Khlekluëllin and Mortharona grabbed up their meager belongings and followed Rjurik.
* * * * *
Hawkeye and Sir Richard were reviewing the battle plans when two young braves came stumbling back into camp just after dawn bearing the tale of being ambushed.
Their hunting party was scouting one of the northern mountain passes when they were attacked. The attackers were a mixed band of goblins and trolls numbering in the hundreds. The hunting party was surrounded and quickly dispatched. Only the two youngest braves were able to escape to tell their tale. Aerial scouts were immediately sent out to gauge the strength and disposition of this new threat and the news they brought back was grave. The combined troll-goblin army seemed to number about two-hundred warriors with the trolls making up a quarter of the army and they were moving slowly south. It was obvious that any escape to the northwest was now cut off by the armies of the Dark Alliance.
Hawkeye immediately assembled his war council. “Our situation has changed.”
Judging from the looks on the faces of his war council, everyone had heard the news.
“We can no longer wait. The Dark Alliance is stronger than we thought; an army of trolls and goblins are marching on us from the mountain passes. Additionally, scouts have returned with reports that the might of the Dark Alliance has set forth. The main bulk of its troops are moving north along the river from the Black Falls Fortress. They have also sent a second force west along the Wall to cut off any escape to the south.”
Hawkeye paused to let the gravity of their situation sink in before continuing.
“We are balancing on the blade of a knife, one false move and we shall lose. And in this game to lose is to die, not just our life, but our entire heritage.”
Unrolling a map of tanned leather, Hawkeye placed it on the ground in front of his war council. Drawing his knife, Hawkeye pointed to the Darkmoor Mountains to their west.
“We must be prepared to move by highsun. The goblin-troll army could be here by nightfall. We must move. What we cannot carry, we put to the torch. I don’t want anything useful to our enemies left behind.”
Kaoni Bravefoot pointed to the map. “But Wolflord, what are our plans? How do we fight such a foe?”
“All other plans are useless at the moment. If we do not move, we will have no need for plans. We cannot defend this village from an army.” Rolling up the map, Hawkeye thrust it into his belt pouch. “Everyone has their orders, make it happen. We march at highsun. Those not ready will be left behind.”
Sir Richard was amazed at the speed and efficiency the barbarians displayed as they began breaking down the village. A veteran of many wars, he had witnessed numerous army mobilizations, normally there was a slightly frantic feeling to the procedure. But not here, everyone moved with the speed of purpose. Stepping along side his friend he said, “Your people act as if they have done this before.”
Hawkeye nodded. “Aye, tis a way of life for us. We are typically a nomadic people. Each tribe follows the migration of our prey. Only during the winter, do we tend to stay in one place for any length of time.”
Hawkeye turned to face the older knight. “I have favor to ask.”
Resting his left hand on the pommel of his sword, Sir Richard absentmindedly toyed with his mustache. “What do ye need my friend?”
“It may be dangerous.”
The knight commander laughed. “I wouldn’t want any other type of mission.”
“I need you and your men to harass the trolls and goblins. No matter what our scouts say, I don’t believe that army is moving that slow. Nor do I think they will allow us to easily escape.”
Stepping back, Sir Richard snapped to attention and placed his right fist over his heart. “Have no fear my friend, we will act as your rear guard. They will not reach your people as long as we still breathe.”
Hawkeye returned the bow briefly. “I know but don’t waste your lives in futile heroics. We shall need you and your men again before this war is over.”
“Aye, I fear that you are correct.”
“Keep in mind, I don’t need them stopped. I just need you to slow them down a bit and if possible, herd them slightly east, away from the mountains.”
“It shall be done.” Turning, the knight commander began shouting orders to his men.
He paused briefly to watch as the knights quickly mounted their horses and rode off into the hills. Hawkeye moved through the village until he found Odovacar. The hulking warrior was busy organizing the packing and distribution of tipis amongst the younger warriors. “Odovacar my friend, how goes the preparations?”
