“To think I have to share camp with a leaf ear,” the boy said, grumbling to himself as he stared at the half elf, who was staring at him iurn.

  Magpie pced a hand on the boy’s head, rubbing it gently. “Are you pnning on cutting his throat?”

  “No,” the boy said, shaking his head. He melted against her head, feeling the warmth of her touch. “If I did that, I’d be shaming you.”

  “That’s right. If you end up shaming me, I’d never hear the end of it from Sparrow.” Magpie narrowed her eyes. “If he ends up teasing me because of you, I’ll have you run ten ps around capital.”

  The boy frowned, knowing that she’d be true to her word. “I won’t slit his throat.”

  “Good.” Magpie looked back towards the other three for a moment. “None of you are from Rock Hill, so I trust that you won’t do anything.”

  “I might,” the young man said. “He talks a lot of nonsehe madman should be put out of his misery.”

  “You’re free to try and take a swing at someone surrounded by six Iyrmen,” Magpie said.

  “One of them is a boy, still. Besides, ’t you hahem?”

  “One of them, I’m sure. Oh the boy who has just e out of his ? Maybe. There are six Iyrmen I t, and five of us.”

  “We’d be sin before we draw our bdes,” the oldest of the young women said. “Especially you.” She looked at the young man beside her who might be stupid enough to start a fight with the Iyrmen.

  “Shut up, Jahe young man frowned. “No one asked you. Why do you always have to sour my mood?”

  “Why do you have to say stupid shit?” Jane asked, raising her brow. She looked to Magpie, shaking her head. “Do you really want little Jon to be guided by someone like Rick?”

  “Who else am I meant to ask?” Magpie asked. “I’ve spent years training the three of you to look after him, so don’t start any trouble, especially not with the Iyrmen.”

  “You always treat the Iyrmen with respect,” Rick said, leaning back against the wall. “Why?”

  “They always treat us with respect,” Magpie said. “If it’s one force you rely on, it’s the Iyr. If anythio happen iure where you need help, retreat to the Iyr. They’ll take good care of you, and will make sure Magpie won’t end up like Starling and Bckbird.”

  Rick shook his head, recalling their tale. “A hundred more years and the Order will be nine again,” Rick said.

  “One hundred and ten,” Jane said.

  “Not that it matters. I don’t think nine would be that much more powerful than seven, sidering how rarely we meet.” Rick was sick of all the rules and traditions, but he wasn’t despicable enough to spit on Magpie’s efforts.

  “That’s only if the world will still be well in a hundred years,” Magpie said. “There’s a reason why the Order of Wings was formed.” Magpie sighed, recalling how many times she had to warn them all. “Should I bring you tall to Robin? She’ll make sure you never fet.”

  “No!” Jane and Rick sat up quickly, recalling the st time they had met Robin. She had seemed like a sweet aunt, but when Magpie had asked the woman to teach them…

  “That’s what I thought.” Magpie smiled, seeing the look of fear in their eyes. It did annoy her slightly, sihey didn’t fear her in the same way. “Anyway, we’ll take watches as normal tonight.”

  “Do we eveo take watch when we have the Iy-“ Rick was cut off by a flick against his forehead, which he nursed by rubbing it gently.

  “What did I just say?” Magpie narrowed her eyes.

  Riced aside.

  Adam looked at the group, which was sitting not so far from he and the Iyrmen. “Naming your members after a bunch of birds is a little too y, don’t you think?” Adam threw a go Jurot, who was still carving his block of wood.

  “Do you not know the tales of the Order of Wings?” Jurot asked, stopping his wo to look at Adam.

  “No,” Adam said, narrowing his eyes. “Didn’t you hear me tell you I’m not from around here?”

  Jurot sat up straighter. “I will orate the tales.” He grinned wide, quickly putting his wooden block away.

  “Are they really that amazing?” Adam hadn’t heard of them until they had met with a short while ago, though he realised that would be the case for the vast majority of things.

  “All who take the Oaths are powerful,” Jurot said. “They gain strength from their vi. Very few Iyrmen have cshed with any of the Order of Wings during their journeys, but they are some of the most powerful. Even the most experienced iher Orders could barely maty of them. What the Order of Wings cks in numbers, they make up for with their great strength.”

  “How many are typically in each Order?” Adam tilted his head, w how many Orders there were.

  “A hundred warriors, but there are many more servants. Almost every Order has a castle, with nearby vilges taking care of their food needs. There are a few orders which are like the Order of Wings, those without a pce to call their own. Few Orders are near any of the towns or cities, but there’s the Order of the King, which is housed within the capital. They are a hurong, and only ever a hurong, though each are powerful.”

  “How powerful?”

  “At least Silver Rank if they were adventurers.”

  Adam whistled. “That ain’t too shabby.”

  “They formed from the Swordbearers, swearing their Oaths to the King, to bee their sword.

  “Like King’s Sword?” Adam asked.

  Jurot nodded his head.

  “A smart enough idea.”

  “The leaders of the Orders are powerful.” Jurot grinned wide, thinking about the stories he heard. “They say some are as powerful as reat Elders.” Jurot couldn’t help but hope that he’d get to see them fight one day. Such a csh would be legendary.

  “You two should go to sleep soon,” Tazwyn said, cheg on the boys. “We have an early m tomorrow.”

  “You don’t have to tell me twice,” Adam said, pulling up his bedroll. “I suppose I’ll have to hear more stories from you, Jurot.”

  Jurot smiled. “I’ll tell you as many stories as you like.” As an Iyrman, he k least a thousand by heart, and several thousand summaries for other stories.

