The men had attributed the anomalous perception to deceptive tricks of the sunlight, the great distance, or fanciful imaginations fueled by anxiety on their part. Apart from the brief mentions of the observation, little else had been said on the matter during the scout’s visit.
Aethelstan was immensely glad that the scout had deemed the fleeting observations valuable enough to remember and pass on formally to the great thane. Aethelstan was not quite so sure that the garrison men were deceived by mere tricks of sunlight, or by active imaginations.
It took little to recognize that something was most certainly amiss in that region. Aethelstan could not overlook the possibility that the perceived anomalies could well indeed be dire warnings, of something much worse to follow.
After some further discussion between the scout and Aethelstan, the great thane had come to a firm determination. The areas where the garrison patrols and the scouts had seemingly vanished were both within in the general region around the headwaters of the Grenzen River.
It did not take much further consideration to recognize that the disappearances of the mounted patrols and the scouts were not likely a mere coincidence. It was all but certain that they had a common cause. The faces of the other thanes in the dim firelight within the tent’s confines reflected the same worrisome concerns that Aethelstan now held tightly inside of him.
It had now been many hours since the farthest ranging scouts had been expected to return, not to mention a small number of scouts sent out to closer areas along the immediate western boundary of Wessachia. The latter were far past overdue for returning. Aethelstan held out few hopes that the Wessachian scouts would be making an appearance in the camp anytime soon.
The anxiety among even the greatest of the thanes was building towards a very uncomfortable level. Like Aethelstan, most had begun to fear the worst.
“The mounted patrols sent out by the garrison forts that did not return were traveling in the very same area that our missing scouts were probing,” Aethelstan stated, sweeping his steady gaze across the faces of those gathered around. “It is obvious that a very serious threat has emerged, one that we need to identify as soon as we can. It may involve the very purpose that we have mustered for.”
“And what of the Woodsman? Our missing scouts were not all that far from his hunting grounds and dwelling. Certainly not if they went to the territory immediately to the west. It is said that the Woodsman knows of every beast that crosses through his hunting range… and that no outlaw dares to seek refuge there. If anything threatened and harmed our men, then the Woodsman would know,” Ceolric, one of the other thanes, suggested.
“Yes… yes indeed. The Woodsman… Gunther,” Aethelstan responded slowly, looking up to Ceolric. “He would surely know of any disturbances. It is excellent advice that you give, Ceolric, and we should dispatch a heavily armed group of warriors to try and make some manner of contact with him. Gunther dwells to the south and west of where we now stand in this encampment. With all our scouts sent to the west not reporting back, I would not desire to send any man out alone now.”
“But we have no idea what it is that we face in that area! Should we not be very careful in learning more? Send a larger force immediately to the west? Is that wise?” sharply questioned another one of the thanes, named Ethelred, a thin fellow of about thirty years of age with a haughty expression upon his face.
“You have heard our scout’s report, as I have. Yes, the mounted patrols have been said to disappear here, but it would be foolhardy, even disastrous, to be willfully blind to what is happening there,” Aethelstan said gravely, pointing again at the map in the area where the scouts and patrols had seemingly vanished.
“What do you think it is?” asked Ethelred, his tone less strident than before.
“I fear that the enemy means to come at us in strength right through this area, but we cannot pass firm judgement on what we do not know. There is something very important to learn here, but we must not be reckless either… What is the mood of your men?”
As Aethelstan posed the query, his eyes swept again across the faces of the men gathered around him, the question being directed to all of them.
“There is much worry. Many have been drawn away from the fields… For some there is nobody to shear their herds of sheep, for that season is nearly upon us. Even the newborn lambs are at greater risk, with fewer hale bodies to watch over them. It was fortunate that the plowing of fields was largely finished. The full muster has sorely depleted the villages and towns,” Ceolric commented somberly, being the first to voice a reply to Aethelstan’s query. “Many have never traveled so far from their village. It is like nothing that even we have known.”
The sentiments expressed by Ceolric were soon echoed by the other thanes, all of them pointing out the unique nature of the immense mustering of the Kingdom of Saxany.
“All of you speak truly. What you observe and hear is no different in my own eyes and ears. This is like no time that my father, or father’s father, ever knew,” Aethelstan replied ruefully. It was the irrefutable truth, and it served no purpose to try and deny it. “We all know that the king would call a full muster for no small reason, and would not ask Wessachia to watch the passes towards the north and east without a grasp of the enemy’s intentions.”
Aethestan’s gaze passed once again across the faces of the stalwart thanes. “Are all the levies in?”
“It seems so,” Ethelred replied. “The last group from the villages around the burh at Devonton have arrived in full, five thanes, many ceorls, and a good number of very capable villagers in their force, many of whom possess good arms. These villagers are from thickly wooded areas, and there are also many among them who possess good skill with a bow.”
“If the muster from Devonton is in, then we have our full strength here in this camp, as much as we will have available to us. We will need every last man,” Aethelstan replied firmly. “And we will also need to learn whatever we can of the enemy’s forces, and most importantly, their intended path.”
Aethestan’s gaze then grew iron-hard, and his tone reflected his conviction. “This means that we must try and make an incursion into the troubled region.”
“Then we must decide who it is that will go,” Ceolric stated matter-of-factly.
A number of thanes immediately volunteered for the hazardous and uncertain mission, creating some initial disorder within the large tent. The momentary disarray prompted Aethelstan to raise his arms up to quiet them down, to try to bring some coherence back to the discussion.
“We will need to go in some strength, greater than that of an average patrol, as that is our best chance at success. As it is my decision to try and enter this area, I shall personally lead the group,” Aethelstan announced, bringing all lingering murmurs and conversations to a full halt. He paused for a moment before continuing. “I will bring several of my own men with me. I would ask no man to take a risk that I would not be willing to take myself.”
He straightened up and looked around to the others with a grim countenance that girded the seriousness of his words.
“We must take close assessments of the land,” he continued. “The word that has been gathered from spies and scouts tell us that our lands will be facing a great and terrible strength from the west. Our enemies will also know soon enough that we are here, through the eyes of their minions in the air. It is my belief that the men of the march garrisons espied the first of the expected enemy sky riders. I also fear that it is those sky riders that have much to do with the disappearances of so many Saxans in the region of concern. While I am gone, those here must find and prepare the best positions for our coming defense.”
In the wake of the great thane’s words, a murmur rose up again among the others, as all wanted to accompany Aethelstan on the imminent foray.