Back down the tunnel, the monstrosity is now out of the boat and coming toward him quickly. There’s no way for him to escape. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees the girl turned toward him, a look of pleading upon her face. Then the shadows block the sight of her as the monstrosity draws near.
Evil, malignant evil, radiates from the creature as it reaches its hand out toward him. His heart freezes in his chest and a scream is ripped from his throat as the creature’s hand draws near.
AHHHHHH!!
He starts awake and bolts upright on his cot. His breath comes in rasps as the fear continues to course its way through him.
His tent flap opens and Jiron rushes through with a knife in either hand. “What happened?” he shouts as he looks around for an attacker.
“She needs my help!” he cries as he begins to calm down. His breath continues to be labored as the fear starts to dissipate.
“Who?” he asks as others crowd the entrance to his tent to see what the commotion is about. “Who needs your help?”
“I…” he starts to say but the memory of the dream is already beginning to fade. “I… don’t know.” Like sand slipping through your fingers, the dream which had been so clear earlier is now all but gone. All that’s left are small fragments: golden hair, fear, and a sense that something needs to be done and done soon. But just what eludes him.
“I can’t remember,” he tells them as he puts his face in his hands. Breathing steadily, he brings his nerves under control.
Putting his knives away, Jiron turns to the others congregating at the tent flap and says, “He’s alright. It was just a dream.”
From outside the tent James can hear the sound of the others muttering as they head back to their tents. He takes his head from his hands and sees Jiron, Delia and Miko there just within his tent. “I appreciate your concern,” he tells them, “but I’m alright.”
“You gave us quite a fright,” Delia says, worry still in her eyes.
“Was it a vision?” Jiron asks.
“I don’t know,” he replies. “I can’t recall.”
“Dreams of that intensity usually are,” Miko says in a tone sounding very sure of what he’s saying. “Try to hang onto the memory next time, it could be important.”
“I’ll do that,” he says. To Jiron he asks, “How far away is dawn?”
“Still a couple more hours away,” he replies. “You should try to get a little more rest if you can.”
Laying his head back on his cot, he glances over to them and says, “I doubt if I’ll be able to right away.”
“Get what you can,” Delia tells him and then gestures for everyone to leave the tent.
“I’ll try,” he assures her as they file out through the tent flap. The last thing he sees before the tent flap closes is Devin’s face gazing in at him with concern, then the flap closes.
Lying on his cot, he tries to recall the dream but is unable. After awhile, he yawns and actually returns to sleep for a little bit before the call comes for the camp to awake.
Chapter Fourteen
Despite repeated questioning by the various members of their group, he’s still unable to recall anything but a vague feeling of unease about the dream of the night before. Finally he just quits trying.
It doesn’t take them long to pack everything and be on their way shortly after sunrise. James continues checking his mirror frequently for any forces which may be heading in their direction. The force behind them that had trailed them throughout the day before continues to keep a discreet distance behind them. From what the mirror shows, their number has swelled dramatically through the night. Their plan must be to crush Black Hawk between their force and those waiting for them at Al-Zynn.
James scrolls the mirror as far south as he can and finds units moving in the general direction of Al-Zynn. It appears all is going as planned, the Empire believes they intend to sack Al-Zynn and are moving every available unit there.
They keep a moderate pace, neither rushing nor being too slow. As best they can, they try to maintain a course that will take them a little west of Al-Zynn rather than directly toward it. If the Empire realizes they are not entirely on a straight heading, with any luck they will simply write if off as they don’t know the exact way.
By late afternoon, James has been able to acquire Al-Zynn in his mirror. The flurry of activity surrounding the town shows that they believe an attack is imminent. Troops are moving toward it from all directions, including a sizeable force from the direction of Korazan.
“Hope that’s the majority of the garrison at Korazan,” Illan says when James informs him what is transpiring there.
“With any luck, they won’t realize what we are up to until it’s too late,” replies James.
“When they do,” comments Jiron, “everything at Al-Zynn will be sent after us. They aren’t likely to allow us much time at Korazan for what we intend.”
Nodding, Illan says, “That’s why we are only hitting the slaver’s compound, killing all the slavers and freeing the slaves. Those who wish to come with us we’ll arm with the weapons found at the compound.”
“Can’t imagine anyone wishing to remain behind,” states James. “They would only be made slaves once more.”
“Never know,” Illan replies.
All day long there are no further opportunities for attack. The caravans and patrols must have been diverted to prevent them from falling to them as they head south. By early evening, it’s determined that Al-Zynn is a little over four hours away. Scouts have reached the city and reported back that breastworks are being dug between where their force now lies and the walls of Al-Zynn.
James turns to Illan and asks, “From their perspective, would it seem reasonable for us to stop here, seeing as how our scouts have returned and reported what they saw at Al-Zynn?”
“Yes it would,” he replies. “Now that we ‘know’ what we are up against, it would be reasonable for us to stop and assess the situation.”