“Slow. The youngsters don’t understand the need for haste while some of the elders are having a hard time parting with certain items. Tis a hard blow to be uprooted again, especially so soon.”
Hawkeye placed a hand on Odovacar’s shoulder. “I know. It also pains me to see our people flee their homeland but you must find a way to motivate them. I feel it in my soul, that if we aren’t moving south by highsun, then we never will. I don’t believe it was an accident that our hunting party discovered the band of trolls.”
Odovacar stopped his packing and turned his full attention to his friend. “What do you mean by that?”
Hawkeye shrugged his shoulders. “It’s just a feeling. Blackfang knows our methods too well for us to accidentally stumble onto that band of trolls and goblins. He knew we would spot them and he knew it would force us to move earlier than planned.”
Odovacar nodded his head. “Sounds reasonable. So what do we do about it?”
“There’s nothing we can do at the moment but react. I just don’t like when my opponent dictates my actions.”
“I understand. What do you need from me?”
“Get everyone moving south as fast as possible and keep your eyes open. I have the feeling we are being watched.”
* * * * *
Lalith leaned back from her enchanted pool and looked at her lover. “Your brother is more sensitive to my scrying than I would like, he suspects but he doesn’t know.”
Blackfang leaned forward eagerly. “Good…and what of my cyclopean allies?”
Lalith touched the pool of blood slightly, causing ripples but also shifting the images eastward hundreds of miles. A large contingent of the cyclopean warriors in shiny bronze helmets and carrying huge shields and spears could be seen marching out of Jotenhiem.
Lalith spoke softly. “I count five hundred Jotens on the march. They look to be better armed and more disciplined under their new king.”
Blackfang studied the images in the pool of blood. “Yes they do. Good. Their last king was a buffoon and his army wasn’t anything more than a mob.” He shifted his gaze back to the dark elf sorceress. “Have you discovered anything on their new king?”
Lalith shook her head. “Nay. Somehow he is protected from my scrying.”
“How is that possible?”
“There are numerous spells and artifacts that shield their owners from magical scrying.” She gestured around the chamber. “I have woven many such spells around this room. There is no one alive who can look inside this room without my permission.
* * * * *
Two beings of immense power watched calmly as Lalith went back to her magical studies. The beautiful snow white unicorn looked up from the enchanted ice crystal which displayed the inside of Lalith’s spell chamber. “She is rather arrogant, don’t you think?”
The majestic griffon nodded. “Of course, she serves Clotho and that is a quality that she likes and inspires.”
Aquilo lowered his ivory horn to touch the crystal and the scene changed to that of the Highland village. “I see the mortals have a plan.”
Cassandra nodded. “Yes, although I wish we were allowed to help more.”
Aquilo shook his equine head. “Nay. We have played our parts, now it is up to them.”
“We can only watch and hope.”
“And pray sister. Don’t forget that, we can pray for the mortals.”
Cassandra flexed her talons. “Of course brother, I constantly pray that our older siblings know what they are doing.”
“So do I…so do I.”
* * * * *
Hawkeye looked around at the nearly empty village of Sikya before stepping into the sole remaining tipi. He greeted his co-conspirators with a grin. Anasazi sat beside his wife who was leaning her back against the flanks of Matanza. Only two were moving about, Nilrem with the restless energy a warrior gets before battle and Broun with the insatiable curiosity of his race.
“It is done,” Hawkeye said. Shifting his attention to his uncle he asked, “Are you sure we were being watched?”
The ancient shaman nodded. “Absolutely. It was Blackfang’s witch. I would recognize the smell of her magic anywhere.”
The bear warlord paused in his pacing. “If we were being watched, why let Blackfang know our plans? Why not block her magic with your own?”
Broun looked up from a discarded backpack he was rummaging through and said, “Misdirection.”
“What?” asked Nilrem.
