Chapter 3.
The sun was getting very close to the horizon, following its customary route before giving way to dusk, and then finally, to the night. Yet on the last steps of its trip, it rebelliously shone its rays, basking the beautiful countryside in reddish light, giving it a somewhat extravagant quality. Just before dipping below the horizon, the sun's last rays showed a lone rider who was traveling across the countryside, gazing in every direction with wonder.
"Why the hell is this country called Wildlands?!"
Magnus asked himself for the tenth time in the last few days. He had crossed the questionable border between Nessia and Wildlands two days ago, and since then he had been enjoying the beauty of this tumultuous country. It reminded him of Ashad, with its meadows, woods, and streams, yet the plant life was definitely of a different kind here. Still, it seemed like a beautiful land, and he couldn't reconcile the picture he had formed in his mind when he had first heard the name Wildlands with the sight he had before his eyes. He was expecting a wasteland, a desert... or a dryish prairie at the most, yet in the last two days, all he had seen were blooming grasslands and forests.
Magnus stopped for a moment and looked around in every direction. The dusk was about to settle and he needed a decent camping spot. After a moment of deliberation, he found a clearing surrounded by trees. It would keep him reasonably hidden from sight. He dismounted and stretched his limbs, trying to shake off the ache in his muscles, especially in his legs and butt. Then, he cast a few earth and air spells all around the clearing to serve as a warning in case someone tried to sneak upon him.
"Although, I am yet to see a single human being in these... Wildlands,"
Magnus thought, settling down on the ground and taking some food out of his bag. Judging by the scarce information he had gotten in Nessia, Wildlands had plenty of tribes who often warred amongst themselves, and the only reason this nice land hadn't been conquered by some other country was because the tribes would usually stop their quarrels to deal with the invader. If the stories were true, they were fierce warriors, honed by years of infighting.
"I wonder why they can't find a way towards peace,"
Magnus mused as he took a bite of dried meat and cheese. The last chance he had had for eating something warm was several days ago in an inn in Nessia, and he felt quite fed up with dry food. But it was all he had right now. He was about to take a second bite when he heard one of his alarm spells go off. He rose to his feet quickly, straining his eyes to see in the waning light of the day.
"There... what..."
Magnus thought as he started charging a spell by instinct.
THWACK!
The crossbow made a distinct sound as it launched its deadly projectile towards Magnus. On pure instinct, Magnus released his spell instantly and his lightning bolt flew straight into the trees...
A jolt of pain shook his body, radiating from his left shoulder, as a muffled cry sounded from the trees. Magnus turned his head and saw a crossbow bolt lodged in the flesh. The bolt had likely stopped when it hit bone, and it was now protruding from his left shoulder. Anticipating pain, he gritted his teeth and pulled at the bolt, yanking it out of his body with a cry of pain. Blood flowed in rivulets out of the wound, but Magnus paid no attention. A cold shiver ran through his body as his brain processed the sight before his eyes. The head of the bolt was blue.
"Lenerium..."
Magnus thought as the implications became clear. This was no bandit attack; this was an assassination attempt...
Magnus walked slowly towards the trees, expecting any moment to feel the surge of energies in his body, indicating that his brain was working on mending the shoulder wound. Yet, nothing was happening...
"The last time, my magic returned the second lenerium was removed from my arm..."
Magnus thought, nearing the place where he heard a cry.
"Maybe if it penetrates my body... or maybe if it touches my blood it takes longer for the magic to return?"
He felt a pang of worry in his gut. He barely knew anything about the strange metal. Yet he did know it was extremely expensive and quite brittle, so only a fool would use it for a crossbow bolt... unless one wanted to kill a mage.
Magnus made a few more steps and then spotted his attacker. He was lying face down on the ground and Magnus approached him cautiously, straining his eyes to spot any kind of movement in the receding light of the day. Then, he realized his caution was unnecessary. The assassin was dead.
"So much for the answers..."
Magnus thought, turning the body over and searching through the pockets.
"Nothing..." Magnus exclaimed with a hint of frustration. The man was probably just a paid assassin anyway. The pain in his arm reminded Magnus of his wound and of the fact that his healing wasn't working...
"I'll just have to do it the old-fashioned way..."