“Very well,” James says. He checks his mirror for hostiles in the area and finds more units stationed in and around the town of Al-Zynn than previous. To the east and west of their position is fairly clear, the only units he discovers are smaller bands on their way to reinforce the town. The force that’s been following them remains at the same distance they’ve been since the chase began.
“Looks like we may be okay until the morning,” he tells Illan as he puts his mirror away.
“By then it will be too late for them to do anything,” Illan replies. Raising his voice, he hollers out to the rest of the riders following along behind, “Bring ‘em to a halt! We stop here tonight.”
As Devin begins to take his tent down from the pack horse to set it up, James tells him not to bother. “No tent tonight,” he tells him. Lowering his voice he adds, “We’re not going to be here all that long.”
“Yes, sir,” he says.
They get fires going and cooks begin working on dinner. Bedrolls are laid out nearby and it isn’t long before everyone has had a quick meal. Other than the sentries and the scouts riding the perimeter, everyone turns in early, well before the setting of the sun.
Before climbing into his bedroll, James checks the status of the various forces before and behind them. The one behind has stopped and made camp as well, the forces by Al-Zynn still look to be on alert and ready. He grins as he puts the mirror away and then lies down to sleep.
It isn’t long before a tired looking Devin awakens him. “Illan said it was time,” he says. When he sees James stirring and then gives him a nod, he gets up and begins to prepare James’ horse for travel.
With eyes longing to close after such a short rest, James sits on his bedroll as he tries to come completely awake. The camp is a flurry of activity as everyone readies themselves for travel. Despite the hustle and bustle there is relatively little noise as they ready for a quick push to the west to take the enemy by surprise. If they can get away without anyone noticing, by the time sunrise comes t
hey’ll be many miles away before the enemy realizes what happened.
Earlier, Ceadric had some of his men comb the countryside surrounding the camp in an attempt to locate any of the enemy who may be keeping an eye on them and take them out. A few men with fast horses will remain to keep the campfires lit and to give the overall appearance that they are still here.
Despite the number of men and horses being prepared for travel, the noise level remains subdued. Unless an enemy scout is close, they may not notice anything out of the ordinary. The number of campfires they usually have were reduced by two thirds to lower the light level in the camp in the hopes of keeping their move more secret.
Illan appears out of the dark and walks toward him. “We will be ready to ride shortly,” he says as he comes to a stop near him.
“Any sign of enemy scouts?” James asks as he gets to his feet. Once up, Devin comes and collects his bedroll to secure it behind his saddle.
“Ceadric reported that a half dozen or so were taken out earlier,” he replies. “He thinks they got them all.”
“Let’s hope so,” James states. Glancing around the camp, he sees indistinct shadows moving about as the men make ready to ride. A horse rides close and Delia comes to a halt before him.
“Our folks are ready,” she tells him then glances over to where Devin is finishing securing his bedroll. “That is, when he has your equipment stored.”
“Good,” he comments with a nod. Terrance appears with a plate of rations which he takes with a ‘Thank you’ and commences to eat. To Illan he asks, “How far is it to Korazan?”
“A day or so,” he says. “Are you sure you still want to go through with your plan?”
Nodding while chewing a mouthful of food, James then swallows and says, “Yes. A nation the size of the Empire can lose soldiers and hardly bat an eye. But you mess with its economy and they’ll feel it.”
“As you will,” replies Illan and then his attention is taken by the approach of two of Ceadric’s men.
Finishing his meal, James walks over to one of the campfires set away from the tents where some of those from The Ranch are congregating while they await the order to get underway. Terrance is one and he hands his empty plate back to him.
Stig looks up at his approach and grins. “Is it time for a little payback?” He has his mace in one hand while absentmindedly thumping it in the palm of the other.
Of all those associated with James on this venture, only the pit fighters whom he had bought out of slavery are completely in favor of taking out the slaver compound. The indignity and abuse they endured while in their hands demands retribution.
“Shouldn’t be too much longer,” he replies. They stand there sharing the fire until the word comes a few short minutes later that all are ready. Devin approaches him with his horse in tow and holds the reins while he mounts. Once mounted, James begins moving toward where he knows Illan will ride at the head of the column.
He doesn’t get very far before the force begins to move away from the campfires still burning in the dark without a word. James glances back to the men left behind to maintain the illusion they are still there as they walk to and fro in the fire’s light. Returning his attention back to the fore, he quickly moves through the riders to join Illan and Brother Willim in the lead. The rest of the Hand of Asran rides further back in the column with the others.
As the campfires disappear further into the distance behind them, his anxiety peaks as he waits for any indication the move has been found out. But as minute after minute passes uneventfully, he begins to relax.
A force this size doesn’t exactly move silently and the noise from the horse’s hooves seems to reverberate throughout the night. The tack on the horses prone to jingling has been muffled with cloth to prevent it from making any sound.
