Son of Soron

by Robyn Wideman

  Nathan locked eyes with her and slowly said, “I promise to come back.”

  Ava reached over and grabbed the back of Nathan’s head pulling him in even closer. “You better come back or you’ll never get another of these,” she stated before passionately kissing him.

  Chapter twenty three

  “HAVE YOU SAID GOODBYE to her yet?” asked Verin. He had watched the telltale frequent looks between Ava and Nathan. As much as they said they were just very good friends, their friendship had all the signs of a romance. Verin remembered his first love and wished Nathan better luck in love than he had. Being a warrior was easy compared to figuring out females. It had taken him years to figure out a fine figure and face did not mean a fine and true heart. He remembered his dalliances as a spoiled prince, and the lessons he had learned.

  “No not yet.” He wished he could put it off longer, but the time had come. Nathan knew that before he left Elderwood to begin hunting down the bandits, he would have to say goodbye to Ava. He and Verin were all prepared to begin the task; the only thing left to do was say his goodbyes. This is going to be difficult, he thought to himself before answering his uncle. “I’m headed there now—just preparing myself.”

  Verin smiled with sympathy for the boy. Leaving loved ones before a battle or dangerous trek was tough even among veterans. “Be honest with her and respect that this is just as hard for her as it is you.”

  Nathan nodded. “Okay, I am going now.” With his uncle’s advice in mind, he headed out to meet Ava. Earlier, he had left word at her house to meet him at the pond for dinner.

  He placed the basket down beside the blanket. Nathan had put together a simple meal of meats, cheeses and fresh bread, hoping a meal would make the dreaded conversation go better. He even had Miss Noggins bake him an apple pie for desert. Not long after he laid the meal out on the blanket, Ava arrived.

  She smiled at the arrangement of foods. The smile was a bit forced, as if she wasn’t really happy to see it. It wasn't the first time Nathan used food to soften her up or appease her. Something was up. “Eat and then talk?” she queried.

  Nathan was more than happy to simply sit and eat together. He readily agreed. Perhaps this wasn’t going to be so bad after all. But as they ate, the silence became like a cloud over the meal. Normally silence between them was accepted and natural; this one felt like a brewing storm. As they nibbled on the pie, Nathan broke the silence. “I am leaving with Verin tomorrow.”

  Ava looked at Nathan for a while. She stared into his eyes before asking, “Are you going to Balta now?”

  Nathan looked down, unable to hold her fierce gaze. “No, we are going to go look for bandits. I will be back before I leave for Balta.” Nathan understood that she didn’t want him to leave. What Nathan did not understand was that Ava was as frustrated with him for going hunting bandits as she was for him wanting to take the trip to Balta.

  “This whole hunting bandits idea is so stupid. Why can’t you just leave it to the king’s men?” Ava was angry and it showed. “You are just a boy and will get yourself killed.” Nathan took exception to these comments. ”Do you not remember the last time the king’s men came hunting bandits? And this won’t be my first altercation with outlaws.”

  Ava could not accept the idea of Nathan being a warrior. She saw only the gentle friend who never minded when she hit or tripped him. She saw the boy but not the fire inside him. Raising her voice she took a hard stance. “Fine, go get yourself killed. See if I care. And while you are at it, you might as well just head to Balta when you are done getting killed. Obviously there nothing important here in Elderwood for you.” Ava had tears in her eyes but was not backing down.

  “I am going after the bandits because there is something important in Elderwood for me: you. And Balta is not forever, I just want to see my family and learn who I am. Mother and father kept so many secrets from me.”

  “Just go,” said Ava as she walked away.

  Nathan watched as she left him, not looking back. Tears ran down his face. He did not know what he could say to her to make it different. He was going no matter how much it hurt. As much as it hurt him to leave her, the idea of leaving for Balta before making the area safe was crazy. He would not be able to live with himself if something happened to her while he was in Balta. No, Nathan thought to himself, his resolve strengthening, I have to do this. Wiping away his tears he picked up the basket and blanket, and headed back to the village to say his goodbyes to the others, especially Rose. She was upset but not nearly as much as Ava. Rose thought killing bandit sounded exciting and wanted to tag along.

