Page 1 of Oath of Rebellion

Chapter 1

KNOX FROWNED AND LEANED against the tree outside of the little ragtag encampment of Vidrland in the northeastern corner of the Feral Forest. His ever present hood was up, covering his face as he met with his two best spies.

Dirt clung to his brown pants, a constant side-effect of his job. His hatchet hung from his belt, but he didn't need it right now. He crossed his arms and frowned.

"So the king's forces are pushing into the woods again? For what purpose this time?"

The forest lay directly between Glathen and Busparia. With the war, he'd known it was only a matter of time before one or the other tried to go straight through.

Will nodded, shifting on the saddle as he looked down at Knox. "Aye. It's like the bloody king's men chopping the east side all over again, except now they're trying to build their own road instead of just taking the lumber for their war machines."

Knox groaned and raked a hand over his face. The Lone Road was the only one in and out of the forest. Only the most desperate ventured onto the road between the kingdoms without the protection of the Robins. Or the most heavily guarded, and even then only a handful of them had ever made it through without escort.

Knox frowned, the possibilities running through his head.

"Why does he think he can create his own road? Do they have mages that can keep the forest at bay?"

The men ignored Knox as he paced in front of them and thought.

The forest had spells of protection that were as old as the forest itself. The druids, the caretakers of the forest who ensured the balance between life and death, said the forest's magic was because it was one of Gaiana's favorite places in the world.

One of the three druids of the forest raised Knox. He knew their ways and had organized the band of cutthroats known as the Robins. He'd magically branded them with runes to freely move throughout the forest. Well, except for the normal assassin vines and killer plants. But he'd taught them how to avoid those dangers.

The Robins kept an eye on everyone who entered via the road and the forest took care of those who tried to barrel inside without a path. Collecting tolls for safe passage from travelers was a relatively new endeavor for the Robins, as he'd suggested it ten years ago at the start of the war. That had been in retaliation for the king chopping the eastern edge to nothing. All because he wanted to make war machines.

Knox' anger still burned over that heedless destruction for a stupid war that didn't involve the forest at all. He took a deep breath, controlling his emotions and coming to a stop. He put his hand on his hatchet and another on the tree, drawing peace from the steady strength of it.

Will looked around the edge of the Robin's camp. "The forest and our spells are keeping the king's forces out for now, bless be Borga. What do we do if their magicians find a way through?"

Knox stroked his chin and looked up into the sky, barely visible between the green leaves of the trees swaying in the gentle breeze.

"Monitor the area without being seen. Do not let them chop down more trees. Use magic or arrows, not close combat. I don't want anyone captured."

Will nodded, and Knox turned to Ashur. "What do you have to report on the war front?"

Ashur straightened. "The Glathens finally reclaimed Auckwald from the Buspartans."

Knox' eyes widened and his brows rose in surprise. "Interesting. So the peace negotiations failed. Hm, are the Buspartans on the way home then?"

Ashur continued. "They are fleeing along the Southern Road to Busparia, and the Growlers are picking off the stragglers and wounded."

The Growlers and the cliffs made it a dangerous journey. There were choke points on the road that would collapse into the sea if they tried to crowd an entire army on it at once.

Knox pushed the thought away. The army wasn't his concern. He had taken an oath to safeguard the forest its people. Nothing else concerned him.

Except the war kept shifting how he could protect the forest and the people that called it home.

Ashur spat in the dirt and murmured. "About time those soldiers came home."

Knox had stayed out of politics until the king had chopped down trees in the forest. It was imperative that they maintain the balance of life and death in these woods. If they wiped out the forest, death would spread to the entire continent, according to Olive, and she would know.

Will grunted. "Agreed. Ten years is too long. We need to do something about the king, though."

The king was erratic. He had ruled for the past twenty years after his parents' deaths. But the last decade, he'd banished those who offended him, executed those who broke his rules, and set fire to the houses who refused to pay taxes.

He had no concept of money or that he was bleeding the entire nation dry. The lavish parties with his closest confidants grew more frequent, causing the taxes to rise.

Knox frowned, his chest growing tight. "Not yet, but it may come to that. We might need someone on the inside, an informant, who can tell us what the king's next move is. I don't want to be surprised if he has some kind of plan other than a road. He's probably going to retaliate at the Glathens for reclaiming Auckwald. His pride will make him strike back."

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