though
these are my lands, I don ’ t
know this area. Is this valley a good spot for a raiding force to gather? ”
The scout
nodded. “ It
could be. You wish us to follow their tracks? ”
Yarron looked
to the court wizard for guidance. Paedris rubbed his beard while he considered
what to do. “ No.
A ward here means the enemy must be close, close enough to hear if the ward is
triggered. Go to the top of the next ridge, keep low, so you can see if the
enemy has placed any pickets, but without revealing yourself. Duke, I propose
we turn right just this side of the ridge top, and follow it north half a
league. There, we will see if we can cross to the next ridge east of us, and
see what lies in this valley beyond. ”
“ Agreed. ” Yarron pointed to the
sky. “ We must
make haste, the light will be failing us in a few hours. ”
“ These old eyes are, I
fear, not as good as they used to be. But even I can see a substantial force. ” Yarron whispered. The
light was poor, the setting was almost hidden behind heavy clouds to the west,
just a vaguely less dark part of the sky. It had started to rain again an hour
ago, making everyone miserably cold and wet, if they weren ’ t already. Yarron was
lying in a squishy pool of cold, muddy water under an overhanging rock, peering
down into a valley that was not as deep, or steep-sided, as most of the
Thrallren woods. The enemy had been camped there long enough to have cut down
trees, and build a partial fence along the valley floor. Camped on his land,
treating it as if it were already their own! The enemy had chosen well, the
valley lay less than ten leagues from the western edge of the woods, where some
of the best farmland in LeVanne province lay. And an enemy who controlled that
part of the province could cut the major roads to the south, which would make
it difficult for reinforcement royal army troops to reach LeVanne in case of
war.
“ I count perhaps two
hundred of the enemy, my lord. ” One of the scouts observed. “ Men
only, I don ’ t
see any orcs. ”
“ The enemy rarely mixes men
and orcs, they usually end up fighting each other sooner or later. ” Paedris observed. “ Two hundred is a good
estimate. And they have a wizard with them. ”
Yarron
frowned. He had less than sixty men; twenty of his own, and forty troops of the
royal army. All were cold, wet, and exhausted from the grueling trek through
the woods. There had been no chance for hot food on the march, and since
horses, and even mules, were unable to walk in the tangled mess of Thrallren,
the men had been forced to carry all their weapons, food and gear on their
backs. To set an example, even Duke Yarron carried a backpack, something he had
not done since he was a young boy. The problem was not that his men were not
walking on fresh legs; the problem was that he had far too few men. Sound
battle tactics usually called for an attacking force to outnumber the defenders
by at least three to one. “ Lord
Salva? ”
Paedris
considered what to say, to convince the Duke to attack the enemy force which
had invaded his land. “ I
know your men are tired, Yarron. ”
Yarron
shrugged, as much as he could in the confined space under the rock. “ No battle was ever won
except by a tired army. But I won ’ t
throw my men ’ s
lives away in a futile gesture. ”
“ I believe I can even the
odds. The enemy is also cold, wet and tired, they have likely been in these
woods for a fortnight, and they haven ’ t
been allowed any fires for cooking or warmth. Their wizard is weary, keeping a
concealment spell for so long is a terrible strain. Unless I am greatly
mistaken, their wizard is no match for me. ” Yarron raised an eyebrow at that remark, so Paedris added “ That is a fact, not a
boast. ”
“ You have a plan? We would
have to cross open ground, I can see at least two sentries facing our
direction. Lepto, ” Yarron asked his lead scout, “ could
your men take out those sentries,
these are my lands, I don ’ t
know this area. Is this valley a good spot for a raiding force to gather? ”
The scout
nodded. “ It
could be. You wish us to follow their tracks? ”
Yarron looked
to the court wizard for guidance. Paedris rubbed his beard while he considered
what to do. “ No.
A ward here means the enemy must be close, close enough to hear if the ward is
triggered. Go to the top of the next ridge, keep low, so you can see if the
enemy has placed any pickets, but without revealing yourself. Duke, I propose
we turn right just this side of the ridge top, and follow it north half a
league. There, we will see if we can cross to the next ridge east of us, and
see what lies in this valley beyond. ”
“ Agreed. ” Yarron pointed to the
sky. “ We must
make haste, the light will be failing us in a few hours. ”
“ These old eyes are, I
fear, not as good as they used to be. But even I can see a substantial force. ” Yarron whispered. The
light was poor, the setting was almost hidden behind heavy clouds to the west,
just a vaguely less dark part of the sky. It had started to rain again an hour
ago, making everyone miserably cold and wet, if they weren ’ t already. Yarron was
lying in a squishy pool of cold, muddy water under an overhanging rock, peering
down into a valley that was not as deep, or steep-sided, as most of the
Thrallren woods. The enemy had been camped there long enough to have cut down
trees, and build a partial fence along the valley floor. Camped on his land,
treating it as if it were already their own! The enemy had chosen well, the
valley lay less than ten leagues from the western edge of the woods, where some
of the best farmland in LeVanne province lay. And an enemy who controlled that
part of the province could cut the major roads to the south, which would make
it difficult for reinforcement royal army troops to reach LeVanne in case of
war.
“ I count perhaps two
hundred of the enemy, my lord. ” One of the scouts observed. “ Men
only, I don ’ t
see any orcs. ”
“ The enemy rarely mixes men
and orcs, they usually end up fighting each other sooner or later. ” Paedris observed. “ Two hundred is a good
estimate. And they have a wizard with them. ”
Yarron
frowned. He had less than sixty men; twenty of his own, and forty troops of the
royal army. All were cold, wet, and exhausted from the grueling trek through
the woods. There had been no chance for hot food on the march, and since
horses, and even mules, were unable to walk in the tangled mess of Thrallren,
the men had been forced to carry all their weapons, food and gear on their
backs. To set an example, even Duke Yarron carried a backpack, something he had
not done since he was a young boy. The problem was not that his men were not
walking on fresh legs; the problem was that he had far too few men. Sound
battle tactics usually called for an attacking force to outnumber the defenders
by at least three to one. “ Lord
Salva? ”
Paedris
considered what to say, to convince the Duke to attack the enemy force which
had invaded his land. “ I
know your men are tired, Yarron. ”
Yarron
shrugged, as much as he could in the confined space under the rock. “ No battle was ever won
except by a tired army. But I won ’ t
throw my men ’ s
lives away in a futile gesture. ”
“ I believe I can even the
odds. The enemy is also cold, wet and tired, they have likely been in these
woods for a fortnight, and they haven ’ t
been allowed any fires for cooking or warmth. Their wizard is weary, keeping a
concealment spell for so long is a terrible strain. Unless I am greatly
mistaken, their wizard is no match for me. ” Yarron raised an eyebrow at that remark, so Paedris added “ That is a fact, not a
boast. ”
“ You have a plan? We would
have to cross open ground, I can see at least two sentries facing our
direction. Lepto, ” Yarron asked his lead scout, “ could
your men take out those sentries,
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