Magnus thought, walking back towards his horse. Rummaging through his bags, he found some clean cloth and miraculously, some of the healing ointment that Fiona used to buy from her sources. It must have been among his things since before he developed his healing abilities. He rubbed it over his wound, grunting in pain and hoping the ointment would work. Then he bandaged the wound carefully and sat on the ground sighing heavily.
"I must have stirred some attention after all..."
He thought, realizing the implications. Instead of going west in a straight line from elven lands, he had chosen to travel south, following the same way he had used to get to elven lands, through Fluvia and its capital Charobny, then through Vistania's Highfort and then finally heading for Nessia. He had traveled through every major city that was even remotely on his trajectory, hoping to find some clue, some information, just in case the directions he had gotten from the Seer were no good. He had asked questions, describing Lina and watching for clues on the faces of people he had asked, but without result. Yet somebody had obviously been rattled enough by his questions to want him dead, and it seemed that same somebody had spared no expenses.
"I wish they had tried something BEFORE I went through three whole countries... Then I would at least have some idea where to go and poke... Now, after asking questions in so many places, I have no way of knowing where and whom did I provoke..."
Magnus thought, stretching on the ground.
"No... I must continue west and hope that the Seer was right. Hopefully, my magic will be back after a night's sleep."
***
Magnus woke up, feeling a throbbing pain in his shoulder. He groaned, realizing he was still cut off from magic. He was getting worried.
"I am not sure if I will be able to accomplish much without it... but I must press on. I am still a week or two away from the coast and plenty can happen in that time. I really hope it is just a matter of time before my magic returns...,"
Magnus thought while he was reapplying bandages to his shoulder. The ointment had clearly helped, but not as much as it usually did. It all seemed so weird. He rubbed some more of it on his wound and covered it with a clean bandage.
After another day of riding, he stopped at dusk and was somewhat relieved to see the wound was healing. There was still some pain and discomfort, but it felt much better. If only he could say the same about his magic... He felt so strange and so empty without it. The world looked so different to his eyes now. He was used to seeing the energies flowing everywhere, and now everything seemed so static and so... bland.
Magnus ate in silence and then stretched out on the ground. The sleep wouldn't come easy to his troubled mind. His search for Lina seemed a hundred times more complicated now unless he got his magic back. Maybe Fiona would know how to deal with his problem? Or maybe the mages at Vistania's court?
"I am not turning back now... I must hope for the best,"
Magnus thought as sleep finally overwhelmed his tired body.
In the morning, he was once again disappointed by the absence of magic. He would have to get used to the feeling. His shoulder was nicely healing, at least. Looking up, he realized he had overslept since the sun was well above the rim. He stretched out, preparing for another day of riding...
"I swear it, when I find Lina and get her to safety, I will not move from one place for a year... I really hope she is all right. It has been so long since she was taken, and if they hurt her, I'll..."
Magnus's train of thought was interrupted by the sudden realization that he wasn't alone. Troubled by his thoughts, he hadn't even noticed a group that entered the clearing where he was camping. Magnus blinked in surprise. There were five of them, and they were all women... and they all had their weapons out. Magnus raised his hand in salute.
"Hello, I wish-"
"Not a step further, you scum!" a woman with braided hair said. Her accent sounded strange to Magnus' ears but he could understand her. He felt his body tense in anticipation of conflict.
"There are five of them, one armed with a sword, three with a spear, and one with a bow and presumably a knife. The way they are holding the weapons though... Only the braided one seems to have experience with arms... I can take them, yet I doubt I can do it without hurting some of them..."
Magnus thought, assessing the situation. His sword was lying sheathed on the ground, only a few paces away. On the other hand, they were standing between him and his horse, thus making the eventual undignified retreat impossible... He saw the obvious tension on their faces, the nervous and clumsy clutching of weapons, and a hint of fear on some of those faces. They were trying hard to hide it.
"I can't simply surrender either... I mean, gods only know what their intentions are... What an absolutely delightful moment to be without magic,"
Magnus thought, sighing inwardly. Not having his powers had left him with far fewer options...
"I don't wish you any harm... I am simply passing through," Magnus said, forcing calm in his voice.
"Of course you are passing through... on your way to report to the slavers, right?!" the braided woman said with contempt.
"I am not working for slavers! I am also searching for someone taken by them and-"
"Save your breath, scum!" the braided woman spat. "Save your lies for someone who believes in them!"