“Misdirection,” Broun said as he dropped the empty pack to the ground and faced the large barbarian. “It’s like the shell game. Show the mark the pearl, duck it under a shell and mix them up; all the while talking to the mark to distract him from the fact that you palmed the pearl instead. Misdirection.”
A puzzled look crossed his face as Broun turned his attention back to Hawkeye. “But how can you do that with an army?”
Hawkeye grinned. “If Blackfang knows we are heading south, then that’s where he will send his troops.”
Tatianna took up the explanation. “When the time is right, Anasazi and I will cloak the army with magic. The army will appear to be both the army and the villagers while the villagers will be hidden from anything but direct sight.”
Matanza asked, “Where do we come in?”
“I am certain that Blackfang still has spies inside the army or the villagers, so he knows our numbers.” Hawkeye pointed at the unrolled map. “Therefore, we must control the battleground. The army will act as bait drawing the Dark Alliance south away from the villagers and hopefully closer to our dwarven allies.”
“With Blackfang and his witch watching the army, we should be able to move the villagers off to the west unobserved.” Anasazi paused before adding, “at least that’s the plan.”
“What do you need me to do?” asked the bear warlord.
Hawkeye turned to his friend. “If what Anasazi suspects is true about Blackfang’s witch, she knows that Odovacar has been tasked with leading the villagers. He could become a target for her magic and betray our deception without knowing. Therefore when we put our plan into action, I want you to take Odovacar’s place.”
Anasazi pointed to a small inland lake to the west of the Darkmoor Mountains. “There is an ancient village on this lake that is still in good repair. No one alive knows about its existence.”
Nilrem studied the map and reviewed the region in his memories before shaking his head. “There is no pass through that section of the mountains.”
“Yes there is. There is a tunnel that leads through.”
“I have hunted numerous times along those slopes. There is no tunnel.”
Anasazi nodded. “Yes there is. Trust me. It is just hidden.”
“If it’s hidden, how can we find it?”
Anasazi leaned back. “Simple. I will show you. I know where it is since it was I who hid it.”
Nilrem shrugged his shoulders. “Good enough for me. I’m game.”
Broun asked, “Where do Manny and I fit in?”
Tatianna flashed the halfling her crooked smile and said, “Somehow you two are linked to my unborn son. I don’t know how or why but if Lodur’s prophecies are true then I need to keep you two close.”
“So, we are to be your escorts?” Matanza asked.
“Yes.” Tatianna nodded. “That is if you don’t mind?”
Both Broun and Mantaza nodded their approval.
Hawkeye studied the faces of his co-conspirators before saying, “Okay. Let’s rejoin the army and put our plan in action. Just remember, no one outside this room is to know of the changes; and I mean no one.”
Chapter 29
The next few days passed slowly for the Highlanders.
They were strung out over a mile, moving at the pace of the oldest villager. Anasazi and Tatianna lead the migration while Hawkeye and the army covered the rear. At no time during the flight south did any of the villagers see the pursuing army. However, the sounds of battle reached them time and time again. The clash of steel and the cries of the dying echoed through the twisting canyons of this region. At dusk on the third day, the Highlanders entered a heavily wooded and hilly region. Hawkeye held back the army and ordered them to take up defensive positions on the top of a ridge while the villagers moved on for several miles.
Sir Richard and his knights had returned a few hours earlier with grave news. Despite their best effort the goblin-troll army would overtake them before midnight. Out of the twenty knights that rode out of Sikya only twelve had returned alive. Every knight bore numerous wounds and of the eight that had fallen, the weary knights had retrieved all the bodies save one.
Sir Nikolaus had been the second in command of the regiment and was lost to the enemy when he sacrificed himself to save his commander. Angel had been cut down from underneath Sir Richard during one of their charges and had been overwhelmed by the pursuing goblins. Without regard to his own safety, Nikolaus turned back and charged the advancing horde. Leaping off his horse, Nikolaus scattered the swarming goblins. Lifting his stunned commander onto the back of his waiting gelding, he slapped his horse’s flanks and sent him back to the waiting knights. Turning to face the advancing horde, he singlehandedly held them off long enough for his brethren to retreat.