  When it was time to go after the bandits, Verin let Nathan lead the way. While he was the more experienced tracker and had years of combat behind him he felt that the best way for Nathan to learn, was to do. And since Nathan had made helping the village his mission it was he who needed to find the bandits and determine how to defeat them.

  Verin would help as much as necessary, but the burden of responsibility lay on Nathan’s shoulders. Nathan was more than willing to accept this role. He appreciated everything that Verin was doing for him, but he needed to do this and would face this danger head on. Moreover, he was ready for this. Between his father’s training and that of his uncle Nathan had gained an incredible knowledge of fighting skills. So similar and yet so different, he mused to himself. His father had focused on defensive skills using his weapons and strategy to stay safe, fending off any number of attackers. Verin’s lessons were much more offensive, using weapons and strategy to defeat the enemies as they were found. Both styles had merit and when combined gave Nathan a well-balanced approach to battle. One he would need as they tracked and hunted down the bandits who terrorized the lands surrounding Elderwood.

  The bandits’ trails, from their mountain stronghold, led a couple hours north and to the east of Elderwood. Despite finding these trails several times, they had not ventured too close at any time. They had not wanted to run into any bandits before they were ready to make an attack. Now that they were prepared to do so, they carefully followed one of the trails into the mountain. It was an older trail and whoever had come this way had made an effort to hide his tracks. But Verin was an excellent teacher and Nathan had learned more than enough to pick up the traces left by the bandit. They climbed at a rapid pace into the mountains. Still in the thickly wooded forestlands, the terrain was now becoming steep and rocky. The trail that they followed soon joined a set of tracks from another well-used trail, and within minutes a third trail, they were getting close.

  The trail was leading up a shallow ravine that was sloping off to the left. It widened and flattened out into a small meadow high in the mountain. Knowing the general direction of the paths all lead this way, Nathan decided to leave the trail and veer off to the right, further up the slope circling high above the meadow. As they got higher, they saw the entire meadow. At the north end of the mountain meadow, they found the bandit encampment.

  Nestled into a corner, where two steep slopes of the mountain met the meadow floor, the bandits had built a large wall across the V formed by the two slopes. Any large force attacking the bandits would have to break through the thick and sturdy-looking gate centered on the wall. At the far end of the encampment was a narrow and steep trail that went further up the mountain. It looked like it would eventually lead over the mountain into the northern lands. The bandits had turned a mountain pass into a veritable fortress easy to defend and with a built-in escape route. Impressive, thought Nathan, while he looked for opportunities, weaknesses.

  Continuing up the mountain Nathan and Verin were able to get across the side of the mountain through the trees and onto the path. They carefully walked up the path until they were almost at the top of the mountain range. They were almost a mile above the bandit’s camp. High enough for them to see that the path did lead across and down onto the northern side of the mountain range. If they attacked the encampment from below the bandits would easily slip up this trail over the mountain and
be free to return and harass the lands whenever they chose. They backtracked down the path towards the encampment.

  As they walked down the mountain, Nathan began to formulate a plan. He knew Verin would give him advice now if he asked, but would leave the decision up to Nathan unless his plan was so terrible it could lead only to their deaths. Before they got too close to the encampment, Nathan stopped and explained his plan.

  “The encampment is well built and would withstand an attack from any of the king’s army for days. Or, if they wanted, they could slip out this way and into the north. We can’t allow that. But maybe what makes it a strong camp against a large force would be a weakness against a small one. The path up the mountain is step and narrow, hard to move fast on. Up here an archer could pin the bandits in so they have to stay in the encampment or go out the front gate. The front gate is heavy timbers, lifted by pulleys and ropes. Difficult to breach from the outside but if those ropes were cut then the gate would be locked shut, and the only way out would be up the mountain,” said Nathan.

