Automoi 1st, 991 A.D.

With the dawning of the next morning came the turning of a month in the four-month Monteraynian calendar, marking the official beginning of autumn. However, as it had been a generally hot year so far, Tom predicted the colder weather would approach several weeks late.

He and Trevor had awakened first, and together, they cooked a hearty breakfast of the remaining food they had purchased in Forbache. Steamed cuts of meat from a long-legged deer native to the north of the country formed the highlight of their meal, sitting atop a bed of various vegetables of many colors, flavors, and textures.

After breakfast, they found a shallow point in the river and crossed into Dalusand. The heavy forest gradually gave way to an open expanse of grassland, tall stalks standing high enough to be at the horses' eye level. More than once, they spotted massive feline hunters prowling in the grass, but a warning shout from one of the swordsmen drove them off efficiently, much to their relief. Jay kept his sword drawn most of their ride for that very reason.

More than a few times, the travelers passed by fenced-off areas where the grass within stood much shorter than the stiff stalks outside the boundary. The decreased height could easily be accredited to the herds of sheep, goats, and cows grazing in the expansive meat and dairy farms sprawling across the countryside.

Around noon, they trotted along the edge of a cliff that afforded a bird's eye view of one of Dalusand's larger towns. Aside from the intricate network of internal roadways meandering across the town and the thick stone walls forming a strong fortification, it was nothing remarkable. Heavily armed guards paced about the gateways in fours, giving the place an atmosphere somewhat less than inviting.

Tom peeled his eye from the fortified town to glance at James, who rode alongside him. The younger man gave him a brief smile, but his attention quickly darted back down to the buildings below. He seemed concerned, so Tom glanced down with a wrinkled brow.

A giant gate on the west side of the town rolled open, allowing a couple dozen horsemen to gallop through to the countryside beyond. Judging by their thick but unrefined armor and their hard riding that forced their horses to tear across the ground they traveled, they were Innutukian.

"Where're they off to in such a hurry?" James asked.

Tom shrugged. "Perhaps...there's a disturbance in a town farther west?"

"That doesn't sound likely."

"Well, where do you think they're off to?"

"Rostacia." James stated simply, as if there was no room for debate.

"Two dozen men is hardly enough to besiege a whole city, James." Tom retorted.

Trevor cleared his throat behind them. "Not only that, but if you look closely, they're not carrying the right weapons for battle. Just a sword and single javelin each."

Tom nodded. "And their horses aren't armored, either."

"It doesn't add up, though." James insisted, "I know Innutuk has occupation forces here and in Kaltar. But them galloping off in such a hurry doesn't seem to fit."

"I agree." Jay said, "One doesn't push his horse like that unless he's going somewhere far and wants to get there fast. They probably packed light so they could arrive quicker."

Trevor shook his head. "But they'd be fighting on foreign soil. I still think it'd be grave folly on their part to arrive both lightly armed and so few in number."

"Ultimately, this debate is unproductive." Tom remarked, "All we can do is arrive in Rostacia as soon as we can. If we have company, so be it. But I don't think we will."

****

The four travelers used the remainder of the day in crossing the Dalusandi grasslands, as well as the entirety of the next. The only thing of note to occur in the rest of their time in Dalusand was during the morning ride of their second day there. Another group of Innutukian horsemen hurtled across the fields, almost double in number and just as lightly armed as the ones the swordsmen had seen the day prior.

James had speculated that each town was sending out a certain percentage of their occupation force to fight in Rostacia, since the bulk of the army would take longer to arrive. Jay had readily agreed again and loosed his sword in its scabbard. And just as before, Trevor had strongly disagreed with them. Tom had agreed with Trevor, but in order to avoid it become a verbal debate to slow them down, he'd shut the discussion down, reiterating that all they could do was make sure they made it to Rostacia themselves.

The morning after that, they crossed the border into Kaltar, a nation dominated by grasslands similar to Dalusand's, but far more well known for their sturdy horses bred for war. Tom's own stallion, Exuberance, had been born there, and he was certainly a worthy specimen of his breed.

Equestrians dotted the Kaltarian countryside, both domesticated and otherwise, and of all sizes, shapes, and colors. Some towered over even Exuberance, and others were so small in stature that they made Miyan-Chen appear large. More than once, the travelers spotted a herd of feral horses so numerous they appeared to be a teeming army on the move, but upon the realization they carried no riders, their heartbeats calmed down significantly.

Organized towns were few and far in between, as most of Kaltar's more urbanized populace resided in the north, closer to Innutuk Proper. But in the south, from the looks of it, horses outnumbered humans by a wide margin.

Three days took Tom and his comrades across Kaltar, and just before the sun set, they crossed the border into Rostacia. A palpable tension lifted from their countenances as they trotted across the bridge spanning from the Kaltarian bank of their river border to the Rostacian bank.

Tom gently dismounted and glanced over the land ahead in the lazy rays of the setting sun. Rolling hills dominated the landscape, so numerous he could only guess they doubled the distance a rider would travel in reality to make a theoretical mile on a map.

"This land has some serious acne." Tom remarked with a chuckle as he led the way to a suitable camping spot.

Trevor laughed. "Let's hope those hills don't burst under our feet tomorrow, then."

Even Jay appeared amused with Tom's jesting, but James' face remained serious, as if something heavy was weighing on his mind and holding joy from his grasp.

Tom gave James a reassuring smile. "Are you alright, James?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." he mumbled unconvincingly.

"We know you too well for you to lie to us, my friend. What's bothering you?"

James let out a long sigh. A long moment of silence followed before he finally spoke. "I have an overwhelming sense that we're...too late."

"What do you mean by that?" Trevor asked, laying a hand on the younger man's shoulder, "We're a whole day ahead of our deadline, and from the looks of it, our destination's only two hours' ride north of here."

"Well, it may look that way on the map, but reality probably has other plans." Jay grumbled, pointing at the hilly terrain all around them.

"Sure, but I can't imagine a two hour ride turning into a whole day, and even if it did, we'd still be fine."

"You're assuming things, Trevor." James said, "You're assuming Lady Delquez's prediction that we had four weeks was even correct to begin with. You're unreasonably optimistic."

"Well, I'm sorry I like to keep a light spirit and not bog myself down with—"

Tom held up a hand to silence the others. "Knowing Lady Delquez, I believe her prediction was only a worst case scenario. She likely thought four weeks would only be if they were incredibly efficient and immediately withdrew from any ongoing battle. Five or six would probably have been more accurate."

"So you still insist that we're early?" James asked.

"I don't know for certain, but yes, I believe we are."

"And what of the dozens of horsemen we saw along the way?"

Tom sighed. "I already told you, the likelihood of Innutukians going out to battle so poorly equipped is next to none. You know how they are. They'd kill your corpse if they could."

"And then slay Death when he comes to take your soul." Trevor remarked with a smirk.

"Exactly."

James ran a hand through his hair. "I'm still not convinced. Maybe you're right, but at the moment, I feel otherwise."

"Well," Tom said, "by midday, we'll likely know who's right."

**** 

A/N: ...And there they are again. 🙄  Lest you forget the Innutukian bastards, there they are doing...something. Given their track record, I wonder... 

Speaking of wondering, I also wonder if you're gonna leave a vote and some comments. I sure hope so! 🤣🤣 

(I'm sorry, just these ham-fisted demands for online love and affection are cracking me up.) 

Well, they're very close, just a few hours' ride, so I guess next week, we'll find out what's to be found in that Rostacian mining town. Until then, be blessed! I'll see you next Friday. 😁