“Are you truly going to lead the charge?” shouted one of the soldiers. “Or will you be safe upon the hill watching us die?”
“A fair question,” Lord Rybak nodded. “While my duties as commander of this force are best performed in a position that gives me full view of the enemy’s movements, there are far too few of us left to make observation worthwhile. I will not ask of you what I will not do myself. I will lead the charge.”
The soldier nodded in satisfaction with the Situ lord’s answer. The clearing remained silent and motionless for several minutes before Lord Rybak spoke again.
“I asked that those not willing to fight further leave us,” Lord Rybak said loudly. “The time to leave is now. Think quickly and make your decision. We do not have much time.”
“We are waiting for our orders,” retorted one of the soldiers. “No Khadoran soldier will leave the field while his commander is still upon it. What will you have us do?”
Lord Rybak nodded in satisfaction at the response of his men. He smiled briefly and addressed the troops.
“There is a thick stand of forest between the Motangans and the bridge,” explained Lord Rybak. “I intend to ignite it into a blazing inferno.”
“The Motangans will go around it,” a soldier pointed out.
“Yes, they will,” nodded Lord Rybak, “and that is when we will attack them. We will divide into two groups, one north of the stand and one south of the stand. We will stand and fight for one hour and then turn and flee.”
“If any of us are still alive to retreat,” remarked a soldier.
“If any of us are still alive,” Lord Rybak echoed with a grim nod.
Chapter 12
Interrogation
The air shimmered with heat from the burning forest as the vanguard of the Motangan army came into view. The Motangan soldiers walked warily, expecting an ambush at any moment. Their fears were fully justified.
“Charge!” shouted Lord Rybak as he pointed his sword at the enemy army.
Hundreds of hooves pounded the ground as the Khadoran cavalry charged into the vanguard of the enemy army. Arrows flew by the horsemen as the Motangans reacted rapidly, but their targets were moving swiftly. Lord Rybak had seen the Motangan armies from many hills since the invasion began, and he knew their numbers were vast, but his perspective leading the charge was entirely different. As he charged into the enemy ranks, his eyes saw nothing but an endless sea of red before him.
Lord Rybak slashed left and right with his sword as he made contact with the Motangan soldiers. The first row of soldiers slashed back, and Lord Rybak felt stinging cuts to both of his legs, but he ignored the pain as he tried to ride deeper into the enemy army. His horse balked with nowhere to go. The Motangan ranks were so thick that many of the enemy soldiers could not raise their weapons to fight. The Motangan advance faltered as the northernmost columns turned southward to confront the ambush.
Lord Rybak’s horse backed slowly as the Motangan army pressed forward. The Situ lord could feel the horse’s unsteady footing as it stepped over bodies on the ground. Lord Rybak delivered another killing blow to the neck of a Motangan solder as he felt his horse going down. Fear briefly swept through his mind as he threw himself off the dying horse. Lord Rybak landed on top of a Motangan soldier, knocking the man off his feet, but there was no room for him to fall to the ground. Lord Rybak swung his sword into the necks of the Motangan soldiers around him even as he felt the sharp blades penetrating his body. His body suddenly felt limp and refused to respond to his commands. His sword fell from his hands, and his vision turned to darkness. The sounds of battle slowly faded to nothing, and Lord Rybak issued his last prayer to Kaltara.
* * *
“Are you sure of this?” Goral asked HawkShadow as the assassin adjusted his black cloak.
“I have never been surer of anything,” replied HawkShadow. “Stop asking me that.”
“Sorry,” Goral said sheepishly. “As much as I want StarWind back, I do not want to lose another friend. Perhaps I should go with you?”
“And what would we disguise you as?” asked HawkShadow. “A krul perhaps? Look, Goral, I understand your concern, and I appreciate it, but I am not throwing my life away. I am the best chance of escaping that StarWind has.”
“I know that,” nodded the giant, “but even you must admit that this mission is impossible.”
“Improbable,” corrected the assassin, “but not impossible. I will just have to be careful.”
“You will not even get past the sentries,” frowned Goral. “They almost stopped StarWind, and in a way, I wish they had. She would have been close enough for me to go to her aid then.”
“Stop punishing yourself, Goral,” HawkShadow replied soothingly. “You should have no guilt over this episode. StarWind is the best at what she does, but that does not make her infallible. She knew that as well as you and I do.”
Goral remained silent as he gazed up at the dark night sky. HawkShadow finished his preparations and stared at the dimly lit encampment.
“I will not be walking into the encampment if that eases your mind a bit,” HawkShadow offered softly.
“What do you mean?” asked Goral.
“I am going to sneak past the sentries,” explained HawkShadow. “You could be of help if you promise not to endanger yourself.”
“I will do anything I can to help you,” offered Goral. “What do you want me to do?”
“I could use a diversion when I get close to the sentries,” answered HawkShadow. “Nothing big and alarming. Just something to draw the curiosity of the sentries when I get close to them. I do not want the whole camp alerted.”
“I understand,” nodded Goral. “How will I know when to act?”
“Give me an hour,” replied the assassin. “Make the diversion slightly to the east of the sentries. I only need them to look away for a few moments.”
“I will provide what you need,” assured the giant. “Good luck.”
“Give me your prayers while you wait for me to return,” smiled HawkShadow. “I have found them more effective than wishes for luck.”
Goral smiled broadly as the black-cloaked assassin faded into the darkness.
HawkShadow moved stealthily down the hill and dropped to his stomach when he reached the bottom. The assassin knew the terrain of the Sakova better than any other person, as his main task had been to patrol this land for the past few years. He crawled silently until he found the small gully that he needed to make his approach to the enemy encampment.
With painstakingly slow and deliberate movements, HawkShadow crawled along the gully towards the sentries. While his eyes could see nothing but the gully, HawkShadow’s ears were attuned to the noises of the forest. He listened intently as he crawled.
Well within the hour he had requested, HawkShadow reached the area of the sentries. He listened carefully to the subtle sounds of the sentries and waited for Goral to make his diversion.
HawkShadow smiled when he heard the distant howl, the noise sounding like a wounded wolf. Immediately the closest sentries started moving restlessly. HawkShadow waited patiently. Moments later the howls came again, but this time they were considerably closer.
“What is that?” one of the sentries asked softly.
“Some wounded animal,” shrugged the other sentry. “What are you worried about? Do you think the animal will attack us? It is probably afraid of humans. It will run as soon as it gets our scent.”
Moments later the howl came again, much louder and obviously much closer.
“Its nose must be clogged then,” one of the sentries declared sarcastically. “That thing is heading straight for us.”
“Look!” the other sentry said excitedly. “Look at the size of it! It is almost as large as a krul.”
“That is no wolf,” the first sentry said softly. “It looks almost human. We should sound the alarm.”