They ride in silence for several hours, scouts reporting in periodically only to report that no other forces have been sighted ahead of them. When the sky begins to lighten and still no sight of the enemy has been made, James realizes they may have just pulled it off. By now, their pullout had to have been detected by the enemy. The enemy scouts that were posted around their encampment will not be reporting back in and by now others have most likely been sent to investigate. The men who were left behind to make it appear they hadn’t left were to leave and race to catch up when the sky first began to lighten.
“Should be to Korazan by early tomorrow if we keep a steady pace,” Illan says, breaking the silence. He glances to where James is riding beside him and asks, “Can you check for hostiles?”
“Sure, but they’ll know where we are,” he replies.
Shrugging, Illan says, “Doesn’t matter much now. They know we didn’t go north or south, east would be pointless, so they’re going to send everything this way. Probably will try to crush us quickly with all they have.”
“Alright,” agrees James and then reaches for his mirror.
“Scouts say there’s a road ahead of us a mile or two running north and south,” he says as James gets his mirror into position.
Nodding, James gazes into the mirror and lets the magic flow. The image clarifies and he sees their force from a bird’s eye view. Scrolling the image, he first looks to the west to see what’s ahead. It doesn’t take long to find the road that the scouts reported. “There’s traffic upon it,” he says to Illan. “Regular people and a few caravans.” Glancing to Illan he says, “I don’t think they were expecting us to move this way.”
With a grin, Illan replies, “Good.”
Returning his gaze to the mirror, he scrolls the image still further. As the image moves further from his position, the drain of magic increases. “Doesn’t look like anything ahead of us will present much of a problem,” he says. “There are a few forces on the move but nothing we can’t handle.”
Moving the image, he begins to scan clockwise. To the north rides a band of horsemen heading in their direction, looks to be two score doubtful if they would even try anything against so overwhelming an army. About an hour behind them to the east he finds those riders they left behind at the camp riding hard to catch up. Two to three hours behind them follows the force from Al-Zynn, easily twice the number of those riding with James. The force is entirely made up of cavalry, three brown robes ride with them.
“Our riders made it safely away,” he tells Illan. “They’re about an hour behind us.”
“That’s good news,” he replies.
From behind, Ceadric asks, “What about the force from Al-Zynn and the one that was following us?”
“The army from Al-Zynn rides several hours behind our men, and they’re twice our number with three brown robes,” he says as he scrolls the image to locate the force that had been trailing them. “The others are moving to join with them.”
“Three mages?” Brother Willim asks.
Nodding, James turns his gaze to him and says, “Three.”
“That will make things interesting,” he says.
“Where do they get them all?” James asks as he returns his gaze to the mirror to check to the south.
“They periodically test children and those who show an inclination or talent toward magic are taken to their School of the Arcane,” explains Illan. “From what we understand, not many make it through the training process.”
“I take it that it’s not exactly a voluntary choice?” he asks. The south looks fairly clear of any immediate threat so he returns his mirror to his pack.
“Actually, most desire the prestige and honor that goes with being a mage for the Empire despite the risks involved,” Ceadric adds. “I suppose a few don’t want to go and they’re probably the ones who fail to survive.”
Just then they see ahead a scout returning. As he pulls up to ride beside Illan he says, “The road is just ahead.”
“Are they aware of our approach?” Illan asks.
“Not yet Black Hawk,” replies the scout. “People are still traveling along at a normal pace.”
James gazes
to the horizon ahead in the morning light and can just begin to make out those traveling upon the road.
Illan turns to Ceadric and says, “Take your riders and secure the road. Take out any caravans but leave the people alone. We’re not here to kill innocents.” He glances to James and receives an approving nod.
“Yes, sir,” Ceadric replies. Behind him ride two of the four men he’s designated as Raider Captains, both rode with Illan in his earlier campaign. One is Nerun, a grizzled old timer who still retains his strength and wits. The other is Wylick. Six foot six with just a peppering of gray in his hair, he still gives an imposing appearance. The other two captains ride further back with their men, protecting the rear of the column.
Turning back to them he says, “Nerun, take your men to secure the road to the north. Wylick, you take the south.”
“Yes, sir!” Wylick says before he hollers to his men and they race to the south. Nerun and his men gallop to the north.
James watches as the two bands of riders, over two hundred strong each, near the road. The travelers soon take notice of the approaching riders, at first thinking they are forces of the Empire. But then when they finally realize they aren’t, panic ensues as they begin racing for their lives.
Neither of the bands of men strike down the civilians without provocation. A few are taken out when they try to fight them off in a futile gesture. By the time Illan, James and the others reach the road, it’s been cleared and secured. To the north the sound of breaking wood is heard as Nerun’s men begin destroying a twenty wagon caravan.
One of Nerun’s men returns down the road with one of the wagons trailing along behind him. When he reaches Illan he comes to a stop and says, “Nerun thought we might want to save this one.”
“What is it?” Illan asks.
The driver of the wagon, another of Nerun’s men pulls back the tarp and reveals a hundred crossbows with accompanying boxes of bolts.
Shades of the past ms-6 Page 20