Bloody and bandaged, the knights took up defensive positions with the barbarians on the ridge and waited. Sir Richard moved alongside his friend and said, “I’m sorry we couldn’t hold them off longer.”
Hawkeye shook his head.
“Nay. It is I who is sorry for your loss. You and your men have done plenty. Sacrificing yourselves for my people, it is not a debt I will be able to repay.”
“We only did what Minos asked of us, nothing more and nothing less.”
“Well I am glad you’re here.” Hawkeye grinned. “The end has begun and it’s always better to die among friends.”
Sir Richard toyed with his mustache. “So true. If I had to choose who to die with, it would be my friends. Of course, I would rather die at a later date and let my enemies die among their friends instead.”
“Well said. Now, let’s see if we can grant that honor to the goblins.” Seeing the horde begin their charge Hawkeye yelled, “Here they come!”
Nearly all of the highlanders shifted into their hybrid forms and the battle was joined in earnest.
* * * * *
As the sounds of battle drifted down from the ridge, Anasazi looked around at those gathered and said, “It has begun.”
Tatianna nodded in understanding.
“Then it is time.”
Without another word, Anasazi moved off to the rear of the encampment to put their plan in motion.
Due to her advanced condition, Tatianna sat astride one of the black geldings with Amani behind her. It was in fact, Sir Nikolaus’ horse Midnight that she now rode. It had been slightly injured during the knight commander’s rescue. Tatianna nudged the magnificent animal forward and called out to the surrounding Highlanders.
“It is time to move! Now! Pick up everything you hold dear and march!”
Kaoni Bravefoot had been injured in one of the first skirmishes of the retreat and had been sent back to the villagers with the walking wounded; those warriors whose injuries would heal given enough time but would be a liability if allowed to stay on the battle lines.
He looked up and asked, “Move? Why? We’ve had no orders to move.�
�
A few members of the walking wounded and the war council that were nearby echoed his remark.
Tatianna’s voice was cold when she replied. “It is not your place to question the orders of the Wolflord but to follow them.”
Bravefoot was about to respond but noticed that the rest of the villagers were already moving. Shrugging his shoulders, the young warrior fell in behind and headed off into the darkness.
* * * * *
As the sounds of battle drifted down from the ridge, Odovacar gripped his spear tighter.
The young boar warlord stood with the protectors of the villagers several hundred yards away from their make-shift camp. He had positioned them in a semi-circle formation ready to sacrifice themselves in defense of their people. Glancing around, Odovacar noticed that he wasn’t the only one nervous and tense. They knew that their brethren were fighting for their lives nearby. The call for battle was strong in the Highlanders and patience wasn’t one of their virtues.
After about an hour they spied a huge bear loping his way down the backside of the ridge. The defenders tensed with expectations of bad news when Nilrem shifted into his human form. Everyone gathered breathed a slight sigh of relief when they saw the bear warlord’s grin. It could only mean that Hawkeye was winning.
Odovacar stepped forward. “How goes the attack?”
Nilrem spoke loud enough for all gathered to hear. “Good. They were not expecting a strong defense. Hawkeye has pushed them back from the ridge but the fighting is still fierce.”
Leaning closer, Nilrem whispered into Odovacar’s ear. “Plans have changed. Hawkeye fears a spy. The goblin – troll army was too skillful in following us.”
Keeping his voice low Odovacar asked, “What does he want me to do?”
“This may seem an odd request but you and I are to trade places. Anasazi fears that since you were announced as the leader of the villagers, you have become a target of Blackfang’s witch.”
Tales of the Wolf: Book 02 - Enter the Wolf Page 25