  Adam rolled over to face Jurot, smirking at him. “So about the Bckwater Crisis.”

  The day towards the vilge had been full of stories, though the tinuation of the Bckwater Crisis had eluded Adam still.

  “Sir Jamie the Gold Hand wasn’t able to defeat the forces of Big Timber, but he allowed the King to retreat,” Jurot said, as they trekked through the forest, the evening sun filling the forest with light. “There is a statue of him in Gold Hill to honour him. They title the greatest Knight iy Gold Hand after him too, so his story will never be fotten. They crafted a new longsword for the Gold Hand sihe inal Golden Bde was lost sihat day.”

  “Lost? Does Big Timber still have it?” Adam asked, thinking about how amazing the sword souo think that it could cut through giants like they were made of butter, it must have been a great loss to Gold Hill.

  “They say it is within the ir of one of her desdants, since she was ter sin by Gold Hand Eine. Gold Hand Eine had tried to retrieve the inal bde, but she did not find it in the end.”

  “What kind of entments did it have?” Adam asked, rubbing his . Hearing about the various ons of heroes and their entments always filled him with boyish excitement.

  “We’re almost there,” Tazwyn said, interrupting the pair, motioning her head up ahead.

  ‘Damn, I wao hear more about the sword...’ Adam frowned. “First Bckwater Crisis, and now this…”

  The vilge was much rger than Adam expected. When he had heard he was heading to a vilge, he imagined a small pce with a few hundred people, but with the size of the wooden fence around the vilge, there were many thousands who were housed within it.

  A wooden fened around the perimeter, with a rge pit dug around it. There was a sturdy wooden gate and bridge at the entrance, which was currently being worked to allow them in. There were a few guards manning the small towers around the fence, with relief and hope painted on their faces.

  As they approached the bridge, Adam spotted some bou the pit, evenly spaced about ten paces apart.

  An older woman came rushing up towards the gate, adorned in thick clothes, with a shield at her side, and a staff on her back. “Iyrmen!” she said, before looking towards the heavily armoured warriors. “Magpie, isn’t it?” Her dark eyes were wide with surprise.

  “That’s me,” Magpie said, chug. “We were around nearby, so thought we might e and assist in your trouble.”

  “Wele, wele,” the older woman said, motioning with a hand to ihem into their vilge. “You don’t have to worry about the gate fee.”

  “Oh, how nice,” Adam said, having reached into his pouch, but withdrew his hand.

  “Had I known we’d get a visit from a member of an Order, I would have kicked my nephew out of his room.” The older woman gowards a nearby guard, who nodded his head and quickly went to do just that.

  “There’s no need for that,” Magpie said. “Though we’d appreciate some aodation.”

  “Of course, you don’t have to worry about that,” she said, bringing them towards the tre of town, where there were a few stone buildings and a small crowd f like pigeons ready for bread. There were many grateful eyes peering at the group, though Adam could see a young woman with dark hair gring at the group. She had a small bow at her side, as well as two clubs.

  He tio gnce around and noticed just hoeople were armed. Some held spears, though most had blunt objects of some kind, even those who were in their early teens.

  “Chief Herida,” the woman finally said, shaking their hands eagerly.

  “Adam, son of Fate,” Adam said, shaking her hand. He could see the calluses on her veiny hands.

  “Jurot, son of Surot.” Jurot bowed his head towards her, shaking her hands respectfully. He could sense her strength in parison to the other vilgers.

  The Chief looked to Adam for a long moment, wlued to her throat, but she swallowed them down. “Careful,” Jon said. “He’s a-“

  Magpie spped the boy across the back of his head. “Go get situated with the Wings,” she said, shaking her head. She threw a gowards Adam, nodding her head slowly.

  Adam nodded his head iurn, gd that someone she was quick with her hands. ‘She must be used to disciplining idiots.’ He admired the form she had used when spping the boy’s head.

  The Chief gnced between them, but remained silent. She uood that there were some things whieeded to remain a secret. “I have emptied rooms for the Iyrmen and the Adventurers here,” she said, motioning with a hand te building, though there was a man stepping out from the building opposite it, grumbling at the guard from before. “Please make yourselves at home.” The Chief smiled politely.

  Adam and Jurot made their way ihe building, finding a small room which they could sleep in. There were a pair of beds, with enough space between them for oo stand fortably, but not for the two of them to do so side by side.

  Adam dropped his bad stretched his back. “Oh man. It’s good to be in a proper house.”

  “It dulls the sounds of nature,” Jurot said, though Adam wasn’t sure if he meant that positively atively.

  Adam was about to remove his helmet, before freezing. “I should probably keep my helmet on.” He didn’t want to worry the vilgers, sidering that they were one of the closer vilges towards White Forest.

  “No,” Jurot said. “There is no need. You are here with we Iyrmen.”

  Adam looked to Jurot, seeing the look of fiden his face. “Alright.” Adam took off his helmet and stretched his neck from side to side. He stepped out with Jurot, though kept his shield and ons at his side.

  “Elf!” a guard excimed, readying his spear. His eyes were full of shod fusion, seeing the half elf beside the Iyrman.

  “Only half,” Adam replied back, shaking his head.

  Several horns began to reverberate through the vilge. “Undead!” called several people, with the vilgers growing into a greater panic, heading towards the walls.

  Adam raised his brow at the guard, who was staring at the half elf suspiciously still. “Well,” Adam said. “Who do you hate more?”

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  Adam will one day hear the end of the tale.

  I've been wanting to doodle the map some more. I should be writing more, but I 't help it.