  Verin could see Nathan had thought the plan through, well before mentioning it. It was risky and meant they would have to split up, but two men attacking almost twenty always would be. “You want to me sneak in cut the rope and cause havoc while you pick them off from the road. It is dangerous but it could work.”

  Nathan was not willing to let his uncle take the hard job; it was he who made the decision to help the village so it was up to him to take the point on this attack. “No, uncle. You are the better archer and inside the encampment are lots of narrow spaces where one man with daggers can attack and defend against many. A sword would be harder to use and less effective in that close range. I sneak in while you attack from the high ground. We wait ‘til tomorrow’s first light. I can sneak down the mountainside during the night and get into the encampment. The sentries will be tired and the rest will be still sleeping. We can narrow the odds down drastically before they know what hit them,” said Nathan.

  Verin nodded impressed with Nathan’s willingness to take the lion’s share of the risk. He was also impressed with the fact the plan seemed logical and had a good chance of success. Verin would be almost impossible for the bandits to get to and would be able to provide cover for Nathan. He would pick off any bandits who snuck behind him unnoticed. It was almost dusk now, so while the shadows of night would be useful, waiting for the enemy to be tired and asleep was the prudent plan.

  Nathan and Verin slipped back into the trees further away from the trail down into the encampment. They ate a dry supper, not risking a fire, and sat hidden in the trees. They needed some sleep before the attack. It was still dark out when Nathan woke. He knew about an hour remained before the sun would come over the mountain and bring with it dawn. Verin was already awake and just waiting for him to make the call. Nathan was ready. He would sneak into the encampment very slowly and very carefully. Moving around in the dark was risky business when trying to be quiet.

  They made their way back down the slope to a point on the path where almost the entire encampment was in view. They were still about two hundred yards from the encampment, close enough to be within bow range, but far enough that shooting required a high degree of skill. Nathan turned to Verin. “I’ll take the two on the wall. When I kill the first sentry, shoot the two sentries walking around on the ground. After that it will be pretty chaotic… once someone wakes up and starts yelling hit anything that moves.”

  Before Nathan started down the mountain Verin clasped his arm and wished him luck.

  Chapter twenty four

  SLOWLY NATHAN CREPT down the path until he was almost to the bottom. The first twenty feet, where the trail hit the meadow, was very steep and the trail zig-zagged. Nathan wanted to avoid this section, as it was easy to see and, even in the dark, would be dangerous. He crawled along the slope, winding his way down the mountain, using trees and rocks to lower himself into the meadow and the flat ground of the encampment. Inside sat two log cabins, a large half-shelter that looked like it was mostly for livestock and a couple of small buildings that might have contained supplies or stolen loot. Waiting until he could place the sentries’ locations, he sat frozen in place, eyes down and just listening for the sentries’ movements. Once he had the basic pattern of the sentries’ movements, he started working his way behind them towards the front wall.

  The sentries on the wall were looking out into the meadow watching for any movement coming from the south. As long as he was silent, the only worry would be the sentries on the ground. When Nathan got to the wall he found a spot where he could see both wall sentries. If they didn’t move this was where he would fire the first shot. Taking his bow off its sling, he removed it from his back and sat his quiver of arrows down in front of him. From this position, he could fire at both sentries with a good line of vision towards the door of one of the cabins.

  Nathan could find no spot where he could see both doors and the sentries but this was as good a location as he could find. This is the spot, he thought to himself. He silently waited against the wall. The first light of dawn would be coming any minute. As he sat there in a camp full of bandits, waiting for the combat to come, Nathan focused on his breathing. Deep breathes in, hold and then slowly release. He repeated this until he could feel his heart rate slow. The sky had begun to grow light and Nathan could see the forms of the men walking on the ground. Against the wall, he was still hidden in shadow but in a few moments that would change. Nathan drew back his first arrow and lined up the bandit on the far side of the wall.

