly at him. This man was becoming more brash as the day drug on.
"Can I help your thoughts, Soren?"
"I was just thinking about how useless your kind really are." He said with a sneer.
"Excuse me, old man?" Dray spat back.
He had had about all he could stand of this insolent red neck, who was he to be talking to a Servant Guardian this way?
"Well, I know ye' heard me. I ain't be repeatin' myself because you think people shouldn't be talkin' to a man o' the cloth that way. I did though. So, there's that."
Dray could feel his anger bubbling up, his face was beginning to redden and his heart had picked up it's own pace to match the blood flow in his veins. Before he could speak though, three twangs broke the song of birds and insects around them. Dray spun behind him to where the sounds had come from. Three of the soldiers were staggering from the thickets grasping their necks. An arrow was sprouting from each one's throat as blood bubbled from each wound. They fell to their knees in almost a timed sequence, then fell over. Dray spun back around and heard another twang as Keller threw his shield up just in time to deflect another arrow. Where was the attack coming from? The three soldiers had been on the right, Keller on the left, and he had thrown his shield up and deflected a shot from straight ahead. It didn't matter anymore, cover mattered and Dray rolled off of the cart and under it. Keller knelt beside him and backed himself up to a wheel and tried covering them as much as he could with his shield.
"I think we're surrounded, Can you weave?" Keller asked.
Dray had already begun to work his magic, interlocking his fingers in a succession of patterns as a green glow surround them both.
"Soren, are-" Dray's question was cut off as the cart lurched forward, Soren whipping the reins.
The old bastard had sold them out somehow, he was working for whoever was ambushing the supplies. Thanish or whomever, it didn't matter. Dray had a job to do, protect the soldier and protect the supplies. He looked to Keller, who's eyes were wild darting back and forth. He had pulled out his sword but Dray could tell, he didn't know where to face up or where the fight was. He reached out and put his hand on his shoulder and smiled warmly.
"I'll protect you. My magic is strong, but we need these supplies and the fastest way out of here is not fighting and walking. I don't even know for sure where these attackers are, but if we get control of that cart. We can make it home. I promise."
Keller nodded, a new found assurance taking hold of him. The magic was working through him and with him now, Dray could see. Keller hopped up to his feet, as the carts lurched again and pulled free from the tree. Soren was slapping the reins as hard as he could and looking over his shoulder towards the soldier. An arrow split the air to Keller's right and shattered against the invisible shield. Soren growled and whipped the reins again, beads of sweat forming on his greasy head. Dray stood up as well, his nose was bleeding a trickle and running down his lip into his mouth. Keller looked back and saw the blood, giving a questioning look.
"Guardian magic doesn't come for free my friend. We take the pain in a different way, now take out the driver!"
Keller tossed his shield reluctantly on his back and grabbed onto the second cart's high wooden side and heaved himself up it. Soren had the oxen moving again and Dray was having to jog to keep pace and to keep the cart's side next to him for protection. Keller quickly scaled the side as Soren tried to steer the oxen side to side, but they weren't moving fast enough yet. Another arrow splintered into the air beside Keller as he unsteadily made his way towards the lead cart and driver's seat. Dray's sandaled feet struck a rock and he stumbled as a volley of arrows rained down, he fought to maintain his concentration but wavered momentarily as two arrows found their way through his protection and directly into Keller's right arm. He dropped his short sword as Soren cackled. He whipped the oxen again and momentum was beginning to work on his side as the pace quickened, Dray reached out and took ahold on the second cart's side and with all of his might swung himself up and over the wooden walls.
His concentration had waned again but this time instead of Keller being the arrow magnet, Dray had taken one to the left calf and another through his stomach. The pain was like a fire rod being poked into his intestines, but he knew what he had to do. He closed his eyes and wove the patterns again with his hands. His robe was wet around the arrow in his stomach but he gritted his teeth together and concentrated on Keller. He was back on his feet, and the green aura surrounding him again. The trees and bushes were almost a blur now, as the oxen were in a full run with the carts bouncing behind them to keep up. Keller was holding on to the lead cart with his blood soaked right arm, trying to steady himself. Would he be able to control the oxen if he killed Soren? would he be able to force Soren to drive better at sword point? Great Cor above, he hadn't thought this through very well. In a battle no matter how big or small, things rarely worked out how you planned.
Soren reached down with one hand still on the reins and produced a dagger, it looked normal except for the blade. It seemed to be coated in some sort of black substance. What was that? Keller was on top of him now, grabbing weakly at his ridiculous hair with his bloody arm. Soren swung the dagger up and caught Keller in the forearm with it. Burying it to the hilt in his sword arm. Keller gasped but slid the sword into Soren's midsection and up towards his heart. Soren bucked and spit a spray of blood into the air as he held to the reins. He slumped over to the right and slid from the cart, intestines trailing behind him. The oxen turned as the reins grew tight from Soren, who was being sucked under the cart. They ran into the thickets, the cart bouncing and careening. Keller tried to reach for the reins but was thrown to his stomach in the driver's cart. They were racing out of control through the woods and had no way to stop. Dray lifted himself up to his elbows as his cart hit a rock and broke a wheel, sending everything spinning and crashing around him.
As he glided through the air, he saw Keller tumbling from the cart as it broke free as well. His limbs were flailing, he must've been knocked unconscious, Dray thought. He saw the canopy of trees again, then more of the cart, vegetables soaring about him in the air, then the thickly coated mossy ground rushing at him. He hit hard, his magic's stifling some of the impact. He rolled, and as he did he felt the arrow dig and bite deeper into his belly. Finally, he came to a stop as he heard the cart breaking and crashing all around him, and the oxen cry out as they continued to break through the bushes and thickets alike. His world was fading in and out, and his head was spinning from pain and shock. What was on the dagger that it could penetrate his magic? Who was Soren working for and who was it that attacked them in the woods? He tried to roll to his back, but he was pinned in by part of the cart. His vision was darkening on the edges, but just before he passed out he looked at his feet. There was a small ray of sunshine peering through the wreckage and directly onto them, his toenails looked terrible, he thought. He really should have taken care of that situation earlier, but now, here he was. Dying in a wreck with toe nails that looked like small knives. Hopefully, if someone rescued him they wouldn't mind their appearance. He really should've cut them earlier, he thought again as the world went black.