  Just breathe, he thought to himself. Nathan fired his first arrow. As soon as he shot it, he knew it would be a solid hit. He quickly turned his attention to the second sentry. He was closer, only twenty feet away. Nathan could not afford a miss. As the first sentry slumped against the wall, he slid off the narrow walkway along the top of the wall and fell to ground with a loud thud. As his body hit the ground Nathan had his second arrow ready and was taking aim. The sentry barely registered his companion falling before an arrow pierced his chest.

  Verin had not been able to see Nathan moving through the camp in the dark. He did not try. Instead, he focused on the dark forms of the sentries walking around on the ground. When Nathan took the first sentry on the wall down, he would begin firing his arrows. The light of morning was just cresting the mountain when he saw the first body slump. He let fly the cocked arrow. As quickly as possible he located the second sentry and dropped him with another deadly shot. All four sentries had died within five seconds and with almost no noise. Things were going according to plan.

  Once all the sentries were down, Nathan quickly made his way to the front gate. The top of the gate was attached to two ropes on pulleys that came down to one long double-handled winch. Using one of his daggers, he quickly jumped and cut the ropes as high up as possible. Since the gate was already in the down position the task was done without any noise. While Nathan was focused on cutting the ropes, Verin had been firing into the sleeping bodies of the second group of sentries sleeping along the wall. The first two shots had found their targets but for some strange reason the third bandit was sleeping backwards and the arrow intended for his chest caught him in the leg. Awaking with a scream, the bandit jumped out of bed, despite the arrow in his leg, and yelled out the alarm.

  Verin’s second arrow cut him down but the damage was done. The entire encampment had heard the scream and was waking up. Nathan, having cut down the ropes, returned to his previous spot. He reclaimed his bow and was reaching for an arrow when the first cabin door burst open. A panic filled bandit burst out the door. The bandit looked towards the wall to see if the gate had been breached.

  Before he could notice that the gate was closed but unusable, Nathan’s arrow brought him down. Two more bandits quickly exited behind the first. As their companion fell, they noticed the movement of Nathan releasing his arrow. “Archer inside the wall,” they yelled back into the cabin before attacking Nathan.

  While the two
men came at Nathan, the door to the second cabin tucked behind the first came open and three more bandits entered the yard. Verin waited for the three to get a few more steps away from the door before unleashing his attack. The first bandit dropped dead from a shot to the chest. The second bandit was more fortunate, having turned at the last second; he caught the arrow in his arm instead of a more deadly blow to the body. He did not see Verin but knew the arrow had come from up the mountain. He turned the corner to get around the end of the cabin and out of Verin’s line of sight. The bandit yelled to his companions, “Archer to the north. He is up the back trail.”

  As the two bandits ran at Nathan, he could see more pouring out the door behind them. Nathan fired one last arrow into the closest attacker and dropped the bow. Pulling out his daggers he met the charge of the second attacker. This bandit had expected Nathan to continue using his bow and had been running as hard as he could, trying to get to Nathan before that could happen. When Nathan dropped the bow, the man did not slow down. This brought him within striking distance of Nathan. The charging man had been so focused on closing the gap, he had failed to bring his sword into a ready position. As he raised his sword to take a swing, Nathan’s blade was already penetrating his chest.

  Pulling out his dagger, Nathan let the man fall. He surged forward to meet the second wave of attackers who came out the door behind the two fallen bandits. These bandits had moved a little slower and were in a battle-ready position when Nathan came to meet them.

  As one, two of the men swung their swords to strike Nathan. He quickly deflected these blows and countered with an attack of his own. An arrow from Verin caught the one on the left in the chest and dropped him. The one on the right made the mistake of looking up to see where the attack came from. His glance upward gave Nathan all the time he needed to sidestep to the right and bring his dagger around into his side, unblocked. Metal met bone with a sickening crunch.